Weekend Poll: Are You Interested In 'budget Flagship' Android Phones?
© Provided by Android PoliceAs an Android-centric site, it's only natural that we often focus on the newest, most popular, and most powerful devices on the market. Sure, low-end or mid-range phones might interest us from time to time (the Pixel 6a was one of our favorite smartphones last year), but overall they're just like the Galaxy S23 Ultra or the Pixel. 7 Pros We Want.
But the likes of me and my fellow AP editors aren't the best examples of what modern audiences want from Android phones. When you have that option, even in a small market like the US, it's easy to ignore OnePlus or Motorola and focus on expensive foldable devices or phablets. That's not what the average buyer is looking for in a smartphone, especially given the rise of the "budget flagship." These devices are capable of offering most of what you would expect from a high-end smartphone for a few hundred dollars less than the competition.
In this category, you'll find smartphones like the Pixel 7, a $600 smartphone that's nearly as good as its $900 big brother. The OnePlus 11 also falls into this category, having managed to capture some of the old-school magic that once made the company was known. Hell, even the latest Moto Edge I'm reviewing could fall into this category, not to mention lesser-known devices like the Asus Zenfone 9 and hopefully the upcoming Nothing Phone 2.
All of these phones have one thing in common: near-flagship features with a compromise or two to hit the $500-$700 price point. I think the Pixel 7 is the perfect example of what you'd expect from a budget flagship. For $600, it offers an excellent 1080p display, a fast processor, and a great camera. Compared to the Pixel 7 Pro, you're missing a higher refresh rate, a bigger battery, and perhaps most importantly, a telephoto lens for capturing distant subjects. But you'll also save $300 in the process, and that's a hard amount to ignore these days.
It's a smartphone category that seems ripe for further rapid expansion, especially in light of the ever-increasing price tag of flagships. But that doesn't mean that all companies have fun. Samsung was the first entrant in this area, a few years ago the Galaxy S20 FE impressed us with its value. But after the S21 FE failed to regain its magic, we've seen two generations of smartphones come and go without a new entry, and that doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon.
I wonder. Are our readers interested in budget flagships or, like Samsung, are they more successful sticking to the budget or flagship categories ? Finally, smartphones like the Pixel 6a or the Samsung Galaxy A53 look very impressive at lower price points, while the OnePlus 11 cannot compete with the Galaxy S23 Ultra. .
