Are flagship devices overrated ?

The flagship killer:

‘We basically weren’t prepared for what happened’ OnePlus founder Carl Pei told a leading global publication in 2015. He was reacting to the company clocking 1 million in global sales in 2014 with its OnePlus One. Not many industry experts gave this ‘Johnny come lately’ much of a chance and some even questioned the OnePlus One’s self-proclaimed title – ‘Flagship Killer’. But one million units later OnePlus’ moniker doesn’t seem too pompous. 2014 and 2013 have seen a major churn in the smartphone business as markets like India and China lead the growth numbers. Handset manufacturers like OnePlus and Xiaomi, Indian players like Micromax and Intex have grown at the expense of formidable brands. 

Form factor:

Clearly none of the devices in the sub Rs 20,000 can boast of the build quality of the Apple iPhone 6 or the all-metal HTC One Plus 9 or the ‘edgy’ brilliance of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. But the mid-market phones have clearly upped their game. HTC’s Desire series has some great looking phones in the 20,000-30,000 price band while Samsung’s A series phones last year reminded us of the design sensibilities of the Samsung Galaxy S2. A spate of slinky, ‘slim phones’ in this price band have also given consumers who put aesthetics above all else, an array of options – the Micromax Sliver 5 and Gionee’s S7 are among the devices that are less than 6 millimetres thin.

The battle of the shooters:

If there’s one big jump that we saw in 2014 and 2015 it’s the tremendous improvement in the image capabilities of mobile shooters. Sony’s Xperia M4 Aqua brought the company’s high-quality camera credentials to the sub Rs 25,000 segment along with its waterproof form factor. It was not an exception. The Nokia Lumia 830 did the same in 2014 and managed to trump quite a few flagship devices in the camera department. However this is one area where the flagships have made huge jumps over the last 12 months. LG’s G4 and Samsung’s Galaxy S6 are clearly in a league of their own on planet Android along with the iPhone 6 Plus.       

Display:

If there’s one discernible trend, it’s how the average size of the smartphone display is getting better. If 4.3-inches was the sweet spot a couple of years ago, 5 to 5.5 inches seems to be that sweet spot in 2015. It’s not just about size alone – devices like OnePlus One led the way for mid-market devices with a high-quality 1080x1920 pixel LCD display that packed 401 pixels per inch (PPI). However the gap has seriously widened with the eye popping displays on flagship devices like the HTC One M9 Plus, LG G4 and the Samsung Galaxy S6 that are all in the 500-plus PPI bracket.

Power hungry:

Clearly this is not an area where the lines have been drawn on price. While conventional logic generally points to large displays and powerful processors being battery guzzlers, devices like the LG G4 and the iPhone 6 Plus have managed to deliver stellar battery life. It’s the slim devices with their limited footprint (And lesser space on board for heavy duty batteries) that have struggled.

Engine room:

With a 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Quad-core processor and 3GB of RAM the OnePlus One was one of the devices that redefined the hardware game in the mid-segment. The ASUS ZenFone 2 became the first smartphone with 4GB of RAM under the hood. These are not exceptions in an evolving smartphone space, a whole host of devices have the capability to multi-task and support intense (gaming or other apps) usage.

Snob value:

There was a time when sub Rs 20,000 phones would hide in pockets during meetings or at the nightclub because their users didn’t feel confident enough to flaunt them. That’s been one of the big changes, it’s not just snob value but a cool quotient that lower priced devices have managed to build into their offering. Whether its Xiaomi’s devices or Microsoft’s budget phones or the YU Yuphoria there’s a whole new notion of cool.

And finally…Are flagships overrated:

One look at the Apple iPhone sales figures for the last quarter of 2014 – close to 70 million units (According to UBS estimates) suggests that a flagship device with a premium price tag still has many takers. While we’ve seen some great innovations in some of the Android flagships in 2015 aside from the obvious improvements in display and the camera, most manufacturers are still seeking answers ‘to the next big thing’. What’s true however is that handset manufacturers have created more value through more engaging user experiences for a growing band of discerning consumers. Flagship devices that have created a strong value proposition continue to be relevant while some others who have taken the easier route of resting on past glories have been ambushed by the likes of Xiaomi and OnePlus.