In our time, technology advances at a rapid pace, making older devices obsolete faster than we might like. However, there are a select few smartphones that can stand the test of time, as they have some features that cannot be surpassed so easily.
Below is a list of flagship smartphones, which are older models, but have features that make them worth your attention.
Best flagship smartphones
It was voted the best smartphone of 2017 by various tech sites around the world. It is a very good phone, with a powerful Exynos 8895 SoC, a great 6.3-inch Super AMOLED QHD+ display, and a dual 12 MP + 12 MP rear camera with optical image stabilization and 2x optical zoom. Despite being released over a year ago, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 can compete well with any of the newer flagships on all fronts. The storage can be further expanded by 512 GB using a microSD card.
Huawei's models have always had competitive cameras, and in 2018 it went a step further when it launched triple-camera phones. The 40MP main camera uses Pixel binning technology and reduces the image to 10MP, but with much more detail and has a greater dynamic range than standard 10MP cameras. The 20MP camera allows more light to improve contrast. Finally, the 8MP camera provides 3x optical zoom, which is rare in smartphones. All three cameras are supported by optical image stabilization. Most importantly, the camera performance is top-notch and still one of the best to date. It is powered by the Kirin 970 SoC, with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. A 6.1-inch Full HD + AMOLED display and a 4000 mAh battery that can last up to a day of continuous use make for a very attractive package.
This smartphone may have been released a year ago, but it still has one of the best cameras around. This phone can achieve with a single 12 MP rear camera what most phones can’t with two, three, or even four cameras with significantly higher megapixel counts. The camera performance is excellent in all lighting conditions and especially stands out in low light. It is powered by the Snapdragon 835 and features a QHD+ display and a 3520mAh battery.
Despite being released about 9 months ago, the OnePlus 6 packs the latest Snapdragon 845 SoC. The 8GB RAM variant with 128GB internal storage is still available on Amazon. It features a 6.28-inch 19:9 Full HD+ Optic AMOLED display with a notch. While it seemingly has the same 16MP + 20MP combo that the 5T offers, the performance is noticeably better, thanks to the wider 25mm lenses, larger sensor, and pixel size.
LG’s previous flagship, the V30+, has always been a great phone, with a great design. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC. It comes with a modest 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage that can be further expanded to 2TB. One impressive feature is the 6-inch HDR10-compatible P-OLED display with a resolution of 2880 x 1440 pixels (QHD+). The phone is also IP68 dust-resistant and water-resistant. In simpler terms, it can survive in water up to 1.5 meters deep for 30 minutes. It has a 16MP f/1.6 30mm wide-angle lens with 3-axis optical image stabilization. The quality of the images is quite good, but the HDR videos it records are even better.
Which one would you choose?
