New mid-range vs. old flagship

[MikeBerry3]

Hi Daniel,

I'm sure there's pros and cons to both sides, but I'm wondering how you would compare a new mid-range phone such as the Moto G5 plus to an old flagship such as the LG G3 or G4. A side question would be is a newer chip like the SD 625 better than the SD 801 or SD 808.

Thanks!

 

[jasonandrews25788]

IMHO this is not about the SD808 vs SD625, it's about the Support lifetime which will be better for the newer phones like G5 plus which has Android nougat out of the box and of course it's gonna be upgraded to android O.
otherwise the G3 won't get the nougat update.
but i'm excited to know Daniel's opinion.

 

[MikeBerry3]

IMHO this is not about the SD808 vs SD625, it's about the Support lifetime which will be better for the newer phones like G5 plus which has Android nougat out of the box and of course it's gonna be upgraded to android O.
otherwise the G3 won't get the nougat update.
but i'm excited to know Daniel's opinion.

That's a very good point. I think that'll probably be the biggest pro for the newer mid-range assuming it is from a brand that supports their devices. I think from a usability standpoint, nougat can offer more than any of the proprietary features on an older LG or Samsung phone.

 

[Chemy JMHT]

I think newer is always better because of timeproof, an older device will become obsolete if any update requires newer hardware.

 

[Djlarocca]

I'll jump on this too. I'll be replacing my galaxy s6 soon and I'm wondering how it compares to new mid range phone equipped with the sd-625. I know battery life will be an improvement but wondering how performance compares.

 

[LuxuryTouringZone]

A 2016 flagship is better than a 2017 mid-range phone. Heck, even a 2015 flagship can outperform the mid-rangers of today. I know newer phones will have the latest software, but still.

 

[Daniel Bader]

A 2016 flagship is better than a 2017 mid-range phone. Heck, even a 2015 flagship can outperform the mid-rangers of today. I know newer phones will have the latest software, but still.

Yeah this is absolutely the most common question we get asked these days, because a) mid-range phones are getting better, and b) flagships are aging better.

But the thing to think about is how important software and, perhaps more importantly, security updates, are to your wellbeing.

Let's compare something like the Galaxy S6, for instance, which can be found for around $300 new right now, to something like the Moto Z Play. The Galaxy S6 is technically much faster than the Moto Z Play, but is still waiting on a Nougat update, and doesn't regularly receive security updates. It's also likely to be abandoned sooner than the Moto Z Play.

The other thing is chip support: the Exynos 7420 in the Galaxy S6 is likely not going to receive support for as long as the Snpadragon 625 in the Z Play, which could potentially limit its ability to receive updates in the future.

I'm not necessarily recommending the mid-ranger over the older flagship, but you have to be aware that update cycles are business cycles, and older devices are abandoned sooner these days, regardless of where the device lives in the pecking order.