If you're in the market for a new phone and are looking for the best value possible, you have two choices: either buy a brand-new budget phone or an older flagship phone that's gone down in price. But which offers more value? What are the compromises you'll have to make if you choose one over the other? Let's find out in this detailed comparison.
Why You Should Buy an Older Flagship Phone
Despite being a year or two behind, older flagship phones still have a lot of value left to offer. Here are the five biggest benefits of buying an older flagship over a brand-new budget phone.
1. Better Cameras
Even though cameras on budget phones have come a long way, you're more likely to get cleaner shots and a better overall photography experience with older flagship phones. With the latter, you're getting optical image stabilization, better dynamic range, faster shutter speed, better color science, smoother video, better edge detection, and more.
In challenging scenarios such as nighttime, the results from flagship phones are incomparably better than budget phones. Part of the reason for that is that flagships have better image processing algorithms that allow for brighter and more detailed photos. Plus, many also offer astrophotography if you're into that.
Budget phones today come with multiple cameras just like flagships. But often, their extra lenses serve no real purpose but give the company bragging rights about putting a "quad-camera setup" on their phone. In comparison, every camera on a flagship phone serves a unique purpose and is actually useful.
2. A More Powerful Processor
The budget phone you're considering will probably have the latest mid-range processor at best. However, unless the flagship is several years old, the chip it runs will still be significantly more capable in terms of performance.
If you're a gamer or a power user, getting an older flagship phone is a wiser choice than getting the latest budget phone. The more powerful chip on the former will allow you to run graphic-intensive games on max settings and multitask easily.
3. Better Build Quality
Flagship phones are made of stronger and more premium materials that make them more likely to survive after an accidental drop. Most flagship phones today come with Gorilla Glass Victus, but cheaper phones have to settle with much weaker glass on the front and are therefore less protected.
On the back, you're getting a premium glass finish with flagships, but a plastic back with budget phones. Also, the former often comes with an official IP68 rating for water and dust resistance while the latter either settles with a lower rating or skips on it entirely. Flagships also enjoy a superior vibration motor for better haptic feedback.
4. A Better Display
Most top-tier phones from the last few years come with a Quad HD panel instead of the Full HD resolution you get on more affordable phones. QHD is noticeably sharper than FHD and helps improve your media consumption and gaming experience.
On top of that, ever since the Galaxy S20 in 2020, premium phones have tended to come with a 120Hz fast refresh rate, HDR10+ compatibility, an AMOLED panel for more vibrant colors, and higher peak brightness for better outdoor visibility. These features are available on some modern budget phones as well but are scattered and harder to find.
5. Faster and Wireless Charging
Flagships and budget phones share roughly the same battery size, but that's not the case with charging speeds. You can easily find an Android flagship that supports 45W wired charging or faster. But cheaper phones usually have to settle with up to 25W charging speed.
On top of that, flagship phones also come with wireless and reverse wireless charging; the latter allows you to charge smaller gadgets such as your smartwatch or earbuds using your phone. At the time of writing, there is no budget phone on the market that has these features.
Why You Should Buy a New Budget Phone
Flagships have their cool factor, yes, but they might not be right for you even if available at a similar price as a new budget phone. Let's look at the key reasons why you are better off buying a new budget device instead.
1. Better Battery Life
When it comes to battery life, an older flagship phone can never beat a new budget phone carrying a cell of the same size. Why? Because smartphone batteries are made of lithium-ion which degrades over time and reduces the total capacity of the cell.
In other words, the battery on an older flagship phone has been degrading ever since it left the factory, even if the device has never been unboxed. In comparison, a brand-new budget phone has 100% of its battery health and will last longer on a single charge.
2. The Latest Software and Longer Support
The most notable advantage that budget phones have over older flagships is that they should come with the latest Android version out of the box and will receive OS updates and security patches for longer.
An older flagship has already got part of the total number of updates it will ever receive, so going forward, it won't receive updates for as long as a new budget phone will.
This benefit is exaggerated if you're eyeing a new Samsung phone since the company now offers the same number of updates on its budget line as its flagship line. For instance, the Galaxy A53 gets four years of OS updates which is the same as the S22 Ultra.
3. Charger in the Box
A key reason why flagship phones are worse now is that they don't come with a charger in the box. Fortunately, budget phones have not caught up to this awful trend yet. Most Android phone makers still offer a charger with their budget offerings, except for Samsung which stopped including chargers for all of its models from 2022.
Not having a charger in the box is a major inconvenience that value-conscious buyers don't appreciate. If you buy an older flagship for the benefits it offers, just remember that you're probably going to have to buy a fast charger separately.
4. Better Customer Support
When you buy a brand new budget phone, you're among the many who will be experiencing the device for the first time. So, to contain negative public feedback and maintain the hype around the device, companies are more likely to help you if you run into any problems with your new budget phone.
In comparison, older flagships have already banked their part of the limelight and are not as profitable anymore. Hence, they aren't actively supported. Just to be clear, that doesn't mean you won't get any assistance if you buy an older flagship (especially if it's still in warranty), but it surely won't get the same attention from customer service representatives and repair shops.
5. A Headphone Jack
After removing the charger from the box, the next most painful smartphone trend has to be the removal of the headphone jack. Luckily, this trend hasn't trickled down to budget phones yet, although it is spreading fast.
If you're an audiophile or simply don't want to spend more money on a pair of TWS earbuds, budget phones are your only choice to get a 3.5mm audio jack. Flagships sadly got rid of it some time ago. Thanks, Apple.
Better Features vs. Longer Support
Ultimately, the device that offers more value fulfills your individual needs the best. Older flagship phones have more features and are more fun to use, but new budget phones will cause you fewer problems in the long run as they aim to provide you with a well-rounded experience.
You should pick an older flagship phone if you're a photography enthusiast, power user, or gamer. But if you want a phone that does everything well enough (but not exceptionally) with minimum compromises, pick a new budget phone.