- The new iPhone X is listed at 1,000 bucks,
we all know that.
But when it's all said and done,
you could be spending upwards
of $1700 before you leave the store.
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Now if you don't know much about this phone
I'll put a link to some reviews I really like
in the description down below
so you can go check them out.
But what we're gonna do, what we focus
on the channel here, is on the cost behind this thing.
Like I said, you could be spending upwards
of $1700 before it's all said and done.
So let's take a look and see how we get
from the $1000 advertised price to the upwards
of $1700 price that I found in my analysis.
So there are about four different categories
that we look at when we talk about the true cost
of a smart phone.
And the first one, of course, is the phone itself.
This is your primary cost.
Next you have recommended items
such as a screen protector and a case,
something that you are definitely going to want
if you buy an iPhone X.
Then you have optional items like wireless charging,
Bluetooth headphones, maybe any other accessories
that are cool but not necessarily a must have.
Then you have things like repairs
and as phones get more and more advanced,
they also get more expensive to repair.
So I'll take a look at those options last
and in the end we'll take a look
at the overall cost of owning an iPhone X.
The iPhone X comes in two different colors,
you have the silver and the space gray.
And you have two different capacities,
the 64GB version which runs $999,
and the 256GB version which runs $1149.
Now since the new iPhone has
a both glass front and back,
I am going to highly recommend
you use a case because the propensity
for damage to it is really, really high.
Now if you're in the Apple store
the case they'll recommend, kinda middle
of the road, is around $40.
There are some higher end ones
but most people go for the silicone case
which I have here, this silicone black case.
Now you can get a very similar one
from a different company, not from Apple,
but from Miracase on Amazon for $12.95.
So quite a bit different than the $40
that you'll pay in-store at the Apple store.
Now the next piece you'll want, of course,
is a screen protector.
And Apple will put it on for you
which is really nice.
However, because there's not a curved screen
or anything here that's extra difficult,
I don't think it's that bad to try
to put this on yourself.
Now in-store, they'll sell you
this Belkin ScreenForce InvisiGlass
and that retails for around $40.
You can get a similar but far cheaper version
of this on Amazon as well from Maxboost.
It is only $10 and it includes three screen protectors
so if one breaks, cracks you can remove it,
put a new one on.
I'll leave it to you to decide
whether or not those additional $30
are worth it for the one you'll get in-store.
Now two of the cool new features of the iPhone X
is first the wireless charging capability.
Now other Android phones have had this
for a while but this is the first iPhone,
other than the iPhone 8 which came out
just a few months ago, that has
the ability to charge wirelessly.
And this is really cool because you can just set your phone
on one of these wireless charging pads
or one of these desktop stands
and it automatically starts charging.
No wires or mess to plug in or deal
with any of that stuff.
Now in-store, Apple is gonna sell you one
that is upwards of $60.
This is the Belkin BOOST UP Wireless Charging Pad.
You can also get it on Amazon as well.
Now I prefer some of the cheaper brands
because they are using a standard here.
This isn't like there is a big difference between these two.
Maybe the form factors, some of the materials
are different, but you can get one I recommend
which is a desktop stand, meaning
it holds your phone upright so you can see it
for much cheaper, just $21.49 on Amazon
at the time of recording this.
I'll put links to all these things
in the description but in between there
you're looking to spend maybe $25 to $60
depending on which option you go with here.
Now another item you may want to pick up
for your new iPhone X are some Bluetooth headphones.
Apple makes some really cool devices called the AirPods.
And the AirPods retail for around $159.
If you really want that same look
that the AirPods give you, there are
some ones here by Moowee who makes
kind of a knock off of this, and these retail
for around $40 on Amazon.
I'll put a link to the description
in case you wanna try it out.
I have not tried them, but they do have
a 4.1 rating with 23 reviews.
So not bad, honestly.
There are also my favorites, the Photives,
and these Photives are the entirely in-ear ones
with no wires whatsoever.
Very similar to the AirPods, but just a different design.
And I tend to like these mostly
because they retail for around $40.
They also have a 4.1 rating on Amazon with 246 reviews.
Somewhere in between $40 and upwards of $200
is likely what you'll pay for some really good
Bluetooth headphones for your new iPhone X.
This brings us to an unfortunate day
that may come to many of you, it's already came
to me with my Galaxy S8, when you drop your phone
and you crack the screen.
This is the most common thing that happens.
Again, I'll put a link to a durability test
that my friend did to show exactly
how vulnerable these devices are.
You can go check that out.
And the thing about it is
that they are super expensive to repair.
If you wanted to repair the screen
without any kind of insurance plan
or anything, you're looking upwards of $549.
That is a lot of money for a phone that already is
starting out at $1,000 before you add in any
of the other costs that we just looked at.
When looking at the insurance for an iPhone X
the cheapest option I could find from a carrier
was $413, on the highest it was $512
with an average of around $457.
Now this is taking all the fees,
the monthly fees you pay over the two year period
that you'd have the device, as well as the cost
for a single claim.
Pretty expensive in my book, to be honest.
This is why I recommend a non-carrier option.
And the non-carrier options are from Square Trade
and Apple Care, at least the ones that I looked at here.
The fees that you pay upfront and the claim amounts
are different but in the end the total price you'll pay
is $228 in either case.
Now Apple Care is good if you know
you're gonna stick with Apple
and potentially you were to switch carriers
because it will go with you from carrier to carrier.
Square Trade wins out a little bit better
because it will also go with you from device to device.
So if you switch to Android, let's say,
and when you switched to Android you also went
to a different carrier, your Square Trade plan
will stick with you the entire time.
All right, so now let's add it all up
and see what you're likely to pay
when it's all said and done for a new iPhone X.
Starting out, we have our primary cost
of around $1,000 depending on which version
of the iPhone you get.
Recommended items were about $52,
optional items on average are $141,
and insurance, a big cost here, $389 on average
depending on which one you go with.
This means starting out with the phone itself
you're looking at that base price of 1,000 bucks
for the cheaper version and $1149 for the higher end
with an average of $1,074 between the two.
Adding in all the other things, the insurance
and everything else, you're looking at $1312
on the low end, almost $2,000 on the high end,
with an average close to that $1700 price point
I talked about originally, which is a full 54% more
than you thought you were gonna pay
when you walked into the store.
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Of course not everyone is gonna buy the device outright.
A lot of you are gonna have a monthly payment option.
Now the different carrier choices really range
pretty greatly here with zero dollars up front
to $429 up front and a low end of the monthly payment
of $25, not bad, up to almost $50.
So depending on which carrier you're with,
this could vary greatly.
And I will put all the details and everything
on the website at teslanomics.co.
There is another option that you should consider as well
and this is the Apple upgrade plan.
The Apple upgrade plan doesn't require anything up front.
The low end is quite expensive, it's $50,
and on the high end it's $56.
But the benefit of this is that it's carrier agnostic
as well as it includes Apple Care, so that insurance
program you need to make sure if you do, or when you do
drop or spill your device you're covered.
So this isn't a bad option either.
And of course you can then switch carriers later on
and upgrade your device every so often.
So definitely worth a look.
So there you have it, the over all cost
of owning an iPhone X.
I hope this was helpful to you, I hope it made sense,
I hope that these data points help you make
a better decision when you go make your purchase.
Please leave me a comment down below.
Let me know if there's a good deal you found
or anything I missed that is just an absolute must
to have with this phone.
What I tried to do here is break down
the cost behind these items that we really love
and that are changing our world so
that you can make a better decision
and get more for your money.
So if you're into that kind of thing consider subscribing.
And lastly, remember, when you free the data
your mind will follow.
Thanks for watching and I'll see you back here next time.