I’m sick of seeing pricey flagships getting less ambitious every year

I used to look forward to the release of the latest flagship Android phones, geeking out over the newest hardware specs and software innovations. But over the last few years, I’ve become more jaded. The tech launches I used to avidly watch now struggle to keep my attention as over-hyped AI features take center stage.

Each year, it becomes more difficult to differentiate the newest flagship from its predecessor. It feels like now all you can count on is a processor upgrade, with most updates being software-focused. And yet, prices increase or stay the same. I’m tired of seeing it happen over and over again.

I used to consider flagships to be the best devices available on the market, but lately, I’ve watched premium mid-rangers overtake smartphones like the Galaxy S26 series and Pixel 10 series in multiple ways. This is especially noticeable when it comes to charging speeds, battery size, and quality-of-life features like a high PWM dimming rate.

For example, while my HONOR 400 Pro was released in 2025, it still beats the S26 when it comes to optical zoom, camera resolution, battery size, and charging speed. It also has a PWM dimming rate of 3,840Hz, significantly higher than the S26’s 480Hz.

But brands are even failing to compete with their own offerings. When weighing whether it’s worth upgrading from the S23 to the S26 series, I couldn’t find enough improvements to justify the increased cost (with the exception of getting a great trade-in deal).

With devices like the 2026 Razr Ultra, consumers don’t even get a chipset upgrade. It has some incremental upgrades (like a move from a 4,700mAh to a 5,000mAh battery), but this also comes with a massive $1,499 price tag — a $200 increase from its predecessor. The Pixel 10 Pro is more conservatively priced at $999, and at least its price hasn’t increased. But compared to the Pixel 9 Pro, the differences are negligible beyond its processor, a slight bump in battery capacity, and new software features.

Flagships are no longer pushing what’s possible for a smartphone, making their increasingly high price tags questionable.

Even though flagships aren’t changing much between generations, prices stay the same or increase. Yet, I don’t feel like I’m getting a $1,299 experience when I use the S26 Ultra. In fact, because of local taxes and import costs, the S26 Ultra costs around $1,900 where I live. Don’t get me wrong, the phone is great. But when I compare it to other devices that cost around $600 less in my local market, I don’t feel that $600 difference.

We’re living at a time where costs keep rising, but salaries aren’t. So more people are looking at the mid-range and budget phone segments to save money. And honestly, this is where I think the real value lies nowadays.

Premium mid-range devices, as well as lower-cost devices in general, are closing the distance between them and flagships. Part of this is due to the better specs we see in cheaper devices, but also the stagnation that has occurred in the flagship segment. For example, the Galaxy Ultra line hasn’t seen an increase in battery size since it was launched with the S20 Ultra in 2020. It still features a 5,000mAh battery. Yet I recently attended a launch for the Honor x9d, a budget device that features an 8,300mAh battery.

I’ve encountered a number of people who have given up on Samsung’s latest flagship, opting for the Galaxy FE version instead. Meanwhile, the Pixel 10a remains a viable option for people who don’t want to get Google’s flagship devices, while costing nearly half the price.

The Nothing Phone 4a Pro is another mid-ranger that starts at $499 and packs in a 5,080mAh battery, 50W charging, and a 50MP periscope camera.

The value proposition of mid-range devices is even more stark when it comes to certain Chinese brands. As I mentioned, I use the HONOR 400 Pro as my daily driver. Locally, it costs around $600 less at launch than the Samsung S25 Ultra, but carries a bigger battery (6,000mAh), faster charging (100W), similar camera specs (a 200MP + 50MP + 12MP setup with up to 6x optical zoom), the same amount of RAM, and a capable processor.

The recent HONOR 600 Pro ups the battery capacity to 7,000mAh (though it has slightly slower 80W charging) and features the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. HONOR doesn’t launch its devices in the US, but in the UK, the 600 Pro 512 GB version costs £899.99 while the S26 Ultra costs £1,449 for the 512GB variant.

With so many “flagship killers” out there that offer serious competition, it’s getting more difficult to justify smartphones that cost $1,300 or more while not delivering the same features as cheaper devices.

There is an exception when it comes to flagship stagnation: Chinese brands. Vivo, Xiaomi, OPPO, and HONOR frequently bring new innovations to their devices. These are the brands whose newest devices still excite me.

For example, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra and Xiaomi 17 Ultra feature one-inch sensors in their camera setups, making them arguably some of the best camera phones on the market. They also have 16GB RAM, a 5,410mAh and 6,000mAh battery respectively, and 90W PPS charging.

Meanwhile, the HONOR Magic 8 Pro features the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, a 200MP telephoto lens, and a 7,100mAh battery with 100W charging. Notably, though, it costs £1,099, making it cheaper than the S26 Ultra, which starts at £1,279.

Vivo and OPPO also offer exciting devices, including the OPPO Find X9 Ultra and vivo X300 Ultra. However, because these devices push limits, their price tags are also eye-watering. But at least these price tags are associated with innovation and impressive specs, rather than more of the same at a higher price.

To be fair, there are some drawbacks when it comes to Chinese brands. Not every brand offers the same extended software updates that Samsung and Google do. Support also varies based on the region you live in. I also personally find the release cycle of Chinese brands a bit overwhelming — just as I’m getting to grips with one device, its successor is already on its way.

But I’d rather deal with these quirks and healthy competition than a stagnant market that doesn’t prioritize consumers. There’s also the stigma around Chinese smartphones in the West. Some people assume they’re worse quality, and others are concerned about spying. This gives brands like Samsung an advantage.

However, as someone who has been reviewing Chinese phones for years, I can tell you that the concerns about quality are overblown. I’ve used HONOR and OPPO smartphones as my daily drivers for years, and my biggest complaint is the move towards split notifications. For the photos for my articles, I use the realme GT 7 Pro because it has the best performance in the low-light conditions of my apartment.

Data privacy is always a concern, but this isn’t limited to Chinese smartphones. My current device allows me to opt out of cloud AI processing and I am able to easily use privacy-focused apps and browsers. I am personally more concerned about Google and Meta’s use of my data, since these are the companies that have overreached in the past.

The devices from Chinese brands aren’t perfect. They imitate iPhone features far more than I would like, and their availability and pricing is highly dependent on the market you live in. But these flagships are also balanced by great mid-range offerings that benefit from the innovations at the flagship level.

As a result, I feel like these brands are offering the excitement and value for money that I miss. I just hope that Samsung and Google return to their spirit of innovation, since complacency is hurting the spirit of innovation we used to see a few years ago.