2017 Flagship Smartphones That Are Still Worth Getting

2018 will end in a few days and a lot of you have already upgraded to the new phones of this year. But what if you want to upgrade to a flagship smartphone but don’t want to shell out a lot for the most recent ones, what do you do? The answer is to get flagship smartphones from last year. They may be a year old, but they definitely still pack a punch. Here are 2017 flagship smartphones that are still worth getting.

The phones listed below are those that are officially available in the Philippines. Prices were taken from online listings of Argomall, Abenson, and MemoXpress.

Samsung Galaxy Note8 – PHP 39,990USD 681INR 57,770EUR 649CNY 4,963 (Abenson)

Samsung Galaxy Note8 specs:
6.3-inch 18.5:9 sAMOLED Infinity Display @ 2960 x 1440 px, 522ppi
2.4GHz Octa-Core Samsung Exynos 8895 chip
Mali-G71 GPU
6GB LPDDR4 RAM
64GB UFS 2.1 internal storage
expandable via microSD up to 256GB (uses SIM2)
12MP f/1.7 DualPixel +12MP f/2.4 TelePhoto dual rear cameras: OIS, Dual Tone LED Flash
8MP front camera
4G LTE
Dual SIM, Dual Standby (hybrid)
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS with aGPS support, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou
NFC
Fingerprint Scanner
Iris Scanner
Heart-Rate Sensor
Face Recognition Scanner
USB Type-C
IP68 Dust and Water Resistance
S-Pen
Samsung Bixby AI
Samsung TouchWiz UI (Android 7.1.1 Nougat)
3300mAh battery (nonremovable) with Fast wireless charging
162.5 x 74.8 x 8.6mm (dimensions)
195g (weight)

Samsung Galaxy S8 – PHP 29,990USD 511INR 43,324EUR 487CNY 3,722 (Abenson)

Samsung Galaxy S8 (SM-G950F) specs:
5.8-inch Super AMOLED Quad-HD+ Infinity display @ 2960×1440 pixels, 568ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Samsung Exynos 8895 64-bit 10nm octa-core CPU
4 x ARM Cortex A53 1.7GHz + 4 x Exynos M1 2.3GHz
Mali G71MP20 GPU
4GB LPDDR4 RAM
64GB internal storage
Expandable up to 256GB via microSD (uses SIM 2 slot)
12MP Dual Pixel rear camera dual-tone, dual-LED flash, f/1.7 aperture
8-megapixel front-facing auto-focus camera with f/1.7 aperture
Dual SIM (hybrid), dual LTE
WiFi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 5.0
NFC
GPS with aGPS support, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou
Fast Wireless Charging
Fingerprint Scanner
Heart-Rate Sensor
Iris Scanner
IP68 Rating, Dust, and Waterproof
Android 7.0 Nougat with TouchWiz
Samsung Bixby, Bixby Vision
3,000mAh Li-Ion non-removable battery
Colors: Midnight Black, Maple Gold, Orchid Grey, Coral Blue, Arctic Silver

Samsung Galaxy S8+ – PHP 29,990USD 511INR 43,324EUR 487CNY 3,722 (Abenson)

Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SM-G955F) specs:
6.2-inch Super AMOLED Quad-HD+ Infinity display @ 2960×1440 pixels, 531ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Samsung Exynos 8895 64-bit 10nm octa-core CPU
4 x ARM Cortex A53 1.7GHz + 4 x Exynos M1 2.3GHz
Mali G71MP20 GPU
4GB LPDDR4 RAM
64GB internal storage
Expandable up to 256GB via microSD (uses SIM 2 slot)
12MP Dual Pixel rear camera dual-tone, dual-LED flash, f/1.7 aperture
8-megapixel front-facing auto-focus camera with f/1.7 aperture
Dual SIM (hybrid), dual LTE
WiFi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 5.0
NFC
GPS with aGPS support, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou
Fast Wireless Charging
Fingerprint Scanner
Heart-Rate Sensor
Iris Scanner
IP68 Rating, Dust, and Waterproof
Android 7.0 Nougat with TouchWiz
Samsung Bixby, Bixby Vision
3,500mAh Li-Ion non-removable battery
Colors: Midnight Black, Maple Gold, Orchid Grey, Coral Blue, Arctic Silver

Apple iPhone 8 – PHP 39,490USD 673INR 57,047EUR 641CNY 4,901

Apple iPhone 8 specs:
4.7-inch Retina display @ 1334 x 750 px, 326ppi
TrueTone, 3D Touch
Apple A11 Bionic chip
3GB RAM
64GB, 256GB internal storage
12MP f/1.8 wide-angle + 12MP f/2.4 telephoto rear cameras with Quad Tone Flash
7MP FaceTime Camera
4G LTE
Single SIM (Nano)
WiFi
Bluetooth
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS
Touch ID
Apple Pay
IP67 Dust and Water Resistance
iOS 11
1,821mAh non-removable Li-Ion battery
Qi Wireless Charging
138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3mm
148 grams

Apple iPhone 8 Plus – PHP 45,990USD 784INR 66,437EUR 746CNY 5,707

Apple iPhone 8 Plus specs:
5.5-inch Retina display @ 1920 x 1080 px, 401ppi
TrueTone, 3D Touch
Apple A11 Bionic chip
3GB RAM
64GB, 256GB internal storage
12MP f/1.8 wide-angle + 12MP f/2.4 telephoto rear cameras with Quad Tone Flash
7MP FaceTime Camera
4G LTE
Single SIM (Nano)
WiFi
Bluetooth
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS
Touch ID
Apple Pay
IP67 Dust and Water Resistance
iOS 11
2,675mAh non-removable Li-Ion battery
Qi Wireless Charging
158.4 x 78.1 x 7.5mm
202 grams

Nokia 8 – PHP 21,990USD 375INR 31,767EUR 357CNY 2,729

Nokia 8 specs:
5.3-inch QHD IPS display @ 2560 x 1440 px, 554ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 5, 2.5D glass
2.5GHz Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
Adreno 540 GPU
4GB, 6GB (Glossy Blue) LPPDDR4X RAM
64GB, 128GB (Glossy Blue) UFS 2.1 internal storage
expandable via microSD up to 256GB (uses SIM2 slot)
13 MP (Color + OIS) + 13 MP (Mono) rear cameras: 1.12um f/2.0, 76.9?, PDAF, IR range finder, dual tone flash
13 MP PDAF front cameraL 1.12um, f/2.0, 78.4?, display flash
LTE Cat. 9, 3CA, 450Mbps DL/50Mbps UL
Dual-SIM (nano-hybrid), Dual Standby
WiFI 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (MIMO)
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
NFC
Gyroscope sensor
Fingerprint Sensor
IP54 dust and splash resistance
Nokia OZO spatial 360° audio
Android 7.1.1 Nougat
3090mAh non-removable battery

Sony Xperia XZ Premium – PHP 29,990USD 511INR 43,324EUR 487CNY 3,722

Sony Xperia XZ Premium specs:
5.5-inch 4K HDR Triluminos display
X-Reality, Dynamic Contrast Enhancement
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 64-bit CPU
Adreno 540 GPU
4GB RAM
64GB UFS
Up to 256GB microSD
19MP 1/2.3? Exmor RS Motion Eye rear camera w/ Hybrid AF
Super slow motion 960fps video capture
SteadyShot w/ Intelligent Active Mode (5-axis stabilization)
13MP 1/3.06? Exmor RS front camera
Gigabit LTE
WiFi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS with aGPS support
IP68-certified
USB Type-C
Fingerprint sensor
Android 7.1 Nougat
3,230mAh Li-Ion non-removable battery

Sony Xperia XZ1 – PHP 21,990USD 375INR 31,767EUR 357CNY 2,729 (Abenson)

Sony Xperia XZ1 specs:
5.2-inch FHD HDR TRILUMINOS Display, 401ppi
X-Reality for mobile picture engine
Dynamic Contrast Enhancement
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 CPU
Adreno 540 GPU
4GB RAM
64GB UFS
Up to 256GB via microSD
19MP 1/2.3-inch Exmor RS memory stacked image sensor (rear)
Super slow motion 960fps video capture
Predictive Capture (MOTION/SMILE)
Autofocus burst
Anti-distortion shutter
Triple image sensing technology
Predictive Hybrid Autofocus
SteadyShot with Intelligent Active Mode (5-axis stabilization)
4K video recording
13MP 1/3.06-inch Exmor RS for mobile image sensor (front)
22mm wide-angle lens, ISO 6400, F2.0
Dual-SIM (nano, hybrid)
LTE (4G) Cat16
WiFi Miracast
Bluetooth 5.0
A-GNSS (GPS + GLONASS)
Google Cast
NFC
USB 3.1 Gen 15 / USB Type-C
High-Resolution Audio (LPCM, FLAC, ALAC, DSD)
DSEE HX
LDAC
Digital Noise Cancelling
Clear Audio+
Stereo Speaker S-Force Surround Sound
Stereo Recording
Qualcomm aptX HD audio
Fingerprint sensor
IP68-certified
Android 8.0 Oreo
2,700mAh battery w/ QC 3.0
148 x 73 x 7.4mm
156g
Moonlit Blue, Venus Pink, Warm Silver, Black

LG V30+ – PHP 32,990USD 562INR 47,657EUR 535CNY 4,094

LG V30+ (LG-H930) specs:
5.97-inch 18:9 Quad HD+ OLED FullVision Display @ 2880×1440 pixels, 538ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 5 (Front and Back)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 2.4GHz octa-core processor
Adreno 540 GPU
4GB LPDDR4x RAM
128GB UFS 2.0
Up to 2TB via microSD
16MP Standard Angle (F1.6 / 71°) / 13MP Wide Angle (F1.9/ 120°)
5MP Wide Angle (F2.2 / 90°)
LTE-A 4 Band CA
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD
NFC
USB Type-C 2.0
Voice and Face Recognition
Fingerprint sensor
IP68 Water and Dust resistance rating
32-bit Advanced Hi-Fi Quad DAC
Android 7.1.2 Nougat w/ UX6.0+
3,300mAh battery w/ Quick Charge 3.0, wireless charging support
Shock Resistant with MIL-STD-810G Testing
151.7 x 75.4 x 7.3mm (dimensions)
158 grams (weight)
Aurora Black and Moroccan Blue

LG G6 – PHP 21,990USD 375INR 31,767EUR 357CNY 2,729

LG G6 specs:
5.7-inch QHD+ FullVision display @ 2880 x 1440, 565ppi
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 2.4GHz quad-core processor
2 x 2.35GHz Kryo & 2 x 1.6GHz Kryo processors
Adreno 530 graphics
4GB LPDDR4 RAM
64GB UFS 2.0 storage
expandable via microSD up to 2TB
LTE-A 3 Band CA up to 600 Mbps
13MP f/1.8 and 13MP f/2.4 Wide-angle Rear cameras with Dual LED Flash
5MP f/2.2 Wide-angle front camera
WiFi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 4.2 BLE
GPS with aGPS support
NFC
FM Radio tuner
IP68 Dust and Water resistance
Dolby Vision
HDR 10
Fingerprint Sensor
32-bit HiFi Quad DAC Chip
USB Type-C 2.0
Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
Android 7 Nougat with LGUX 6.0
3,300mAh Li-Po battery (non-removable)
148.9 x 71.9 x 7.9mm (dimensions)
163 grams (weight)
Colors: Mystic White, Astro Black, Ice Platinum

Huawei Mate 10 Pro – PHP 33,990USD 579INR 49,102EUR 552CNY 4,218

Huawei Mate 10 Pro specs:
6-inch 18:9 Full HD+ OLED FullView display @ 2160 x 1080 pixels, 402ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass (Front and Back)
HDR 10
HiSilicon Kirin 970 2.36GHz octa-core
4 x ARM Cortex A73 2.36GHz + 4 x ARM Cortex A53 1.8GHz
i7 Co-processor
Mali G72-MP12 GPU
6GB LPDDR4 RAM
128GB UFS 2.1 internal storage
12MP + 20MP dual Leica optic rear cameras with Dual Tone LED Flash: f/1.6, OIS, 2x lossless zoom, Leica optics
PDAF + CAF + Laser + Depth auto-focus
8MP f/2.0 front-facing camera
4G LTE Cat. 18 (1.2Gbps)
Dual SIM, Dual Standby (hybrid)
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, DLNA
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS with GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
NFC
Fingerprint scanner
IP67 Water and Dust Resistance
USB Type-C
DisplayPort 1.2
Android 8.0 Oreo with EMUI 8.0
4,000mAh Li-Ion battery
154.2 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm
178 grams

Huawei Mate 10 – PHP 29,990USD 511INR 43,324EUR 487CNY 3,722

Huawei Mate 10 specs:
5.9-inch 2K IPS LCD display @ 2560 x 1440 pixels, 499ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass (Front and Back)
HDR 10
HiSilicon Kirin 970 2.36GHz octa-core
4 x ARM Cortex A73 2.36GHz + 4 x ARM Cortex A53 1.8GHz
i7 Co-processor
Mali-G72MP12 GPU
4GB LPDDR4 RAM
64GB UFS 2.1 internal storage
expandable via microSD card up to 256GB (uses SIM2)
12MP + 20MP dual Leica optic rear cameras with Dual Tone LED Flash: f/1.6, OIS, 2x lossless zoom
PDAF + CAF + Laser + Depth auto-focus
8MP f/2.0 front-facing camera
LTE Cat. 18 (1.2Gbps)
Dual SIM, Dual Standby (hybrid)
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, DLNA
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
NFC
Fingerprint scanner
USB Type-C
DisplayPort 1.2
384k 32-bit Hi-Fi Audio
IP53 Splash resistance
Android 8.0 Oreo with EMUI 8.0
4,000mAh Li-Ion battery
150.5 x 77.8 x 8.2 mm
186 grams

OnePlus 5T – PHP 26,990USD 460INR 38,990EUR 438CNY 3,349

OnePlus 5T specs:
6.01-inch 18:9 2160 x 1080 Optic AMOLED display, 401ppi
2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 2.45GHz octa-core CPU
Adreno 540 GPU
6GB/8GB LPDDR4X RAM
64GB/128GB UFS 2.1 2-Lane storage
16MP Sony IMX 398 1.12 microns, f/1.7 rear camera w/ dual LED flash
20MP Sony IMX 376K 1.0 microns, f/1.7 rear secondary camera
16MP Sony IMX 371 1.0 microns, f/2.0 front camera
4G LTE Cat 12
MIMO 2×2, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4/5 GHz
Bluetooth 5.0, supports aptX & aptX HD
NFC
GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo
Fingerprint sensor
3 microphones w/ noise cancellation
Dirac HD Sound
OxygenOS 4.7.4 based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat
3,300mAh battery w/ Dash Charge
156.1 x 75 x 7.3 mm
162 grams
Anodized Aluminum

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 – PHP 19,990USD 341INR 28,878EUR 324CNY 2,481

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 specs:
5.99-inch 18:9 IPS LCD display @ 2160 x 1080 pixels (403ppi)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
Adreno 540 GPU
6GB RAM
64GB internal storage
No microSD slot
12MP Sony IMX386 sensor rear camera with 4-axis OIS and dual-LED flash
5MP front camera
4G LTE
Dual SIM (nano-SIM)
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 5.0
NFC
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
USB Type-C
Fingerprint scanner
MIUI 9 (Android 7.1 Nougat)
3400 mAh non-removable battery (with Quick Charge 3.0)
151.8 x 75.5 x 7.7 mm
185 g
Black, White

Xiaomi Mi 6 – PHP 22,670USD 386INR 32,749EUR 368CNY 2,813

Xiaomi Mi 6 specs:
5.15-inch IPS LCD @ 1920 x 1080 pixels, 428ppi
2.45GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 octa-core CPU
Adreno 540 GPU
6GB LPDDR4x RAM
64GB/128GB UFS internal storage
Dual 12MP (27mm, f/1.8, 4-axis OIS; and 52mm, f/2.6) PDAF rear camera w/ dual-tone LED flash
8MP front-facing camera
Dual-SIM (Nano)
4G LTE
Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2×2 MU-MIMO)
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS w/ a-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
NFC
IR blaster
USB Type-C
Fingerprint scanner
Splash-resistant body
Stereo speakers
Gyroscope
3350mAh non-removable Li-Po battery w/ Quick Charge 3.0
Android 7.1.1 Nougat w/ MIUI 8
145.2 x 70.5 x 7.5 mm
168 g

And that sums up our list. If you have suggestions, let us know in the comments below.