Flagship phones once used to be about showcasing the best a company has to offer. But with technology progressing at the speed it does, smartphone makers decided to change these devices. The market today is fragmented into mid-ranged flagships and flagships. While the former is about showcasing the best you can buy, the latter is about getting future-facing features, which you can show off to your friends and peers.
Our Favorites | |||
| 1 | OnePlus 8T | Go to section | Check Price on Amazon.ae |
| 2 | Samsung Galaxy S20 FE | Go to section | Check Price on Amazon.ae |
| 3 | Xiaomi Mi 10T | Go to section | Check Price on Amazon.ae |
| 4 | Apple iPhone 11 | Go to section | Check Price on Amazon.ae |
| 5 | Apple iPhone SE | Go to section | Check Price on Amazon.ae |
| 6 | Google Pixel 4a | Go to section | Check Price on Amazon.ae |
The credit for creating mid-ranged flagships goes to Chinese phone makers, who brought costs down and took the most essential parts of flagship devices onto cheaper phones. The result? A booming new segment in the industry that catches the consumer’s attention worldwide — from tier-one markets like the United States and UAE, to growing markets like India.
While the segment was initially led by Chinese companies like Xiaomi, OnePlus, and more, global smartphone makers, including Apple have started to follow suit. Here’s the pick of the lot.
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1
OnePlus 8T
Key Specifications
Display: 6.55″ AMOLED display | Processor: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 865 | OS:OxygenOS based on Android™ 11 | RAM: 12GB | ROM(Internal Storage): 256GB | Battery: 4500 mAh | Dual Sim: Yes | Expandable Memory: No
Rear Camera: 48MP Main Camera + 16MP Ultra-wide + 5MP Macro + 2MP Monochrome Lens | Front Camera: 16MP Camera
Fingerprint Sensor: Yes, In-display | Headphone Jack: USB Type-C | Supports 5G: Yes
Color: Aquamarine Green, Lunar Silver
The ‘T’ moniker used to go to OnePlus’ second flagship of the year, but this year’s device is more of a mid-ranged flagship offering. The company got almost everything right, with one of the best displays amongst smartphones today, a high-speed chipset, and perhaps the finest software design you can find outside of a Google Pixel phone. OnePlus may not have the same update cycle that a Pixel does; however, it’s close enough.
Everyone has their own likes and dislikes, but most OnePlus users will tell you that the company puts in a lot of work into its software, and it really shows. Even without the high refresh rate displays, software on OnePlus phones used to be the smoothest amongst Android phones today. With a 120Hz display, it’s not just the user interface that’s smooth and snappy, the company also enhances gaming on this device. That itself makes the phone an attractive and affordable option for those who play several games on their phones. In fact, some of the pro-PUBG Mobile players out there swear by a OnePlus device.
2
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
Key Specifications
Display: 6.5″ Full HD+ Infinity-O Display | Processor: 2.73GHz, 2.5GHz, 2GHz Octa-Core Processor | OS: Android | RAM: 8GB | ROM(Internal Storage): 128GB | Battery: 4500mAh | Dual Sim: Yes | Expandable Memory: up to 1TB
Rear Camera: 12MP Ultra-wide + 12MP Wide-angle + 8MP Telephoto | Front Camera: 32MP Camera
Fingerprint Sensor: Yes | Headphone Jack: USB Type-C | Supports 5G: Yes
Color: Cloud Red, Cloud White, Cloud Lavendar, Cloud Navy, Cloud Mint, Cloud Orange
The Galaxy S20 series faced the brunt of the pandemic-driven lockdowns all over the world, but Samsung bounced back with the Galaxy S20 FE. Short for “Fan Edition”, the Galaxy S20 FE is essentially Samsung’s answer to OnePlus’ 8 series of devices. It’s cheaper than the S20 or the S20 Ultra and takes all of their essential features, throwing in some new colors for the style-conscious buyers.
It doesn’t end there, though. Samsung calls this the fan edition for a reason. It didn’t just mimic OnePlus, but actually put features that people wanted. For instance, the S20 FE retains the high refresh rate display, fast processor, and design of the S20 series, throwing in 5G to make it future-ready. It’s a phone that’s worthy of Samsung’s flagship S series branding, even if it compromises on over the top features like a 100x zoom.
If you want a phone that’s incredibly pretty, has striking colors to choose from, loads of storage and RAM, and an excellent display, this is certainly a phone that you can consider.
3
Xiaomi Mi 10T
Key Specifications
Display: 6.67″ FHD+ DotDisplay | Processor: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 865 with 5G | OS: MIUI 12 | RAM: 8GB | ROM(Internal Storage): 128GB
Battery: 5000mAh | Dual Sim: Yes | Expandable Memory: No
Rear Camera: 64MP Main + 13MP ultra-wide angle + 5MP macro camera
Front Camera: 20MP Ultra-clear
Fingerprint Sensor: Side-mounted | Headphone Jack: No, USB-C | Supports 5G: Yes
Color: Lunar Silver, Cosmic Black
Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has completely changed the game in many markets, but the company still struggles with flagship and mid-ranged flagship segments. Why? It’s probably because people associate the brand with value. So even its mid-ranged flagships are expected to be equivalent to a flagship. Enter the Xiaomi Mi10T 5G.
The phone has a killer display and a high refresh rate, it’s incredibly fast, and the fastest processor money can buy. Of course, 5G is included as well.
Choosing a 1080p display may have been a misstep for Xiaomi, but if you’ve seen this display, you really won’t care. Although the Mi 10 Pro smartphone features a 108MP camera on the rear, the Mi 10T 5G’s 64MP + 13MP combination is by no means a pushover.
4
Apple iPhone 11
Key Specifications
Display: 6.1″ Liquid Retina LCD display | Processor: A13 Bionic chip | OS:iOS
RAM: 4GB | ROM(Internal Storage): 128GB | Battery: 3110mAh | Dual Sim: Yes, e-sim | Expandable Memory: No
Rear Camera: 12MP Ultra-wide + 12MP Wide-angle | Front Camera: 12MP Camera
Fingerprint Sensor: No | Headphone Jack: No | Supports 5G: No
Color: Purple, Yellow, Green, Black, White, Red
You’re probably wondering what an iPhone is doing on a list about mid-ranged flagships, but it really does belong in here. The iPhone 11 maybe a year old now, but Apple phones last longer than most Android phones today. Consider the fact that Apple updated the iPhone 6S even this year, and you’ll realize why.
The compromise with the iPhone 11 is in the camera. It’s not a bad camera per se, but it’s not the same caliber as some of the phones mentioned on this list. You will get some great shots in well-lit conditions, but you may have trouble in low-light. It’s also not the richest in terms of camera features.
Having said that, it’s still an iPhone, and to take a page out of the late great Steve Jobs’ book, “it just works”. In fact, did you know the iPhone 11 was amongst the best selling smartphones of 2020, despite a slump in iPhone sales worldwide?
5
Apple iPhone SE
Key Specifications
Display: 4.7″ Retina HD display | Processor: A13 Bionic chip | OS: iOS
RAM: 3GB | ROM(Internal Storage): 128GB | Battery: 1821mAh | Dual Sim: Yes, e-sim | Expandable Memory: No
Rear Camera: 12MP Wide-angle | Front Camera: 7MP Camera
Fingerprint Sensor: Yes | Headphone Jack: USB-C | Supports 5G: No
Color: Black, White, Product RED
The iPhone SE used to be squarely aimed at small phone lovers, but it’s really more of a mid-ranged flagship now. With the iPhone 12 Mini out there, we’d recommend the iPhone 12 if you want a compact, yet powerful phone. However, if you want a compact but affordable mid-ranged flagship, the 2020 edition of the iPhone SE is the phone to go for.
It’s essentially a repackaged version of the iPhone 8, so it sports the same design and display as the iPhone8. however, it has a newer processor, and as it goes with Apple, that extends its life by years. Like the iPhone 11, it doesn’t match the other smartphones in terms of the camera specs.
6
Google Pixel 4a
Key Specifications
Display: 5.8″ FHD+ OLED Display | Processor: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 730G4 | OS: Android™ 10 | RAM: 6GB | ROM(Internal Storage): 128GB
Battery: 3140mAh | Dual Sim: No | Expandable Memory: No
Rear Camera: 12.2 MP Camera
Front Camera: 8MP Camera
Fingerprint Sensor: Yes, back-mounted | Headphone Jack: Yes, 3.55mm audio jack | Supports 5G: No
Color: Black
Google may own the software side of the smartphone market, but it has had a tough time with hardware. That doesn’t change the fact that the Pixel phones have been good though, and the Google Pixel 4a is one that’s specifically made to take advantage of this mid-ranged flagship space.
It makes quite a few compromises but retains the Pixel’s primary features — its camera. It also happens to be one of the most compact and pocketable phones on the market today, like the iPhone SE.
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