Complete Guide to the Mobile Phone Series

Confuse with the Phone model?

Are you confused by the variety of the phones in the market?  Do you know the market segmentation of the various phone companies?  If you are not sure, read on.

Every phone has a different market positioning.  Generally, there are 3 basic categories: Entry, Mid-end and Premium.  There are other categories such as value, niche (big battery etc) and foldable phones for specific target segments with strong demand.

Market Segmentation

Entry level (<S$300) showcases the cheapest phones in the market and most of these phones are OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer): Factories are authorised to manufacture cheap phones and branded with recognised brand.  Factories profit from such high volume sales and enjoy low margin while the branded company takes a cut in commission of the sales.  As expected, these phones have high defective rates and seldom work beyond the warranty period.  So blame not the phone but you, the consumers who want cheap phone with branded logo.

Value phones (S$300 to S$500) are the best buy in the market as they are the delicate balance between price and quality producing good performance while not squeezing too much out of the wallet.  Usually, there is a weakness in such phones such as poor quality camera to justify the low production costs.

Mid-end phones (S$500 to $1000) are not cheap.  They are one step better than value phones and they are all-rounders per se.  They command good price and are the cash cows of the phone companies.

Premium, Business and Foldable phones (>S$1000) are the rip off for early adaptors who are willing to fork out ten fold the price just to enjoy the top notch technologies offered in the latest technology world.  They depreciate by up to 20% the moment they reach the customers, who opened the box rendering them second hand in the carousel market.

Phone Model Chart

Look no further, below is the chart for easy comparison.

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G
1	Brand	Entry	Value	Mid End	Premium	Business	Foldable
2	Apple		SE	Plus Mini	Pro	Pro Max
3	Honor	Play	X	Number	Magic
4	Huawei	Nova Y	Enjoy	Nova	P	Mate
5	iQoo	U	Z	Neo	Number
6	Meizu	Number+X		Number+S	Number
7	Motorola	G	Edge	S	X		Razer
8	Nubia			Red Magic	Z
9	OnePlus	Nord N Nord CE	Ace	Nord	Number
10	Oppo	A	K	Reno	Find X	Find N
11	Poco	C M		X	F
12	Realme	C V Q	Number	GT Number GT Neo	GT Master
13	Redmi	Number		Note	K
14	Samsung	J F M		A	W	S Note	Z
15	Vivo	Y	T	S V	X
16	Xiaomi	Y	Max	Civi	Number	Mixed	Mixed Fold
17	ZTE	Blade		Axon	Nubia

2023 Mobile Phone Buying Guide

 

BACKGROUND

Normally, it is a good time to buy a mobile phone on 11 Nov when phone prices are at their rock bottom.  However, this year was exceptional when the next generation CPU, the Snapdragon 8 Gen3, was recently launched on 24 Oct 2023.  The early launch disrupted the sales of the old flagship products and therefore, there will not be any urgent urge for manufacturers to clear their old stocks.

Since the price of the new 8Gen3 phones is rigid with zero discount, the price will remain at bay in the next 2 months.  Looking at iPhone 15, it has had a series of price cuts since launch due to its poor sales and lack of innovations.

If you spend S$600 to buy a 8Gen2 phone, you are likely to get a 8Gen3 phone in the next 3 months when 8Gen3 moves into a cash cow state.  So a S$500 8Gen1 phone will likely get you a 8Gen2 phone in Feb 2024.  You definitely do not wish to suffer a sudden 25% depreciation of your new phone in the next 3 months despite the additional 1% GST increase in 2024.

For example on 9 Nov 2023, Redmi SG official store is selling Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G (8+256) at S$499 but China is selling the identical at RMB1,899 (or S$354), a significant price difference of S$145.

So the question is not to buy WHICH phone but WHEN to buy the next phone.

If you are in no hurry, wait till Feb/Mar 2024.  If you are having issues like the battery cannot last long, the phone screen is cracked and cannot swipe or the phone is unbearable to use, you should buy a phone immediately.  Else you should just wait till the next wave of price cut in early 2024.

So it is not worthwhile to buy phones which are on the premium (>S$400) and also phones which are too cheap (<$200).  So the basic features must be defined.

DEFAULT FEATURES

Below are the features you should consider when getting a new phone:

1. CPU: Avoid SD888, SD888+ and SD 8Gen1 with overheating issues and those old and slow models;

2. RAM: >=8GB. 4GB has limited opened apps.

3. Storage: >=256GB. 128GB is just <S$10 difference.

4. Battery: >=4700mAh. 5000mAh will be ideal.

5. Charging speed: Preferably >60W.

6. Android OS: 12 or above. Preferably 13.

7. Global or SG version: DO NOT buy China version.

8. Compatibility: For those who are using SIMBA, you must ensure the phone supports certain 4G frequencies and VOLTE is available.  Simba offers the compatibility list as reference.

OPTIONAL FEATURES

1. Display: IPS is eye friendly while OLED is viewable under sunlight.  OLED commands a premium over IPS.

2. NFC: It is good to have NFC. India ROM has no NFC by default.

3. Bluetooth: Minimum is 5.0

4. Network: 4G only is cheaper than those with 5G support

5. Camera: Sony IMX is always better than the rest.

6. IP rating: Good to have

LOW END PHONES (<S$200)

Avoid these phones as they have no value.

BUDGET PHONES (S$200 to S$250)

This segment is very competitive and there are many low price traps:

• RAM is 4GB; or 

• CPU is outdated; or 

• Android OS is 9 (outdated); or

• 4G only (no 5G); or

• Charging speed is only 20W.

Still, there is a compromise of certain features to enjoy the low price range of S$200 to S$250.

There is only one recommendation:

• Redmi Note 12 4G (8+256) ~S$220: Value for money but charging only at 33W.

VALUED PHONES (S$250 to S$400)

There are varied discounts on various platforms.

• iQoo Z7 (12+256): SD782G CPU and 120W charging but IPS display;

• Redmi Note 11T Pro (12+256): 5080mAh battery but IPS display and OS 12;

• Redmi Note 12T Pro (12+256): 5080mAh battery but IPS display;

• Redmi Note 12 Turbo (12+256): Only 181g;

• Redmi Note 12 Pro 4G (8+256): SD732G CPU with 66W charging;

• Redmi Note 13 Pro+ (12+256): IP68 rating;

• Oppo K11 (12+256): Good IMX890 camera; and

• Realme 11 Pro+ (12+256): 100W charging.

NOTE: 

1. If you can wait, WAIT till Feb/Mar 2024 to buy a new phone; and

2. You may consider 8+256 for a lower price but if the gap is less than S$30, it is advisable to buy the 12+256 version.

3. Redmi Note 12 series has the following models (from weak to strong CPU power):

1. 12 S (Helio G96)

2. 12 4G (SD685)

3. 12 Pro 4G (SD732G)

4. 12 5G (4Gen1 with AMOLED)

5. 12 Global (4Gen1 with Super AMOLED)

6. 12 R Pro (4Gen1 with 12GB RAM and OLED)

7. 12 R (4Gen2)

8. 12 Pro 5G (Dimensity 1080 with 5000mAh battery/67W charging)

9. 12 Pro+ (Dimensity 1080 with 5000mAh battery/120W charging)

10. 12 Explorer (Dimensity 1080 with 4300mAh battery/210W charging)

11. 12 Pro Extreme Edition (SD778G)

12. 12 T Pro (Dimensity 8200)

13. 12 Turbo (7+Gen2)

4. Redmi Note 12 and Redmi 12 are 2 different categories.

FAKED OR REFURBISHED OR UNBRANDED PHONES

Beware of fake phones with no brand or refurbished phones.  The S$120 Note 12 4G may not be from Redmi so buying from a trustworthy store is critical. Read the fine prints for details in the description page and read the after sales reviews before buying.

ONLINE PURCHASE

1. Aliexpress

2. Lazada

3. Amazon

4. Shopee

5. Respective brand online SG website

6. Telco websites

7. Carousell (Used or Refurbished)