What exactly are the qualities of Flagship Phone???

[arbis]

The qualities of a flagship phone is truly subjective. There is no hard set rule that it has to have this or that. It depends on what each persons value in a phone.

I keep reading reviews that dispute the Pixel as being a flagship phone because it's not water proof and doesn't support SD cards. No one disputes an I-phone for being a flagship and it doesn't support SD cards, or a 2K display, no fast charging, and it doesn't support split screen windows. Samsung phones almost never have the current OS running on their flagships and when they do they will be out of date within six months never to catch up again. For me a flagship device is about performance and having an up to date OS. Everything else for me is just fluff.

Personally I think Google tried to differentiate their phone rather than blending by adding qualities in the Pixel that can't be found in other phones, like 24/7 support and unlimited storage for pictures and video. Whether you find value in that or not, I don't think people can say the Pixel is lacking qualities of flagship phone but rather you just don't value what they put in the phone.

 

[mightyfacundo]

Yep. Agreed.

 

[dpham00]

The qualities of a flagship phone is truly subjective. There is no hard set rule that it has to have this or that. It depends on what each persons value in a phone.

I keep reading reviews that dispute the Pixel as being a flagship phone because it's not water proof and doesn't support SD cards. No one disputes an I-phone for being a flagship and it doesn't support SD cards, or a 2K display, no fast charging, and it doesn't support split screen windows. Samsung phones almost never have the current OS running on their flagships and when they do they will be out of date within six months never to catch up again. For me a flagship device is about performance and having an up to date OS. Everything else for me is just fluff.

Personally I think Google tried to differentiate their phone rather than blending by adding qualities in the Pixel that can't be found in other phones, like 24/7 support and unlimited storage for pictures and video. Whether you find value in that or not, I don't think people can say the Pixel is lacking qualities of flagship phone but rather you just don't value what they put in the phone.

My Moto z play also has unlimited storage for pictures and videos.

I don't really care much about a label such as flagship so long as it does that I need for the price that i want. For example my Moto z Play can easily do 10-15 hours SOT... and I paid just $20 after promotions, and a pixel even with promotions is going to run me at least 20x as much.

The moto z isn't in the same class as the pixel by any means just using it as an example of using what you need regardless of flagship status

 

[anon(9227267)]

The qualities of a flagship phone is truly subjective.

Excellent point, and oh so true. To me the best rating of a phone should be "hands on" for each individual. I've had a Pixel for a few hours now and I like it much better than the Z Force - it is more comfy. "Comfy" is a vert technical term used only by the elite raters.

 

[Jeremy8000]

I keep reading reviews that dispute the Pixel as being a flagship phone because it's not water proof and doesn't support SD cards. No one disputes an I-phone for being a flagship and it doesn't support SD cards, or a 2K display, no fast charging, and it doesn't support split screen windows. Samsung phones almost never have the current OS running on their flagships and when they do they will be out of date within six months never to catch up again. For me a flagship device is about performance and having an up to date OS. Everything else for me is just fluff.

^^
I always chuckle when people bemoan the Pixels not being as watertight as some other phones. No doubt, for some people who spend a lot of time in environments where that's critical, it is understandably a dealbreaker and I absolutely respect that criticism, but for most people it's simply a precaution that you can't be reckless with the phone. The OS being up to date... that's another story.

Imagine shopping for a new top-of-the-line PC and being told by the manufacturers "A" and "B" that you can't update to the newer version of Windows without their approval, which they may or may not decide to provide - and generally, if they do, it's several months after is available on manufacturer "C." Also, it's highly unlikely that they'll allow more than one upgrade at best (for sake of argument, let's assume that Windows was updated on an annual basis). Would that not be one of the most important aspects in your decision-making process? In smartphones, many reviewers appear to treat the limited waterproofing on the Pixels (something that will only affect a user if they're careless) as being a greater failing than the concern over provision of major OS updates (something that will impact every user of the majority of the Pixels' competitiors.

 

[Jerry Hildenbrand]

I'm with you. I have no idea how a company could consider their phone a "flagship" Android phone when it has old software on it.

My biggest gripe though, is that someone else always wants to tell me what I should think, and inevitably why their Samsung model is better

Edit: Apparently, LG, too.

I could almost see the future ...

 

[jd78]

The "flagship" phones are determined by the manufacturer, usually their top of the line models. These phones are usually the highest spec and price. In regards to Apple and Google, they technically only make one line of phone (iPhone and Pixel respectively) and both of them worthy competitors to other "flagships". I think the people that continue to dispute the Pixel as a flagship primarily fall into two camps...

1. They see the Pixel the same way they see the iPhone and value it in the same way. Some, possibly many android users consider the iPhone inferior and not worthy of the price you would pay for something like a Galaxy phone.

2. People that are still hung up on the Nexus "value" line of phones and see the Pixel as yet another Nexus, but with a higher price tag. Shame of Google for making a business decision, execute it with a quality high end phone, but not sell it for hundreds below similar competition.

No phone has every feature that everyone wants. Its ignorant to focus on what the Pixel doesn't have and ignore what it does have. The bottom line, and most reviewers agree. Google's Pixel is not perfect, but as a complete package, compares well to other "flagships".

 

[dpham00]

I don't know why we are even arguing... OnePlus claims that their OnePlus 2 is the 2016 flagship killer so.... no need for the Pixel... If you believe OnePlus.

 

[jamesrick80]

The problem with calling the Pixel a flagship is that any phone could use vanilla android once its released...and it just has less features than the rest of the flagships..it even has less features than the iphone which is ashame...no matter how good the camera is......

I also heard the display is cheaply pasted on and the antennas on the device are weak. They could have at least gave it stereo speakers or better mics...something to make the high price count for something. The exclusive nougat features will soon be released to everyone so what makes the device special except for updates.

And for those not liking the LG V20...look what you get with a true flagship: UHS 2.1+ 3D NAND, quad DAC, more interface features, dual camera, a better selfie cam, secondary display, louder speakers, better design and look, better mics, microsd card reader, replaceable battery, bigger display...now this sounds like a flagship unlike the pixel.

 

[dpham00]

The problem with calling the Pixel a flagship is that any phone could use vanilla android once its released...and it just has less features than the rest of the flagships..it even has less features than the iphone which is ashame...no matter how good the camera is......

I also heard the display is cheaply pasted on and the antennas on the device are weak. They could have at least gave it stereo speakers or better mics...something to make the high price count for something. The exclusive nougat features will soon be released to everyone so what makes the device special except for updates.

And for those not liking the LG V20...look what you get with a true flagship: UHS 2.1+ 3D NAND, quad DAC, more interface features, dual camera, a better selfie cam, louder speakers, better design and look, better mics, microsd card reader, replaceable battery, bigger display...now this sounds like a flagship unlike the pixel.

That's the point of the pixel.. Focusing on the user experience instead of trying to slap on the best specs.

 

[jamesrick80]

That's the point of the pixel.. Focusing on the user experience instead of trying to slap on the best specs.

Then, there are several other options out there that still give a good user experience

 

[Ry]

Whatever an OEM calls their flagship is their flagship.

 

[SteelGator]

Whatever an OEM calls their flagship is their flagship.

This^^^, by definition. Flagship product means the product that an organization/company says is their lead.

Of course, we can compare each companies Flagship, but even a mediocre product, if it is the best from a company, it still qualifies as their flagship.

 

[Jeremy8000]

The problem with calling the Pixel a flagship is that any phone could use vanilla android once its released...and it just has less features than the rest of the flagships..it even has less features than the iphone which is ashame...no matter how good the camera is......

I also heard the display is cheaply pasted on and the antennas on the device are weak. They could have at least gave it stereo speakers or better mics...something to make the high price count for something. The exclusive nougat features will soon be released to everyone so what makes the device special except for updates.

And for those not liking the LG V20...look what you get with a true flagship: UHS 2.1+ 3D NAND, quad DAC, more interface features, dual camera, a better selfie cam, secondary display, louder speakers, better design and look, better mics, microsd card reader, replaceable battery, bigger display...now this sounds like a flagship unlike the pixel.

The problem with calling Pixels' competitors flagships is that any of them, too, could be updated to newer versions of vanilla android once released, but generally aren't until months later if ever, and virtually never more than one subsequent generation... and their supporters decry Pixels' lack of specific features like SD or waterproofing while failing to acknowledge the ones they themselves lack in comparison, like 24/7 support, included full resolution picture/video cloud backup, etc which is ashame...no matter how good the waterproofing is....

I also heard some of them explode. They could have at least gave that product an asbestos case...something to make the high price count for something. The exclusive nougat features (and whatever the next generations will be (oreo? peep?) could be implemented by those other manufacturers, but given their track records this isn't something that can be counted on so what makes these devices so special.

*I'm not going to parody the LG V20 - or other flagships (besides the Note, which ended sadly as lacking its fiery demise it was certainly at the top of the heap at its introduction) as I respect them for what they offer - but I do argue that any of these high-priced flagships can be the personal flagship choice, depending on the individual consumer's weighting of their personal needs/wants from their smartphone.

 

[naturecannon]

Cloth speaker mesh like the pixel has at front top of phone unlike metal other phones use. LOL, now that's flagship!!!

 

[Wiley_11]

Cloth speaker mesh like the pixel has at front top of phone unlike metal other phones use. LOL, now that's flagship!!!

Sure hope it has Scotchgard on it!

 

[Jeremy8000]

Cloth speaker mesh like the pixel has at front top of phone unlike metal other phones use. LOL, now that's flagship!!!

First, the defend-Pixel-by-any-means response: Technically, and coming from an audiophile perspective, finely pitched mesh made from metal is far more likely to attentuate certain frequencies and adversely affect overall sound quality than cloth from natural fibers - one reason why you typically see high-end loudspeakers opting for cloth instead of metal, even though it's less durable, and even in a price-is-no-object scenario. So cloth is better! Yay Google!!

Next, the realist response: Yeah, I won't deny it's disappointing if it is actually natural cloth. But it would seem more likely to me that, if it is a cloth, it is woven from synthetic fibers, which would allow it to remain quite durable, less subject to degradation from humidity/moisture and to the wear over time that would be a larger concern were it made from natural fibers. Another reason I would expect it to be a synthetic weave is cost, as in addition to durability, such would also be less expensive to source and integrate into production by Google.

 

[Jerry Hildenbrand]

It's not special S Cloth that has 19 settings to use it and runs 11 applications in the background, so it sucks.

 

[Jerry Hildenbrand]

The problem with calling the Pixel a flagship is that any phone could use vanilla android once its released...and it just has less features than the rest of the flagships..it even has less features than the iphone which is ashame...no matter how good the camera is......

I also heard the display is cheaply pasted on and the antennas on the device are weak. They could have at least gave it stereo speakers or better mics...something to make the high price count for something. The exclusive nougat features will soon be released to everyone so what makes the device special except for updates.

And for those not liking the LG V20...look what you get with a true flagship: UHS 2.1+ 3D NAND, quad DAC, more interface features, dual camera, a better selfie cam, secondary display, louder speakers, better design and look, better mics, microsd card reader, replaceable battery, bigger display...now this sounds like a flagship unlike the pixel.

You also get a processor they were advised not to use and no clear upgrade path for the operating system. The hardware is so good it can't even run Daydream ...


There's nothing wrong with the V20. But when you tell me what I should want, or what's "better" that's how you look. I don't want an sd card. I don't want a secondary display. I don't want a bigger screen. I don't want interface "features" that I have to dig for a way to disable. Those are the things I didn't like about the V10 and why I stopped using it as soon as I was able. And why I told the boss I didn't want a V20.

I want a fast, secure phone from a company that knows how to write their own operating system. That's what I bought.

I hope you love the V20. But to me there's nothing there I like that a portable audio dac and amp (that's about $700 cheaper) can't give me. And that's OK.

 

[I Can Be Your Hero]

To me, a 'flagship' is more how the OEM markets and targets advertising to their device, moreso than the actual specs.

Samsung make a lot of phones but the bulk of their marketing/advertising is for the 7 line this year (S7, S7 Edge & Note 7). That to me is their flagship - even if I don't know a single spec about it.

I don't think flagship actually has anything to do with specs in that a flagship has to have A, B, C & D to qualify as a flagship. The OEM determines the flagship.