Tuesday Tech: Do I Really Need Flagship Phones?
Flagship vs. Mid-Range Phones: Do We Actually Need Ultra-Expensive Smartphones Anymore?
For as long as smartphones have been split into tiers, I’ve strictly been a flagship loyalist.
Looking back at my device history, it’s been a non-stop parade of top-tier hardware: starting with the iPhone 5S, jumping to the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy Note 9, iPhone 11 Pro, Galaxy Z Fold3, Galaxy Z Fold4, iPhone 15 Pro, and currently, my daily driver Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6.
I always assumed I had the best possible smartphone experience in my hands because, on paper, the benchmark scores and camera specs were unmatched. But here’s the honest question I never asked myself until recently: Did I actually need all that power, or was I just paying for peak spec sheets?
Without ever testing a mid-range phone in real daily life, there was no way to know for sure. That all changed a few months ago when I picked up a free telco plan phone from Maxis, the mid-range Oppo Reno 16 5G.
After using the Reno 16 5G side-by-side with my Z Fold6 for over a month, my entire perspective on smartphone tiers completely shifted.
The Real-World Reality Check: Can You Tell the Difference?
Aside from the obvious folding screen form factor of my Z Fold6, my day-to-day experience on the mid-range Oppo Reno 16 5G has been virtually identical if not smoother in some areas.
Now, you could argue that comparing a brand-new mid-range phone to a flagship foldable that launched a couple of years ago isn't a 1:1 hardware match. But think about what that actually means: if today's mid-range phone matches or exceeds the real-world performance of a 2-year-old flagship, is that really a bad trade-off?
Unless you are rendering 4K video footage on your phone or playing heavy 3D mobile games at maximum frame rates, modern mid-range processors, high-refresh-rate AMOLED displays, and fast-charging batteries have completely closed the gap for 95% of users.
The Daily Driver Dilemma: Are You Actually a "Power User"?
When I audited my own smartphone usage, I had to be completely honest with myself: I am not a power user.
What do most of us actually do on our phones every day?
📱 Media Consumption: Scrolling TikTok, Instagram, and watching YouTube videos.
💬 Messaging & Email: WhatsApp, Telegram, and quick email replies.
🎵 Audio Streaming: Spotify and podcasts on the go.
I rarely do heavy productivity work on my phone. If I ever have to open a complex spreadsheet or do actual work on a mobile device, it happens maybe once or twice a year in an emergency. Paying a massive premium for a chipset built for heavy workloads when all I'm doing is streaming videos makes very little practical sense.
Functionality vs. Status Symbol
So if mid-range phones give us 90% of the daily experience at less than half the price, why are flagships still so popular?
It boils down to two things: form factor innovation and status.
Practicality: For pure utility and daily value, mid-range phones win hands down today.
Status Statement: Flagships especially foldables or high-end iPhones have morphed into fashion statements and status symbols. Holding the latest foldable shows you appreciate cutting-edge tech.
But even the "status symbol" argument is eroding. With telco plan bundles, easy trade-ins, and zero-interest monthly installment plans, almost anyone can walk around with a flagship phone today. If everyone is paying RM150 a month for their device, how much of a "status symbol" is a flagship phone really?
Which One Do You Actually Need?
Testing a solid mid-range device like the Oppo Reno 16 5G made me realize that flagships are no longer a necessity for everyday comfort, they are a luxury preference. If you love novel form factors like foldables or need top-of-the-line camera setups for content creation, flagships are still fantastic. But for everyday living, a modern mid-range phone is more than enough.
Are you still loyal to flagship phones, or have you made the switch to mid-range devices? Let me know in the comments below!
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