Smartphone companies spare no details when it comes to their flagship devices. They go all in on their apex devices – rocking them with high-grade hardware and software features. Some even go and switch form factors to bring foldables to the table.
Here is our definitive list of the best flagship smartphones in the country:
OPPO Find X5 – Ksh 99,000
After years of missing out on launching its flagship devices, OPPO brought the Find X5 to in Kenya in June this year. We’ve already reviewed it and it even got an Android 13 update in the country.
Here’s what else you’re getting:
- 6.55″ AMOLED screen rocking a 120Hz refresh rate with support for HDR10+
- Android 13
- Snapdragon 888 5G and Adreno 660 GPU
- Marisilicon X image signal processor
- 8GB or 12GB of RAM and storage starting at 128GB to 256GB
- 50MP main, 13MP telephoto and 50MP ultrawide
- 32MP selfie camera
- 4800mAh battery with support for 80W fast wired charging and 30W fast wireless charging.
OPPO Find N – Ksh 170,000
If you want to dabble in the foldable format but don’t want to go for the more expensive option Samsung offers with the Z Fold 4, then the OPPO Find N is the choice for you.
It’s more compact if you like a foldable that’s easy to handle.
Here’s what you are getting:
- 7.1-inch inner display with an 8.4:9 aspect ratio, which makes it unfold directly into landscape mode so users can watch videos, play games or read books without the extra step of rotating the device
- 5.49” outer display with an 18:9 aspect ratio
- Smart dynamic refresh rate technology that adapts the refresh rate anywhere between 1-120 Hz
- The Serene Display is also very reliable, with the ability to be folded over 200,000 times while still maintaining an overall smooth folding experience with next to no crease.
- Built with up to 136 components
- A minimal crease that is up to 80% less noticeable compared with other devices
- A range of software features that take advantage of the folding display. FlexForm Mode on the OPPO Find N gives users the flexibility to adapt the device to a wide range of usage scenarios.
- OPPO customized the user interface to operate better and more efficiently in compatible apps like the Music, Notes and Camera apps.
- The Find N can freely stand at various angles, the device also serves as its own tripod, making 4K HD time-lapse imaging, video calls and online meetings easy and hands-free.
- New gestures to make side-by-side multitasking more intuitive
- Triple-camera setup for high-quality photos and videos. It includes a 50 MP Sony IMX 766 main sensor, a 16 MP ultra-wide lens and a 13 MP telephoto lens, as well as selfie cameras on both the inner and outer displays.
- Snapdragon 888
- Up to 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 512 GB of UFS 3.1 storage
- 4500mAh battery, 33W SuperVOOC Flash Charging, 15W wireless charging, 10W reverse wireless charging
- Side-mounted fingerprint reader
- Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos
These specs are impressive, and the whole package looks very attractive.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra – KSh 129,999
Samsung brought its flagship Galaxy S22 series to the country in early February. The Samsung Galaxy S22 series includes the regular S22, the S22 Plus and the S22 Ultra.
Samsung saved the best for its beast in the S22 lineup. The S22 Ultra comes with a squared-off design reminisce of the Note lineup.
It also features a built-in slot for its S-Pen stylus.
Here’s what you’re getting:
- a 6.8″ 1440p OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate.
- 5000mAh battery With support for 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging
- 108MP main, 12MP ultrawide, and two 10MP telephotos with 3x and 10x zoom
- 40MP front-facing camera for taking selfies.
- 8GB or 12GB of RAM(No 16GB RAM option like the S21 series) and 128, 256 and 512GB of onboard storage.
- Burgundy, Phantom Black, Phantom White and Green.
You can opt for the S22 Plus or the base S22 for Ksh 88,000 and Ksh 73,000 respectively.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 – Ksh 126,000
If you’re into the foldable, then the Z Flip 4 is a great choice.
It brings:
- 1.9″ cover screen
- 6.7″ main screen rocking a 120Hz variable refresh rate.
- IPX8 dust and water resistance.
- Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1
- 8GB of RAM
- Android 12 and One UI 4.1.1.
- Two 12MP sensors – Wide(1.8μm) and UltraWide
- 10MP selfie camera
- 3700mAh battery with support for 25W fast wired charging and 10W wireless charging.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 – Ksh 210,950
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, the most anticipated fold launched early this year. It is one of my favourite gadgets from this year.
It was a significant step-up not only for its predecessor but also for rival foldable. The Z Fold 4 brings a new modified design, new software for the large screen, battery life improvements, and new camera and processor upgrades.
The Z Fold 4 comes with:
- The cover screen comes at 6.2″ while the main screen is at 6.7″. These are OLED displays rocking 120Hz variable refresh rate.
- Armor aluminium sides for tougher drop and scratch resistance and Gorilla Glass Victus Plus
- They’re the best screens across the board at 1200 nits brightness with support for HDR10+. The S22 series sport 1750 nits brightness.
- Support for S Pen Fold Edition or the S Pen Pro(all sold separately) rather than using the regular S Pen from the S22 Ultra.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 plus gen 1 and Adreno 730 GPU paired with 12GB of RAM that you can expand up to 20GB with the additional 8GB Virtual RAM
- 256GB UFS 3.1 fast storage. Storage options go all the way to 512GB at least in Kenya.
- Android 12L and OneUI 4.1.1
- 10MP cover display selfie camera
- 4MP under-display selfie camera
- 50MP main camera, 10MP telephoto with 3X zoom and 12MP ultrawide
- For video recording, the resolution starts at 8K 24Ffps, 4K 60fps, 1080p 60fps and 240fps and 720p 960fps. The main and the telephoto can do 4K at 30fps and 60fps while the ultrawide does 4K maxed out at 30fps. Video stabilization is available on all modes on all cameras.
- 4400mAh battery that uses 25W fast charging and 15W fast wireless charging. It takes 30 minutes to go from empty to 50%.
Infinix Zero Ultra – Ksh 68,000
This year Infinix brought us its flagship smartphone – The Infinix Zero Ultra. They put the U in the Ultra and they went extra.
It’s an enormous deal for the company that’s trying to make a name for itself in the premium smartphone space. They’ve upped their game in a big way – bringing a 120Hz curved AMOLED superbright screen, luxurious clean design, superfast 180W fast charging(10 minutes from empty to 69%), incredible performance, photography performance worth its name featuring a 200MP camera and excellent battery life.
Its other features include:
• 6.8″ Curved AMOLED screen with 900 nits brightness and 120Hz refresh rate and 360Hz touch sampling rate.
• Dimensity 920 5G processor
• 8GB RAM + 5GB Virtual RAM and 256GB onboard storage
• 32MP selfie camera
• 200MP main camera with DOL-HDR + 13 MP ultrawide + 2MP additional camera
• Video recording capability upto 4K resolution.
• Android 12 and XOS 12
Xiaomi 12S Ultra – Ksh 120,000
This is Xiaomi’s top smartphone at least in Kenya. It was announced early this year and brings with it a camera module that copies a large mirrorless or DSLR camera thanks to its partnership with Leica, a well-known camera company.
It was one of the first phones announced to be powered by the new Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor. The chipset company has already announced its successor – the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
Here’s what you’re getting:
- 6.73″ curved LTPO AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate and WQHD+ resolution(1440 x 3200 pixels) plus 1500 nits brightness.
- Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
- 12GB RAM and 512GB storage
- 67W wired charging for its 4860mAh battery.
- 1″ sensor for the 50MP main camera, 48MP periscope telescope with 5X optical zoom and 48MP ultrawide
- 32MP selfie camera
- Android 12, MIUI 13
Xiaomi 12S Ultra goes for Ksh 120,000 at Phone Place Kenya.
OnePlus 10T – Ksh 80,500
OnePlus 10T was launched in August this year. OnePlus smartphones still have an appeal for its fans and their flagship smartphone comes with features like:
- 6.7-inch FHD AMOLED (2412 x 1080) and 120Hz/90Hz/60Hz refresh rate
- Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1
- Android 12 with OxygenOS 12.1
- 8GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage
- 4800 mAh battery with 150W wired charging
- 16MP selfie camera
- 50MP main camera with 8MP ultrawide and 2MP macro
OnePlus 10T goes for Ksh 80,500 at Phone Place Kenya while the OnePlus 10 Pro goes for Ksh 79,500 for the 8GB 256GB variant.
Google Pixel 7 Pro – Ksh 124,500
A list of flagship smartphones doesn’t lack Google’s top devices – the Pixel 7 series that was launched last month.The Pixel 7 Pro comes with their new Tensor G2 processor and new upgrades such as:
- 6.7-inch OLED (3120 x 1440) with 120Hz refresh rate
- Tensor G2 chipset
- Android 13
- 50MP main with 48MP telephoto with 5X optical zoom and 12Mp ultrawide
- 10.8MP selfie camera
- 5000mAh battery with 30W wired charging
- 12GB RAM and 128GB storage.
Pixel 7 Pro goes for Ksh 124,500 while the base Pixel 7 goes for Ksh 79,500 at Phone Place Kenya.
Huawei P50 Pocket and Huawei P50 Pro – Ksh 113,000 and Ksh 90,500
Huawei closes off this list with it flip – the P50 Pocket and its camera-focussed P50 Pro.
Huawei P50 Pocket is a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 rival in Kenya and ships with:
- 32MP camera
- 6.9″ Foldable OLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 1188 x 2790 pixels
- 1.04″ OLED cover display with a resolution of 340 x 340 pixels
- EMUI 12
- Snapdragon 888 4G
- 8/12GB RAM and 256/512GB storage
- 40MP main and 13MP ultrawide within an additional 32MP camera
- 10.7MP selfie camera
- 4000mAh battery and 40W wired charging
Huawei P50 Pro has:
- 6.6″ 120Hz OLED screen with a resolution of 1228 x 2700 pixels
- EMUI 12
- Snapdragon 888 4G
- 12GB RAM and 256GB storage
- 50MP main, 64MP periscope telephoto that features 3.5x optical zoom and 7x lossless zoom and a 13MP ultrawide plus a 40MP monochrome sensor.
- 13MP selfie camera
- 4360mAh battery and 66W wired and 50W wireless charging
Huawei P50 Pocket and Huawei P50 Pro go for Ksh 113,000 and Ksh 90,500 at Phone Place Kenya.
