Budget v Flagship Android

[Sousuke]

Budget vs Flagship Android Phone Showdown

 

Phones these days are getting better and better even to the point in which a price point which would have bought you a phone which would disappoint a few years ago is now one hell of a good phone.

 

For the comparison I own a Motorola G4 and a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge which were released around the same time. So lets compare specifications!

 

MOTO G4 - Budget - £159 (Amazon UK) $179.95 (Amazon US)

 

Display: 5.5inch IPS LCD 1080p (401ppi) Gorilla Glass 3

Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8952 Snapdragon 617

Storage/Memory: 16GB (Up to 256GB with SDCard Slot) - 2GB RAM

Camera: Back 13MP, Front 5MP

Battery: 3000 mAh

 

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge - Flagship - £529 (Amazon UK) $583.99 (Amazon US)

 

Display: 5.5inch Super AMOLED 1440p (534ppi) Gorilla Glass 4

Chipset: Exynos 8890 (Worldwide) Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (US)

Storage/Memory: 32GB (Up to 256GB with SDCard Slot - 4GB RAM

Camera: Back 12MP, Front 5MP

Battery: 3600 mAh

 

 

So with the Nitty Gritty Specifications out the of the way lets talk experience! The thing that truly matters.

 

I've used the Moto G4 and the Samsung Galixy S7 Edge now for at least a week (Well I had the Moto G4 as a work phone for 4 months and had the S7 for the past week). I have to admit the G4 did surprise me just how good a budget Android Smartphone can be these days, they even beat out Flagships from only a few years ago like the Samsung Galaxy S5's and I believe that's down both the software maturity being able to take advantage of lower spec'd phones and also the price of higher power'd chipsets going down and down.

 

There are obviously features missing from the G4 that the S7 had like, NFC, Water Resistance (Moto G4 has none but the S7 has a IP67 Rating) and Wireless Charging which to most people these days aren't a big deal the one big difference between these 2 phones is the build quality. Now I am not saying the G4's Build quality is bad as its really good for a full plastic phone at this price point but oh my god is the S7's build quality just fantastic! The All Metal and Glass design is jaw dropping good.

 

Now lets go to just using the phones, the Moto G4's Stock Android look and feel makes it an easy phone to get along with even with the lower specifications, whilst I was between phones (2 Weeks as my iPhone took a tumble and broke)  it was my daily driver and only a few times did I miss my iPhone mostly for NFC Payments (Apple Pay) and the display quality. Also a few crashes and slowdowns on the G4 also reminded me of its price but not to the point I would think. If you showed me this phone without me knowing anything about prices I'd say this phone was worth at least £250 - £275. 

 

The only thing that lets the G4 down is the picture quality from the cameras, even though it has similar Megapixles as the S7 these cameras are in different leagues. In this respect the G4 shows its price however they are not awful unlike budget phones from a few years ago.

 

The display quality is also where the S7 shines, the Super AMOLED display on the S7 is just out of this world great, beats out any other smartphone display in my opinion. The true blacks and deep colours make the G4s screen look washed out in comparison however the G4's display is once again not awful infact its a great screen until you see the S7's Screen. 

 

So the extra money goes towards the extra features and the better quality in every single part of the phone, if you need a great phone but only have a small budget then you can not go wrong with the Moto G4 as its such good value and is an excellent android smart phone. As a power user myself the extra features are great and the quality of everything especially the fit and finish of the S7 made it a no brainier to me.

 

You can not go wrong when purchasing either of the phones, the G4 is a Great all rounder for a budget price and the S7 is an amazing flagship for a flagship price.

[Kosios]

I kinda regret buying my s7 edge.  I mean I love it and in my opinion its the best phone you can buy right now.  But I feel like I could have spent like 200 dollars and still gotten a good smartphone experience.

[Sousuke]

I don't regret buying the S7 Edge at all, its a fantastic phone but its all down to personal preference, I love owning flagship phones. The build quality is just amazing.

[SCHISCHKA]

the camera on the s6 and s7 is awesome

[dizmo]

I'd almost have put this in User Reviews, very well written!

There are features reserved for the flagship SoC's that make the more enticing for me. QC 4.0, the new stabilization in the camera, etc. If Qualcomm put out a lower tier chip that had some of the top features, I'd definitely buy a lower end phone.

I'd say the mid range phones are a lot more interesting right now. This year they may very well destroy the premium market.

 

[Sousuke]

6 hours ago, dizmo said:

I'd almost have put this in User Reviews, very well written!

There are features reserved for the flagship SoC's that make the more enticing for me. QC 4.0, the new stabilization in the camera, etc. If Qualcomm put out a lower tier chip that had some of the top features, I'd definitely buy a lower end phone.

I'd say the mid range phones are a lot more interesting right now. This year they may very well destroy the premium market.

 

Thanks I just thought I'd share my opinion and help anyone who really wants a great android experience but doesn't have the money for a flagship. 

 

I agree with you also, I buy flagships for the extra goodies! Like I bought an Elite version of my Car for all of the extra goodies too.