Flagship Android phones pack the best hardware and features, such as cutting-edge processors, wireless charging support, and great cameras. The biggest drawback to these phones is that they’re extremely expensive, though.
Colleague Andrew Grush recently bought a Samsung Galaxy S25 FE for his daughter, and he realized he didn’t actually need a full-blown flagship phone. We included a poll in his article, asking readers whether high-end phones were worth buying. Well, the results are in, and here’s what you told us.
This was a massively popular poll, as over 18,800 votes were counted as of writing. There was a runaway winner, as 66.5% of respondents said flagship phones weren’t worth buying at all.
Either way, it’s clear that most polled readers think mid-range phones are good enough for their needs over flagships. I don’t blame them, as many cheaper phones still offer features like OLED screens, fast charging, durable designs, and smooth performance. And we’ve also seen these phones gaining lengthy update commitments in the last couple of years.
I’ve never bought a flagship and I cannot make myself pay $1,000 for one. My 2024 Moto Edge does everything I need it to, has 68 W wired and 15 W wireless charging, and a 5000 mAh battery. I know, there’s a trade off when it comes to the number of Android OS updates, but it’s something I can live with. I paid $120 for it new so the updates, or lack there of, are worth the trade off.
Yep wasn’t any difference between my 2022 moto stylus and my 2025 pixel 9 except for 300$ in price. Both took pictures, both did all the daily activities. One drained more of my wallet. The only noticeable difference was the quality of pictures at night. As viewable Aurora is rare where I live it wasn’t really worth $300. Something the moto had going for it was the easy access to the flashlight.
Just under 20% of respondents said that flagship phones were still worth buying, though. We’re not surprised to see flagship fans in this poll, given the enthusiast nature of our audience. Nevertheless, there are still valid reasons to buy a high-end phone.
Reader stolerikoo’s comment suggests that buying a high-end phone is ideal if you hold onto your device for ages:
I always invest in flagship phones, but I only upgrade every three to four years.
User lennonhorrocks5pe also reveals their reason for buying a flagship device:
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