Few weeks ago I did compile an article related to top smartphones to choose from. There I had restricted the budget to under Rs. 35k. Here I will be including my pick of smartphones that you can choose which fall under the flagship category. These smartphones will cost you more than Rs. 35000 and the prices may vary online and offline.
1: LG V20:
LG has not been that successful in the smartphone market as Samsung has been taking the laurels everytime. The Lg V series is their second half flagship series probably competing directly with the note series of Samsung.
The V10 was never launched in India however LG did debut their V series with the V20.
This device comes with 5.7 inch 2K screen with another 2.1 inch secondary display. This secondary display is meant for showing notifications, text, app shortcuts , toggles and so on. The device is powered by Snapdragon 820 SOC clocked at 2.15gHz. It has 4GB RAM , 32/64GB internal storage and comes with adreno 530 as GPU. It has 3200 mAh battery with the support for quick charge 3.0
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| Different modes available to tweak with the V20 |
The main highlighting factor is its camera which consists of 2 lenses of 16MP (f/1.8) and 8MP (f/2.4) with OIS and laser Autofocus on the main sensor. The V20's camera is quite good and best for those who like to play with pro modes. The pro mode also allows you to tweak the sound and hence it will be a great option for content creators who don't want to spend bucks on a costly DSLR. Do remember that the picture quality of any phone can never match even an entry level DSLR however the V20 is a great phone to go with decent performance and good camera. It comes with HiFi Quad DAC which enhances the sound output from the headphones. Another reason to buy this device is the removable battery. Its one of the rare flagship to have these days with a removable back panel!!
The device is available for under 40k in India at present although it was launched for 55k few months ago. The price hovers around 35-38k online which in my opinion is a great deal.
2: Samsung S7 / S7 edge:
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| S7 Edge in Onyx Black variant |
Samsung's 2016 flagship was a marvel. I say this mainly it was a blend of performance matched with looks and a great camera. I am not biased towards it but it dwarfed the flagships from HTC and LG as they were priced wrongly and LG had its own issues. The S7 and the s7 edge come with same internals i.e either a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SOC or Exynos 8890 based on region (in India its the Exynos 8890 clocked at 2.3gHz ). It comes with 4GB RAM , 32/64GB internal storage and comes with adreno 530/ Mali T880- MP12 GPU. Both come with IP68 dust and water resistance.
The S7 has a 5.1 inch QHd AMOLED screen whereas the edge comes with 5.5 inch QHd AMOLED display. Both come with 12MP dual pixel rear cameras having aperture size of f/1.7 which performs excellent in day as well as in low light. The f/1.7 lens makes out for good bokeh and allows in more light for better night shots. The camera is capable of recording 4K at 30fps and also can record videos in slow motion. The front facing camera is of 5MP having f/1.7 aperture.
The s7 comes with 3000mAh battery whereas the edge comes with 3600 mAh. Both have support for quick charging.
The s7 is retailing for 44k and the Edge for 50.9k via online stores.
3: LG G6:
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| LG G6 in ice platinum variant |
Lg had its major let down with the G5 mainly due to its build quality. However LG did rectify it with the V20. Now , after few months of the launch of V20, LG has come up with the successor to the G5 i.e the G6. The most eye-catching factor here is the build quality and the screen. LG has decided to get rid of big bezels and in the form factor of a 5.5 incher, it gave us a 5.7 inch, IPS LCD screen with 2K resolution device. This device was one of the first to have a 18:9 aspect ratio unlike 16:9 that is commonly followed. It shares design language similar to V20 from the back with the dual camera lenses this time both 13MP for better shots and has f/1.8 aperture for one of the lens. It comes with OIS, 3 axis stabilization, PDAF and dual LED flash. The camera in real world usage takes stunning shots and indeed is the flagship of 2017.
It comes with 5MP front facing camera. The rear camera is capable of 4K video recording at 30fps.
Now lets talk about the internals.
It comes with Snapdragon 821 SOC clocked at 2.35gHz and the lower powered cores at 1.6gHz. The GPU used is the adreno 530 and it comes with 4GB RAM. The G6 has 32/64 GB internal storage and in India the device comes with 64GB storage. Another selling point of the device is the HiFi DAC for much better experience via the headphone jack. Do remember that this feature is available in select regions only. The device also has IP68 dust and water resistance and comes with support for Dolby vision and HDR 10 support. It has 3300mAh battery with Qualcomm quick charge 3.0 support.
The LG G6 is available via Amazon for a price tag of Rs.51999 and with many available offers you can get Rs.7000 cashback there by reducing the effective price.
4: Samsung S8/ S8 plus:
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| Size comparison of S8 and S8 plus |
Samsung gained great heights with the S7/ edge however had their major let down with the Note 7 which had a blast :-P Hence, Samsung had to come strong and also had to regain the trust especially with their flagship. Probably the main reason (as to ensure that everything was right in terms of safety) Samsung opted out of MWC to launch the S8 and plus. Whatever may be the case, S8 and plus have been finally launched and sales are to begin soon in India.
The S8 has 5.8 inch 2K curved display and the S8 plus comes with 6.2 inch 2K curved display. Both devices come with AMOLED screens with unique 18.5:9 aspect ratio and Samsung is terming them as INFINITY display which is just a marketing gimmick. Both the devices are powered by either the latest Snapdragon 835 SOC or Exynos 8895 (Indian variant) depending on regions. Both come with 4GB RAM and 64/128 GB internal storage.
Samsung did not upgrade much in terms of camera as they retained similar specs as that of S7 like 12MP dual pixel rear camera with f/1.7 aperture lens having capability to record 4K at 30fps. The only difference lies in the sensor used with better image processing.
The major upgrade in camera comes with the front facing sensor as it now has 8MP as against 5MP in the S7.
The S8 and S8 plus both have almost bezelless display being narrow which means that they are taller. Samsung also ditched the home button and preferred on screen buttons with the fingerprint sensor shifted to the back at an awkward location i.e next to camera sensor. It also comes with an iris scanner and useless Bixby assistant (as Google Assistant is already readily available). It also comes with IP68 dust and water resistance.
The S8 is available for 57900 and the S8 plus for 64900 in India.
5: Google Pixel / Pixel XL:
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| Both the Pixel and Pixel XL are identical with difference in size |
Nexus , once the so called flagship from Google was replaced by Pixel. Google released 2 versions of the Pixel i.e the regular Pixel and Pixel XL. Both these devices have the same internals and same camera however the main difference lies in the battery and screen size.
The Pixel has 5.0 inch 1080p screen which is an AMOLED display. For a 5 incher, Fhd display is not that bad as the ppi gets quite high. The pixel XL on the other hand has 5.5 inch 2K display. Both are powered by the Snapdragon 821 SOC where the high powered cores are clocked at 2.15gHz and the lower powered cores at 1.6gHz. The GPU is adreno 530 and both devices come with 4GB RAM. Such a powerful device with stock Android add up to being better performer than most flagships. Also the Pixel devices were the first to come with Google Assistant and the best part, updates are supported upto 2018.
These devices also excel in camera department. Both the devices have a 12.3MP rear camera with f/2.0 aperture and come with EIS. In real world usage , the EIS during video recording does much better job than OIS in some cases. Probably Google has been involved in deep research related to camera on a smartphone. Furthermore, it comes with PDAF, laser Autofocus and comes with 5MP front facing camera. The rear camera is capable of 4K video recording at 30fps. The camera on both the devices excelled and performed better than the S7 or even the S8 in many cases.
Speaking of battery, the Pixel comes with 2770mAh battery and the XL comes with 3450mAh battery. Both are capable of quick charge 3.0 and both come with Gorilla Glass 4 protection.
The Pixel is priced at around Rs.53000 for 32Gb and the Pixel XL at Rs. 65000 for 32GB variant. It is also available in 128GB variant.
6: Apple iPhone 7
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| iPhone 7 in Jet black colour |
Enough of Android, now lets talk iOS. No doubt its a dream phone for many (probably any iPhone) as people tend to buy it for just the Apple logo. Keeping the showoff aside lets sneak into it's internals and offering for a royalty price tag.
The iPhone 7 comes with 4.7 inch 750×1334 resolution (quite different as its Apple). This resolution brings the ppi to approximately 326. Although not 2K or even 1080p, yet 326ppi is good enough as it does not put a burden on CPU and GPU. It is powered by the Apple's own A10 CPU which has 2 high power cores clocked at 2.34ghz and remaining 2 lower powered cores. The GPU is PowerVR series 7XT plus having 6 cores and it comes with 2GB RAM. The device comes with oleophobic coating to prevent small splashes and IP67 dust and water resistance as well as comes with 3D touch.
In terms of camera it has 12MP rear camera with f/1.8, PDAF and OIS. It is capable of 4K video recording at 30fps. The front facing camera is of 7MP with f/2.2 aperture. The camera is decent enough and on par with most other flagships. However, there is no actual selling point here as the device is quite similar to the 6S in form factor with the antenna lines shifted to the top and bottom rather than the back.
The iPhone 7 comes with 1960mAh battery which due to good optimization can last for about a day.
The device is currently priced at 49K for 32GB variant. It is also available in 128 and 256 GB variants.
7: Apple iPhone 7 plus
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| iPhone 7 plus with the dual camera lens as against the iPhone 7 |
The iPhone 7 plus is not just an upscaled version of the 7 as it has slightly different internals as well as, has a dual camera lens. It comes with 5.5 inch 1080p display with oleophobic coating and 3D touch. Like the 7, it comes with IP67 dust and water resistance. In terms of internals it comes with Apple's A10 fusion SOC and has additional 1 Gb RAM (i.e 3GB) as compared with the regular iPhone 7. It packs a 2900mAh battery, a major upgrade from the 7.
Now, the main selling point is the camera. It comes with dual lens where one is a regular lens and the other is a telephoto lens which provides 2X optical zoom without the loss in quality. It comes with the same resolution i.e 12MP and rest of the camera specs remain the same as that of the iPhone 7. It comes with 7MP front facing camera.
The 2X optical zoom is indeed effective and provides great 2X zoomed in shots without any loss in quality.
The iPhone 7 plus is available for 61K (32GB variant) online. It is also available in 128 and 256 GB variants.
Both the iPhone 7 and 7 plus come with haptic engine or rather a new type of fingerprint sensor where there is no physical button. Its a capacitive type area which reacts to the sensitivity of finger pressed. One most important 'feature' of Apple is the ditching of iconic headphone jack. Now, you are left with earphones or headphones which can be connected to the lightning port. Whatever it may be its Apple.
These were some of the phones to consider while choosing your next flagship. There are other devices like Huawei's P10, P10 plus and mate series, however they have not yet been released in India. All the devices offer great performance in day to day usage as well as offer good camera performance.
However, the best camera overall, is held by the Pixel and Pixel XL.
Do let us know your thoughts about these devices and do share your experience if you have been using any of these in the comments below.