Red Magic 12 Edition!>What phone has X and Y feature?https://www.gsmarena.com/search.php3https://www.kimovil.com/en/compare-smartphoneshttps://phonedb.net/index.php?m=device&s=query>Reviewshttps://www.gsmarena.comhttps://www.phonearena.comhttps://www.notebookcheck.net>Recommended phoneshttps://www.gsmarena.com/smartphone_buyers_guide-review-2036.php>Frequency Checkershttps://www.frequencycheck.comhttps://kimovil.com/en/frequency-checkerhttps://willmyphonework.net>Visual Phone Size Comparisonhttps://phonesized.com/https://www.phonearena.com/phones/size>Rooting and custom ROMs>Beware carrier variants with locked bootloadershttps://wiki.lineageos.org/deviceshttps://iode.tech/installationhttps://grapheneos.org/installhttps://crdroid.net/downloadshttps://postmarketos.orghttps://xdaforums.com>Open source Android applicationshttps://f-droid.org>App compatibility list for de-googled phoneshttps://plexus.techlore.tech>Custom ROMs suggestions, privacy guideshttps://gearjail.neocities.org/index-phone>Debloating stock ROMshttps://github.com/Universal-Debloater-Alliance/universal-android-debloater-next-generation>OS-wide ad blockingblokada, nextdns etc.>Try out OneUIhttps://trygalaxy.com>Post a mini-review of your phone>Discuss upcoming and current models>Ask for help related to phonesPrevious Thread: >>110029723
Real thread>>110074374>>110074374>>110074374
Should I get a Fold 8 or iPhone Duo? I've been waiting on foldables since the Fold 2. I tried that one and it left a lot to be desired and I've used my 14 Pro since, waiting for Apple to make a folding phone. But now I'm unsure. There's a big price difference.
Global Top Used Smartphones Aug-Sept
>>110074489Based Red Magic OP>>110074554Get the Duo for the A20 Pro soc.
>>110074554get the duo
>>110074554the Samsung has a soc that's slower than the iPhone 17 base models soc. The Duo has the A20 Pro.
>>110074554Duo is just so much more powerful >>110074729Crazy how underpowered it is compared to the Duo
>>110074729true id get the Duo over the Fold 8 for this reason
People are reporting Fold 8 front screen failures.https://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyZFold/comments/1vgo9no/fold_8_already_broken/
Here’s your quality fold device…https://www.androidpolice.com/z-fold-8-fans-have-noticed-a-worrying-display-issue/
I never post here but my S23U has a cracked screen and now a line going across it. It still works but probably not for longer and flickers on the bottom 2/3rd of the screen now. Still torn between getting it repaired (~$400) or a new phone. I don't want to drop 1k on a new similar phone and this has 12 gigs of ram. The only downside is the camera kind of is showing age even thought it was amazing when I first got it. Thoughts?
Kino Versus video https://youtu.be/YZyw5ePzyig?is=XA1i6faSiE3iUxgX
Users are complaining about uneven screens....https://www.phonearena.com/news/galaxy-z-fold-8-possible-inherent-vice_id183063
>>110074969Get the new phone dude
>>110074969too much to fix such a old device that you already seem to not like much anymore (camera) just upgrade
>>110074969Get a OnePlus 15 that has 16gb ram?
>>110075029I love my OnePlus 15 with 16gb ram. Anon should get it!
>>110074973Oof!
>>110074982my friends Fold 8 actually did that....
>>110075029>OnePlusthey're kill
Real thread
>>110075130No word on if it’s gonna work on T-Mobile but if it does I’ll import one.
What's with the influx of retards who don't understand the partnership between Samsung and Apple>hurrr samsung makes the iphones they're samsung phones>hurrrrrrrr it's the same screen they buy them from samsung! samsung is duh best
>>110074942>>110074960>>110074973>>110074982Top Kek
>>110075176>>110075181Based
Based Tom's Guide.https://youtu.be/QJVNbFMd-zQ?is=3Io2NMenT5lJV4Ci
New In Depth Tech Review video.The Galaxy S26 Ultra overheated causing it to crash and its temperature reached 47°C while the Pixel 11 Pro XL was lagging and the iPhone 18 Pro Max was running smoothly during the heavy workload test.https://youtu.be/dVqVGMPsZ-M?is=JRXfeOXAqj8kvPVQ
>>110075514Been an android guy my whole life. Apple always seemed like a cult and had too many issues with games which is my primary use. Doubt I'll ever actually make the switch but it's tempting just to see what things are like on the other side.
Global Smartphone Sales For 2024 and 2025.
The TechNick BENCHMARK test video is super based too. No wonder the anon is posting OLD stuff without the iPhone 18 Pro Max in it. https://youtu.be/xpXYYQ6SNdw?is=IvANeEJ_6kNUgMsl
>>110075530>>110075571Kino>>110075532I enjoy my android and ios smartphones but I get what you’re saying. I respect you bro.
Why are Samshills genuinely so mad about the Duo? I see them fucking everywhere just spouting literal nonsense for the sake of talking shit
>>110075599How hard is it to switch if you have never used apple before? Can I still use my gmail and most of my apps? What about shit like gacha games? Ignoring stuff like the processors and cameras what are the real differences between apple and android? Is it just a vibes thing or do they really function differently?
>>110075629You can still use all the same apps, if anything there are way more iOS exclusive apps than the other way around because of how convenient it is for developers to only worry about a select handful of devices/screen sizes. All the gacha games are on the App Store. You're only losing things like decomped games (i.e Pokemon Red/Blue) and PS2/Gamecube/Wii emulation.
>>110075646Hmm didn't know it was that easy, I'm looking into getting a phone this black friday. Might give the iphone a consideration. No interest in those dumb fold phones though. My friend has one and he spent almost as much on it as I did on my entire state of the art pc a few years ago. Feels like a retarded gimmick 99% of people won't even utilize fully.
Probably my last post on this but I'm still confused on how to compare the cheap chinese phones.Anons in the last threads recommended me to get either the Oppo A6c 12 or the Poco C85. The C85 has higher ram and storage so I'm guessing it's better?Is a used S21 Plus better?Cheap Xiaomi-brand phones have pretty shit ram despite being more expensive. Only 3GB on the A7.
>>110075761I still don't understand why the Poco C81 Pro is shittier than the C85 despite coming out this year as well.
For the Duo bros still looking for a case without adhesives:The Spigen clear case has enough grip on the phone where you don't really have to use the adhesive stickers. It holds very well with them still sealed. Found out through this review https://youtu.be/u2T0JzyrYVw?si=VhSmxX2ZHcbg7pZC&t=1292
The world‘s largest smartphone factory is located in india and its owned and operated by Samsung.https://www.androidauthority.com/did-you-know-largest-smartphone-factory-3627089/
Here's the newest TechNick BATTERY test video! https://youtu.be/leXTwxc9dSU?is=qvq9UqivYvXYbXBF
>>110075514>>110075530>>110075571Great numbers tbqh. higher than the soc in the s26 ultra and red magic 11s pro.https://wccftech.com/apples-a20-pro-shatters-geekbench-6-records-beats-m5-max/
Why does Google even try anymore?
>walled garden Google will be locking down Android harder…. it’s so over.
>>110074554Got my preorder ready for iPhone duo tomorrow morning. I deemed foldables truly ready when the fold 7 came out and really wanted one but I’ll admit that I’m too locked into iOS at this point. Everyone at my work has an iPhone, every member of my family has an iPhone, I have a credit card and bank account through them and desu, I’m not unhappy with any of it. I’m happy to finally get my hands on a foldable that doesn’t require me to upend my digital life.
>>110076122Based and redpilled. Which case are you going with?
>>110076002That will be my case. I only rock Spigen.>>110076122Based.
How are we almost in 2027 and notches are still a thing? No one needs a powerful front facing camera. I'm so tired of having no option to get rid of it.
>>110076125Spigen. I’ve been using there cases forever and they’ve always been good to me.
>>110076143Same! :^)
>>110076068True
>>110074489Who /iPhone18ProMax/ here?>nooooooooo saars do not redeem the iphone you bloody fuck bitch!!!!Kek lmao.
>>110076421If it wasn’t for the duo, I wouldn’t be upgrading this year at all so no on the 18 pro or pro max.
>>110076421I have never spent more than 200 dollars on a phone. And yes I am white. But also I have a crippling drug addiction so I can't get a good job or save enough money for nice things.
>>110076421I got the same black iPhone 18 pro max with 512gb and also pre ordered the Duo and check it out tomorrow. :)
>>110076116Its only a matter of time, graphene will be forced to bend the knee...
S27u waiting room :)
Counterpoint released the top selling smartphones data for Q2 2026.https://counterpointresearch.com/en/insights/global-smartphone-shipments-q2-2026
Samsung can't even stop the green lines from happening and it's been a known issue since the s21. Android authority literally has articles out explaining how Samsung's own update is causing the green line issue too.https://r1.community.samsung.com/t5/galaxy-gallery/android-authority-green-line-bug-reports-acknowledged/td-p/26560512https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/1p9x65b/samsung_green_lines_issue_is_back_users_claim/
>>110076788Electricians figured the green line issues with Samsungs and they won't issue a recall or fix; it's the updates melting the ribbon connector.
>>110076131>>110076421Based Chads
>>110076137ZTE got you covered with their Nubia and Redmagic. Sony just doesn't care about screen to body ratio so their phones follow the classic style.
>>110076982Never heard of Nubia before but they look interesting. Price is good too, what's the catch?
https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/support/articles/00413319sony offers even less than initially advertised
Is 2gb of extra ram worth the $30 markup on chinese phones?
>>1100772444 to 6 yes6 to 8 yes
>>110077046Software isn’t the best and has only 2 years of software support. Gaming wise it’s the best due to the cooling.
>>110077288Is software and security support actually a big deal? All my phones have been ancient motorola's and I've never had any problem with them and I don't think they ever get updates. I don't really get this obsession with needing constant updates feels like snake oil to me.
>>110077299My red magic 11 pro runs fine but they really aren’t known for lasting for more than 4 years before things like the fan start to act up. People say they just get the fan cleaned or replaced and it’s all good.
Here's the latest iOS 27 beta with the latest Siri ai VS the latest Gemini ai. You can use the link to watch the video to see the before and after results and it's not even close the new Siri AI beats the Gemini AI in photo and video editing. Google messed up the parking lot lines for the parking spaces, it also messed up the guy's eyes when removing glasses, it also messed up removing his hand holding the laptop and finally it was not able to remove the entire shelf against the wall. The new Siri ai did better even though it was a beta.https://youtu.be/d5wocIfmNbM?is=pe-m70UutkI313Tp
Everything you need to get an ad-free YouTube Music experience on iOS without paying for a subscription, you can sideload custom modified IPA files like YTLitePlus or YouTubeiVanced using tools like Sideloadly, AltStore, or SideStore. With Google locking down, it's crazy to think in 2027 iOS will be able to install files without a pc and android will need a 24 hour wait than a pc adb file load. No waiting time is needed to use ipa files and sideloaded apps on iOS.https://youtu.be/aJhO-bQbszo?is=5vu2cbq6pXgtLkR9
>>110077299Kinda? Retarded companies love making apps require new Software versions. Stuff like Banking apps as well.
Global top selling smartphones 2024-2026
Based Apple
>>110077257>6 to 8Now that Poco C85 seems tempting.Really crazy to see the new cheap phones being more expensive despite giving less ram and storage. Even the cheapest Samsung only has 4gb.
I have an iPhone 16 Pro Max, and I was going to wait for the 20 to come out next year. But now that Duo pre-orders go live in a few hours, I'm getting fomo. I use the telephoto lens quite a bit, so I don't know how I feel about losing that.
>>110077593You either value the camera or having an iPad mini in your pocket. Choose which one is more important to you. I doubt I will even notice the lack of telephoto. Can’t remember the last time I used it.
Not really an android guy but I have an android tablet realistically how long and worth it would it be to degoy/debloat/degoogle it? I wouldn't be doing anything illegal tier I just want regularish privacy, I really don't know how bad android is nowadays. Is f-droid as secure as your average linux distro repo? >READ THE STICKY!!!None of that answers my question within an hour because I don't even know what the slurry of words in the links mean
Is F-droid available on chinese phones too?
>>110074489that phone looks amazing
Retarded question but what's the best phone for local ai generation? I know of draw things for ios, but what snapdragon won't ack itself running say, a 24b llm or whatever?
>>110076671Yep, mine's the same as yours, yes I could afford the bigger storage variants but I prefer TLC over QLC storage.
>yuo see, smasnug is now actually the jeet phone even if iPhonos are made in India.geg, everybaldi here is a projecting shill
>>110079397Huh? >>110076068
>>110078115The only local AI you're getting on your phone is the survailance type
>>110079460>Nice spellingsurveillance
Which one is good?
What do you think Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 pro 5G anons?But, please, compare with those at the same price.
>>110080251They still sell Note 13 Pros? I only see Note 17s
So is it better to get a S22 or a budget phone from 2025?The only problem seems to be outdated software.
>>110080251Get the xiaomi 18 pro>>110080589Wait for the s27 Ultra.
>>110080429Yeah they still sell it.>>110080657Already I have a phone.
Preordered an iPhone Juo like a consumerist drone
>>110081060Based and employed by a real job pilled
>>110081060Same. Says it'll arrive Nov 2 - 9
The Swiss apple store stayed in maintenance for like 10 minutes longer (at least on my PC and phone) and the phone fucking sold out instantly, every single configuration up to the highest one that's extremely expensiveWhat the fuck?Earliest delivery Nov 27- Dec 3 I could probably get a Z Fold 8 for 500 by black friday (its at 1200 now) with how fast the price is nose diving for that one, where did the demand for this foldable come from I might be seething
>>110081129Now it's up to January I'm convinced people just fucking hate Android here
>>110081161It’s not just you. Here in the states I couldn’t get the store to load until 2 minutes after the scheduled time. Initially my preorder didn’t load and when i closed the app and reordered there was no local pickup available and delivery scheduled for Nov 16-23. Hilarious how many people thought the Duo wouldn’t sell.
>>110075029>>110075057Can you guys recommend anything around the ~$400-500 range?
>>110081060>>110081122>>110081129>>110081161Late January-February now. If you don't like the phone you could genuinely sell it for profit.
>Heh nothing personnel, gaijin
Top ranked smartphones with the highest antutu and geekbench 6 averages.https://www.antutu.com/web/ranking
https://www.oneplus.com/uk/adjustment>Be OnePlus in 2025>Prior to the release of the OnePlus 15 spg anons claimed this will be a pivotal move for high quality flagship smartphones at decent price points>Release gamer centric flagship OnePlus 15>Get rid of Hasselblad partnership>Camera quality drops>Brag about the amazing cooling the new smartphone has>Professional phone reviews all show the device crashing from overheating and causing thermal throttling>2026 Shut down all Global operations and only sell the following OnePlus releases in ChinaHow could this happen?
>>110075514>>110075530>>110075571>>110076101The A20 Pro is very impressive. The iPhone Duo has a A20 Pro in it too! :^)https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/apples-a20-pro-shatters-geekbench-7-single-core-record-2nm-chip-beats-desktop-intel-core-i9-and-amd-ryzen-9-by-up-to-32-percent
>>110077438Kino!!!
>>110081490kek pls understand SD6 Gen 1 is too slow
>>110081537Really feels like x86 is living on borrowed time at this point.
Did Huawei stop making budget phones?
>Most powerful foldable smartphone
Really hoping my delivery date gets bumped up. Waiting a month is going to be excruciating.
>>110082151His dad was Syrian and mother was American Caucasian. He was adopted and raised by a white American family in California when he was a baby. You made the indian thing up.Anyways I get my Duo in January. :^)Salty anons aren’t too happy.
>>110082222I passed on the December/January pre-order. Opted for pre-orders with pickup from two separate retailers instead and if I don't get it on launch I'll just cancel. I don't feel like waiting 2 months. The ZFold 8 is gonna be down to like 500 bucks if it keeps nose diving as it is, might just try that one.
>>110082237But it won’t be iPhone anon. As much as this board hates to admit it, iOS is superior to android. That’s why it commands the zealot like fervor it does.
>>110082151His parents were not from India, he was raised in California. Stop posting your made up fantasy stories. You even cropped out his mom's name.>>110082222Based
>>110082283trvkenvke... think i'm just coping...
New In Depth Tech Review video.Cellular battery drain test!https://youtu.be/XjEgx6Djof8?si=HV_AuwMWUlc57zxL
Few more caught fire recently after the first incident of a s26 ultra catching fire while charging was reported on the official Samsung website with photo evidence as well. A s26 also recently exploded as well.https://r1.community.samsung.com/t5/galaxy-s/s26-ultra-caught-fire-while-charging/td-p/37941268
>>110074969Either stop caring and continue as normal or drop like 150 and get a whole screen, aluminum frame assembly and transplant all the stuff from your current phone.
>>110082222Holy moly Batman
What color did you guys go with? I opted for the night sky. I think it’s a more elegant look than the white with the bright chrome bezel.
>>110082222King.
>>110077244Yes, at any price point
>>110082526I did the same. I have a white/silver/whatever 16 Pro Max and I figured I'd switch it up
>>110081490people shit on apple but even older device still get new updates, this is why I am never buying android desu
>>110083212Exactly same situation with me.
>samsung makes great foldables for years>apple shits out some slop and slaps their logo on it>sells out globally in minuteswhy? someone genuinely explain. why would you buy gen 1 dogshit.
you all only discuss flagships?
>>110074572>unknown >other
>>110084050>>110084051Super Salty >>110084469Unknown is fake off brand smartphones and other is Linux based ones
Iqoo 15r or Poco F8 pro? Preferably something I can use out of the box. I'm too lazy to flash new rom. Or is there any alternative?
Red Magic makes some of the most based videos!https://youtu.be/zt9kZsagm64?si=XcNYun7ZcERgtERF
Based DameTech video https://youtu.be/nB48XcgvHxE?is=imr1KrKdNnJorkbY
>>110084050Folding phones aside, Samsung is overrated and an entirely mid phone brand. They were mid 15 years ago, and still now, despite how overpriced their phones are. Fuck apple, too.
>>110084050
My duo arrives launch day, which is surprising. I am never lucky like this...
>>110074489I have a oneplus 10 that has a fucked up camera, what should i replace it with? i asked this in the last thread and noone answered....
>>110074489is moto g67 okay for a boomer to chat and browse web? I know nothing about phones but need something for my dad inb4: 67
>>110085360Which websites are you looking at for prices?
>>110085069Happy for you but also fuck you.
>Apple announces duo>after seeing what a disappointment it is, everyone searches for a good foldablehearty kek
>>110085198Nothing phone
>>110085816>iPhone duo instantly sells out through 2027>people resort to Samsung that they are already discounting to make sell
>>110085198And even posting it for the 2nd time you include absolutely no info
>>110081852Based Apple mogging other foldables on the first try
The Great Noticing Continues
Good front facing camera comparison photo
>>110085856this but unironically
>>110085816OMEGAKEK
The cope is real. They all claimed the Duo would flop and it has sold out internationally until late January 2027.
Don't forget about UL Solutions! It's a great site as well.https://benchmarks.ul.com/compare/best-smartphones?amount=200&sortBy=PERFORMANCE&reverseOrder=true&osFilter=ANDROID,IOS,WINDOWS&test=SOLAR_BAY_EXTREME&deviceFilter=PHONE&displaySize=3.0,15.0
>>110085816>so desperate for a foldable phone it’s killing me>waited over half a decade for Apple to make one>missed the order window by 90 seconds>resign myself to buying a 2 year old Samsung insteadYEAH RIGHT - LIKE THAT’LL EVER HAPPENSAMSAAR GIGACOPE
>>110085816apple lost
>>110085869i said i have a oneplus 10 you fucking indian retard
>>110087186You're calling me a retard while saying you own a phone that doesn't exist. lolBuy one of the 100 phones that came out after 2022 when your non-existent phone model would've come out. There's your advice.
Usecase for A20 Pro?Unironically
>>110087575when you want to cheat benchmarks made specifically for it that ignores accelerators on other cpus
>>110087575to play zzz
>>110087728
>>1100877173rdy misinformation cope
>>110087959>3rdy
>>110087717Cope >>110075514>>110076116This is just the beginning anon. Devs have been warning us for a while.
>Keep android open project launches>Lying anons in /g/ tell you not to worry Google will not lock down anything you cant make this up....
Samsung NEVER fixed the battery issues..... they should be forced to do recalls like they had to with the Note 7.
Another Samsung exploded. This one happened in the USA.
>>110081060getting mine in november
Currently using an old Motorola g stylus from 2021. I like the size and battery life but I mostly use it for games and it's pretty weak can't do 3d games at all. Wanting to upgrade but even after doing tons of research I just keep going back and forth. Feels like every phone has some deal breaker. My father used Samsungs and always liked them. I looked at the S25 Ultra and the S26 lineup in particular but things like a green line worry me. This is an investment I can't afford to buy again in a year or two I need to make it last at least 4 or 5 years. Also reviews are all over the place. Some say it stays cool while gaming others say it turns into lava in 30 minutes and shuts down. Others say the phone lasts all day others say you'll drain the whole battery just playing games for a few hours. It's just so hard to figure out what to believe. The other phone I was considering was the upcoming Motorola Signature 27. Mostly because I'm already used to Motorola and its coming with the newest chip so figured it would be pretty good for games. Seems to have a bigger battery too. But I see people complaining about software and updates for Motorola phones but I don't really get that either. Nothing on my current phone that hasn't updated in years has stopped working. There's also those gaming phones like the red magic but people say they fall apart after a couple of years. There's just too many options and I have no idea what to do. Any advice would be appreciated.
Multiple people have now posted how they have a s26 ultra with a blown up battery that made the back pop off. Samsung never fixed their battery defects. Few more new s26 ultra with imploding batteries unfortunately happened too after this one....
>chinaThey like various smartphone and Apple is in second place over therehttps://counterpointresearch.com/en/insights/china-smartphone-share
Very interesting
Here's a s26 catching fire even though it was new and sealed in the box. Very sad and anons in the thread will defend this company as the top android smartphone manufacturer.https://hardwire.news/articles/viral-reddit-thread-shows-charred-galaxy-s26-is-there-a-major-manufacturing-defect?trk=public_post_comment-text
Is he right?https://x.com/wedoclipss/status/2109879514629280174
>>110088661What are the alternatives if you don't want to buy chink shit?
>>110088666lol is that Cavicular?
Redpill me on Iqoo 15r.
what is the point of reviving this general if it's just the same 3 schizos talking about Apple, india and benchmarks?
>>110088898It's 1 schizo (not mentioning the ethnicity here) making the threads, posting the same 100 images in every thread, occasionally replying to his own posts with shit like "based" or "kek".
>>110088778Yephttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DeTsx4YReaw/
>>110088898Idunno, the whole ass thing needs to be moved back to youtube comments.
Camera zoom quality comparison.Left is RAW no ai.Right is ai (fake) enhanced.
First look at the iPhone Duo screen scratch resistance.https://www.reddit.com/r/iPhoneDuo/comments/1wz01go/iphone_duo_first_look_at_the_scratch_resistance/
My s26 ultra is so much slower than my OnePlus 15, iPhone 18 Pro Max and Red Magic 11 Pro. The soc was a complete let down in the galaxy. /g/ made things up again, always glorifying stuff here.
New Versus camera comparison video.https://youtu.be/H-TOKYdqFZI?is=GU0CefmxV2HbRhl7
>>110088898I don't understand why this general is not popular when everyone is playing gachashit. You might expect bunch of seanigs discussing about phone to play Genshit, NTE or Enfield. But it just 1 bot posting same shit over and over.
>>110089072Guess 4chan really is dead, I've asked for help multiple times and either get ignored or useless answers. Feels like unless you make a thread politically charged or about some vanity thing you get no traction. Actual useful topics like this are just a home for bad actors. Wonder where all the autists and smart people went.
I love reading all the salty people and their silly little comments just because they can’t buy the latest flagship smartphone that just came out
>>110089072A lot of gachashit these days has PC ports at least the 3D ones like hoyo and Kuro that put the most effort into them. Most of them are really menu heavy anyway which makes a mouse a godsent just dealing with inventory mangement also they just look straight up better on PCT. Gachatard
>>110089072Playing wuwa on my phone is suffering
>>110089170What phone?
>>110089187S23It's doable at all low settings but after only like 15 minutes, heat throttling occurs and it'll start stuttering like crazy
>>110089194I'm looking for my first phone that can do 3d games. But there's so many choices and every one I can find 50 people that say they are shit and have issues. It's really frustrating I feel like just giving up and sticking with my old shitty phone. Really don't want to go the chink route either but no US innovation so my choices are super limited. I really hate this country sometimes.
>>110089203The game devs deliberately target flagship phones because they're the ones with money. You're forced to go at least base model to have a good time also getting more than 256 gb storage is a must if you wanna play more than like 5, cause they're all 40+ gig monstrocities these days
