It is no surprise that smartphones are becoming increasingly expensive over time. Factors such as the rising cost of living, labor, raw materials and so forth directly and indirectly contribute to the price of smartphones these days. Specific to us Malaysians, the weakening Ringgit has taken quite the toll on our buying power as well.
Most flagship smartphones now typically go for around RM 3,000 at the very least, if not right below the price point. This makes it rather difficult for us to purchase a flagship device without burning holes in our pockets, with some reluctant to spend such a huge sum of money for a phone. But as we speak, numerous high end smartphones are having their prices slashed, currently costing significantly lesser than their original price tags. Here are 5 flagship smartphones that have gone cheap, and where to find them.
Samsung Galaxy S8
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is probably the most popular handset on this list, not to mention that it is definitely one of the most sought after smartphones so far in 2017. The South Korean manufacturer continues to impress us with the phone’s beautiful display and impressive camera with this year’s flagship.
The Galaxy S8 comes in a sleek glass chassis which supports wireless charging and has a water and dust resistant of IP68. On the front, you’ll find one of the best smartphone displays so far – a 5.8-inch QHD Infinity Display, minimizing the bezels surrounding the screen. The display is of an 18.5:9 aspect ratio, which makes it taller and allows for two perfectly squared windows when multi tasking on the phone. Samsung’s Super AMOLED technology too makes the Galaxy S8’s display the best of its class.
Underneath the hood is a Snapdragon 835 processor alongside 4GB of RAM. The 64GB of internal storage should suffice for the average user but is expandable for a further 256GB via the micro SD card slot. It is said that the Galaxy S8 retains the same rear camera from the Galaxy S7, a 12MP sensor with an f/1.7 aperture. The camera has proven itself to trump most of the competition, especially under low light conditions. The front facing selfie camera carries the same aperture at 8 megapixels. Powering the phone is a 3,000mAh battery.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 was originally priced at RM 3,299 when it first came out, but you can get it now for as low as RM 2,569 on 11street.
Price: From RM 2,569
Where: 11street
LG G6
The LG G6 has one of the most unique dual camera setups when compared to other smartphones. Its dual camera configuration features a wide angle mode instead of optical zoom, making it stand out from the rest. The phone also had its price significantly slashed, possibly due to the shortage in demand.
The LG G6 now goes with a non-modular body, a very welcome revamp after the LG G5 failed miserably last year. The phone too sports an amazing display this time round – a 5.7-inch QHD screen in a more immersive 18:9 aspect ratio. LG’s FullVision Display on the front also means that you’ll be looking at extremely minimal bezels.
Where the LG G6 falls short is its processor. Instead of the top notch Snapdragon 835 processor, the phone is powered by the Snapdragon 821 chipset from late last year, the same one seen in the likes of the Google Pixel series. It is assisted by 4GB of RAM and comes with up to 128GB of internal storage. The dual camera setup of the G6 features wide angle capabilities instead of optical zoom, which means that you won’t have to stand too far behind when attempting to capture an image. It features two 13MP sensors, one with an f/1.7 aperture and the other with f/2.4. The front facing camera is of a standard 5 megapixels.The phone packs a 3,300mAh battery for the power it uses.
The LG G6 was first priced near to the RM 4,000 mark when it was not officially available in Malaysia. You can now get the flagship for as low as an attractive RM 2,059 on 11street.
Price: From RM 2,059
Where: 11street
Huawei Mate 9
From now onwards, the list will only consist of Chinese smartphones. The Huawei Mate 9, although launched last year, is definitely still capable of putting up a fight against this year’s flagships. Where it shines the most is the never-really-die battery life, and is also one of the flagships that have gone cheap.
The Huawei Mate 9 goes with a metal design body with a rear fingerprint sensor. The display measures at a huge 5.9-inches at 1080p which might be a drawback to some, but isn’t very much noticeable when compared with QHD displays. The 5.9-inch screen also translates to a more immersive experience when it comes to media consumption.
Like most of Huawei’s handsets, the Mate 9 is powered by Huawei’s own processor – the powerful octa core Kirin 960 chipset, plus 4GB of onboard RAM. The phone also has 64GB of expandable storage. The Leica branded dual camera setup of the Huawei Mate 9 is definitely one of its top selling points. The setup consists of a 20MP monochrome sensor and a 12MP RGB sensor, and Huawei’s camera software allows users to tweak the depth of field and focus points of photos even after capturing it. The front facing camera of 8MP with an f/1.9 aperture does not disappoint either. The Mate 9 comes packing a massive 4,000mAh battery, which definitely eases past the standard full day usage of modern smartphones.
The Huawei Mate 9 is already a good buy at RM 2,499, but you can now get it for even cheaper once again on 11street for as low as RM 2,008.
Price: From RM 2,008
Where: 11street
Huawei P10
Indeed, another Huawei smartphone has made it onto this list. Huawei’s P series of handsets are definitely the more camera centric ones compared to the company’s Mate lineup. The Huawei P10 is the company’s first ever full fledged Leica branded camera smartphone, which you will find out later. Not to mention that it is also on discount at the time of writing.
The Huawei P10 retains the overall design language from the P9, but features more curved corners, ditching the square-ish look from its predecessor. On the front you’ll find a modest 5.1-inch display at 1080p resolution, which is sufficient for its size.
Moving on, it will be very similar to the specs of the Huawei Mate 9. Huawei once again proudly places its own Kirin 960 processor underneath the hood, along with 4GB of RAM and up to 64GB of expandable storage. The cameras of the P10 are similar to those on the Mate 9 as well. On the back is a Leica branded dual camera setup of 20MP and 12MP. The former is a monochrome sensor while the latter is an RGB sensor. The front camera is of the same affair as well compared to the Mate 9 – an 8MP sensor. The only difference is that the P10’s selfie shooter is Leica branded like it’s rear camera setup. The Huawei P10’s battery definitely pales in comparison to the Mate 9, but the 3,200mAh battery will still perform decently.
Like the Mate 9, the Huawei P10 was also priced at RM 2,499 at launch. The Huawei flagship with Leica cameras can now be purchased for as low as RM 2,070.
Price: From RM 2,070
Where: 11street
OnePlus 5
This handset is the newest among the rest on this list. It is also the most powerful as well on paper. The OnePlus 5 is the fastest OnePlus device to be made available in Malaysia after its global launch, also the most expensive as well. But like the rest on the list, the OnePlus 5 has also gotten quite a chunk of its price out of the equation.
First off, OnePlus has made its latest flagship to come with either Slate Gray or Midnight Black color options, the latter one more highly spec-ed. The phone retains the metal unibody design with more curved corners and a slimmer form factor compared to the OnePlus 3/3T. The screen however is of the same 1080p Optic AMOLED panel measuring at 5.5-inches, which might be behind compared to QHD displays, but won’t be an issue for the lot of us.
Underneath the hood is where you’ll find a slightly overkill spec sheet. The Snapdragon 835 is pretty much standard already, but with up to 8GB of RAM, the OnePlus 5 definitely trumps the competition in multi tasking or having tons of apps running in the background. The phone also comes with up to 128GB of internal storage, but is the only one without expandable storage. The OnePlus 5 sports by far the highest resolution dual camera setup – a 16MP sensor with f1/.7 aperture and a 20MP sensor with f/2.6 aperture. The front facing camera will definitely impressive selfie enthusiasts, a 16MP f/2.0 sensor. OnePlus has also improved on the battery optimization although the OnePlus 5’s battery is smaller than the OnePlus 3T at 3,300mAh.
The OnePlus 5 is undoubtedly the best OnePlus device ever made, but it also comes with a significantly higher price tag of up to RM 2,688, which is a big bump up from the price of the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T. The good news is you can now obtain the flagship for as low as RM 2,049 for the lower end 6GB RAM/64GB storage model on 11street. Not a huge discount but quite a good deal for a less than two month old flagship device.
Price: From RM 2,049
Where: 11street
So there you have it, 5 flagship smartphones that have now turned affordable. It’s just a matter of patience unless you intend to get these flagships the first day they go on sale. What do you think of this list? Did we miss out on any discounted flagships?