Tushar Mehta / Digital Trends
“ Do I need all that ? ” That ’s the question on the mind of shoppers before they splurge a now - received $ 1,000 ask price for a top - tier phone in 2024 . Ideally , that dilemma should be there . The likes ofSamsung Galaxy S24 UltraandApple ’s iPhone 15 Pro Maxhave win laurels for a handful of standout features they put up . But you might not need those standout features at all .
I ’ve been on that route , and more oftentimes than I have the temerity to admit . For some reason , regret arrive as part of the $ 1,200 flagship parcel . That ’s unless your headphone is a part of your creative or work process , or you just do n’t worry and only require the up-to-the-minute and greatest for the conceit of it . A segment like that certainly survive , but that affluent substance abuser base does n’t order the journey of a product .
Tushar Mehta / Digital Trends
Thankfully , the seemingly non - fashionable course of revisiting the constituent bin exists . Even the the likes of of Samsung and Apple are not afraid to grind in from sentence to clip . The OnePlus 12R , Samsung ’s Fan Edition smartphones , and as far back as the cutesy iPhone 5C from 2013 .
Despite being a key recycling of silicon , glass , and metal , the results are refreshingly satisfying and time value - centrical . I would even go as far as prophesy that these phones are really deserving fag into rather than getting washed away by the hoopla train of a few new tricks on a far pricey textbook “ latest generation phone . ”
The price/perk parity
The best instance that I can come up right now is the OnePlus 12R. This $ 500 headphone offer niceties that are missing on phones that cost more than twice its poser cost . In fact , the combination of lineament on offering is next to unconvincing . It delivers a monolithic 5,500mAh battery with a market - leave 100W fast charging . Hardly any other brands on U.S. soil can even break midway through that bench mark .
You get a 120Hz AMOLED screen with a peak light of 4,500 nits ( when really pushed ) and protect by Corning ’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2 . Then there ’s Qualcomm ’s yesteryear Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipping , pair with up to 16 GB RAM and an optically - stabilized 50 - megapixel imagination sensor . From my own brief playtime with the phone , it feels premium , too .
Then we have a disruptor like theNothing Phone 2 . Save for the Si within and the charging technical school , it even excel the OnePlus 12R. You get a stunningly - plan speech sound that do a 120Hz OLED screen , Qualcomm ’s Snapdragon 8 + Gen 1 chip , a generous memory configuration , a duet of 50 - megapixel cameras , 45W fast charging , and an self-confidence of long - full term software support .
Moving slightly down the goodness ladder is Samsung , with its well - designedGalaxy S23 Fan Edition . This one blend the might of Qualcomm ’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 , espouse to the promise of four assured Android OS upgrades every year . “ If you care about a ripe phone that look at appreciable pictures and will be by your side for the next twosome of year , the Galaxy S23 FE is the sound to get , ” suspect Digital Trends ’ review .
You get a triad of cameras that have a essay track track record of dependable performance , a feature - racy take on Android inOne UI 6 , and an assurance of great after - sale experience — all crammed inside a pocketable chassis that is a delight to apply on a day - to - day basis . Of of course , Samsung pass away a bit further in time with its part bin revisit tour , but it did n’t make a downgrade in the sheer virtue .
Neither of these phones stammer , nor will they leave you desperately fuming due to a lack of certain core group features . Unless those core features pass to be the nicety that separate the Ultra and Pro Max sound out there from the ease , you really are n’t missing out on anything substantial . I have had a far more fulfilling experience with these value - first “ wedge - flagships ” or “ budget flagship ” than I ’ve had with top - tier phones — and that say something .
Is all that extra cash really worth it?
The smartphone industry preaching also tends to be skewed . We often talk about phones with their starting price at the front and sum . While at it , we always discourse the U.S. market shenanigans . Take , for deterrent example , the iPhone 15 Pro Max — the go - to tv camera phone for ecosystem - tethered buyers . It starts at $ 1,200 .
But for anyone hoping to get the best out of its video chops , such as LOG seizure , the 512 GB or 1 TB variants are a no - brainer . These could cost you as much as $ 1,600 before taxes . Outside the U.S. , well , I devote over $ 1,700 for the base 256 GB version .
It ’s gruelling to get that Johnny Cash burn out of one ’s judgment when we ’re verbalize about the experience delta here . Of course , it ’s a mightily honest phone . So is the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra . But are the camera here really worth pay that sort of money — and more significantly , worth the Mary Leontyne Price disconnect — when a budget sound like theGoogle Pixel 7aor the Galaxy S23 FE can storm you with darn pleasant results ?
And when phone like the OnePlus 12R come up into the film , show off much meaningful capabilities such as big batteries with 100W fast charging , you really start to interrogate the whole point of drop a portion on these uber - tier flagships . I ’ve been pushing phones across all Mary Leontyne Price brackets for over seven year .
The parts bin formula just works
The most realistic lesson I ’ve learned over the years is that one should only expend an amount that grant enough measure for a telephone . Paying for bragging rights and non - useable benefit progress to fiddling sense . Yes , there is a sealed joy in seeing the iPhone 15 Pro Max offer the same variety of cinematic versatility as a professional film photographic camera .
But not labour the equipment to its straight potential ( or even one-half of it ) is a surefire formula for emptor ’s remorse . One can reason that not everyone has the boulevard for pushing a phone ’s camera or making its processor perspire out . They only need a reliable earpiece that wo n’t give up on them . Well , the OnePlus 12R is a dependable phone . So is the Galaxy S23 FE , Nothing Phone 2 , or the Google Pixel 7a . Or even one of Apple ’s “ SE ” series iPhones .
A authentic phone does n’t have to be a $ 1,200 iPhone or a $ 1,300 Ultra animal . It can be a mix of new and honest-to-god generation parts . With the like of the OnePlus 12R , you are bring forth a new phone for near half the price of a yesteryear flagship in a used or refurbished state . It ’s a win - win scheme , with scarce any hard-nosed regrets for what you ’re pay .
For an average smartphone maker , I ’d say comprehend into your parts bin and make phone that declare oneself an average buyer more options . After all , it never hurts to make up nearly half the amount to get the best of tech from just a year ago , right ? As far as my own selection goes , the OnePlus 12R is where my “ advocate badge ” sits .
