₦airaland Forum

This is the big league, baby!
every one of these devices hold its own in several areas, with raw brawns and beastly capabilities. If there has to be a champion amongst them, then its down consumers' preferences; the competition is brutally fierce every which way!
and to think mate 20 pro aint even listed... 2018 is sure a year of great devices!

Telvin7:
which kind money be that......

thats a question thats totally up to you to answer.

Mine is "not pink". Its one of Google Pixel 3 color variant. Dang it, that color gets me everytime!

Telvin7:
ok I do I get things to review.......like how do u get phones to review

He buys them, of course! How else do you think, genius?

iWork is something very few iphone users have heard about, even fewer actually use it. It is the simpler alternative to Microsoft Office and G Suite, it allows the iphone user do a lot of editing on his device independent of a proper PC. It won't be a bad thing at all if you came up with a proposal, or accounts sheet, all thanks to your iPhone X!

The average iPhone user in Nigeria uses his device to work. Recently, I wanted to get my head around how gift card sales work, and I was told i needed a working iPhone; thats a kind of 'job' exclusive to iPhone users. There's even more the device can offer that still remains untapped, an iPhone for 'business' is definitely as appropriate as any other phone. iTunes, iCloud, and tons of productivity apps in the App Store can effectively help various businesses.

There are several reasons to use an iPhone, but, ultimately, no one has to teach you how to spend your money. With fierce competitions in the form of Samsung, Huawei, etc, sometimes its difficult to see where the iPhone shines.

And then there's the 'air' around an iphone. You know the attention you'd sometimes get when youre holding on to a phone that has a shiny Apple logo on it, And sometimes, you get conscious of the kind of 'luxury' you're holding on to. But, in reality, people dont always look at an iphone to admire it, especially in nigeria. More often than not, people would wonder why you had to opt for the iPhone (when there's such a brand as Samsung, for example), worse still, you could be profiled (and judged) as a rich person who doesnt care about smartphone specifications, or you just got lucky, or youre some kind of 'isheep', or youre into some kind of 'work'

Lets face it: iPhones seem more popular than metrics would admit to, and despite their hefty price tags,there are a lot of iPhone sellers everywhere, online and offline, and you get to see guys (and ladies, especially) brandishing an iphone a little more frequently these days. There are basically two reasons for this; it is relatively easier to get a hold of a much older model of the device; value retention is very high, so, one can still buy (for much less now)the 2014 iPhone 6 in 2018 and get on with it pretty fine. The other reason is the boom the refurbished smartphone market is experiencing recently: it has helped in the way of availability and affordability, so that users here in nigeria dont have to wait for the official launch of a new iphone before they get to buy it, sellers are now on hand to sell imported stocks, which are often cheaper than the official pricing.

iPhone usage in Nigeria is a bit modest, behind Android smartphones; at least, thats what metrics and statistics tell. It's a bit different tale in reality; when one takes a look around, one finds a very substantial iPhone presence, from the phone markets teeming with the devices to the people who use them. We get to find out how the iPhone is percieved among the general Nigerian public (in the face of android-powered rivalry, and probably find the answer to why people (still) buy the iPhone.

Greenhulk, what are your thoughts on this?

fowlyansh181:
already out , running the 12.1beta

Yeah. When a stable update comes along, the fix would be better felt.

Oluwasaeon:
Disappointing... after spending over a grand

You wanna know what's also disappointing after spending over a grand? the fact that you only get the phone, a lightning cable, and a charging brick...

An iOS fix is definitely on its way...

Teardowns are welcome, here hoping we see more.

S6 edge plus: A 2015 flagship device; it has a very good performance index; AMOLED screen, great camera, fast processor. it is still a good buy in 2018 for someone who doesn't mind having a dated android version on a mobile phone (S6 edge plus got all the way to Android N tho), Battery life is just okay since it only has a 3000 mAh pack, although, it supports quick charge and wireless charging. The processor running in it was one of the best in 2015, so even in 2018, it still does pretty well (marginally better than The X pro and the Note 5 stylus, no storage expansion tho. price is now at the range of 2018 midrangers, so it is quite an offer.

Camon X pro: A 2018 mid range device. It's highlights are good cameras, and impressive benchmarks. A good buy since you get a more recent android Oreo, a good camera, ample storage and good battery. its price range is a bit steep and there are plenty devices that have similar specs for less, so you have to be really sure you want it.

Note 5 stylus: A 2018 mid ranger. It has a stylus and runs on android one, has a bigger battery than the X Pro. You're going to have to need the stylus (which isn't great) to buy this device (you could buy it, and forget about the pen altogether). android one means youre in line for android P.

Your move, OP.

OP, you've only expressed simple human sentiments, and things are not what you say they are with Apple.

There are *target markets* for the iPhone, regardless of the fact that it's a luxurious brand, and it's not exclusively for the rich (as you're expecting) but for those who definitely need it. Lemme give two cases for you to better understand the target market of the iPhone.

1. A particular blogger has humble beginnings, he started blogging when his mom gifted him a macbook for his birthday. After two years, he wants to start YouTube vlogging, and he needs a phone that he could use for streaming videos: given he's already in the Apple ecosystem by using a macbook, he is better off buying an iPhone XS, XR, or XS max, because it is a device that has the quality of camera he definitely needs, and has an OS that would perfectly complement his Macbook; all his contents are seamlessly synced across. Sure, he could buy cheaper android devices for his vlogging needs, but it's "penny wise, pound foolish" since he might have to sacrifice some certain features.

Notes on case 1: There are a lot of people in the world who blog (and/or vlog) using a macbook, and they would need an iPhone to compliment their macbook. A vlogger who is serious about things knows that he has to spend money on a good camera, and good cameras ain't cheap! MKBHD normally uses RED Cameras and boy, you need to see how much these cost. So, $1200 for a very good cameraphone is a pretty fair investment for a vlogger, however way you choose to look at it.

2. A particular guy has been using an iPhone since the 3GS. This is because his company gives its employees iPhones yearly. It's 2018, and he needs a new phone for his personal use and office work, and his company stopped giving iPhones to its employees since iPhone 7. He is better off buying an iPhone XS, XR or XS max, because it is easier to move his enormous office files and documents from his iPhone 7 to a newer iPhone. And then, he would benefit from the dual SIM solutions on the newer iPhone, and he could use a physical SIM at work and an eSIM for home.


From the two cases above, I hope you get an idea of who is a target market for Apple. I know things are a bit different in Nigeria, given how everything is with currency and all, but in reality, Nigeria ain't even a target country.

Then, there are talks on how much Apple is making from its new devices, and some people are saying hardware costs are low compared to pricing. Hardware costs are just a fraction of the total cost of a device, and when you look at the total cost in comparison to pricing, it is fair. Let's take a look at the hardware, for example, iPhone XS has an L-shaped battery array; this array has gone through series of laboratory testing (laboratory tests cost money) which, if they don't do these tests, there's the chance that their batteries would explode, and that would be a huge loss. Research and development, for this calibre of company, would cost substantially much, and even if they decide to "cut cost", they would lose money (case in point, Note 7)


In conclusion, OP, you don't have to buy the iPhone if you don't need it.

It's 2018, and most of us still buy and sell using currency notes (and coins...), but with the advent of debit cards, credit cards, cryptocurrencies, it's becoming increasingly uncertain if physical monies would still remain with us in future.

Cashless alternatives to money have been embraced by an increasing number of people and that might be precedent to the phasing out of physical cash. People find it a lot easier to perform transactions using cashless alternatives, and a bit "economical" too!, These reasons have earned the cashless policy quite some popularity and some level of confidence from the world population. What, then, is the fate of physical currency notes?

Physical currencies are printed (minted) legal tenders accepted for trade and business. Its features (portability, physicality, etc) makes it a good means for exchange but inefficient in large amounts. However, the one peculiar advantage it has is that it's not essentially traceable and buyers and sellers still have some level of anonymity with trading with currency notes (although this is generally viewed as an advantage, it can actually have some negative effects too).

The advent of "virtual money" has largely improved the efficiency of legal tenders no matter how large the amount is; people can now store monetary values virtually -something that thrills, sort of- Conversely, transactions are heavily related to the persons concerned -buying and selling using "virtual money" would have some sort of records somewhere, and depending on what hands these records are in, buyers and sellers can be exposed to both authorized and unauthorized supervision, not to mention the possibility of these records being illegally exploited.

In spite of the seeming security and privacy issues, more people are opting for the cashless solutions. For instance, a country such as Kenya has gone far with mobile payments solutions (exchange of money done over mobile devices) such that majority of its citizens use them to buy most of the things they want. With the proliferation of NFC-enabled smartphones in the US and Europe, it is now common to see consumers pay using their smartphones at POS systems: services such as Apple Pay and Google Pay have further made cashless payments as effortless as can be.

Conclusively, it is expected to see cashless means of exchange -cryptocurrencies too- dominating the future, but, the phaseout of physical currencies is going to be a slow one, given the considerable level of confidence physical money still enjoy amongst the world population; you still can't beat the feeling you get when you see some *real* money in your wallet!

From: https://medium.com/@adeboyewareez

For me, the only time I don't see sense in going for any of these new devices is if I'm coming from an iPhone X(speaking as a normal consumer).

other than that, these devices are quite a befitting refresh for the iPhone lineup.

When I first saw the Lumia 920, I was quite sold out on it, and I thought -this could well be the future of smartphones- But after a little over 5 years later, things have quite changed, and I've found that my assumption on that 2012 device might have suffered a bit of myopia- for two reasons - It's an obvious fact that the smartphone industry moved too fast for the Lumia brand, and it never caught up. The other reason seems more ominous and precursory -it does seem that smartphones AREN'T the future- This implies that they serve the purpose of "passing time"; time until a far more "suitable" and "efficient" technology becomes mainstream. Perhaps, this undoubtedly disturbing notion is the reason that the journey of the smartphone development is highlighted and told.

This is the Smartphone Story, the highs, lows and all; But why tell it now? It is a story that could just as well be told now as any other time, only that, now, it serves to predict the things to happen in times to come (likely soon) when the Smartphone era might be facing a lamentable end.

The Smartphone is such a beautiful thing. An epitome of the harmonious fusion of industrial engineering, telecommunications, and ICT. It was a device that broke the limits of what information we have access to and how we can access these information. It's a pocket sized computer that can do lots of things we want it to. Its existence has been predicted as far back as the late 20th century; Predictors highlighting it's small size and its progressive potential of increasing the amount of things we could really do and the amount of information we have access to, and these predictions have turned out to be very true; The smartphone rapidly became a very powerful computer that can be carried around in a form factor that is so disproportionate to its performance, and it revolutionised the way we interact with data and information. However, there are precursors to the tale of the smartphone which we can find in the predictions that came before the smartphone era: These predictions have been largely accurate and true, but it seems that these predictions also fortold conditions that would lead to the decline of that era. Predictors did say that smartphone would progressively carry out tasks we want it to with increasing efficiency, and this implies that the smartphone era is an era within the ambits of progressive performance efficiency. Given the scope of the era, it is seen that smartphone development would be linear (having upward or forward progression) until a point. At that point, we're not sure of what would happen, but what we can be sure of is that there's a(n) (equilibrium) point and The smartphone era could well be approaching that point.

The developmental pace of the smartphone in the space of 10 years (2007-2017) can only be described as unbelievably incredible, smartphone technologies got better at such a blistering speed, it was hard to keep up; those who could keep up were left by the way side fast and hard! But then, the rate of development did begin to hit the equilibrium area pretty soon, several facets of the smartphone have begun to hit limits and the others are beginning to have the limits in sight. The screen technology of the smartphone, for instance, has experienced rapid development and we can literally see how fast this development is heading for its outer reaches. From the early days of 320p display resolution to qHD, HD, Full HD, Quad HD, 4K, 8K, we see that more display information is packed into the screens of the smartphone at a steady pace. However, the law of diminishing returns is beginning to show as there is a physical finite limit to how much display information (in form of pixels) users can perceive, thus, there's a point when an increase in display information won't lead to a perceived increase in display quality. This is just an instance of the smartphone hardware approaching its developmental limits, and a stop to the upward growth would bring a steady decline (if the law of diminishing returns is to be considered again).

Emerging technologies are also beginning to unveil a new frontier that could well be the future of ICT. For the smartphone era, this could mean getting obliterated. One of such technology is AI (Artificial Intelligence). AI holds such a tremendous potential that it seems perfect for a smartphone era successor, its strength lies in its fundamental function: AI learns about the user and carries out what the user wants directly, this is opposed to the smartphone doing what the user tells it to do. Putting in context, even the best smartphones still require substantial levels of input from the user, but then, most users would be willing to give up having to give instructions and commands to computers given the opportunity; and AI has the potential of being that opportunity. In its early years, AI has already offered users conveniences such as making complete orders from a restaurant, help take better photos, even trying to drive them around town, all these with minimum input from the users. Keeping in mind these are early developmental years for AI, one can only imagine how much more can be done with it.

AI does sound a lot like a threat to the smartphone, but on the plus side, the option of integration is still available. A new technology could be integrated in a hardware that is similar to modern smartphones today; a win-win situation, essentially, since functionalities is improved on a shared basis, and then, the legacy of the smartphone isn't totally lost on us. While this sounds upbeat, odds aren't exactly in favour of smartphone; given the recent proliferation of smart displays and other smart mobile technologies, users are given simpler and more intuitive solutions to ICT and this means more competition in the industry.