iPhone 8/Plus Older iPhones like the 8+ are just not priced competitively

[tonybarnaby]

$549 for a 64gb 8+ is very hard to accept, considering you can get WAY more phone if you put down an extra $150 for the 11.

$799 @ launch
$699 in 2018
$549 in 2019

I currently use the 8+ and enjoy it for the most part, but I couldn’t recommend it to anyone at $549 for a new 64gb from Apple. I think it should be closer to $450, with the 8 being $399. I’m well aware you can get it cheaper from various places, but many consumers will not buy from swappa or eBay. I can’t imagine they are moving many of these phones at their current retail price. A mint condition used 8+ for $400 would be a steal of a deal. From what I have seen, Apple is giving around $300 for trade in on an 8+(unsure if that’s for 64 or 256)

Maybe I’m way off base, but $549 for an 8+ is kind of surprising to me, considering the Xr and 11 both exist for a small amount more, and are much better phones for most people.

 

[Yebubbleman]

You're not wrong.

That being said, the Plus iPhone seems lopsided in their lineup and will likely be nixed before too long. The rumors of an iPhone SE-esque update to the iPhone 8 (same 4.7" screen, body and form factor, with camera systems and processors that are in line with the iPhone 11 or at least the iPhone XR) sans any similar rumor for the iPhone 8 Plus seems to further corroborate this. The 1920x1080 iPhone Plus resolution is a step up from the XR and 11's 1792x828 and is only inferior to the iPhones that start at $1000. Similarly, the iPhone Plus (since the 7 Plus) has a telephoto camera, something else that is only present in the iPhones that start at $1000. Apple has been trying to steer Plus customers either towards the higher-end iPhone X/Xs/11 Pro phones or to the XR/11 phones, despite the upgrade path not being like for like.

I think Plus is still there for those of us who love it and don't want to pay for a Max as the Max phones are the only phones that are an upgrade from Plus in every single respect. As an iPhone Plus fanboy, they're steering me in the direction of the iPhone 11. I don't like it. But it's either that or pony up an extra $600 for the iPhone 11 Pro Max equivalent phone, and hell if I think that's at all worth it.

 

[akash.nu]

From a pricing strategy perspective it’s actually a good idea to keep the older devices priced a little higher so that people use exactly that logic you used - a little more will get me the best. This pursued users to go for the higher tier keeping the sales of the more expensive models.

 

[tonybarnaby]

From a pricing strategy perspective it’s actually a good idea to keep the older devices priced a little higher so that people use exactly that logic you used - a little more will get me the best. This pursued users to go for the higher tier keeping the sales of the more expensive models.

Apple are smart, it's just frustrating for some people who may want an 8+ but don't think it's worth the price. Apple phones hold their value so we'll.

 

[lewchenko]

Pricing is such an interesting topic.
I use my wife as the example.

When the 8 was launched she went to see it but ultimately chose to buy a 7 which had just been reduced. The price point for the reduced 7 was the max she was willing to pay for a phone, and specifically stay in the Apple eco system.

She also thought the 8’s features were not worth the extra anyway (to her) so didn’t fall for the up sell tactics of the salesperson.

She still has the 7 but has paid for a new screen and a battery.

So Apple catered for her well. I was also in the phone shop the other day trading my phone in and a guy was chatting with the sales staff about a new iPhone.

They asked him a bunch of questions about his use cases and what he was comfortable spending etc per month , then offered an iPhone 7 and an 8.

He just didn’t want to pay any more despite the XR / 11 not really being that much more per month (well not that much more to me but I guess for some it may be)

They did show him an 11 as he asked to see it when they mentioned it , but he chose the 8 in the end. He was quite old and just wanted something cheaper that still worked for his use case. For info , he was upgrading from an SE.

 

[MrAperture]

You may not think it's priced competitively but Apple wants to make sure it has iPhones at various price points. $150 is still a leap for a ton of people who don't want/need the latest and greatest iPhone.

 

[Markgnyc2]

We are a special breed here in the MacRumors forums. We care about the screen, cameras, pixels, speed, etc etc etc. The average person has probably an iPhone 6 that is slow or broken and is just looking for an inexpensive way to upgrade. Verizon is currently offering a free iPhone 7 if you start a new line. I bought my Dad the 6s last holiday season (for $5 month or $120 total), it was his first smartphone. He loves it. He doesn't care about the difference between the 11 and 11 pro. I think he is in the majority.

 

[JPack]

Many of the customers considering iPhone 8 are not buying outright. The class of customer considering iPhone 8 is likely to be in the pre-paid or financing category.

The $549 tag allows carriers to position the device as "premium" while offering discounts.

 

[FunkyTang]

You can snag a mint 8+ on Swappa.com for low $400. No warranty after initial inspection of course.

 

[Yebubbleman]

Honestly, again, I think the issue with the 8 Plus isn't pricing (as it is still a very decently performing phone in 2019), but rather that it doesn't fit with the rest of the lineup and that there's no upgrade path from it. It is literally the end of its own line.

 

[shunting123]

I myself looked at an 8+ online this evening, even though the phone is enormous, solely because of the PPI. Why did I immediately pass it up? The price.

 

[plucky duck]

The lower tier represent a certain "expense" one has to pay to get into the Apple ecosystem, a surcharge so to speak, less money upfront, but also lower value for the consumer. The opposite end of the spectrum is of course the iPhone Pro models, where you get bleeding edge technology, but also at an even more so bleeding edge price, partially to offset R&D I suppose. Both ends of the spectrum help finance the middle tier, I suppose in this case may be the iPhone XR or the base iPhone 11, which offers a balanced price-to-value ratio.

It's also a great upsell tactic, as others have said, because it's "only $100-150 more" for this year's newest model! There's something for everyone!