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Smartphone Market in Open Competition

Three new Apple phone models may change the game forever

Photo Courtesy: Getty Images

Apple wanted to make an even stronger debut with the release of its newest iPhone when it hit the market last month. But Samsung’s latest cell phones have also drawn positive consumer reactions and retail success.

Tatiana Sosa, a retail store manager at T-mobile, explained some of the new features of the iPhone X. “It has full face recognition and talking emojis. The RAM is increased on it. The velocity of the phone will be better and there will be faster internet speeds.”

Despite the improvements Apple made on its newest iPhone model, Sosa remained resistant towards the idea that the improvements made to the iPhone X propelled it past the Galaxy Note 8 as the phone to buy. “I switched back to the Galaxy Note because you can do so much more on it than on the iPhone,” said Sosa. “The Note has a dual screen, which makes it so much easier for me to take notes and watch videos at the same time. I feel like if you want to take notes or do work on your phone, the Note is much better,” said Sosa.

Although Sosa switched from an Apple phone model to a Samsung one, others have made the opposite switch. Nick Lee, who owns the new iPhone X made the switch to Apple after a bad experience with Samsung. “Because of the snafu with galaxy note 7, I made the switch. The batteries used to catch on fire, and it was really terrible. There were even warnings at the airport that said you weren’t permitted to bring your phone on with you. For me traveling in the National Guard, that was a deal breaker,” said Lee.

Walmart Tech Support Employee Sabrina Encarnacion said, “The facial recognition feature is the feature that I am most excited about for the iPhone X. Also, the fact that there is no home button makes the phone look a lot better.”  As new generation phone models become sleeker and design becomes more important, the front screen of the phone remains a huge selling point, despite its brand. “Honestly, I still miss the fingerprint sensor on the front, but you get used to it after a while,” Lee said.

With the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, consumers had a fair share of new Apple phone products to choose from back in September. However, quantity does not always mean quality. Following the success of the Samsung Galaxy 8 series, Apple wanted to respond in a big way to the high standard of smartphone technology set by the s8.

Pricing, always a staple issue to consumers, is a big concern with the new Apple models. The iPhone X is the most expensive phone to date, ranging from $999 for the base 64G model to $1199 for 256G. “Most people are going with the 256G,” said Tori Elder, an Apple employee.

“iPhone is doing too much with the price. $1,000 -that’s like somebody’s whole rent. If you’re just paying off your last phone, it’s a hassle,” Encarnacion said.

The price tag of the iPhone X is something unprecedented for a cell phone, but the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 comes in just shy of that at $960. Despite the price, the iPhone X still has had good sales. “The iPhone X is more of a status symbol. From the note 7 to the iPhone X, I honestly can say there is not too much of a difference,” said Lee.

Encarnacion found that her iPhone 7 plus model served her well, but it was not without its own hiccups. The phone started acting up and operating strangely. Encarnacion said the fact that the iPhone strayed away from making waterproof benefits a feature on newer models was a strategic plot by Apple to release future generation iPhones with waterproofing as a distinct selling point.

“The facial recognition software can be used for Apple Pay. It will also be implemented for the talking animal emojis we have,” said Elder, who also said there could be possible uses for the facial recognition software after future updates are made in iOS installments.

Photo Courtesy: Getty Images