With the launch of the new OnePlus 9 Series this week, Android fans have another couple of phones to choose from that could satisfy their need for a flagship-level experience. Assuming the Galaxy S21 line-up didn’t do it back in January, the OnePlus 9 phones are excellent alternatives. Unfortunately, if neither of those families of phones scratched that itch, I’m not sure you have much else to choose from at this level of phone.
You may recall in 2019 when Tim talked about how Android, which for years found strength in choice, was quickly becoming a platform with fewer and fewer choices. In 2021, the situation has only gotten worse. At this point, Android in the US is down to just two players battling it out in the ultra-high-end space: Samsung and OnePlus. So if you entered 2021 hoping for the typical series of releases from familiar names, I hate to have to tell you this, but it’s not going to happen. This is it, man.
It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment that everything changed because the death of so many companies has been staggered. HTC was one of the first to go after pushing a number of duds. Motorola released several subpar Moto Z phones before exiting the flagship space for a couple of years. They have since returned with the Edge+, a limited-reach phone with a bonkers price that was mostly loathed by everyone except me. I couldn’t tell you if Sony makes phones today or not. Google ditched flagships this past year to spend more time in the mid-range arena. And now, LG appears to be ready to call it quits.
Meanwhile, Samsung continues to excel and pump out their usual goods and OnePlus clearly sees an opportunity left by all of those companies I mentioned above. While Samsung has operated in the $1,000 phone space for several years, OnePlus is fully engaged in it as well with phones accompanied by enormous specs lists. These two companies keep churning out quality devices that we often recommend, but again, they are the only options you have.
What if you don’t like either of their approaches to software or have some squabble over their update patterns? What if Google Pixel is all you’ve ever known, it’s time to upgrade, and you want their new phone that rivals Samsung’s? What if a DAC was a thing you cared deeply about? What if you loved that Hipster Troll Carwash commercial’s vibe, only in phone form? I’ve got nothing for you to help with any of that.
Making matters worse, Samsung is the only one of the two that has any sort of real carrier presence. OnePlus has found a partner in T-Mobile, but after taking on the OnePlus 8 last year, Verizon completely skipped the OnePlus 9 series. Should you walk into an AT&T or Verizon store and ask the sales associate to point you in the direction of the most advanced Android phones available, they’ll only be able to point you to Samsung. That’s not good.
Unfortunately, I don’t see things changing any time soon. Making and selling $1,000 phones isn’t a task many have found success in. If LG really does leave, Motorola continues on a path of irrelevance, and Google finds comfort in not having to make a phone worthy of a $1,000 price tag, you better find a way to love what Samsung or OnePlus have to offer. Or you could buy an iPhone.
The Xperia 1 III is coming…
Ive tried both and liked neither. I still cant comprehend how anybody can use that bloated Samsung mess of an android skin.
OnePlus is almost there but still rough around the edges.
I miss LG already
the last part of the article mentions perhaps the most important aspect of this entire topic, which is the vendors:T-Mobile Verizon AT&T.they would love it if all they had to do is sell three different kinds of phones. they are the ones preventing Americans from buying xiaomi, oppo and other quality phones. and yes, surely you knew that Sony really does make phones! (with excellent cameras). the other important aspect is the rise of mid-range phones…thank you Pixel 3a and moto!
Let’s hope Nothing makes something like the Essential Phone 2. We need more options.
I’ll continue to buy which ever phone company allows me to unlock the bootloader. Right now, 1+1 is winning and I love my op7 pro. It’s hands down the next phone I’ve ever owned and I have little intention on upgrading anytime soon
Nobody goes into a carrier store and asks for “an Android phone.” They ask for either a Samsung or an iPhone, end of story.
Samsung is my favorite cause it let’s me limit my Google footprint.
I walked by the Samsung tables at Best Buy- I hate them! Icons look stupid!
Love my $349 Pixel 4a. Phones are NOT worth high prices! Just switched my 12 and 14 yo kids from Android to iOS with iPhone SEs– also great deals. I’ll probably switch myself with the iPhone 13.
Android manufacturers priced themselves out of the game with their expensive, locked bootloaders and sealed designs, which prevent long term use.
wait… they priced themselves out of the game but you love your $349 4a ?
This is my 1st Samsung device (Note 20 Ultra), and I LOVE it. I don’t use the S Pen though. I love this screen, and it serves my needs. Even if it is really too much device for me ????
Just cannot go back to Sammy. Can’t do it.
Google will eventually return to making a top tier phone in terms of specs, though. It’s coming.
It is called Free Market. The companies that do a good job overall will survive. Conversely, the others will fizzle out because they failed to stay competitive.
A decrease of Android OEMs will help solve the Android OS fragmentation problem. Thus, bringing some standardization; which is Apple’s strength. Standardization will also be good for Software Developers and the overall end user experience.
Oneplus will have to now raise their standard to match or exceed Samsung and Apple or they will fizzle out too. In the meantime, Samsung and Apple will continue to try to one up each other.
Personally, I like the Android OEM consolidation. It will get a lot of the limited Android OS supported junk/garbage phones of the market. Which means the overall quality of the remaining Android phones will be better.
im curious what standardization and fragmentation issues that will be solved with this ???? Currently through their own devices Samsung has android 7-11, they have multiple screen ratios and now foldables as well. Samsung creates more than a dozen SKUs every year, all different specs and sometimes different software versions. Im not sure how this, in your mind, competes with apple?
If Samsung was the only provider for Android we would still have most of our issues only now we would have less options that cater specs to our own use cases ,which many would say is a keypoint to android; options.
If android/samsung becomes more and more like apple, why not just skip ahead and go with apple?
Seriously?!? That is the dumbest comment ever!
This is bad for all of us. The whole point of Android is choices/options. Which is great for consumers.
If you want “standardization and consolidation” and only one choice, then Apple is the brand for you. So good luck with the switch and peace out! You won’t be missed!
The question isn’t who we are going to get our highest end phone from, the question is why should the average person care about flagship phones anymore?
A $350 Pixel 4a does not give a massively different functional experience than a $1200 S21 Ultra. The aesthetic experience is nicer to be sure, but it’s not really enabling a new wave of mobile use cases.
It’s the same feeling I get when I look at laptop reviews. Look at this creator device! Look how quickly it processes video editing! Great, now how much of a difference does it make opening gmail or paying my utilities? They are lifestyle devices for a lifestyle that most people don’t have. I’m not going to suddenly become a youtuber if I buy a M1 MacBook Pro nor am I going to become a TikTok star if I have an S21 Ultra or a pro fortnite player if I have an ROG Phone 5.
I need a phone to send messages, take some pictures, and otherwise waste time when I have to wait for something. I’m a tech junkie so I do like following the high end stuff and own way too many flagships, but I sure am not using these things to their greatest capabilities and I really don’t NEED them.
The phone industry is like the sneaker industry. I don’t need to be wearing Adidas Ultraboost to go grocery shopping. It doesn’t stop me from wanting them and the idea that using a high end sneaker will make my whole life better is appealing. You start thinking of all the situations where it would really be nicer to be using that sneaker than something more pedestrian. At the end of the day though, I just need something to keep my feet clean and dry for the 10 minutes I’m taking to buy toothpaste at Target.
This comment right here! Eye totally agree with you. We’re letting the companies tell us what we want and need instead of doing research and thinking for ourselves. All of your examples were perfect. In the sneakers the s21 ultra and the 4a and the m1 macbook… It’s almost guaranteed that 80% of s21 ultra users have no clue of what their phone is fully capable of. And like you said, the 4a will do mostly everything that someone will need to do on their phone with no issues or hiccups
One of the best comments I’ve ever read. Love how you casually mention that you actually do own the high end flagships yourself. You’ve fallen into the trap too but it gives you even more credibility
Never can go wrong with iPhone and Apple ecosystem so yeah agree just go with iPhone ????
I don’t. Samsung puts ads in its OS even though you may pay over $1000 for a phone and oneplus has gotten too expensive. If it was between the two I would choose oneplus due to the ads though.
Good luck asking any of these morons in carrier stores for any meaningful advice on an Android phone!
I think Android oems shrinking is good for android. Google can focus more on strengthening the partnerships they have going forward. Maybe work on really pushing these OEMs to push outMajor OS updates quicker.
Maybe if Google ever releases their own chip, those OEMs could use that instead of Qualcomm.
Google isn’t done with the overpriced flagship market.
OnePlus is a joke of a “flagship” phone since it doesn’t even have OIS. That seems basic even in a midrange in 2021. I won’t even consider a phone that doesn’t have OIS.
My 8T has it. Not sure what you’re talking about. Is there no OIS on any of the 9 series? Maybe I missed that?
Apparently the Pro does, but not the base. OIS should be standard these days.
Apparently the “Pro” has it but the regular One Plus 9 does not, which doesn’t make any sense to me.
Apparently the “Pro” has it but the regular One Plus 9 does not, which doesn’t make any sense to me.
While some of what this post claims is true, a lot of it is false. A majority of the devices around, especially the Pixel 5. No longer need the absolute maximum specs to perform great. After using an iPhone for awhile, both Google and Sony’s “mid-range” devices could easily outperform iOS.
At this point in the game for Android, software is just as important as the hardware. Google realized that.
Pixel 5 is fast phone but it gets bogged down easily, it’s UI feels very fast mostly until you open any browser and start scrolling, Pixel 5 is underpowered phone IMO, replying from my Pixel 5, I recently sold my iPhone 12 Pro Max to pay bills but before 12 Pro I had S21 Ultra.
It really is getting sad in the Android flagship side of things. I can’t stand the look of Samsung’s UI and Oneplus is still very questionable in the update department. Not to mention the ridiculous trend of reserving the best features for the biggest device. I really just can’t stand third party adaptations of Android anymore (don’t know why)
I really really hope that the Pixel 5 was just a “covid screwed us but we had to release something” phone and they make an attempt at releasing a flagship tier Pixel this year…
Samsung has improved a lot. They have timely OS updates and a wide range of products. I would never buy an OP. But Motorola can be my 2nd choice if they can kick it up a notch or two.
I was a Motorola fan until the last Moto Z which wasn’t even a flagship phone. I bought a Samsung S10+ and was very happy with it. I was really on the fence when Motorola came out with the Edge+. Mostly because Samsung has now killed Samsung Pay with the awesome MST ability. But, once I found out that the S21+ had a flat screen, that was what got me to jump on the trade-in deal and I am happy with the S21+. If Motorola came out with a great, flat screened flagship, I just might consider them again.
Does this mean OnePlus will eventually get a good trade-in value from other OEMs?
Not much to complain about so far. Samsung and OnePlus are crushing it but both have to worry about Apple. This is why Samsung and OnePlus cannot afford to produce crappy phones. More choice would be nice though.
I don’t know why, but I just never liked Samsung’s design language, hardware or UI-wise. Which is why I’ve never owned a single Samsung Android device (on the other had, I have other Samsung stuff… TVs and my appliances). So, between those two, I’d rather OnePlus. However, they still kept leaving me with something to be desired, which is why I’ve yet to own a OnePlus device. However, I would definitely consider them if a better option (for me) wasn’t available.
As for now, I’m plenty happy with the ROG Phone 3 despite its flaws.
My answer to that question in 2020 was to keep my Pixel 4 XL for another year. I’ve owned every Nexus and Pixel phone from the Galaxy Nexus on except for a brief diversion in 2014 to a Droid Turbo. The Pixel 5 was not an unequivocal upgrade. I really hope they have one this year, but if not, well, I guess I can save some money again.
The Chinese phone makers are giving us good options, but I don’t see them making big inroads in the US. Android has become stagnant and so has most of the devices that run it.
Does the author of this not read his own site?!? Sony makes kickass phones… you just can’t easily buy them or they’re stupid expensive. I think Sony is in a good spot to take LG’s #3 position if they really wanna put some money behind it. Good cameras, gorgeous displays, and beautiful hardware.
Let’s go, SONY!!!
LOL you answered your own question. I do agree with you about Sony making great phones. I thought the same thing about 6 years ago when I bought my Xperia Z2 (international version) that had to be imported because Sony has no interest in the US market. Don’t get your hopes up, it’s just not gonna happen bud.
6 years ago wasn’t Sony having no interest in the US market, it was them being held out by Verizon. Verizon had some kind of patent leverage over Sony and the only way to stay would have been to bend over.
And awfully buggy software from my experience, a laundry list of random issues on my Xperia 1 ii – so many I no longer trust the phone.
+1 on Sony phones. I am good with my s21 ultra and direction Samsung is going. Don’t discount Motorola, they are a $9B company who got a niche. Check out reviews of some of their 21 line up. The only other company besides Samsung to do a Stylus and it is not bad.
Maybe it’s the plethora of $1,000+ phones that’s the problem. It seems nobody besides Samsung and Google can tick all or most of the boxes. There’s always something missing or screwed up. Most android phones even today can’t take a decent photo, that includes OnePlus with their unnecessary hasselblad marketing hype. How is it that Samsung and Google have figured out photography without hasselblad? Most oems can’t update their phones worth a crap and play the blame game with carriers. Some phones tick most boxes but drop the ball on waterproofing or wireless charging, looking at you Google with the lack of wireless charging on the pixel 4a 5g.
This article is spot-on here in the US. In the rest of the world, there are quite a few more high-end options than we get here.
I finally plugged the trigger on the Note 20 Ultra which I still can’t believe I spent the money on an open box, but I think I will be satisfied with the camera experience compared to the OnePlus 8.
You can also take solace in the fact that you got basically the last flagship handset with expandable storage!
ASUS ROG 5 for me this round. The only flagship phone that isn’t fvcking around with a notch, a hole punch, or a motorized pop up cam.
I was two clicks away from buying the 9 pro and am glad that I came to my senses. I honestly don’t see the reason in buying a flagship anymore. Qualcomm has ensured that just about any phone over $200 takes decent day and night pics. I’m just hoping I can get through another year with my OP5. Maybe by then the Moto Gs of the world will be as fast as my four year old flagship. The 765 is slower in some situations and faster in others compared to the OP5, but hard to justify a $500 price tag on something that only shaves a few milliseconds loading web pages in chrome. I really want that three to four day life with twelve hours sot that you get in the Moto G Power.
I guess that really depends on how you’re defining “flagship”. Personally, every OEM has a flagship. Flagship does not mean all the top-tier specs.
Then what does it mean?
The frontrunner of the OEM out of their lineup, whether it’s a single phone or their line. Google’s? Pixel 5. Samsung? Their S line. Apple? Could be the 12 Pro Max, could be both 12 Pros. OnePlus? Currently their 9’s.
Just really wish Samsung wasn’t pushing the Note off, likely cancelling it all together. No one else makes a wide aspect ratio phone…that was the entire reason I went with Notes…I DON’T WANT TO get used to using a phone with the aspect ratio of a snickers bar which is the direction OEM’s are heading (Sony)….might even push me to Apple at some point.
I know they said it will be back in 2022, but I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility for them to decide not to follow through on that and is probably likely.
I can’t stand the One UI and can’t put my finger on why. I’d buy a OnePlus but it seems their UI is more like One UI then stock Android now. I almost pulled the trigger on the OnePlus 9 today but paused because I bought an S20 FE and it is back in the box as the backup phone instead of my primary phone. I’ll stick with my Pixel 3 I guess until I see what Google has in the pipeline. Wish there were more choices.
The whole OnePlus is now OneUI thing is massively overblown.
The main change is the settings now have a large title to move the stuff down in the list to make it easier for one handed use. That’s about it.
The stuff that actually matters like the launcher, notification shade, and all the various small UI elements are the same as they ever were and much cleaner and closer to pixel.
I say this as a current Pixel 5, OP8P and S21 Ultra owner.
Thanks for the reply! Much appreciated.
If that’s the case why are updates getting slower? Or is that overblown too? Serious question
My last three phones (of consequence) have been from OnePlus. I am currently using the 8T…without any issues for me! Their “updates” are no slower than any other top-notch OEM. Then again, it all depends on what you mean by updates? To me an update can be either a bug fix, or a new OS/upgrade. Now if you mean a security patch??? Well, that’s another issue altogether. OnePlus has a well documented policy of bi-monthly security patches. Fine with me. But this also means that right before you receive a security patch your phone may be 3 months behind! OMG it’s the end of the world! And then when you do get it…OMG>>>>it’s still a month behind!
BIG DEAL…how many phones do you ever hear of being compromised by a late security update? ZERO-NONE-NADA-no bueno! Security breeches on cell phones is because of very, vary bad decisions of end users by installing infected software from unreputable sources. So, I say that OnePlus is very good at updates that count.
Samsung change so much functionality and move things around for no reason at all – it makes moving to a Samsung feel odd after any other Android.
Do you remember how they used to put their softkeys the other way round to everyone else – drove me crazy every time I picked one up.
What about the ROG 5?
I found a lot of the “choice” was kinda illusory over the years, like sure, i love having the choice of a giant phone with bad battery life, or a giant phone with a bad camera, or a giant phone with a bad screen, or a giant phone with an unbelievably bad software skin, or a giant phone with a giant price tag that still isn’t great for whatever reason. Maybe its not easy to make money selling phones with the compromises people seem to want, but there’s no way its completely impossible to make money selling phones
Sony Xperia 1 ii was a big upgrade from pixel 3 xl while keeping the sa!e feel of the bare Android launcher, but I returned the unit after I realized Xperia 1 iii was around the corner.
I just noticed that I paid $649 for my unlocked P2 64GB 2 1/2 years ago and now I can get an unlocked S21 256 GB for the same price. Crazy!
Sony still makes very good phones. They just suck at releasing/marketing them in the US. I really like my Xperia 1 II a lot. I do feel Sony could gain some traction if they would just put in more effort with releasing their phones in the US.
i’d love to know how much of this is natural market consolidation and how much is just because of the completely awful way phones are sold in the states
Every phone Sony has produced is butt ugly ???? No thank you.
People don’t really buy phones outside of carriers though. When OnePlus decided to join T-mobile they more than doubled their sales.
What else can you do to smartphone that hasn’t already been done 5 years ago. Upgrading to new phones are boring and are a big waste of money especially when they’re more than a house payment. People’s priorities these days is fucked up
Well stated & I totally agree. I use to be a device junkie and finally got to a point about 2yrs ago saying enough is enough. Nothing changes that much, IU dont use the device like I use to so why waste the $$ as I gain nothing in doing so besides draining the bank account more & for what.
The things I want, I’m not sure they can be done:
1. Wirelessly back up my phone & be able to restore it exactly how it was before reset/upgrade. Meaning, install Nova & set as default launcher (with all settings/customizations restored), install weather widget & settings, etc.
2. Be able to use the same app at the same time, i.e. be running Instagram, then hit my multitask gesture & go to IG in another tab (for this of us with 2 accounts).
Samsung phones can do this not just with instagram but also whats app and other social media apps
So I can have 2 Facebooks running at the same time?
I can’t imagine wanting to have even one instance of Facebook running anywhere at any time…ever!
It was an example, but……….yea.
I’m still surprised the Moto X didn’t do better. I could really go for one of those again. Or Google steps back up and makes a premium Pixel again but gets it right like they did with the Pixel 1.
I pulled out my Moto X1 not too long ago, and I forgot how tiny it was! Of course, back then, phones had bigger screen bezels. With its relatively small bezels, its screen was big for its overall size.
I really liked what they did with the first three generations of Moto X, with the vast array of customization options. It’s a shame that Lenovo gave up on that.
I’d love to see a return to form. Something more akin to the first gen Moto X but with a slightly bigger body/screen (not as massive as the Moto X3!) and better hardware. Keep the OS close-to-stock, and they could have a real winner.
Choice is nice. But at the end of the day, how can phone companies really differentiate. In a few years their front screens will all look the same, and most of the hardware is also shared.
Sadly we’re already in those times and companies keep putting out bs for us to pick through. All they need to do is fully optimize what’s already out there and working. We don’t need new features every phone release.
Maybe the problem is that we plateaued a long time ago and everyone lost to Samsung. But this seems like a time someone could step up as an alternative, yet everyone is exiting the space. Well, except OnePlus who might find a spot.
The only other brands that seem to have momentum are the wave of Chinese value phones. That’s the big pocket of dynamism in the Android ecosystem right now.
Huawei were doing this in the rest of the World then along came the ban…
1) Screens without ludicrously narrow aspect ratios.
2) Put back IR emitters.
3) Put back swappable batteries.
I don’t seem to be the only one with interest in the above.