Crazy: Apple charges $375 for an iPhone 3GS; the Nexus is $349

Google announced so many things at I/O yesterday that I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around everything they talked about during their keynote. There was one thing however, something they didn’t talk about on stage, that has completely and utterly blown my mind. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus, which hit the market late last year for well over $600, is now available in the United States for just $349. To put that number into some perspective, Apple sells the iPhone 3GS, factory unlocked of course, for $375 on their website as of right now. The Nexus is half a year old and has a 720p resolution screen and a dual core processor, meanwhile the iPhone 3GS is a three old smartphone with a 480 x 320 pixel screen and it uses a single core chip.

Here’s another number for you to think about: $649. That’s what Apple charges for a factory unlocked iPhone 4S. You can get two Galaxy Nexus phones for just $49 more. I can not stress enough how incredible this is. Samsung’s Galaxy S III and HTC’s One X may be getting all the attention from the press right now, but with a Nexus this cheap they honestly shouldn’t. Consider this: Amazon USA sells the Galaxy S III for $670 unlocked. Instead of paying that, why not get the $349 Galaxy Nexus and then spend the ~ $320 you’re saving on half a year of service from Straight Talk? You’ll still have over $65 leftover for apps!

Let’s also not forget that this coming Sunday marks the start of the second half of the year. What does that mean? We’re that much closer to the next Nexus, the next iPhone, the first Windows Phone 8 devices, and the second generation Galaxy Note.

If you’re a smartphone addict, then 2012 is easily the most difficult year for you in terms of decision making. There’s an incredible amount of awesome stuff on the market, and there’s even more exciting stuff that should be unveiled over the next few months.

About The Author

Stefan Constantinescu

Stefan Constantinescu (@WhatTheBit on Twitter) has loved technology since as far back as he can remember. It started with computers, but in the past few years his passion has turned to mobile devices. As a mobile phone enthusiast who lives and breathes devices that connect to the internet, he knows he is not alone with this radical fascination of all things wireless. He is strongly opinionated and enjoys a good debate so leave comments in his posts and he’ll get back to you! Stefan began blogging as a hobby in the fall of 2006 and joined IntoMobile in the summer of 2007. Later he got a job at Nokia in March 2008, but as of June 2009 he has rejoined the IntoMobile team. He is currently based out of Helsinki, Finland.

Anonymous

I wonder why they can’t seem to sell that Galaxy Nexus? Maybe the pentile screen and the poorer camera. At least the geriatric hardware of the 3GS will get iOS 6.
- http://openid.aol.com/g3user1usa Metro Train Wreck
  
  Many fail to understand anything about successful business models. RIM was offering two-for-one sales on BlackBerries and it still couldn’t stop RIM’s decline. Just because something is offered in twice the quantity, it doesn’t make it any better. I know it doesn’t make any sense to a diehard tech-head why a 3GS is still being sold and people are buying it when you’ve got some brand-new feature-filled Droid smartphone selling for the same price. The average consumer probably just wants a dependable device and the iPhone 3GS has a damn good track record of being a dependable smartphone with Apple’s customer service backing. That’s just called powerful branding and that means a lot to some people. Not every consumer needs the latest whiz-bang features. They want an iPhone at a cost they can afford and that’s all there is to it. There are hundreds of Android smartphones available, but the iPhone with iOS is the only game in town if you want an Apple product.
  - commonsense
    
    I fully agree with your assessments but some people also want to just say or show that they are fashionable by owning a 3 year old device that has an apple on the back of it. i’m also sure that there are droid fanatics that would do the same thing with nexus devices, lets be honesty about it.
    - Lor
      
      actually it is because of the patent case with apple. samsung knew the injunction was coming and wanted to clear inventory.
  - Asdf
    
    People are inclined to think there is correlation between price and quality. so, the higher the price, higher quality is presumed. And it is, has commonsense says, a way to show social value, by buying expensive items you are showing to other social members that you are a successful person. That’s why apple still sells $2000 computers that performs as a $1000 PC, and the case of the article. And that’s why Microsoft still owns 90%+ of the market, cuz there’s no enough rich people who don’t care about the costs.