Weekly poll: do flagship chipsets still matter?

12 November 2023
The latest silicon brings higher performance and advanced features for image processing, game graphics and AI. But do you really need all that?

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  • 13 Nov 2023

Anonymous, 13 Nov 2023Best in class? Lol you are too drunk dude. Strange resoluti... moreOLED iPhones (except the X and the ones from that time) don't have a low resolution or a low PPI. The nonstandard resolutions aren't bad as well, as they are over 1080p and all at a high PPI too, 440+. It would be so nice if we were able to write comments without dunking on other people, because then we may actually start to think.

    James Holden, 13 Nov 2023All the new phones coming out which aren't flagships. ... moreSony no longer sells the 128GB version of the Xperia 1 since the 2021 Mk3, yet they still keep the microSD card slot. For any smartphone without a microSD card slot, 128GB internal storage shouldn't exist at all. Android OS alone can use around 25GB to 35GB for system files, for crying out loud!

      I always do a lot of mobile gaming/console emulation and only use my phone as my primary photography/videography gear, so the flagship SoC is definitely my preferred choice. That said, I don't mind going for older SoCs since newer generation models don't always guarantee being better than the predecessor. Remember Snapdragon 888/888+ and 8 Gen 1? Even Sony cannot get the heating management right despite their fanatical attention to battery life. Hence, I always skipped the 2021 and 2022 Xperia 1/5, including the Pro-i.

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        • 13 Nov 2023

        The Underdog, 13 Nov 2023Always matters. Absolute future proofing with a top line ch... moreBasic software can't get that fucky and bloated in a span of 7 years, specially as we move everything into the cloud and simple open source offline apps seem to start taking over, and that's what most people care about. (I've been able to make lots of people in my family use NewPipe instead of YouTube because they hate ads and barely interacted with people there, huge W)

        Meaningful SoC upgrades (not relevant to future proofing at all) will always cater to us, tech junkies, every 2 to 3 years, because we are a nerdy minority.

          All the new phones coming out which aren't flagships. Their specs are like

          Camera: 50MP + 8 + 2
          Battery: 5000mah and 15w charging
          Storage: 8/128GB non expandable. Seriously? Only 128GB? And you can't even give a blooming card slot? At least give a 256GB version too, ffs!

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            • Anonymous
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            • 13 Nov 2023

            Vegetaholic, 13 Nov 2023Waste of money is to believe 90hz shitty screen will make d... moreBest in class? Lol you are too drunk dude. Strange resolution coupled by low ppi is best in class? Sorry I broke your iHeart. Lol.

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              • 13 Nov 2023

              Anonymous, 12 Nov 2023I prioritize by order: 1. Chipset 2. Phone design 3. Cam... moreNice voting, thank you. Should be made an official one. Let me also say mine priorities too:

              1) SoC : ought capable for what i like. For now its minimal level be D920/1080. Includes memory speed capabilities too.

              2) Features: i would need sd card, 3,5mm audio out, lcd display. i'm rather avidly into music listening and filming. And can't cope with amoleds - image looks unstable, brings so much strain to eyes.

              3) Camera: a decent main module is needed, no ultrawide (it's still rarely a good one), no macro, no jn1. And good selfie: from time to time we make some videos filming ourselves, including educational ones, lol, and bit of vlogging.

              4) Design and build: no curved display. Plastic body is ok, it absorbs stress rather tolerably.

              5) Software: clean system is preffered, no preinstalled whatsoever, no bloatware, no ads.



                Yahya, 13 Nov 2023It's complicated. It's not the raw performance/be... moreCouldn't agree more

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                  • 13 Nov 2023

                  Could see the spiffiest chipset making sense on high-end gaming phones (which in actually is probably closer to being a handheld console with phone capabilities), but otherwise i strongly doubt that many, if any, actually notices the differences

                    GAMIR3DH, 13 Nov 2023Mine would be: 1. Screen 2. Cameras Then anything else.My priorities are:

                    1. Design ( If I don't like the way one looks I'm not spending money on it. )
                    2. Display size, resolution, refresh rate
                    3. Build quality, materials
                    4. Camera
                    5. Chipset

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                      • Yahya
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                      • 13 Nov 2023

                      It's complicated. It's not the raw performance/benchmark but perks associated with it.

                      Many midrange SoCs got camera capabilities of a 2018 flagship phone. They are not improving. They are intentionally kept bad to make current flagship SoCs look better. So, while I may not care about Raytracing or AI processes per second, I certainly care about my camera not recording 4k60fps video or doing it jittery.

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                        • 13 Nov 2023

                        Anonymous, 12 Nov 2023do flagship chipsets still matter? No, because Tensor/Exyno... moreStrange that they are more powerful than the sd 8 gen 1 then.

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                          • Anonymous
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                          • 13 Nov 2023

                          they force the ones with a lot of money and less knowledge with high end chips to buy, so they can make lower end chips with more computing power ... the end result ... all gadgets contribute resources to the cloud computing ... that is why they force the non user removable batteries and campaign that teliable gadget is the ones that never reboot ... NON SENSE ... they just want reliable connection to all gadget to build the giant cloud computing ... our resources our cpu our storage forced to contribute to their cloud computing in exchange for ease of digital life ... human is analog being, NOT digital being

                            Many premium features, like IP68, telephoto camera, brighter display and alloy frame, are restricted to phones with flagship chipsets. I'm the guy who buy top-notch SD8 series but treat it as 778G.

                              Anonymous, 12 Nov 2023I prioritize by order: 1. Chipset 2. Phone design 3. Cam... moreMine would be:
                              1. Screen
                              2. Cameras
                              Then anything else.

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                                • 13 Nov 2023

                                Anonymous, 12 Nov 2023For long battery life no. For everything else yes. But usua... moreEven for good photos and videos the necessity of flagship chips doesn't matter. Mid budget phones of these days take photos that are as good as most point and shoot cameras of yore and also consumer film cameras.

                                Most flagship phones are only able to sell themselves if they are offered with hefty discounts and trade-in values, in most countries.

                                  There are so many angles to answer this question from.

                                  For simplicity sake, let's look at chipsets only in terms of practical performance (as opposed to synthetic benchmarks).

                                  In my book, as long as there is no slowdown, freezing or lag, today's mid-range chipsets (esp. the high-midrange ones) are more than enough. So to the average person, chipsets are practically irrelevant now.

                                  Honestly, the design, the display tech, and the software optimization have a much bigger impact on creating the illusion of fast performance than the chipset itself.

                                  Though, flagship chipsets matter if you deeply care about value. Some flagship phones cost less than a high-midranger, so in that regard it's the most sensible to buy the one with the flagship SoC.

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                                    • Anonymous
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                                    • 13 Nov 2023

                                    Anonymous, 12 Nov 2023do flagship chipsets still matter? No, because Tensor/Exyno... more 7+ gen 2 is flagship

                                      Always matters. Absolute future proofing with a top line chip. It'll be funny seeing the Tensor conk out well before the 7 year update cycle finishes, it's behind the curve even now.

                                        Rly, 12 Nov 2023My S22 Ultra SD version still kicking asshhh, but im watchi... moreYou really have issues then man. S22 ultra is beast. To replace to newer phone because you just read and browse absolutely makes no sense. S22 Ultra will do fine just that after another 3 years. No point in wasting money on new phone which litreraly will not going to do your reading better :)

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