Forget the Galaxy S9, Samsung might make you an offer you can't refuse on a different phone
The star of MWC 2018 is Samsung’s Galaxy S9, even though it sports almost the same design as its predecessor, and even though it had no surprises for die-hard smartphone enthusiasts who follow all the leaks and rumors. Moreover, the Galaxy S9 turned to be even more affordable than we first thought, at least in certain markets. Your mileage may vary, of course, depending on where you live.
But you may want to think twice before committing to the Galaxy S9. Samsung might make you an offer you can’t refuse.
According to a new report, Samsung finally gets it. And by finally, I mean Samsung might borrow more pages from Apple’s smartphone selling playbook.
The Galaxy S9 already copies the iPhone 7 strategy. The bigger model has a dual lens camera on the back, and it’s more expensive than the regular version. Soon enough, Samsung may do one more thing like Apple, and that’s to keep old flagships in stock for one more year. There’s a caveat here, aside from the fact that Samsung has not decided whether to go forward with these plans. If the Galaxy S8 keeps selling for at least a year, it might not be new. Instead, Samsung may sell refurbished Galaxy S8 units in certain markets.
Samsung mobile chief DJ Koh said as much during an interview The Wall Street Journal reports.
The Journal report says that current smartphone owners tend to hang on to their devices from more than two years, with the average device life expected to widen to 33 months this year. The same report says that premium handsets are likely to have three or four different owners before being discarded.
The growing popularity of second-hand phones has Samsung considering whether it should adjust its sales strategy. In certain markets, Samsung is thinking about selling refurbished flagships more aggressively over lower-cost phones, Koh said.
That would be the kind of deal you should not refuse, especially if your smartphone budget is limited. Instead of getting a brand new mid-range handset from Samsung or anyone else in the business, you should consider purchasing last year’s model. Especially for Samsung. Refurbished devices may come with limited warranties, unlike second-hand devices.
Apple’s strategy is even better, however. The company still stocks the 2016 iPhone 6s in its stores right alongside the iPhone 7 and last year’s trio of flagship phones. And the best part is that Apple is selling new old iPhones.
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