- 3 hours ago
Some gadgets are built to impress, but these ones may also leave your wallet gasping for air. Join us as we count down modern tech products that deliver flashy features, luxury branding, and next-level gimmicks at prices that feel way out of line. From foldable phones to transparent TVs, these devices prove innovation can come with a seriously absurd markup.
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00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at tech products whose prices just don't seem worth the price, no
00:07matter how awesome they might be.
00:09A Virtu Authenticity card, so congratulations.
00:14Number 10, iPhone Duo, $1,999.
00:20Apple took its sweet time joining the foldable market and apparently spent it figuring out how to charge us even
00:27more.
00:27The iPhone Duo starts at a whopping $1,999, with higher storage models costing even more.
00:35Don't let that $1 fool you. It's basically $2,000.
00:39This is not the biggest iPhone ever, until it is the biggest, and the thinnest iPhone ever.
00:47Sure, unfolding it reveals a 7.6-inch display, essentially giving you a miniature tablet that fits in your pocket.
00:55But $2,000 is laptop money for a device that is still, well, a phone.
01:00I will say the drawback is that, just like the Samsung phone, there's only two rear cameras.
01:04So yes, you'll be spending $2,000, but not having the triple camera system that you'll get.
01:08Foldables have turned bending your screen into an excuse for eye-watering prices.
01:13They sound cool, but that regular flat screen can do just about everything else the same.
01:19So are you technically paying 2Gs just so you can fold your phone?
01:23As a lot of us, we just like to have, you know, a standard phone that, you know, why do
01:27we need something that folds?
01:28And so if it presents a use case where, you know what, I like having that larger display and being
01:33able to use the Apple Pencil stylus,
01:35all those things might factor into making it worthwhile for some people.
01:38Number 9. Robosyn Elite Optimus Prime. $999.
01:43This 19-inch flagship Optimus Prime model contains more than 5,000 components, including 27 servo motors and 60 microchips,
01:54allowing it to transform between robot and truck modes all by itself.
01:59You can control Prime through an app or voice commands, program your own movements,
02:04and even hear him speak with the unmistakable voice of Peter Cullen.
02:08Megatron must be stopped, no matter the cost.
02:13Weaponize and mobilize.
02:15It's about as close as you'll get to a real Autobot with today's tech.
02:20Even so, spending $1,000 for what's essentially a toy is a pretty tall ask.
02:25Control via app or your voice for immersive actions and sequences.
02:29And enjoy an ever-growing download center within the app.
02:33Incoming Decepticon! Prepare for battle!
02:37Sorry, but for one whole grand, we'd rather get an actual Optimus Prime rolling out the Autobots.
02:43Maybe there's more than meets the eye that we just can't see.
02:46Empowering Optimus Prime to fully autoconvert and operate in both robot and vehicle mode.
02:53Want to know more about pieces of tech that just don't make sense?
02:56Scan the QR code on your screen to join Ms. Mojo's 24-7 live stream.
03:0112 megabytes of RAM, 500 megabyte hard drive, built-in spreadsheet capabilities,
03:06and a modem that transmits at over 28,000 BPS.
03:10Number 8. PlayStation 5 Pro. $899.99
03:16At some point, graphics really are just a prettier way to perceive visuals.
03:21The PS5 Pro launched at an already hefty $700,
03:26but subsequent prices have pushed it all the way to $900 in the US.
03:31The dreams of the developers are bigger than can be supported at 60 frames per second,
03:35and that leads to an aspect of modern gaming that we're all familiar with.
03:39Graphics modes.
03:41Sure, the Pro does live up to its name.
03:43Gamers get improved performance, 2TB storage, advanced ray tracing, and Sony's PSSR technology.
03:51But those improvements are a tough sell when the regular PS5 plays the same games for hundreds of dollars less.
03:58Worse still, despite costing nearly $900, the Pro doesn't even come with a built-in disk drive.
04:05We want to give players the graphics that the game creators aspire to,
04:08at the high frame rates that players typically prefer.
04:12To do that, PS5 Pro substantially improves over PlayStation 5 in three ways.
04:17Here's what we call the Big Three.
04:20Maybe Sony were thinking ahead, considering they're phasing out physical disks from 2028.
04:25In any case, it seems being a gamer now starts with having a professional-sized budget.
04:31Ray tracing is finding broad usage as well, particularly when the games are focused on higher frame rates.
04:36The faster hardware in PS5 Pro can make a real difference.
04:40Number 7. Apple Mac Pro. $7,000 to $10,000.
04:46Yes, you heard that right. That's how much this costs.
04:49This hulking workstation packs the M2 Ultra chip and can be configured with a 76-core GPU,
04:58192GB of unified memory, and 8TB of storage.
05:03We're certainly not pretending this is your average home computer.
05:07The end result is a computer unlike any we've ever built.
05:11It's pretty amazing to see it all come together.
05:13But once you start piling on upgrades, the price can soar well into five figures.
05:18And somehow, Apple found another way to empty your wallet with wheels.
05:22Yes, if you'd like your enormously expensive computer to roll across the floor,
05:27the official wheel kit costs over $600.
05:31The stainless steel handles and I.O. ports are easy to reach.
05:35And optional wheels help enable complete access while also making it easy to move between workspaces.
05:42For that price, we'd expect the Mac Pro to drive itself to work.
05:46Let's not give Apple any more ideas, though, or we'll be paying for a Mac Pro car engine next.
05:51The thermal system is enclosed by an aluminum housing that slides over the frame and completes the architecture.
06:00Number 6. Gucci X Aura. $950.
06:05Turns out even your fitness tracker needs designer branding these days.
06:09The Gucci X Aura ring took Aura's Gen 3 smart ring and gave it a luxury makeover
06:14for the small price of $950.
06:25Like the regular version, it could track your heart rate, temperature, sleep, and activity.
06:30So what did the Gucci treatment get you?
06:33The titanium ring was dressed up with Gucci's famous interlocking G logo and braided detailing,
06:38made from 18 karat gold.
06:46It also came with a lifetime Aura membership, which at least saved owners from another recurring bill.
06:53Still, considering the standard Gen 3 started at $299,
06:57that's one seriously expensive way to put a Gucci logo on your health stats.
07:02Talk about taking looking good too far.
07:10Number 5. Swarovski AX Vizio Binoculars. $5,499.
07:18Birdwatching is usually a pretty affordable hobby,
07:21until you decide your binoculars need their own digital brain.
07:25Swarovski's AX Vizio will set you back $5,499.
07:30But these aren't exactly your grandfather's binoculars.
07:34Even for the new person getting into the outdoors that maybe doesn't have a mentor,
07:39or just wants to learn it by themselves, or has to learn it by themselves,
07:42this is a great tool for them as well.
07:45Their built-in identification technology can tell you what you're looking at.
07:48There's also a 13 megapixel camera for photos and videos,
07:53a digital compass,
07:54and a nifty feature that lets you hand the binoculars to someone else,
07:58and guide them toward the exact spot you were viewing.
08:01And the nice thing is, he mentioned 100 yards.
08:03That's a great distance, 100, 150 yards.
08:05But pick something like a tree that has good contrast within that object,
08:10so when you're focusing, you can really hone in and get a good focus.
08:14While that's all great, there's still one point to consider.
08:17You're paying all this money to watch birds.
08:19Unless you're planning on discovering a few previously unknown species,
08:23sticking with regular binoculars and saving several thousand dollars doesn't sound so bad.
08:28So push the button halfway down, starts the autofocus.
08:32It'll give you a visual indicator in there that the focus is locked,
08:35and everything is good.
08:36Push the button all the way, and it takes the picture.
08:38Number 4. High-end gaming GPUs.
08:41$4,000 to $6,000.
08:44$2,000 can buy you a pretty capable gaming PC.
08:48Or if you're determined to push every graphics setting as high as it'll go,
08:52it could buy you just the graphics card.
08:55NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5090 launched at $1,999.
09:01And actually finding one for that price has become increasingly difficult.
09:05It's built to handle the most demanding workloads,
09:07all thanks to the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture,
09:10with new 5th-gen Tensor Cores, 4th-gen Ray Tracing Cores,
09:13and our latest RTX platform tech, like DLSS 4 with multi-frame generation.
09:18By 2026, some models were selling for more than $5,000,
09:23as memory costs and limited supply sent prices soaring.
09:27Sure, some are perfectly willing to shell out their hard-earned dough for gaming fun.
09:31AI graphics technology designed to make games run and look sharper
09:37by rendering images at a lower resolution,
09:40then using machine learning to rebuild them in higher detail.
09:44But then spending several thousand dollars on one component
09:47just to make your games look and run better?
09:50At these prices, you could consider learning to live with fewer frames, couldn't you?
09:54I would say no.
09:55People are pretty happy with video games how they are.
09:58Like, there's not a lot of changes for Austin Cores.
09:59Kinda, yeah. It's like, it's been pretty good for a long time.
10:03Number 3. Tag Heuer Connected Caliber E4.
10:07$1,800 to $2,600.
10:10Now, we're really getting into acquired taste territory.
10:14Dropping a couple thousand dollars on a Tag Heuer isn't particularly unusual.
10:19Dropping it on a smartwatch is another story.
10:28The Connected Caliber E4 brought Tag's luxury watchmaking to Wear OS.
10:34Depending on the model, though, buying one new could set you back roughly $1,800 to $2,600.
10:45That's an awful lot for technology destined to become outdated far sooner than the traditional Tag Heuer you could buy
10:51instead.
10:52Even the battery was only rated for around a day of use.
10:55And to think, all we used to need watches for was checking the time.
11:06Number 2. Virtue Signature Touch.
11:09$18,600 to $118,500.
11:15No, we are not kidding.
11:17There's a phone that literally costs as much as some people's homes.
11:20In some parts of the world, that's practically retirement money.
11:23And voila, there is the phone.
11:27That's in this tightly nestled in this sort of suede material.
11:33And yet here we have people splurging that much on a phone.
11:36Virtue's Signature V-Phones start at around $18,600,
11:41while elaborate bespoke versions can climb beyond $100,000.
11:46These aren't secretly packing technology from the future either.
11:49A leather case. It actually matches the phone to a tee.
11:56They both are made of the same leather, same stitching patterns.
11:58They are designed to go together.
12:00Much of that money goes toward extravagant materials and craftsmanship.
12:04The Signature Ruby Key provides access to a 24-hour concierge service.
12:09Honestly though, for that kind of money, we'd start expecting the phone to make our calls for us.
12:14That's what we've got inside the box.
12:16So that's been an unboxing of the Virtue's Signature Touch.
12:20Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
12:25Segway Lumo.
12:26Have you tried walking instead of $1,800 on a robot you can ride?
12:30You're welcome.
12:32Okay, Lumo.
12:34Go.
12:35Sir, yes, sir.
12:39Brisket Neo-Seer Smart Grill.
12:41$2,000 for an AI grill.
12:44What has the world come to?
12:46Introducing Brisket, an intelligent, fully automated wood pellet barbecue grill built with a single purpose.
12:53To make grilling simple.
12:55Cold snap ice cream machine.
12:57$2,800 because opening the freezer and grabbing ice cream was too much work.
13:01And just make ice cream whenever you want.
13:04Or things like lattes or protein shakes.
13:07All sorts of smoothies.
13:08They have a lot of ideas for this.
13:09And you might see this eventually as a home model.
13:12Project 2Xperience SB Sgt. Pepper Limited Edition.
13:17$1,600 for a Beatles-themed record player because Beatlemania ain't cheap.
13:21The 2Xperience SB looking as good as it sounds.
13:26Incorporating innovative design and manufacturing techniques to create the kind of value that only Project can provide.
13:33If you love games, be sure to check out WatchMojo's new game, Terrible Influence.
13:38Just launched for purchase at TerribleInfluence.com.
13:41Terrible Influence is a satirical board game about the dark side of fame from the writer of the most popular
13:46girls in school and us, WatchMojo.
13:48Boom.
13:49I can make an apology video.
13:50Oh, you so would.
13:52Click on the link in the description to check out the game and be the first to play Terrible Influence.
13:57Number 1. LG's Signature OLED T.
14:02$59,999.
14:05It's annoying when the TV blocks the room's view, isn't it?
14:09No worries.
14:10For only $60,000, you can make that problem go away.
14:13This is LG's transparent OLED TV.
14:16And yes, it's actually going on sale.
14:19This is a 77-inch OLED TV that you can actually see through to the wall behind or whatever you
14:24want to put behind that TV.
14:26LG's 77-inch TV has a screen you can actually see through.
14:31At the press of a button, its black backing rolls away and leaves the OLED panel transparent.
14:36It can still display content in this mode, while LG's wireless Zero Connect box helps cut down on cables.
14:44See the unseen part of life.
14:47World-first transparent and true wireless OLED TV.
14:50Sounds amazing.
14:52Now we just need to decide between buying a TV or sending our kids to college.
14:56And unless your TV's sitting directly in front of a spectacular view,
15:00we're struggling to see why you'd want a transparent screen that lets you see the wall behind it.
15:06General just for its cool factor, but the first time I've seen it kind of applied in a practical way,
15:10again, most people don't need a transparent TV.
15:13Most people don't need this really cool factor on their TVs.
15:17Can you think of any other absurdly priced tech?
15:20Let us know in the comments.