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When is a "Flagship" phone not the flagship?

dontpanicbobby

dontpanicbobby

100% That Guy
VIP Member
It seems like this year especially, manufacturers are releasing there flagship phones then offering a higher spec'd version a couple of months later. I don't see how they can keep up this fiction much longer. How long will consumers sit still having been assured that their newly purchased phone was the best that manufacturer could currently offer then be told BTW a new version will be out soon that has better specifications, even a bigger screen in some cases. I know the corporate world has their own language but I never thought outright lies were purposely employed as part of it. Whether it's Prime, Plus, Advanced, or +, shouldn't the higher spec'd phone be the so called "Flagship"?
 
I remember a few years ago various commentators pilloried HTC for updating flagships after 6 months (e.g. Sensation and One X both received such refreshes) and claimed that was a major cause of their decline. I'm waiting for the same people to predict Samsung's demise if the S5 Prime goes on sale this year, but somehow suspect I'll be waiting in vain. ;)

Actually Sony have been releasing flagships every 6 months or so. And while I'm not sure I could cite someone saying "best we can currently offer" that claim would always be short-lived in some respects, e.g. nobody could offer a Snapdragon 805 this Spring, but they all knew when they would be able to. So keeping one flagship for a year is a financial strategy rather than anything else.

But you never thought the corporate world outright lied? Funny, I never assume they give the truthfulness of their statements a second's thought, but just say whatever they think will best serve the bottom line.
 
Actually I could live with the six month cycle if I made more money. The folks in Japan have been on it for years with little remorse. I guess your right though, nobody actually said "This is the best we can do this year." but damn, 2 months between new phones? That's ridiculous!
 
I think some manufacturers are getting it, Motorola for example. If Samsung and HTC do indeed release a "Prime" version of their flagships any time soon, that just sucks.
I've no problem with a lowered spec'd or smaller version released after the flagship, but to put out one that's "better"? Wow, terrible game plan IMO.
 
I think the Prime versions for Samsung only get released in Korea?

Anyway, Samsung does have two 'flagships', with the S series always getting outdone by the corresponding Note phablet for that year in terms of specs.
 
chanchan05 said:
I think the Prime versions for Samsung only get released in Korea?

Anyway, Samsung does have two 'flagships', with the S series always getting outdone by the corresponding Note phablet for that year in terms of specs.
Click to expand...

Yeh I think it's only meant for Korea and Asia. I don't think it's a problem myself, and in fact not much different to how cars have been for decades. You have the basic Ford Escort and then you have the GT one, which costs you more money of course, but in return it has a higher equipment and trim level.
 
chanchan05 said:
I think the Prime versions for Samsung only get released in Korea?

Anyway, Samsung does have two 'flagships', with the S series always getting outdone by the corresponding Note phablet for that year in terms of specs.
Click to expand...

The Galaxy S4 also had a Prime version, the i9506 with Snapdragon 800.

So I think it was more expected they would do something similar, only this time we get a different display as well as SoC upgrade.
 
Are people really upset that when they buy the best phone at the time of purchase, that phone does not remain the best phone for an entire year?
 
I am sure the time of development & testing stage for each device .. might be the real issue.

they start a new device with the highest they can at the time... 6-9 months later .. release!

but 4-5 months in.. a new better hardware was just released.
so they need to add it in.. to keep up with the Jones (competition)
so the next (Prime / +) is now going through .. development & testing.

wash, rinse, and repeat....

iphone has NO competition.. so they can keep it at .. 1 device per year.
simple and easy for them!!!
 
Yep, you pretty much nailed it. However, two considerations.
The Moto X proved you didn't have to have cutting edge to be a solid, everyday phone with updated software (we'll leave the camera discussion to another time ;)).
Also, while Apple makes one release, it's now apparent they're releasing multiple phones at the same time with a "premier" version, and a lower spec'd one.
Whether this year it'll simply be sizes and not internal differences is yet to be seen.
 
apple's 2 phones.. is still smoke and mirrors. the lesser iphone is really last years model dressed in plastic.

but ifans still love it!
 
I think the worst example I can think of is the Moto Droid Razr. They hyped the crap out of that phone right around the time of the GNex. The thing was a beast but couldn't go very long on a charge. Within days of its release they announced the Razr Maxx which was the identical phone (literally, we merged the ATR's and the roms, radios, and everything was interchangeable) with a monster battery. That was the beginning of the old Motorola really going downhill.

I think a lot of times there is a flagship and an "improved" version aimed at enthusiasts like us. I look at it like the Developer Editions or Google Play Editions. They are highly desireable by fanatics like us and we recognize why they are superior to the supposed flagship, but to the other 99% of smartphone buyers it's just another phone.
 
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