Welcome To The Age Of The Ultra-premium Flagship Phone

It's not just about performance any more, smartphones are reaching peak luxury lifestyle.

- James Lu

A few years ago, we all thought flagship smartphones were about as premium they could get. They had beautiful displays, powerful processors, and great cameras. There couldn't be anything else we'd want from a phone. Apparently, we were wrong. Apple, Samsung, and now Huawei, have proven there’s a tier beyond flagship. Now, there’s regular flagship for mere mortals - the Galaxy S9, the iPhone XR, the Mate 20 - and another, more premium tier – the Note9, iPhone XS Max, and Mate 20 Pro - for power-users, enthusiasts and, to put it quite simply, those with more money.

Welcome to the age of the ultra-premium flagship phone.

HOW DID WE GET TO THE POINT WHERE A PHONE COSTS NEARLY $2,500?

Apple may just be the king of the ultra-premium flagships with this year’s iPhone XS Max 512GB model costing a whopping $2,349. In 2016, Apple’s most expensive phone, the iPhone 7 Plus 256GB, only cost $1,588. That’s a 48% increase in price in just two years. But just how did we get here?

Samsung was actually the first brand to explore the potential of an ultra-premium phone with its Galaxy Note line. Launched in 2011, the Note stood out thanks to its large screen and bundled S Pen stylus, promising to be a powerhouse of productivity. It was marketed as a mobile office on the go, and the first Note phone sold for $998, making it one of the most expensive smartphones available at the time. Fast-forward to 2018, the Note9 512GB model has an SRP of $1,728, which is a 73% price jump.