The best premium flagship smartphones for the festive season

CHENNAI: IT’S that time of the year when festive buying peaks in India. It’s also the time when most brands unleash their big flagship devices. Apple’s annual iPhone event typically takes place in September, ahead of the last quarter of the year.

Google unveiled its new Pixel 8 twins in October while OnePlus moved into premium territory with its first ever foldable smartphone. We’ve also seen foldable devices from Samsung and OPPO that are cashing in on the growing interest in foldable smartphones. If you’re looking to gift yourself a premium smartphone, there’s no better time:

iPhone 15 Plus: the iPhone 15 Pro twins are among the best smartphones to buy but we’ve picked the iPhone 15 Plus for its strong value proposition. This year, the iPhone 15 duo feature quite a few upgrades making them a solid option for most buyers. The iPhone 15 Plus is also Apple’s battery champion; perfect if you’re likely to use your phone as your primary video screen or gaming screen.

It’s powered by the zippy A16 Bionic chip (the same chip under the hood of the 2022 iPhone 14 Pro duo) and features Dynamic Island - the unique pill-shaped cut-out that creates a slew of interaction capabilities. The other key update is USB-C charging (Rs 89,900 onwards)

Google Pixel 8 Pro: this one’s one of our favourite smartphone cameras of 2023. Google calls it the generative AI-era smartphone and it’s the camera that harnesses the AI capabilities of the phone to the hilt.

There are also some new hardware updates like a cool thermometer sensor. The AI-driven camera features include Audio Magic Eraser that erases audio tracks within a video that you don’t need and Best Take that works particularly well in group shots. You get the best pure-play Android experience and the reassurance of seven years of OS updates (Rs 1,06,999)

OnePlus Open: we call it a late mover’s advantage. OnePlus might have arrived late at the foldable party but they’ve got most things right with their first premium foldable. It’s one of our favourite smartphones of the year and finds the balance between form and function with a foldable smartphone that feels great in your hand.

OnePlus gives the cover display the same love as the main, tablet-style display and that might well be the clincher – there are dual 2K 120Hz fluid AMOLED ProXDR displays, a flagship-level, 6.31-inch cover display and a large 7.82-inch Tablet display once the phone unfolds. The OnePlus Open also features one of the best cameras on a foldable and has been co-designed with +. (Rs 1,39,999)

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: in many ways this is a culmination of Samsung’s pioneering efforts in the foldable space. Samsung has continued to brings refinements to its Z Fold and Z Flip line. One of the things you are likely to notice is the new ‘Flex Hinge’ that allows the Z Fold 5 to fold to a completely flat position with no gap.

We also dig the gorgeous, 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display that’s great for ‘mini-tablet’ things. The Z Fold 5 also offers DeX mode that mimics a desktop experience if you connect the device to an external display. (Rs 1,54,999 onwards)

OPPO Find N3 Flip: it’s probably one of the best flip smartphones you can buy. We like OPPO’s vertical orientation for the 3.26-inch cover display; it allows you to view apps in their native resolution.

The camera is another big win. It’s the only flip smartphone with a triple rear camera and has been co-designed with Hasselblad. This rear camera module is embellished with what OPPO calls a Cosmos Ring that adds to the premium vibe of the smartphone. The other highlight is the creaseless main display (6.8-inch LTPO AMOLED) once the phone unfolds. (Rs 94,999)