M8 price increased，now $372 for 8GB,$440 for 16GB

burnfox

Those who daydreaming a low priced($199) iPhone out of my forum!I'm so mad.

M8s' price will be:

8GB alpha version:$290(RMB 2008)

8GB beta version:$343(RMB 2380)

Retail version:$372 for 8GB(RMB 2580),
$440 for 16GB(RMB 3080)

The alpha version will be with a 16 bit color depth screen,the beta and retai version will be with an enhanced hardware(faster CPU?larger RAM?or both,I guess) and a 32 bit color depth.

Alpha test will begin on 7-15,500 phones will be deliverd to testers in seveal batches.

After the alpha test,beta test will provide much more phones for advance test,then the retail version will be on sale.

The alpha testers should make their choice after the beta test have began,pay another RMB300 for a beta edition phone,or return the alpha phone.and the beta phones should be returned or pay another RMB 200 for a retail version(RMB2580 for it).

link

DusL

Nobody outside China besides reviewers stand a chance of getting a "alpha" version. Expect both alpha and "beta" versions to be extremely buggy. Still we haven't become any wiser to as when this damn m8 will be released, especially with 2 versions of bugfinding and bugtesting a testversion in front of it. They're not fooling us that a follow-up beta / final is only 1 or 2 months in between, such bugfixing in combination with improved hardware takes time. Also beta/final is heavily delay-prone as we've seen in the past. Sounds like a unreliable investment to buy a alpha/beta. Also it is rediculus Meizu is making consumers pay to use them for testing the device. As for the price it shouldn't come as a shock, it's off-contract so fans will surely pay for the higher price. The old prices were decievingly low for its contents.

But i'm sure someone will manage to twist this news into Meizu-praising.

__________________
True respect for the ones with determined patience...
Owns a jailbroken 16gb iPod Touch, how did my reputation get so low?

RustyGator

m8 in the U.S. is not looking too good right now.

Traps

Nope.. no praise from me, at least.

I think they're just improving the hardware to make up for the delays with the 2D/3D acceleration, but this is a very desperate move in my opinion. Not only it means a price increase which will not please consumers, but it won't bring Meizu any additional profits, and will probably have no visible benefit on the GUI until the software is a bit more complete.
IMO this is a failure, and it will be expensive for Meizu.

There's just one (possible) positive thing for consumers: assuming that Meizu will get 2D/3D acceleration working at some point in the future, then the M8 would be a more powerful machine for not much more money. However, if they never complete the software then it's a complete waste of hardware and money.
I hope these news mean that the M8 is really close to release, and that it's faster to just put more hardware in... but not that they've given up on finishing the software!

Oh well, I guess I'll wait until they get it 100% working and running well... I was not going to be an early adopter anyway.

aniym

Thanks for translating. I wish the post mentioned something about a release date. While I can just about afford the final 8GB version, i'm hoping that a more attractive alternative (HTC Diamond Pro, Xperia) will be out by then.

Jubre

This is a good price, but I don't expect it to be the last price increase.

I can't wait to see peoples comments/photos/videos of their test version- that would really be proof that this thing is still happening.

edit:
lol, this post is good:

darkado

they will probably be out but for twicw the final 16gb. imo price is still good, not cheap like before but just good.

gkai

I guess Meizu will return the money if you return the alpha/beta m8? Or are they thieves now???
And the 200 Yuan you have to pay to go from beta to retail is Meizu asking a payment for an OS patch!!!!! Disgusting!!!!!

Wong may be mad (angry)...Good for him, for me he is simply mad: this kind of reaction when people were asking if the m8 will get cheaper after iPhone2 announce (which is perfectly natural) is ridiculous.

Announcing that OS patches have to be paid when your device is really strugling to get to market???? A nail in the m8' coffin, which really did not needed one more...

I guess I have to count on Android phones only now....Meizu better allow installing alternative OS on the m8 if they want me to consider it: they just proved to be completely unreliable for software/os support, and this even before the m8 is released :-/

burnfox

Yes,of course they will return your money if your test version phone have returned,sorry,I forgot to explan it,my bad.

To paying another 200 yuan,you may return your test phone,and they will send you a retail one.

I think the price increasing is not simply about the hardware update,but also have taken the same solution that make iPhone 3G could comes to $199,the carrier subsidies.

After the iP 3G's price revealed,J.W said that M8 could do the same,but much cheaper,bond with the carriers do not sell iPhone 3G,sell M8 at $99,and the carriers will balance the M8's real cost,so the higher M8's price is,the more subsidies Meizu could get.

Excuse me for my basic English.

taling hallenthur

I have no idea why they're messing around with these alpha and beta versions. They could've come up with one test version, I don't think they need two of them.