What makes a high-end smartphone different from a low-end one

Smartphones occupy a wide gamut of categories, where each one caters to specific users. However, there are two segments, in particular, that dominate and cover the majority of the landscape – the high-end and low-end. For the longest of time, most consumers perceived low-end phones as those being sold by carriers for “free” with a 2-year agreement. Conversely, most high-end phones were customarily attached with $200 on-contract prices. With the recent movement in the wireless industry, phones are now sold either in full without any subsidies, or placed on some sort of installation payment.

So, that begs the question of what makes a high-end phone better than a low-end one. We know that there are several obvious differences, which we explain below, but there are also subjective reasons that vouch otherwise. While it’s almost our natural inclination to believe that all high-end phones are superior to their low-end counterparts right from the get-go, there are exceptions to the rule. To the credit of devices in the low-end, their biggest selling point has to be arguably their savings – there’s just no comparison there.

Over the course of the last year, we’ve seen a radical shift in how phone manufacturers have scrutinized the low-end of the market. Consumers look at the $500+ sticker tags attached to most high-end phones and instantly have a conundrum about it, more so when many folks have been used to paying roughly $200 for one with a 2-year contract. That’s some serious chunk of change to shell out! In comparison, these $200 and under ‘affordably’ priced smartphones pose some intriguing propositions, especially from a monetary standpoint, which make them extremely attractive.

We can go on and on, but before we spoil too much right now, make sure to go through the listing below to uncover exactly what makes a high-end phone different from a low-end. Also, don’t forget about the video as well, seeing that we take a deeper dive into the whole thing.

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What makes a high-end phone different from a low-end one?

1. Superior construction & premium designs

Right from the get-go, even before handling phones, the design of a phone has the power to attract people. In general, higher end phones receive more attention to detail to their designs – so it’s not all that surprising that they’re accompanied with premium materials and better constructions. Phones adorned in leather, metal, and glass usually consist of high-end phones, while plastic continues to be the choice amongst low-end ones. Sure, some low-end phones attempt to follow a premium path with some sort of metal body, but usually they still come off a ‘cheap’ feeling.

2. Larger, higher resolution displays

This too has been a common theme amongst premium phones, they’re normally found having larger, higher resolution displays than their low-end mates. Quad-HD resolution has become the standard, while 720p is the customary resolution nowadays in most basic phones. However, the game is always evolving, as some competitively priced smartphones have donned 1080p resolution as well.

3. Unique Technology

Not all phones abide by this rule, seeing that many just strive to meet the specs requirement for high-end phones. A few, though, manage to come along with some extra goodies. For example, we have the Galaxy Note 5’s distinguished S Pen stylus, the iPhone 6s/6s Plus’ 3D Touch technology, and even the BlackBerry Priv’s unique touch sensitive keyboard. They might not be diehard features sought out by everyone, but nonetheless, high-end phones are accustomed to seeing unique technologies in them.

4. Latest & greatest chipsets

When you’re remarked as high-end, you know that the internal hardware is going to impress – so that’s why all high-end phones sport the latest and greatest chipsets. They’re necessary in giving them the tight responses we crave when it comes handling some of our intensive tasks. Sure, low-end phones can handle the easy and fluffy stuff, but when you’re trying to multi-task or juggle between multiple apps, their performances are usually riddled with delayed and sluggish responses. And there’s a reason why few low-end phones offer ‘true’ multi-tasking with apps.

5. Superior gaming performance

Following up on the previous reason, the hardware in high-end phones make them ideal for gaming – they won’t stutter with their performances. This is a particularly glaring reason why we refrain from running games on low-end phones, since they’re just not equipped to handle hardcore gaming. When you start to get frame rates of 15 FPS or lower, you know that a phone just won’t cut it, which is what we see in the majority of low-end phones. Conversely, though, we see smoother frame rates for 30+ FPS in most high-end phones.

6. Comprehensive software experiences

This one mainly pertains to Android phones, seeing that the platform is greeted with a vast amount of custom skins. For iOS and Windows-running devices, their experiences are uniform, as lower end models have identical software experiences. When looking at two Android phones from the same maker, those in the upper echelon have vastly superior, more comprehensive experiences. From one-handed modes, to true side-by-side apps multi-tasking, and much more, they’re true workhorses for power users. Low-end phone, on the other hand, still employ the same fundamental features, but all the secondary stuff are omitted.

7. Superior camera performance

This one, too, is a significant point that differentiates the two groups of smartphones. Yes, a phone with a higher megapixel camera isn’t automatically predisposed to being superior to those with a lower count one, but high-end phones house larger sensors and other internal goodies that enable them to produce better looking photos. Lighting plays a key source in everything, seeing that most phones nowadays are capable of snapping pleasant looking photos in sunny outdoor settings, but under low light, we see a huge disparity. The camera performance of most low-end phones in this situation come out unfavorable, due to noise inundating the shot, softer details, and a generally washed out composition. Oppositely, high-end phones deliver the goods with their brighter exposures and crisper details.

8. Longer battery life, shorter recharge times, & wireless charging

Due to how today’s contemporary smartphones are fashioned with large displays, manufacturers endow them with equally beefy sized batteries. This is a common practice amongst them, and when they’re combined with optimizations in their processors and software, high-end phones post longer battery life results than lower-end ones with smaller battery capacities. Our own battery benchmark test is indicative of this, as most of the phones at the top of the list are those in the upper-end. At the same time, these high-end phones offer rapid charging technology of some sort to complement them. And lastly, the really strong contenders are outfitted with wireless charging too.

9. More expensive prices

All of the aforementioned reasons converge together to classify today’s collection of high-end phone, so it’s no surprise that they’re more expensive. In fact, most high-end phones occupy the $500+ space – while low-end stuff can be bought for under $200 at times. Frankly, you’re paying more money for higher-end phones because they’re faster, better designed, offer more software features, capture superior photos/videos, and consistently have longer battery lives.