The best flagships and flagship killers to get for the Holiday season 2021

27 November 2021
Check out which phones made our list.

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  • srr
  • 28 Nov 2021

Kriegsherr, 28 Nov 2021Flagships are built better than those mid-range flagship ki... moreWhere is the proof they are built better? If I drop a plastic mid-range (Realme GT Neo 2) and a flagship on the floor, the back of which phone will break? That's not real build quality, that's woo terms used by corporations.

And everyone just drops cases on their devices and calls it a day. By your logic you should go and buy a Chinese rugged phone, the ones Ulefone and Doogee make, if you want to see real build quality.

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    • srr
    • 28 Nov 2021

    Anonymous, 28 Nov 2021The iPhone only loses less than 10% in Gary Explains Speed ... moreGary Explains is pseudoscience, look at golden reviewer for more accurate info. Apple is well known for being the benchmark champion. Its advantage in benchmarks doesn't translate to actual gaming and user experience. This seems to indicate Apple is artificially increasing scores in benchmarks in order to woo tech reviewers.

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      • Anonymous
      • thv
      • 28 Nov 2021

      Kangal, 28 Nov 2021I agree. It's a shame to hear that, since the Sony Xp... more100% agree with the fundamental issue on Snap 888, or 888+ and Opinion that Snap 870 is better. The Snap 870 delivers more consistent performance and can sustain it better. Even better than Top Class Mediatek or Exynos latest 5 or 6 nm chip too.
      At first I really expected that Sony would glance at the SD 870 for the Xperia 5 line up this year, but unfortunately, and as expected, it didn't. They also insist on providing SD 888 in Xperia 5 mk 3. Too bad.
      Still love the niche and compact design tho.
      #NoSonyNoParty

        Kangal, 28 Nov 2021I agree. It's a shame to hear that, since the Sony Xp... moreI agree with your assessment that the snap 870 is the best qualcomm product this year. If they manage to produce something with snap 870 cpu performance but with a better gpu, I'd pick it over the snap 8 gen 1 or whatever they're renaming the 898. Something went horribly wrong when qualcomm okayed the hot and power hungry snap 888. I'd have to disagree with your assessment that the snap 778 is the same as the 888 though. I have an a52s and a ROG 5, and the everyday performance difference is noticeable, like when running chrome or photo galleries. The power draw of the 888 is really horrendous though, and the 778 I think is better at day-to-day tasks overall due to how efficient it is.

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          • Same Hi
          • thv
          • 28 Nov 2021

          Kriegsherr, 28 Nov 2021Flagships are built better than those mid-range flagship ki... moreThat's the point, what would you expect from a flagship killer, if you expect the best and quality, then go for the true flagship, but he was talking bout how flagship outperform flagship killers.
          Flagship killers are made with some compromises, and for the person who wants them but don't want to accept that compromises, maybe he's shameless. The point is, it's not bad to stay literate and aware of what is happening in this tech world.

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            • Anonymous
            • p1m
            • 28 Nov 2021

            I didn't need to watch that buyer's guide video to hear that samsung, Apple and xiaomi have flagship phones. every little child knows those things.

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              • Google Bot
              • UYM
              • 28 Nov 2021

              Anonymous, 28 Nov 2021The iPhone only loses less than 10% in Gary Explains Speed ... moretest Genshin by yourself lol

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                • Anonymous
                • JT5
                • 28 Nov 2021

                Z, 28 Nov 2021Ok, now let's mention a few examples.Redmi K40 Pro/Pro+.
                Realme GT neo2
                Realme gt explorer master

                  Hi, 28 Nov 2021It's worth trying to realize that flagship killers are... moreFlagships are built better than those mid-range flagship killers or whatever. They are bang for the buck but true flagships will always have better quality. They would last longer, software will be top notch and have better support.
                  Alas. Some people just doesn't understand the difference between a good and a mediocre product.

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                    • Anonymous
                    • xZI
                    • 28 Nov 2021

                    Z, 28 Nov 2021You are deluded. Isnt the iphone that phone which loses 40%... moreThe iPhone only loses less than 10% in Gary Explains Speed Test G both CPU and GPU.

                    I have no issues running GRID Autosport on my iPhone 12 Pro Max, which is a PC ported game. Runs at full resolution and only gets warm when playing in a warm room. Otherwise it runs smoothly. Android phones either stutter or have lower resolution (it has crashes on a OnePlus 9).

                    So stop lying and creating delusions. Facts already state Xiaomi is a very hyped device but no Youtubers speak of the weaknesses.

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                      • Anonymous
                      • P$I
                      • 28 Nov 2021

                      AlienKiss, 28 Nov 2021Flagship killer = will trick you with the same CPU and GPU,... moreMost flagship killers DO have UFS 3.1 memory for maximum speed. Flagship killers are never alternatives of flagships. They're supposed to give you only fast performance and intended for specific users only.

                        A, 28 Nov 2021If possible, better avoid xperia 5 III, snap 888 plus a siz... moreI agree.
                        It's a shame to hear that, since the Sony Xperia Pro was the coolest running flagship phone this year (double massive copper). I don't have a Sony 5.3 as it isn't available in my country, but I think Sony does give you some options in the Settings to tweak performance. Realistically you should be mitigating that, since even a QSD 835 runs as fast as the fastest phone out there when it comes to simple daily regular use. You only really need the boost when you're running something demanding (video capture, rendering, intense gaming, or perhaps Emulation).

                        I think the problem is fundamentally not by Sony, but from Qualcomm.
                        The QSD 888+ runs upto 11w.... that is simply unacceptable. What the heck were they thinking??!!? I think they did that to try and go "all out" and close some of the gap with the Apple A13 (let alone the A14 and A15). The other reasoning is, Qualcomm offered an alternative chipset in the QSD 870 so they had to try and distance the two.

                        Honestly, I think the QSD 870 is the top processor (Android) of the year. It was tuned so that it isn't too much of a direct threat to their more expensive QSD 888. Yet, it actually manages to run faster than the QSD 865+ and run cooler than the QSD 865. I think its due to a more mature node and build, and I think they tuned it better in the drivers and kernel side. But even the QSD 870 throttles more than desired.

                        When you run all the chips, the QSD 888+, QSD 888, QSD 865+, QSD 865... they all run at the same performance of the QSD 855/QSD 855+/QSD 860. Sometimes worse, sometimes better. But they are all in the same ballpark. The QSD 870 is consistently higher than its peers but nothing to gloat about. Honestly, Qualcomm should have never released the QSD 865 the way they did. I think again, they justified it because it was too close in performance to the older QSD 855/855+. But instead of fixing it, they doubled down with the QSD 865+, QSD 888, and QSD 888+. The worst part is, they will repeat themselves with the 2022 chips.

                        So that is all bad news. I will end things in a more optimistic way, the new QSD 778/780 processors are phenomenal. They're notably cheaper for the OEMs (and consumers), yet they basically have the same performance as the QSD 855+.... which means they're just as fast as the QSD 888+ due to all the throttling issues.

                          Norwegian Gangster , 28 Nov 2021I chose Mi 10t pro over iPhone 12 last year. The iPhone 12 ... moreYes, I agree, Xiaomi release a whole lot of models, but now and then, they got one that just hit the right spots. Mi 10t/pro is one of them. i could not say how good the display this phone has (best lcd ever) , the camera, performance and most of all the price. I guess that you could not argue with a fanboy.

                            With mid range price and all fov raw, there is only few older phones, if you include hi res and jack, only Vivo x30pro stay.
                            Wonder what the future brings.

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                              • Hi
                              • thw
                              • 28 Nov 2021

                              AlienKiss, 28 Nov 2021Flagship killer = will trick you with the same CPU and GPU,... moreIt's worth trying to realize that flagship killers are made with compromises to keep prices down. For example Poco F3 (I know maybe you don't like Chinese brands, but we all know that that phone provides everything you complain about, solid build of glass sandwich with GG 5 protection, well plastic frame, not rlly sth to complain, top class display with FHD resolution, HRR, good enough DPI, UFS 3.1 memory) and of course insane value even compared to last year's flagship with a clearly better performance than last year's flagship too. One part that let me down is the unpolished MIUI software. But FR, everything is still good AF. It would be better if you stay literate and open your mindset, thx.

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                                • AlienKiss
                                • iDB
                                • 28 Nov 2021

                                Z, 28 Nov 2021Ok, now let's mention a few examples.Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is one example. I won't name any china brands as I'm not interested in those.
                                Most of them will rip you off with the display and the quality build, while trying to lure you in with the CPU/GPU specs. Because we all know most people look at numbers and completely ignore other things like build materials. Heck, 95% have no clue what DPI means.

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                                  • thw
                                  • 28 Nov 2021

                                  Kangal, 28 Nov 2021For iOS Users: - iPhone 13 Mini - iPhone 13 Pro - iPhone... moreIf possible, better avoid xperia 5 III, snap 888 plus a size that is too small has an impact on aggressive throttling in order to keep the temperature inside stable. Especially if you live in the tropics. Sony is very aggressive about throttling via software on Xperia 5 III and it's very annoying.
                                  Better to go for the 1 III, or just go for last year 5 II, seriously.

                                    AlienKiss, 28 Nov 2021Flagship killer = will trick you with the same CPU and GPU,... moreWith prolonged software support for Androids now, it makes even more sense to buy a year old flagship over a flagship killer

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                                      • srr
                                      • 28 Nov 2021

                                      AlienKiss, 28 Nov 2021Flagship killer = will trick you with the same CPU and GPU,... moreOk, now let's mention a few examples.

                                        I love my Xiaomi, a great looking and very powerful phone.
                                        Screen is superb, everything works fast and it is easy to use MIUI
                                        Why pay double the price for an apple when a Xiaomi can perform just as well?

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