[dhanushs]

I dont think its about affordability. It's more about needs and wants (and passion if cars are involved).

I somehow jumped into the iPhone bandwagon very early, like from the iPhone 3G and hence the reason I'm continuing, also, upgrading the phone every year doesn't cost much for me. I have a trusted reseller since a decade and I mostly by used and sell used.

Same goes for cars, I buy what I think I want. However for Automotive spend, the passion gets in play and most of the time, I keep the practicality aside and follow passionate spends. Mostly higher.

For me, it's not about the car I buy, it's how much I spend on it. , the same is not true for a phone purchase, there is no upgrading.

[condor]

I had paid 14L for the Storme. My phone is the older iPhone SE - 17k after the discount that was there. My next phone too would be as compact as possible, and I dont see the price going up too much.

A phone is more of a utility for me. I avoid apps on it - not even Whatsapp. A car, I am willing to stretch a bit. Since it is intended to be kept longer, there is some amount of future-proofing that goes into selecting a car - for the features, for the usage, and the possession + enjoyment factors.

Voted 1-4%

[lamborghini]

I've voted in the 1-4% bracket.

Using a preowned 328i (around 20L + mods); and a OnePlus 5T (30-35k).

While I enjoy a nice smartphone, I just cannot fathom spending more than ₹50-60K for one: I'm not much of a gamer, my phone isn't loaded with apps, and neither do I use any intensive softwares on it to edit photos/videos. Phone usage would be more for call, whatsapp, emails, browsing the web, and the odd photo.

In a nutshell, I don't have much of a need for a top end phone with all the bells and whistles. I prefer something sturdy, with adequate RAM and storage, a newish chipset, and a good camera etc. that would last me 2-3 years.
Generally I prefer flagship phones, but am ok waiting it out for a good deal - even if it means buying a generation older flagship phone.

Currently exploring upgrade options in flagship category (flagship killers are great, but SAR values of Samsung is better than others which is gaining importance given how close the phone is always kept).

A related, but off topic note:
Given how clumsy I am with my phone, the discounted generation older phone would probably take up 30% of purchase price on maintenance (new screen, etc.) - interestingly so has my pre-owned BMW 328i (maintenance & mods)

[Jeroen]

It is all a matter of personal preferences I guess. I buy my iPhone brand new and will get the latest with the most memory. Which means when I buy an iPhone I end up paying at least Euro 1000.

To put that in some context: I paid $10,000,-- for my second hand Jaguar and Euro 4,500,-- for my Mercedes W123.

But we also owned a Euro 750 Ford Fiesta not too long ago.

But comparing an iPhone to a new Ford Fiesta; Euro 1,000 versus Euro 15,000,-, so that is still 6%.

In all honesty I really don’t care about what my iPhone cost. Actually, mine is company paid for, but even if I would have to pay it myself, or for instance, for my wife, we would buy what we want. Price isn’t the issue as such. On a car it is


These days less relevant is comparing the running cost of a mobile phone versus that of a car. These days it might be hard to even begin to conceive but in the early 2000s my monthly mobile phone bill used to be around Euro 1,500 a month! That is euro 18,000.-- a year. As much as a brand new Ford Fiesta.

Obviously, it was company provided subscription but these were the early days of GSM. I was on the road all the time, and roaming around Europe too. These days we have a company subscription unlimited voice, unlimited data for about Euro 20 a month!! In terms of cost innovation, the mobile industry has come a very long way in the space of twenty years.

Jeroen

[Rajeevraj]

Personally, do not think this is a valid calculation. It will not be a point in time percent as cars are purchased for intent to use for a much longer duration than a phone. Also for the vast majority there is no 1:1 mapping between person to car. All family members will have phones, but a car in most cases is one. So do you take the sum total of all the family member phone values to calculate the percent?

I typically have a 20-25k limit for a phone purchase (post all discounts, exchange etc). Wife's limit is 10-15k. So in total 40k. My last car purchase was in 2013 when I bought the Vento for ~12L. Last phones we bought in 2018 in the budget mentioned above. So that would be a 3-4% cost today not accounting for any depreciation

Currently my thought is when I upgrade my car, my budget would be restricted to maybe ~25L. So double my previous budget, but for a phone upgrade, my earlier limit still holds. So the ratio will fall to 1-2%.

I think this ratio makes more sense for anyone who is passionate about both phones and cars and have aspirational models in both. I have no aspirations for a phone, so.. Anyways, those are the numbers.

[charanreddy]

Till about 2 - 3 years back, I was of the firm opinion that anything more than Rs 20K on a phone is a waste of money as Rs20K phone does all a Rs 60K or a Rs 1 Lakh phone does.

What changed is that I was exposed to more costlier phones that I get from my employer. It was a One Plus 5T in 2018 and iPhone 11 in 2020. The One plus's price was about Rs 33K, and the iPhone about Rs 65K (obviously free for me). The improvement in productivity is to be experienced with a more costly / higher spec phone to understand what one is missing. We use phones to browse the web for quick knowledge or cross check prices, pay for stuff, handle many transactions and investments, go through office email, attend zoom calls. I can safely say that all of my banking related work is done through my phone. I can also see my productivity dropping significantly by use of a laggy phone, so much that I would definitely not consider in future.

My next phone is likely to be premium and a competent one (not say top of the line iPhone but may be one generation behind), regardless of whether my employer pays for it or not.

Coming to the question, My car is Nexon Diesel XZA +, which was 13.X Lakhs on Road back in 2018 and phone cost is ~65K. So roughly 5%.

[Latheesh]

My current ride - Btwin mybike 5000 Rupees (around 12000 including all accessories)
Current phone 25000 Rupees

500% How do I vote?

I may buy a car this year and budget is ~ 12 Lakhs. It comes around 2% and I voted for 1-4%.

[vredesbyrd]

Well, it depends on person to person and family to family. I currently have three phones in my usage and they all are flagship androids. LG V30 (3 years - 30,000 - A very dear phone RIP LG), Galaxy S7 (4 years - 32,000 - running LineageOS 18) and Galaxy Note 9 (2 years - 50,000 - will be exchanged for an iPhone 12) . This makes it a total of Rs. 1,02,000 despite the phones being really old (considering how everything becomes outdated a few hours after launch in the android world).

Now the (relatively) new Vento dented my pocket by Rs. 8,50,000 (5.5L savings and thanks to the Superb providing 3.5L). This makes my phone to vehicle ratio of exactly 12%. So even though I apply to category 4 (Kwid+Pro Max), I don't fit in it. There will always be outliers and data will always defy us.

Seeing how the prices of iPhone 12 is falling just like the government's tolerance for middle-class car owners, I think the ratio will remain the same when I upgrade my phone (or maybe reduce, now that would be something!).

[sgm]

I don't have an issue with my budget Andriod phones though I drive a German car Almost a decade back when Google came up with Nexus series, I got one for less than 400USD and within a couple of months, it fell and the screen shattered, afterwards I switched to 10-15k range of phones but I always try to pick some model with stock Andriod (like the Moto G series, Mi A series ) etc to get a better experience. In last 4 years, first car upgrade was a top end Corolla Altis and then C-class but my phone upgrades continue to be in the budget category. I got an iPhone from office (which I hardly use and I don't even know which generation it is) and my daughter uses iPad but somehow I'm not getting any affinity to Apple products after using Android for more than a decade.

[SPARKled]

A Cheap Realme smart phone is my companion for the last 4-5 years (lost one so replaced by another) and I have never found it lacking in anything, be it Android Auto while travelling, heavy duty Zoom calls, Netflix binge watching or anything that I have been able to throw at it. I firmly belong to the camp that over priced smartphones just dont do anything special except leave a bigger hole in your pocket.

I voted for the 1-4% option as I drive a Crysta 2.8 AT.

[greenhorn]

My Indica had an ex showroom of 3.5l 15 years ago and probably has a resale value of 40k. My phone is a pixel which costs 32k in India (but on sale for 27 right now).
Not sure which bracket I fit into!

[PrasannaDhana]

My primary ride is a 17 lakh Storme V400 while my phone is a 16k Samsung M31.

Even less than 1%. But cars we use for 6+ years (a decade for sure with this storme). Phones we change every 2 years.

But I also know a few guys riding a 70k splendor(no car owned) owning a costlier iPhone. Some people like gadgets, some like to flex. I like neither.

[Swapnil4585]

Boss, you should have given a less than 1% option too.

I have a Micromax non smart phone of Re 900/-, bought somewhere in 2016. And I drive a petrol Altis. And also am going to get the Inazuma immediately after the curfew is lifted.

[KL01toKA03]

I don't view it as a valid comparison. Most people use cars to commute to offices, which involves crawling in traffic for a long time. There might not be a significant difference in the experience driving most cars. Also, automatics and a lot of useful features are available in most budget ranges these day. However, in phones it is essential that it doesn't lag when you click something. Many people have access to that level of money. That could be why the number of people buying flagship phones is much more than the number of people who buy expensive cars.

[HammerHead]

Interesting thread. You should add this point too.
Total amount you have spent so far on mobiles v/s the car you own.

Example : I may be still driving the same car for last 10 years but have replaced/upgraded my mobile phone 3-4 times. So the total cost of phone should add up and vice versa.

Personally here is the list of phones I owned for last 11 years while I still drive the same car.
Samsung Galaxy S2, Blackberry Torch 2, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Redmi Note 4, Google Pixel 2 and the current iPhone 11.

And iPhone is not 'overpriced'