[AirbusCapt]

My phone costs about 0.7% of my car. However imo this correlation makes no sense, since I refuse to pay over 50k for any phone. For me a phone is a utility device which makes calls, helps me surf the internet, watch a show and may be shoot basic videos or click pictures. For serious movie watching there is always a dedicated entertainment room with a projector and a good sound setup, for games the same room has a nice gaming setup. For photography I invested in a good dslr. So a phone is just a handy jack of all trades so to speak.
May be the price of your car/s with respect to your home/s would make more sense.

[C300]

Interesting thread
This is my current setup.

Car - 2015 Duster AWD - 15L
Phone - LG V30+ - 27k

So comes to 1.8%. I usually keep cars longer than a phone so actual % will go above 5%.

[itsbaman]

I replace my phone once in two years as I am an Android user and most Android phones don't get updates after two years. It's always the sub 20k phones which have proven value for money for me. I guess sub 20k smartphones nowadays have most of the usable features that one would need in day-to-day life. So now I strictly stick to the sub 20k price for the next smartphone. I am still driving my 1st self-purchased car (Ecosport Titanium Diesel 2018) as previous ones were bought by my father. For my next car after maybe 4-5 years, I guess at today's price point, my budget will be up to 20lacs. Whereas my phone budget will hardly go beyond 20k. So my car budget is rising almost to double while my smartphone budget is not increasing at all. Conclusion: There is no relation between the price of the car and the price of the smartphone, for me at least.

[car_guy1998]

Very interesting thread!

Well, I use an iPhone XS, which costed me ₹80k (got from US as a gift in 2019) and we own a 2014 Honda City Diesel, which we bought pre-owned, costed ₹8L in the year 2017 and a used 2011 Innova bought in 2016 for ₹10L!

While my mom also uses the iPhone, albeit X, which was also a gift from US as well, costed around ₹70k three years ago and still using it though I would be passing on my XS to her soon as her iPhone is having some issues and get myself an iPhone 12 or 12 Pro if budget permits or else, will wait for sometime and buy myself a 13! And, my dad uses a ₹15k Samsung A50s, which I got him before lockdown last year and still running well and when it comes to my dad’s phones, he doesn’t spend more than ₹30k as the phone is just a basic need for him as he uses WhatsApp and watches videos in Youtube and to make calls and messages as well!

And, I bought an Aprilia SR150 in 2018 as well, which costed me similar as the value of my iPhone I got as a gift!

But, still confused that which category we come under!

[TrackDay]

I come in the 1-4% category I guess ! I own a 5th Gen Honda City V (CVT) in Kerala while my phone is Redmi Note 9 Pro (Both purchased in Q4 2020). The Phone buying process was an instantaneous one due to some issues that cropped up on my previous HTC phone. As soon as the issue popped up I looked up for phones online and there were some advertisements for the Redmi phone. A friend, who was with me advised me to check the phone out and hence ordered it online on the spot. Whereas for the City, I literally pulled out my hair while checking out the various cars in the price slab I was looking at for around 2-3 months. When it all comes down, I don't mind putting out a little extra money for the car since I can fully enjoy it in my place. However when it comes to phones I am not that interested in splurging north of 20k on a phone as I rarely use my phone other than for Calls & WhatsApp. Moreover expensive phones don't excite me much these days compared to say from the 2006 - 2010 era when Nokia N series / Sony Ericson (Cybershot & Walkman) / Motorola Razor ruled the charts !

[DicKy]

Stuff like these help me add perspective to views. How I look at smartphones is maybe the same way my peers look at cars. Indifferent, takes notice of the coolest items only, will research when it is time to purchase.

My friends thought I was crazy to look at decades old cars for almost a lakh rupees, while I was horrified they were spending flagship iPhone money on some unknown chinese brands in flash sales

A decade back, smartphones would have been the cheapest status symbols but now they are necessities. Pity cars are still status symbols in our country.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

If we had a less than 1% option that's where I'd be. My daughter (a millennial, what else) was once horrified that my phone was 5 years old till my wife informed her that my laptop is 11 years old.

In millenials' defence, I still use my 10 year old HP laptop. Owned so far two smartphones over a span of 7 years, changed my Moto G for a Nokia only because the screen was repaired twice and no service centre would touch my workhorse again...

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Honest to goodness I had no clue till I read this thread that phones are purchased on EMIs <swoon, faint, flop> Every day, something new to learn.

Again lessons learnt. When senior members would be advising not to purchase cars on EMIs and save up money to buy a cheaper car instead, I would be like,
"Drive cheap jalops till then?? Can't waste five years to buy a decent car."

And a close friend when he clearly didn't like his job but kept on postponing resignation.

"Dude, just give in the papers already"

"Da, Have to pay off some loans."

I knew he didn't have any obligations and his family was well off.

"Loan for what?"

"Well, a personal loan that I took for a vacation and to buy a work phone. Also a separate loan for another phone that am planning to shoot videos on."

"....."

Didn't know people took loans for vacations and mobile phones, let alone companies that offer these!!! Am out of touch from my own generation!!!

Originally Posted by TrackDay

However when it comes to phones I am not that interested in splurging north of 20k on a phone as I rarely use my phone other than for Calls & WhatsApp. Moreover expensive phones don't excite me much these days compared to say from the 2006 - 2010 era when Nokia N series / Sony Ericson (Cybershot & Walkman) / Motorola Razor ruled the charts !

True. While I appreciate a lag free interface and can understand people wanting a decent camera, I just can't understand the chasing of specs for games and all. IMHO, gaming on phone can never match PCs/consoles

Phones of the 2000s had character, and even in smartphones I still can't forget how cool the Nokia N8 felt on those early days.

Last time I was mesmerized or lusted after a phone was when holding the Nokia 8 Sirocco, though it was a practical nightmare. Rest all just look like slabs of plastic and glass.

[vigneshnr]

Interesting thread.. To compare two completely different categories.
Common aspect being both are 'high involvement' consumption as against buying a candy from store. And differences as basic as "wheels" vs "no wheels".
Synergy as "reducing distance"

I was thinking over this.

Car I own - i20 from 2009 : Cost Rs 6.15
Phone I own - Samsung Note 9 : Cost Rs 40k (Pre-owned from Olx)

Phone to Car : About 6%

I will be holding on to the phone till it lasts. It is a great device & still going strong - 2+ years.

In future, I believe this ratio i will reduce for me. I think my car value will increase and I would pay less for my phone.

[sanstorm]

It's been a moving target with depreciation on both. I am in the exclusive league of ratio moving from 2% to 10% ( Iphone4s -> Iphone8). Thank god that I have not on 12 Pro


Cruze 2011 2021
Price 1,300,000 300,000
Iphone 28000 30000
% 2.2 10


The comparison with respect to Punto is also not so different.

Some numbers put up an interesting perspective, but painful here

[ScorpioYadav]

The percentages would differ from person to person based on various factors (internal & external), even those factors would be different for everyone.

In my case, for mobiles, I’ve noticed that the price equalling 1 month’s salary has been the total outlay when I started off my career & rode a TVS Victor motorcycle. Those were the days of multitap keyboard phones.
This amount became half month’s salary’s equivalent 10 years down the line during the BlackBerry days & now again have reached the full month’s salary levels due to exorbitant rise in mobile phone prices (flagship ones) & the career stagnating.

For the car, I’ve observed that the amount equalling the annual package is the budget which works for me for the car which I can afford.

Again, it is not a thumb-rule but a pattern which I’ve observed in my life.