What is a flagship smartphone? Review of smartphones What does a flagship smartphone mean?

Users mobile devices people often wonder what a flagship is. This term is quite often used for various consumer electronics. We often hear phrases like "flagship device", " flagship smartphone” and “flagship functions”, but we have little understanding of what this all means. In fact, these terms do not have a clear definition, since each person may have their own understanding of the word “flagship”.

Meaning of the term

If we look at history, we can come to the conclusion that this word has nothing to do with smartphones. Initially, the flagship was the name given to the ship carrying the commander of the navy. As a rule, such a ship was marked with an officer's flag. From this we can conclude that the word “flagship” is in some sense a synonym for the word “main”. That's why flagships are usually called the most advanced mobile devices in a particular manufacturer's lineup.

If you want to better understand the meaning of a word, the first step is to turn to dictionaries to find out its official definition. It turns out that the flagship is not only a naval ship. This word can have another meaning - “the best and most important item from a system or group.”

It seems that mobile device developers have used an alternative meaning of the word to refer to their best smartphones. But the question arises whether the devices that are called flagships are really the best on the market. The problem is that mobile devices become obsolete very quickly. What is currently considered a flagship product may become obsolete in just a few months.

Most often, a manufacturing company uses this word to refer to a smartphone that it considers its best product in the world. this moment. Thanks to this approach, everything immediately becomes clear. As a result, it becomes very easy to distinguish flagships from regular phones. Flagship status is automatically assigned to the company's best all-round phone and is not dependent on features or specifications. The flagship is considered the most popular device that is in demand regardless of whether it has the most advanced features. Even manufacturers of relatively cheap mobile devices have their own smartphones that also fall under this definition.

Typically, Flagship represents everything that a single company can offer within 1 phone. At the same time, the manufacturing company itself decides which device is considered the main one, effectively depriving its customers of this right. Typically, Flagship has all or most of the features that the company has developed at the time of its release. For example, device Samsung Galaxy, which has 4 GB random access memory, is considered the main one, despite the fact that OnePlus 3 has 6 GB of RAM. The new flagship must have best characteristics compared to its predecessor.

Such a mobile phone will always be compared with other devices. The company is trying to make its Flagship as impressive as possible so that it looks decent against its competitors. But contrary to popular belief main phone may not always be the most expensive in the line. IN Lately There is an interesting trend when manufacturers are increasingly inclined towards the so-called budget flagships. Such devices are compared not with expensive competitors’ phones, but with those devices that are in the same price range.

Since all smartphone manufacturers designate certain devices as flagships, buyers will pay attention to them first. If a phone is assigned this status, it automatically falls into a certain category, which distinguishes it from a huge variety of less popular devices. But what are the defining characteristics that earn a phone flagship status?

It can be assumed that such a smartphone must have functions that are considered standard among competitors. For example, a device with a 1080 pixel display cannot achieve Flagship status because all companies are already moving to the Quad HD standard.

Smartphones are divided into a huge number of different categories, each of which takes into account the needs of certain users. However, there are two categories that include most smartphones - advanced devices and budget devices. In the recent past, premium devices were a rare and expensive pleasure, whose price was close to $1000, and most users preferred inexpensive devices around $100-200. In recent years the situation has changed somewhat. Thanks to the development of technology and the entry of new players into the market, the price of premium devices has decreased, which has led to an increase in their user audience.

And this brings us to the next question: “So why are flagships better than budget phones?”. Below, we'll list a number of obvious differences for you, but first let's go over the more subjective reasons.

Most of us believe that premium devices are superior to their inexpensive rivals in every way by birthright. In general, this is true. However, there will always be a couple of exceptions. For example, the main advantage budget phones is their low price, which its flagship rivals will never keep up with. Yes, over the past few years there has been a dramatic shift in this direction. Manufacturers began to look at other niches. In addition, we should not forget about the Chinese “comrades” who entered the international market with a wide range of inexpensive flagships of very decent quality. Take at least Xiaomi flagships, which combine the familiar features of iPhone, the capabilities of Android and the stunning MIUI user interface.

But it seems we’ve started talking, so let’s move on to the main question and list the objective differences between expensive and inexpensive smartphones.

1. Best construction and premium design

As the old proverb says: “You are greeted by your clothes.” Appearance, this is the first thing a future buyer pays attention to even before delving into the jungle of technical characteristics. And here, in most cases, flagship devices are beyond competition. And this is not surprising, because they can afford more expensive materials and more elaborate designs. These smartphones are wrapped in leather cases or shiny metal armor, while their cheaper counterparts continue to wear modest plastic bodies. However, a number of inexpensive smartphones have already broken this rule by replacing plastic with metal, but so far this is the exception rather than the rule.

2. Screens. Bigger and better.

One of the favorite special disciplines for competing premium devices is screen size and quality. In pursuit of leadership, they are constantly increasing their size and resolution, trying to overtake their class rivals and leaving budget models behind. HD resolution (720p) has finally been pushed into the budget segment. Quad-HD (2160p) is slowly but surely becoming the Business Class standard, and a number of flagships have already set their sights on 4K resolution. However, not everything is so simple here, because devices with Full-HD (1080p) resolution have also appeared among “state employees”.

3. Unique technologies

But not all devices obey this rule. The functionality of many top budget models is already close to the flagship class. However, some flagships boast unique features. For example, the Galaxy Note 5 has a very remarkable S Pen stylus. The iPhone 6/6S has 3DTouch technology, and the BlackBerry Priv boasts a unique pressure-sensitive keyboard. Of course, these are not super abilities that will be useful to everyone, but nevertheless, these are unique functions that only premium phones have.

4. Latest hardware

When it comes to flagships, everyone expects outstanding specifications. That's why everyone top smartphones carry the latest developments in the field mobile technologies. This is necessary in order to meet the requirements and wishes of potential buyers. Yes, budget devices They are quite capable of handling most similar tasks, but if you try to run several applications at the same time or constantly switch between them, be prepared for delays, errors and other unpleasant things. That is why only a small part of public sector employees actually support multitasking.

5. Outstanding gaming performance

This point follows from the previous one. The superior hardware of flagship devices makes them an ideal gaming base - such smartphones will never have any performance issues. In fact, this is the main reason why we play top-notch shooters on budget smartphones. Agree, few people want to watch 15 frames per second on the screen, which turns any gameplay into real torture. Most budget phones are simply not designed for new gaming products. On the other hand, most flagships easily produce more than 30 frames per second, providing smooth animation and a lot of fun.

6. Full software support

But this point applies primarily to Android devices. The iOS and Windows platforms are more unified in this regard. Most of their applications will run on more budget versions of devices. But if you look at two Android devices from different price ranges, you'll notice that not all the apps available on the more expensive version run on the budget device. Moreover, this applies even to devices from the same manufacturer. And while flagships are becoming real workhorses for the most sophisticated user, budget inexpensive smartphones support only a basic set of functionality, while secondary capabilities are sacrificed for an attractive price.

7. Better cameras

This is another important difference between flagships and budget phones. Yes, sure, big number megapixels in a phone camera does not mean that it is automatically better than its “small” rivals, but flagships can also boast more advanced lenses, sensors and software. And together, all this allows you to take better pictures (especially at night). Flash also plays an important role. If you've noticed, most devices take their best photos on a clear, sunny day. But as soon as you go into a room where there is little light, the quality of the pictures becomes depressing. Most budget models lack good cameras. Therefore, they produce cloudy, low-quality images. On the other hand, flagship devices with bright flash produce clear photos with lots of details.

8. Batteries. Bigger, faster and wirelessly.

Modern smartphones are distinguished not only by large screens, but also by capacious batteries. And if the manufacturer has also optimized the working processors and applications, then this combination provides the battery with a long life, especially compared to budget models. This is confirmed by the results of the test, the results of which are shown in the picture above. As you can see, most of the leaders belong to the hi-end class. In addition, most premium smartphones support the technology fast charging, and new products on the market may also offer wireless charging functionality.

9. Price

All the previously listed differences lead us to the last, although quite expected, difference between flagships and budget phones, namely, price. At the moment, the cost of most premium devices exceeds $500. On the other hand, the price of state employees usually does not exceed $200. However, this is fair enough. You pay big money for flagships because they are faster, prettier, more functional and have more powerful batteries, which also recharge faster.

conclusions

Remember all this the next time you go to the store for a new phone and are racking your brains about which smartphone to buy – a flagship or something cheaper. There are pros and cons to each option. However, the main advantage of public sector employees comes down to saving money. However, if you use your smartphone only for communication and web surfing, then why not.

Flagship smartphones are always the most interesting models. After all, they best reflect the level of development of smartphones at the moment. In this article, we have prepared a short review of the most popular flagship smartphones of 2017.

Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge

The review of flagship smartphones of 2017 should start with the Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone. A new version of this smartphone appears every year and is expected no less than the iPhone. This year new flagship from Samsung received what many fans of this brand had been waiting for for so long. Namely, a high-quality premium case. Now Samsung case The Galaxy S6 is made almost entirely of glass and metal.

Another unique feature new version Samsung's flagship is a modification with curved edges. This version of the smartphone has the prefix Edge in its name and is distinguished by the fact that the side edges of the screen are slightly curved towards the end of the device. How convenient this solution is to use can only be said by twirling the device in your hands. But, in any case, this is at least a demonstration of Samsung’s technological capabilities.

As for the technical characteristics of the device. So, as always, they are at the highest level. The gadget runs on an eight-core Samsung Exynos 8890 processor with graphics accelerator MALI T880 MP12, also in some countries a modification with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor will be available. The RAM capacity is 4 gigabytes, the internal memory capacity is up to 128 gigabytes. The screen of the device is almost the same as in the Galaxy S6, its diagonal is 5.1 inches and the resolution is 1440x2560 pixels. The front camera has also not changed; its resolution is 5 megapixels. The resolution of the rear camera has decreased, now it is 12 megapixels. Battery capacity 3000 mAh.

For lovers of curved screens, as always, there is Galaxy version S7 Edge.

Apple iPhone 6s and Apple iPhone 6s Plus

Apple iPhone 6s and Apple iPhone 6s Plus are already last year's flagships, but until the release of a new version of the iPhone they remain full-fledged flagships.

The main feature of the sixth generation iPhone, of course, was the screen size. Apple has finally decided to significantly increase the screen diagonal. Apple iPhone 6 received a screen with a diagonal of 4.7 inches (resolution 750x1334), and Apple iPhone 6 Plus had a screen with a diagonal of 5.5 inches (resolution 1080x1920). In the Apple iPhone 6s and Apple iPhone 6s Plus models, the screen sizes and resolutions have not changed.

The technical characteristics of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus do not break records. But this is quite typical for Apple products. It uses a dual-core Apple A9 processor with clock frequency 1.8 gigahertz and 64-bit architecture. Graphics accelerator PowerVR GT7600. The amount of RAM is 2 GB, and the amount of internal memory is up to 128 gigabytes. The main camera is 12 megapixels, the front camera is 5 megapixels. Battery capacity 1715 mAh.

HTC 10

In 2016, HTC released another modification of its metal flagship. This time the new product is called HTC 10.

HTC 10 is a typical flagship smartphone of 2016. Four are used here nuclear processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 with Adreno 530 graphics accelerator. 4 GB of RAM, up to 128 GB of internal memory. The screen has a diagonal of 5.2 inches and a resolution of 2560×1440 pixels. The rear camera resolution is 12 megapixels, the front camera resolution is 5 megapixels. The battery capacity is 3000 mAh.

Huawei Nexus 6P was introduced last year, but in 2016 it can still be considered a flagship smartphone. This time Google company entrusted the production of its flagship smartphone to Huawei. Let us remember that Nexus smartphones were previously produced by LG and Motorola, and even earlier by Samsung.

Huawei Nexus 6P offers top-end specifications that are in no way inferior to those of other flagship smartphones of 2016.

It uses an eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with an Adreno 430 graphics accelerator. RAM capacity is 3 gigabytes, internal memory capacity is up to 128 gigabytes. The device screen has a diagonal of 5.7 inches and its resolution is 1440x2560 pixels. Permission front camera 12 megapixels, rear resolution - 8 megapixels. There is also a good battery installed here, with a capacity of 3450 mAh.

Sony Xperia Z5

Sony Xperia Z5 was introduced at the end of last year. But, Sony has not yet introduced a new phlegm in 2016, so let’s look at the Xperia Z5 model.

As always, the main advantage of the Xperia Z line is security. No other flagship smartphone has the same level of protection as the flagships from Sony. These smartphones can be submerged, thrown into sand or dust and nothing will happen to them.

Sony Xperia Z5 received fairly typical characteristics. It uses an eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with an Adreno 430 graphics accelerator. The RAM capacity is 3 gigabytes. The screen diagonal is 5.2 inches and the resolution is 1080x1920 pixels. The resolution of the main camera is 23 megapixels, and the resolution of the front camera is 5 megapixels. The battery capacity is 2900 mAh.

LG G5

G5 is the new flagship smartphone from LG. The main feature of this device became a modular structure. The lower part of the smartphone can be removed and replaced with another one, which will give the smartphone additional functions. For example, this way you can get a more advanced camera.

Otherwise, this smartphone does not stand out in any way. It uses a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with an Adreno 530 graphics accelerator and 4 gigabytes of RAM. The screen diagonal is 5.3 inches and the resolution is 2560x1440. The rear camera has a resolution of 16 megapixels, and the front one has 8 megapixels. Battery capacity 2800 mAh.

Articles and Lifehacks

Let's ask ourselves the question: what is a flagship phone?

We, ordinary people, are constantly told a couple of times a year, or even more often, that Samsung, HTC, LG and many others will soon release or have already released a new company flagship.

But what is a flagship? Let's discuss the term in this article.

basic information

• All phone manufacturers produce devices that differ in technical specifications, design and cost. Some are cheaper, others are more expensive.
• One has a 5.2-inch display with a pixel density of 440 per inch, while the other has a faded 3-inch TFT matrix with a resolution of 320x240.
• A flagship is a phone that has the latest cutting-edge features.
• Manufacturers are trying to amaze us with new built-in functions (just remember the heart rate sensor in the Samsung Galaxy 5), the number of megapixels of the camera, the size and quality of the screen, and much more. In general, who is good at what.
• This whole race is not only because of the humane desire for us to enjoy using the device, but also because of money.
• If the flagship device from one company is more famous than from another, sales of the first will accordingly increase, and the second will incur possible losses.
• The flagship manufacturing company tries to keep information about the external design secret for as long as possible. detailed characteristics new items and its features right up to the release of the device.
• Because of this, user excitement is fueled, the company receives increased attention to itself, and competitors are trying their best to find out news about the upcoming flagship.

Why are flagships so popular?

• Recently, the fashion for increasing the number of pixels and screen size is slowly fading away. The development of innovations that have never been seen before, as well as quality, comes to the fore.
• For example, in addition to the heart rate sensor, the SGS 5 has a built-in and usable fingerprint recognition sensor. Before this, this feature was only available on the iPhone. HTC has revised the camera's performance.
• Now the number of megapixels does not exceed ten, but the quality of the images, if not improved, then at least remained at the same level. In addition to cameras, NTS are working on sound quality, constantly improving it from both headphones and external speakers.

Those buyers who are interested in smartphones constantly hear the word flagship. Lately it has often been heard on TV screens and used in reviews mobile phones. Of course, an advanced user immediately understands what we are talking about, but a simple person does not. Let's figure out what a flagship smartphone is and how it differs from a regular gadget. The article will also provide a description of several models that occupy leading positions in the 2017 ranking.

The concept of "flagship"

If we consider this word as a term, then it was first used in the navy. The flagship was the main vessel from which command was exercised. Currently, this term has become often used for mobile gadgets. Sometimes manufacturers even abuse this word.

If there are several new models in the product range, then the most expensive one with top technical equipment will be considered prestigious. Its performance and duration are assessed battery life, screen resolution, cameras, etc.

So what is a flagship smartphone? First of all, the device must be unique. As a rule, developers use non-standard solutions that add a unique twist. Before the start of sales, the manufacturer organizes a large-scale advertising campaign, which increases the demand for the gadget. Vivid examples are the flagships from Apple or Samsung, which create a real sensation.

Rating of flagships 2017

In order not to be unfounded and to show what a flagship smartphone is, it is necessary to consider several models of gadgets. In 2017, well-known global brands are still in the lead. Of course it's Apple. It has never happened before that an Apple company has weakened its position in the global market. This manufacturer has a worthy competitor. We are talking about a fairly well-known Korean company. Flagship models Samsung smartphones have been leading the ratings for several years now. Another well-known brand is added to them - LG. Of course, other companies regularly release attractive flagships, but the top 3 included the following smartphones:

• iPhone 8;
• Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus;
• LG G6.

Let's look at their characteristics in more detail.

iPhone 8

The ranking of flagship smartphones will be opened by another gadget from Apple. The company does not develop devices for the middle and budget classes, so each model can safely bear the title of “flagship”. In 2017, according to experts and users, the iPhone 8 became the best. Despite some features, this model still rightfully takes first place thanks to operating system iOS of own development, Apple Store and excellent technical characteristics. The developers used protection that matches international standard IP67. The screen diagonal is small - 4.7 inches. Type - Retina HD. The resolution is decent - 1334 × 750 px. Density - 326 ppi. IN this smartphone True Tone technology is implemented, thanks to which automatic setting white balance depending on lighting. The “heart” of the gadget is the A11 Bionic processor. It is based on six cores that operate on a 4x2 principle. The first ones are responsible for efficiency, the remaining ones are responsible for productivity. There is only two gigabytes of RAM, but all applications, even the most demanding ones, work perfectly. The main indicator of the performance of any gadget is games. This model simply “flies” when running World of Tanks Blitz at the highest settings.

The cost of the iPhone 8, of course, is also flagship. There are two modifications available on the Russian market. They differ in the amount of integrated memory. For a version with 64 GB you will have to pay about 53 thousand rubles, and for a device with 256 GB - more than 65 thousand rubles.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus

The flagship smartphone Samsung Galaxy S8 was supposed to restore the company's reputation after the failure of Note 7. And, it is worth noting, the Korean manufacturer succeeded. Non-standard solutions were used for the flagship, which attracted the attention of the buyer. This model is available in two versions. The “younger” is equipped with a 5.8-inch screen, and for the “older” with the Plus prefix, the developers chose a display with a diagonal of 6.2 inches. It is this element that has become the “feature” of the smartphone. In both the first and second cases, the screen is made using SuperAMOLED technology. The resolution corresponds to Quad HD+ quality. The performance of the device is ensured by top content. The ultra-powerful Exynos 8895 chipset is responsible for its performance. The characteristics are supplemented with 4 gigabytes of RAM. The developers have integrated 64 GB storage, which can be increased up to 256 GB using a flash card. The optics are represented by 12 and 8 megapixel modules with f/1.7 aperture. A 3000 mAh battery is responsible for autonomy (in the Plus version - 3500 mAh). In talk mode, the device operates for 20-24 hours on a single charge.

Sales of the Korean flagship started in the spring of 2017. Behind standard version they ask for about 55 thousand rubles, and the S8 Plus will cost about 5 thousand more.

LG G6

In order to understand what a flagship smartphone is, it is enough to study the characteristics of the G6 model from LG. This gadget has some similarities with the Samsung Galaxy S8. Huge screen at 5.7 inches it has become the calling card of a smartphone. It occupies almost the entire front panel. The manufacturer has applied the IP68 protection standard. Under the body lies a powerful Snapdragon 821 chipset. RAM is 4 GB, and built-in storage is 64 GB. The device copes with all tasks perfectly. A dual 13+13 megapixel module is used as the main camera. It would be unnecessary to talk about the quality of the photographs. Such a flagship in Russia is displayed in stores with a price tag of 52 thousand rubles.