It might not be a status symbol in the US and Europe but in the rest of the world it definitely is. I’ve lived in the uk for a while and no one cared that was wearing an iPhone. But as soon as I moved back to my home country everyone thinks I’m rich. And they’re right to think this way as the price of iPhones in my country is completely absurd.

Everyone thinks an 800 pounds phone is expensive?

Imagine if you had to pay almost double of that. In a country that receives less than 200 hundred pounds of monthly minimum wage.

I would never buy an iPhone while living here. It makes no sense unless you really want it as a status symbol.

I buy an iPhone for a number of reasons. I recognize it's expensive but it's usually at least a 3-year investment and to be fair, the cost per annum is basically the same for most Android flagships, only that Apple users switch devices less often.

This can likely be endlessly contested by the frugal folk but I am not here for that.

My reasons actually are highly irrelevant. I shared an anecdote about very regular non-tech people. They keep telling me the same stories after they switch from Android to iPhone and that's not accidental.

But again, cost of living in the country of residence doesn't mean much if you work remotely.

> It makes no sense unless you really want it as a status symbol.

You could have just said: "I am an Apple hater" and it would have saved us both time and keystrokes. :)

But if you’re convinced that your choice is superior then you do you. I’m not here to argue, only to provide info of what I did and what many others I know did as well.