The world waits with bated breath as Apple prepares to unveil the iPhone 8 on September 12. After all, the company’s new flagship gadget is poised to become the most radically improved iPhone of all time, with an edge-to-edge infinity display, wireless charging, and the removal of the TouchID.
But to some folks, that doesn’t make a difference. Either the iPhone 8 will be too pricey for them (KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says it’ll be the most expensive iPhone of all time) or they’re just not interested in the first place. That said; here are your best alternatives:
OPPO R11
Photography enthusiasts stand up and take note. OPPO’s recently launched R11 is a gem of a picture-taking device, sporting a crystal clear 20-megapixel plus 16-megapixel dual camera on its rear, with an advanced 2x zoom to boot. Power-wise, the R11 will definitely lose out to the iPhone 8, although a gorgeous AMOLED 5.5-inch display and an affordable price of $699 more than makes up for things.
OPPO R11, $699, available via www.oppostore.com.sg.
Samsung Galaxy S8
It’s a testament to the Galaxy S8’s prowess when you consider that this was the phone that dragged Samsung out of the mire after last year’s exploding debacle. That just shows how good this device is. In terms of design, the phone is exceptionally beautiful. And there’s nothing much to complain about specs either. It has a Super AMOLED touchscreen, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip, while it runs on Android 7.0 Nougat.
Samsung Galaxy S8, $840, available via www.lazada.sg.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
While the Galaxy Note 8’s predecessor was a little too…well, how should we put it, fiery for its own good, the 2017 version is bigger, better, and most importantly, safer than ever. For that, you can thank an eight-point battery check and stricter rules for the battery review process. Speaking of batteries, this phone’s juice is enough to last you for the whole day, plus it has dual-cameras and an improved S-Pen as well.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8, pre-order yours via www.samsung.com/sg.
Huawei P10 Plus
This isn’t a new device by any means – it was launched way back March earlier this year, but that doesn’t change the fact that the P10 Plus is Huawei’s best phone yet. While incredibly sleek, the P10 Plus comes off looking like an iPhone clone, although it has a fantastic dual camera at its disposal (that’s what Leica lenses are for), great quad-HD resolution, and a swift processing with its Kirin 960 processor.
Huawei P10 Plus, $998, available via www.harveynorman.com.sg.
Sony Xperia XZ Premium
If you’re the sort who just loves as many features crammed into one gadget as possible, then the Sony Xperia XZ Premium will definitely be up your alley. Get a load of this, it has two “world-first” features: a 4K HDR screen, and the ability to shoot slo-mo video up to 960fps – in other words, that’s slow enough to see a bee’s wings flutter Matrix-style!
Sony Xperia XZ Premium, $808, available via www.lazada.sg.
Nokia 8
Out of all the brands on this list, Nokia is the one that has suffered the most in the past decade, but that hasn’t stopped them from making a comeback with the Nokia 8 – the company’s first ever high-end phone. And it’s premium as you’d expect. Besides a Dual-Sight video function that allows users to stream live clips in real time to social media, it also has a 5.3-inch QHD display and a Snapdragon 835 processor.
Nokia 8, retailing at €599, availability TBC.
HTC U11
Once a major player in the Android scene, HTC has had a few tough years. That said; the Taiwanese company is hoping to become relevant again with the HTC U11 – the world’s first squeezable phone. Sounds weird, yes, but the function is actually quite useful. You can give the phone a variety of short and long squeezes to launch apps, while it is a powerful phone too, with an octa-core Snapdragon 835 processor.
HTC U11, $880, available via www.lazada.sg.
Cover image: Benjamin Geskin/iDrop News
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