What are flagship phones and are they worth the price?
Flagship phones is an term frequently used by phone buffs all across the world. But what exactly does it mean?
Flagship phones are basically the newest and best phones released by a brand. A flagship phone is normally built with all the latest innovations and specifications to showcase a brand’s advancement in the market ahead of its competitors.
Unlike prototype and concept phones, flagship phones are built for end-users. Flagship phones typically cost upwards of RM3,000. However, this seems to be changing as seen with the recent release of the Samsung S20 FE which is priced at only RM2699.
Flagship phones are identified by a model series, for example, Samsung Galaxy S series, Huawei P series, Oppo Find X series, Xiaomi Mi series and so forth. A new model is normally released every year and is highly anticipated by fans around the world.
With flagship phones being priced so high, one of the frequently asked questions is, are flagship phones worth getting? The short answer is yes, most flagship phones are well built and features the latest tech.
However, it is definitely not within the budget for most of us. What we’d advise is for you to opt for an older model of a newly released flagship phone.
Why Are Older Flagship Models Worth It?
1. More Affordable!
Unlike lower to mid-range phones, the price change of a flagship phone can be quite drastic following the release of a new model.
We saw an immediate price slash of RM500 (~14% off) applied to all iPhone 11 models upon the recent release of the iPhone 12.
This is an example of a phone that retains its value really well over the years. For android devices, there are many instances where prices fall as much as 50% following a new release.
2. Old Model(s) of Flagship Phones > Mid-Range Phones
In terms of features and hardware, it is fairly common for an older version flagship phone outperforms a newly released mid-range phone. Because most flagship phones when released are described as ‘ahead of its time’, its hardware and software are set to stay relevant for a longer period of time.
The image above is a great example! The P30 which was released back in March of 2019 still outperforms the Nova 7 Pro 5G (released in April 2020) by a fair bit.
The difference in processor improvements on the Nova 7 Pro 5G is marginal, to say the least. While in this example, we see a comparison of devices released 1 year apart, this could extend even to flagship phones released as far as 2 years back.
To quickly conclude, unless you are able to afford the latest flagship phones, it’s probably a smarter choice to opt for an older version flagship phone to save more.
Prior to purchasing a flagship model, be sure to check on the release dates of the upcoming flagship models to avoid paying more than you should. An additional 1 – 2 month wait is definitely worth it!
2021 Anticipated Flagship releases:
| Phone | Date | Product Launch Site |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 | 14 January 2021 | View More |
| OnePlus 9 | Mid March 2021 | View More |
| Oppo Find X3 | 25th March | View More |
| Huawei P50 | March 2021 | View More |
| Realme Race (X60) | February 2021 | View More |
| iPhone 13 | September 2021 | View More |
| Google Pixel 6 | September 2021 | View More |
| Asus ROG 5 | May 2021 | View More |
Another great way to keep updated with the upcoming releases would be to follow us on Facebook.
