Why You Should Buy A Flagship Phone Instead Of A Midrange

Midrange Android phones have improved by leaps and bounds in recent years. They now offer decent performance, all-day battery life, and almost all the software features you can think of. Yet, I prefer spending my money on a flagship Android phone as its benefits help justify its expensive price.

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5 Longer software support

Backed by a timely release

One benefit of buying a flagship smartphone is longer software support. More importantly, longer, timely software support. Most flagship Android phones ship with a promise of seven years of OS updates. In comparison, most midrange Android phones are slated to get four years of OS updates. However, the release timeline is equally important.

Flagship Android phones are typically the first to receive major OS updates. Midrange devices wait a few months for the changes to trickle down to them. For example, based on Samsung’s official One UI 7 release timeline, the Galaxy S24 and S23 series will receive their stable update in April. Low-end devices like the Galaxy A34 and A53 will get the update in May or June. The delay could be longer depending on your carrier.

The only exception is Google’s midrange Pixel a-series, which receives OS updates and security patches on the same day as its more expensive siblings.

Samsung promises six years of OS updates for some of its new low-end Galaxy phones, like the Galaxy A16. While that is impressive, it does not mean you will get the update on the same day it rolls out officially. You’ll wait a few more months after that. Even then, there’s no guarantee your phone will receive all the new features included in the update.

4 AI can potentially change how we use our phones

And flagship phones will benefit the most from it

Despite the hype and marketing, we are still scratching the surface of what’s possible with AI on smartphones. On the Pixel 9 and its Pro siblings, you get several AI-powered features, like Call Notes, Pixel Studio, Pixel Screenshots, Add Me, Reimagine, and more. You don’t get access to several of these features, including Pixel Screenshots and Call Notes, on the $500 Pixel 9a.

You might dismiss these features as a gimmick. Depending on your needs, they might not prove useful. The Pixel 9a misses out on these AI features because it does not have enough horsepower, in this case, the RAM. Due to the limited system memory, the Pixel 9a features a smaller version of Gemini Nano that only runs when needed. This is unlike other Pixels, where it always runs in the background.

None of us can predict how AI will improve the experience of using our phones. However, big changes are on the horizon. Flagship phones will be the first to gain access to these features because of their ample processing headroom.

3 Better suited for your ever-changing needs

Better hardware means better future-proofing

A flagship phone is better equipped to keep up with your evolving needs. In college, you may buy a midrange Android phone, thinking you don’t need better cameras, a brighter display, or a faster charging speed. However, you might develop a passion for creating TikTok or Instagram videos, and you’ll soon realize your midrange phone’s cameras hold back your creativity.

Similarly, you might buy a midrange phone in college, only to realize down the line that its display and CPU performance cannot keep up with the demands of your professional life. Superior hardware ensures a flagship phone can better adapt to such changes.

In my case, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra may not rival the likes of the Pixel 9 in raw image quality, its four cameras give me ample flexibility when shooting portrait photos without limiting my creativity.

I could have saved money and opted for the Galaxy A55 or another similar phone in 2023, as I did not care much about the Ultra’s zoom cameras. However, my lifestyle has changed since then, and I have started clicking more portrait and long-range zoom photos. None of this would have been possible with the Galaxy A55.

2 Flagship phones keep improving with time

They are not the same phone you unboxed on day one

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra launched in February 2023. The Google Pixel 8 Pro launched in October 2023. Both phones have improved since launch, offering a better experience than they did on day one.

Galaxy AI debuted with the Galaxy S24 in 2024. Yet, Samsung brought its entire AI suite to its 2023 flagships, including Live Translate, Chat Assist, Circle to Search, and Transcript Assist. With One UI 7, the Galaxy S23 series will gain features that debuted on the Galaxy S25, like Best Face, advanced Generative AI editing, and overlay Image Translation.

The Galaxy A53, one of Samsung’s most popular midrange phones, does not have access to the full suite of Galaxy AI features. This is despite the phone launching around the same time as the Galaxy S23 series in 2023. Even the Galaxy A54, which launched a year later, does not have access to the same set of AI features as the Galaxy S23.

It’s the same story with Pixel phones. They get better with time, gaining access to new features as part of a Feature Drop or OS update. Thanks to driver updates and kernel upgrades, older Pixel models often perform better than they did at launch. A report highlights that GPU performance on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 8 has improved by 30–60% since release. These phones also don’t overheat as much as they used to when they launched.

1 A better daily experience justifies the higher initial price

Everyday convenience is worth the premium

Flagship Android phones cost a few hundred dollars more than the best midrange Android phones. Spending more money upfront for a more expensive phone will sting, especially if you are on a tight budget. However, a flagship phone delivers a better real-life experience, justifying its higher price.

With a high-end phone, you get a high-resolution display with an eye-searing peak brightness. You might think of the nits as numbers on a spec sheet. In reality, a brighter display ensures you can use your phone under harsh sunlight without any difficulty.

Similarly, high-end Pixels and Galaxy phones support faster wired and wireless charging speeds. On paper, you might not care much about the faster charging speeds. However, in daily use, especially when traveling, the faster charging speeds ensure you can have your phone up and running with relatively little downtime.

Wireless charging is another valuable feature on high-end phones. You can use it to top up your phone while running Android Auto in your car. If it supports MagSafe, you can seamlessly connect various MagSafe-compatible accessories to the back of the phone in a snap.

With a midrange phone, you must compromise on almost all these aspects. You might think they don’t make much of a difference. Still, you’ll feel the impact of these compromises in everyday use, and over time, they add up to make a big difference.

You don’t need the priciest phone to get the best experience

While a flagship phone will provide a better long-term experience, that doesn’t mean you need to splurge on an Ultra model. Instead of the $1,300 Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, you can get the $1,000 Galaxy S25+ and still have largely the same experience.

Likewise, if you find the Galaxy S25 Ultra and its Plus sibling too expensive, consider picking the OnePlus 13. It’s cheaper at $900 and delivers better value for money.