Man, I seriously miss the good old days of flagship phones.
I miss their pricing in particular.
Back around 2010 to 2015, you could buy the best phone on the market and it didn’t feel like you were making a financial decision. It was more like 1,800 to 2,500 dirhams, which was very affordable for flagships and top-tier models. You’d complain, you’d buy it, you’d move on.
Then around 2017, Apple basically set a new extortionate standard with the iPhone X and that whole 1000 dollar moment, and after that, everyone acted like the gates were opened.
I truly hate what Apple did because they changed everyone's psychology. When I see a 5200 Dhs phone costing more than a BIG advanced TV, you know something is off. And don't tell me it's the cameras or processor. Strip the components down and you'd quickly realize phones don't cost that much to manufacture; it's just that companies decided their margins should be fatter.
All other manufacturers followed through. Samsung followed, everyone followed, and now it’s like flagship pricing is a flex, not a product category...
Fast forward to 2026 and you’re still seeing 5,200 dirhams for a phone... year after year Like it’s normal.
And the thing is, the tech is tempting. I’m looking at the S26 Ultra and I am drooling over it. I genuinely want it. But it **bleep** when you want a phone and the price makes you do mental math like you’re buying expensive furniture, not just a gadget that WOULD BE REPLACED.
I realized I used to make the mistake of upgrading every single year which hurt me financially because all the new shiny phones from Samsung and Apple were irresistible, but then again, last year I realized... really? Is it truly worth upgrading with just an incremental upgrade?
It's not that you literally can’t afford it. You can. I can splurge and fork out the 5200 Dhs right now because I can. But you know it’ll hurt. You’ll feel it. It’ll mess with your budget, your savings, your plans. And for what? So you can have the “latest” again?
Even if you upgrade every two years or every three years, you’re still eventually dropping 1,300 to 1,400 dollars on a phone. That’s not a small upgrade. That’s a financial hit.
Yes, the cameras are better. The screens are insane. The chips are fast. Cool. But prices have gotten stupid, and it feels like Apple and Samsung dragged the whole industry into this premium pricing race just to compete with each other.
Competition was supposed to make tech cheaper.
Instead, it feels like they’re competing to see how much they can charge before we finally stop playing along.
And don't get me started with foldable phones... lol
And honestly, that kind of ruins the fun.
I remember the good old days when OnePlus truly was a flagship killer... At some point, I switched to OnePlus and got the 7 Pro which was amazing... but then OnePlus hyped up their cameras with Hasselblad and ruined their phones for years...
Now, though, that OnePlus 15 looks sweet to me at 2500 Dhs with flagsip specs like the Snapdragon Elite and 120 W charging... but then again the cameras are the tradeoff and that's why Samsung still has an advantage with their phones.
The good news, though, is that I truly admire Samsung for that because their prices drop significantly after some time. You can right now pick up the S25 Ultra for 3200 Dhs, and that is technically impossible with iPhones as their value never depreciates.
Still, though, I miss the good old days. Imagine if an S26 Ultra costs 2500 Dhs like OnePlus?
That would be sweeeeeeeeeet.
Even if I get the OnePlus, I realized I am still locked into the Samsung ecosystem because my Galaxy Watch 8 won't have all the features working without a Samsung phone😢
At some point, I was attracted to Honor products because of their high quality and incredible pricing. I have the Magic 2 tablet, and it is hands-down the best Android tablet, and you literally aren't missing anything from more expensive options from Samsung and Apple. But the Magic 8 Pro phone is still expensive at 4000+ Dhs right now.
Rant over.
Adam
