Can a CHEAP 2022 Smartphone beat a 2020 Flagship? 😱 

I'm BACK! Took a bit of time off to re-energise and reflect, but I think it's time to put the foot on the pedal now 😁 After you've watched the video, I've got a question - which would you now be more likely to buy - newer midrange or older flagship? To find out if TikTok Life Hacks are a scam or not: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iDdN5cOFB1g.html

Arun: Old flagship or new mid range? Me: Older mid range phone.

I think one of the big factors you missed was that in most countries the prices of older flagships do not go down that much.

I've watched this again after seven months. I still wowed by the amount work put into the video. The color theme througout the video. I'd type two pages if I wanna keep going. Simply put, the video is still not boring 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

Actually, around 2020 - 2021, this is exactly the type of research I went through to buy my most recent phone, and I ended up buying a Sony Xperia 10 iii. Maybe being in Canada affected this choice, but I found that flagships did not drop in price (either used or "sale" priced) to match the mid-ranger until the 3rd year. The first 1.5 years barely touched the price of a flagship, unless you were looking at a badly used unit. Also affecting my choice was the fact that 5G had just started getting into mid-rangers, and I insisted on 5G to insure support by service providers.

Ahh, the long awaited sequel to cheap 2020 phone vs 2018 flagship, great video as always! 👍 Also watching this on an Oppo Find X2 Pro, happy to see it beating the modern midrangers!

Man, I can't believe the S20 Ultra lost that much value in just two years. I remember how crazy expensive it was at launch.

The video execution style and your persona literally make me want to watch more. Great job all around and far from the average phone review and your own opinion thrown in. Awesome job, and subbed!

I'm getting a 'new' phone after Christmas and this is just the sort of video I needed to watch. Really interesting and answered so many of my questions. I reckon I will go for an older flagship. One thing I'd like to see on your reviews (if it is measurable) is how good is the phone reception (we have poor reception at home but my Samsung android is better than my wife's iPhone) and how quickly does the phone locate satellites for GPS (which I don't have on all the time).

I love how you have divided the whole colour palette of Green and Red into everything. Even the wallpaper on the phone! Great level of detailing ❤️

I like how an A52s is a year older than an A53 and it's faster, has a headphone jack, comes with a charger in the box, and is cheaper.

As someone else said i don't think there are many countries where price has fallen to 450-500 dollars for 2020 flaghships, it dropped to 800 dollars which is double of the midranger's price . Eitherways it's a good video to show how much better newer midrange phones are getting and their limits

Glad he covered the updates issues. Very thorough video! On latest phone purchase ny family split between older samsung flagship and new midrange. The most noticeable difference was that midrange had plastic back and lacked wireless charging. Among features the processor speed and battery are the only things that matter to me. I don't like the trends of modern smart phones of being giant screened behemoths as well as eliminating the headphone jack and removable storage. I am not sure if transition away fro headphone jacks and removable storage is same across cell phone brands though

my first "proper" smartphone was the samsung s6, after many years i've swapped it for a samsung s20 late last year, and I won't change it too soon, my point: I prefer to buy a 1 year old flagship and use it for a 4-5 years, than get a mid range and change it after 2 years

Plastic was the reason I chose Galaxy s2 over iPhone 4 back in 2011. Plus, the fact that something is made of plastic doesn’t automatically mean “it feels cheap”. The plastic phones you have there are of a great build quality.

Got a Oneplus 7T pro way back in Jan 2020 when it got its first major discount. Still using it with no major complaints in its 4th year... might upgrade soon but only for the misssing 5G feature. A good flagship is built for like eternity 😀

It all depends upon what you want from the phone and your usage. Basically if you just want a phone to browse the web, look at social media, call and msg then mid range is the best way to go. If you play games, use the camera plus everything else then it has to be flagship.

0:57 that catch tho.

Poco F3 is just what i need for now : - enough charging power (33W) - glass back material - pretty good performance (Snapdragon 870, UFS 3.1 memory) - pretty good connectivity (NFC, BT 5.2, 5G) - mid range price from 2021 (around $350) - good amoled display with 120hz - and pretty good speaker with Dolby Atmos make a good experience when play a game without headset

With the software support side of things (the phone getting updates), as long as the community still supports it, it'll never be behind. People will develop new updates for them through firmware/software modifications, and thus make them last way past the manufacturers own cut-off date for updates

We need a similar comparison now 2022 vs 2024

a OnePlus 7 Pro can be purchased around the same price as a OnePlus Nord CE 2. In this scenario, the OnePlus 7 Pro is the clear winner for me

5:02, this was the moment I knew that the water on his desk was going to anoye me for the rest of the video

It could also depend on how long each device is going to be supported. An older flagship on its last OS / security update, or a new mid-ranger with two or more years to come? I think I would take the mid-ranger.

Amazing video as always! :D I've been saying all my friends for years that buying an older flagship is way better than a new midrange. I'm so happy that you are backing be on this!

The battery isn't necessarily a deal breaker. These days you can't just swap it, but they can replace it at a repair shop for a fair price within the day. That's how I got my old Samsung A5 to serve me for almost 5 years now. The poor thing is about to physically disintegrate at this point from wear but the internals are fine. I plan to replace it soon with a phone you can flash with LineageOS, so no warranty either way and the community gives faster and more system updates than the vendor would. It all points to an old flagship for me. Thanks Arun, I didn't even consider that option!

Didn't expect a sequel to the 2020 vid! Amazing production quality, as always!

Wow, I am once again stunned by your video quality. The small details, like the coloured wallpapers, they make such a difference.

Awesome video, But you forgot about connectivity! Is the cell signal better? Or the wifi technology? Thats the one of the main things a user is looking for on upgrading. Speed for processing a strong second, because they kinda work together.

0:34 "these are up against the 2022 flagships"...

Much awaited sequel to previous version of this series. Keep doing this every two years!!!

Not a bad review but... You was wrong about the warranty. After my S9 + contract was up I decided that I liked it so much that went for the Note 9 as everything at the time was getting hole punches in their screens, and losing the headphone jack so I got a contact on a brand new Note 9, and Samsung still gave me 2 years warranty because the phone was new even though it wasn't the latest model.

watching an old (wow 2022 is old now) arun video feels so nostalgic but at the same time shows just how much this channel has improved. this is the pinacle of tech content and this channel has been my favourite since ive started watching tech content. i love it and its just amazing, but at the same time has progressed so so so much. good job arun !

0:57 ooh, that catch felt so smooth to watch.

Glad you addressed software support and battery life. Not many reviewers mention those things and those are pretty important.

My appreciation for your well-informed inputs in this video. This will definitely help me decide better in buying a new phone.

Excellent video. I hope you keep this as an annual video.

The thing is how much each point matters to you individually. A lot of people couldn't care less about not having software support, while for other people, not getting security updates would be a total deal breaker, same goes with things like the headphone jack, videogame performance or the flashy features on the flagships

I love the comparison you demonstrated. You convinced me to buy the 2 yrs old flagship S20 ULTRA 5G Thank you!

Wow... Impressive presentation... Thanks.

Been watching you for years and it has been amazing seeing you pass 10,000,000 subs! Keep up the GREAT work from the US! (P.S. Josh did a great job on your hair!)

I love when Mrwhosetheboss makes these comparison videos. This channel really did inspire me to Technology!

I feel like it’s much tougher in Samsungs because of that shorter support vs apple having just ended 7-8 year old phone support(6s-7/+. 9 year if you count security updates) which makes the “older flagship > “ debate easier(also cuz they don’t have mid or low range honestly but if Android vs IOS doesn’t matter to you just pick the cheaper used phone tbh)

I've had both flagships and mid-range phones, and I've tried low-end phones as well. Mid-rangers are the sweet spot. Everything you need, nothing you don't. With flagships, you get bells and whistles in the software (like nicer ringtones and fancier transitions), better cameras and screens, better build quality, less or no software bloat, of course the latest SoCs and the fastest and most RAM, and the intangible: it's somewhat a status symbol in many parts of the world. Low-end phones, well, it's like buying a cheap car, right? Better yet, look at smartphones like you would look at a high end BMW, a Camry or Corolla, and a bare bones Nissan Versa.

And now I'm going to wait the sequel; "Can a 2024 Midrange beat a 2022 g Flagship?" Keep it up Arun, I'm always updated on your videos, you're definitely the best tech RU-vidr. 😎

The voice crack at 3:48 had me rolling 😂😂😂

Subscribed to morning Brew months ago when I saw this. Still giving me value today.

The video, that’s really informative. Excellent job brother…

S20 Ultra is still 700-800$ Same for the other flagship phone. Would love to know your Phone supplier XD

Excellent video, i'd love to see a yearly update to this experiment, just cause some years have a more significant progress leap forward than others.

Still using my 2017 Pixel 2XL. Works great! No plans to upgrade anytime soon.

I miss this series. Keep doing them every year please 🥺

I just love the effort and the quality of his videos. They're just so damn good 👍🏾

- Older battery can always be replaced; - software can be upgraded if you are tech savvy enough/it doesn't really matter if you already have a bug free experience in the current OS setup (Playstore takes care of most of the updates in terms of usability of software more and more nowadays) - Vibration motor, brighter display, fast shutter speed of camera and processing--these things matter a lot in daily use As midranges are purposefully made as "mid rangers" so that it doesn't cannibalizes the flagship market. It's always a better deal to go for older flagships imo.

5:56 not the "hardcore genshin impact player" 💀💀💀💀💀

It's videos like these to that draw me to this channel. Can never see others doing such intresting videos!!!

Love your detailed comparison videos ❤ No doubt why you are considered the best in what you do!

Interesting test that I’ve never really thought about.This is why I enjoy your content more than others.

I like this review, this actually informative

Brilliant, AS ALWAYS!

Can't believe it's already been 2 years since the 2018 vs 2020 phone, time flies by so fast!

I remember watching the 2020 version of this, and it’s great to see a sequel to it. Great video as always!

Good video, all the info we need to make a difference. 👍😁

Great analysis, I do value more the premium look and experience over the better battery and newer Android, there are barely any huge improvements anyways

I have to say I didn't expect this result. Unfortunately though you can only get an old flagship at a decent price if you buy it on eBay, they still cost too much new at least where I live. And considering all the ways a phone can degrade over time, I don't know if I want to take the risk.

I'm dreading the moment my P30 Pro finally stops working. It's from 2019, and I still haven't found a good competitor to replace it with yet. Damn I wish Huawei could come back with Google apps.

Great concept!

Just the battery degradation is something to think more about. The problem with some brands is that they will sell their devices cheaper but won't let you have the essentials it's like here's a phone and a cable and f off now will you. I wouldn't really go for the previous flagships unless you're capable of taking more risks. 5 months after official release is more than enough time to gather feedbacks from customers that's also a thing to remember.

This. Is. Content!! Genuine consumer tips and advice we can use in future purchases we make. Geniuse. This is what most of need to see. Its like getting advice from a intuitive friend.

Quality content as always. Great job

i'm on a galaxy s9 and i still am having a hard time being convinced to upgrade. i use the headphone jack in my car and also like to be able to charge it while doing so for those long drives or when i do delivery. also the display is really nice (QHD+ Super AMOLED) and hard to find a good competitor at the $400ish mark. the battery hasn't really degraded since i bought it and all diagnostics say it's still doing just fine. a few things that have made me consider upgrading have been the increase in speed of fast chargers (like that 125w capable one), the larger battery capacity of newer phones (5k mah vs my 3k) and the on-screen fingerprint reader. other than that i've been putting up with my slightly sluggish s9 and will probably continue to do so for another year at least.

Im glad Arun's Reviewing Midrange Phones, I hope for More in the Future

I'm on Huawei p40 lite and even after year and half of usage, it's still doing good. I mean I've definitely degraded the battery quite a bit and there's probably a year of updates left but with the new one it got a month ago, it still feels quite good with all that Android 12 Interface

If you decide on getting an A53, I'd suggest getting the A52S. The stats on paper are almost identical, while the performance is actually slightly better in the A52S, for what is here in Serbia a 200 euro difference.

Recently seen your video even though it is December already. I'll rethink about buying an old flagship instead of today's mid ranger.

I loved this video concept last time it was done, I'm so glad it's back! Fantastic as always, Arun.

Amazing video as normal!! Great to see you back again in great health and can't wait for the OnePlus 10 Pro review!

I have an S22+ currently, but the other day I found my old S6 Edge+. That thing was awesome, and in my opinion can beat out new midrangers.

Hey remember when dropping your phone and shattering the glass or gouging/warping the frame wasn’t an issue? Plastic is a great material.

Fantastic as always, Arun. I love this style of video concept

Always go for a previous year flagship if the price is good. They always have amazing hardware and feel premium. They perform good too. The budget ones just don't have the same performance and reliability. I have used old flagships and they last you longer. On the other hand, the cheap one's i bought, start giving problems after a year or two. They just don't have that quality

I absolutely love your reviews dude 😎

One problem buying a old flagship can endup getting a burned in screen with a few small problems such as charging ports or dirt in the earpiece speakers unless the phone was well taken care of

The amount of amazing editing and informative information that has been done in this video..it's so well put together. Mrwhosetheboss is amazing

Just to add flagships tend to have greater software to hardware performance compatibility. you will notice this in games a mid range phone with an updated processor will perform better compared to an two year old flagship phone but that performance will degrade the longer you use your device while playing you will start to see fps go down at 60% battery where as flagships tend to be consistent until it reaches 15% battery life

4GB RAM contradicts software updates. I use OnePlus 6t from 2018, 8GB RAM and I consider that minimum for new hardware. RAM is cheap and often is a limiting factor.

as of software , you can flash whatever you like and stay updated on xda , no problem.

another thing to consider is features that come with an update. a couple days ago my Galaxy A51(4G) was updated to OneUI 4.1/Android 12. first thing i did after i realized it was a full os update was look at what was new. not all additions come to non flagships. example is smart widgets. flagships that update to OneUI4.1 get smart widgets. my phone did not.

Camera is pretty tricky to compare though, especially in Xiaomi's case. The Mi 10 Pro can probably even outdo Xiaomi 12 Pro in many scenarios, and its camera setup is essentially the same as Mi Note 10 which was a mid-range phone from late 2019 (Mi Note 10's camera was a huge outlier considering its price. Even today, it's hard to find a new phone that rivals it at its launch price, let alone its current price).

Still going strong on my Samsung Note 9. Thinking of upgrading to S 23 Ultra if it offers Snapdragon in EU.

This is the best comparison video. Can you please do this every year

Loved your video as always! But currently I'm pretty happy with my Mi 11x or globally Poco F3 which is priced reasonably and has a Snapdragon 870 in it for the flagship experience!

The fact that the s20 ultra now classifies as “aged” makes me feel old. I have s21 ultra btw

Amazing video , thanks 😘

can we all take a moment to appreciate how smooth that catch at 0:56 was?! :o

I really appreciate your content. While i dont always come up with the same conclusion due to different preferences of use of my devices, you give enough info data that i can rate the categories according to my preferences and i can still use your information collected to determine the best choice for me. Regardless of differing preferences. Thank you for un-bias hard facts in your content! You are a true gem if a channel on you tube!

4:10 That was from Poco and hearing it from you is so satisfying

Still i'm all in on mid-ranger (software support is a thing to me. Im a samsung user)

Just bought my A53 yesterday (blue), listening through my bluetooth ear buds, i never liked to use headphone jack anyway, love it .

The display and the camera are the only reasons I go after the flagships. I prefer buying a 2 year old flagship. The only thing you miss out on is 1-2 years of support compared to if you had bought it new. Not a big deal if you don't game on your phone. I'm still using a Samsung flagship from four years ago that I purchased two years ago.