Should I buy a new mid-range Android smartphone or an old high-end one?

Each choice has its own advantages and disadvantages that users need to learn before deciding to buy the right smartphone.

Reasons to buy a new mid-range smartphone

First, let's look at the main reasons to buy a new mid-range smartphone over an older flagship model.

Better battery life: If you don’t want to constantly charge your phone, you’ll find a new mid-range smartphone with the same battery capacity much more useful. That’s because batteries have a finite lifespan and tend to degrade to an annoying level after three years or so. No matter how well you take care of your device, batteries will inevitably degrade. Even if you buy a high-end smartphone that’s only two years old, the battery may be significantly worn out and not hold as much power as a new one.
Longer software support: While high-end Android phones tend to get long-term software support, a new mid-range smartphone may still get longer support because it comes with the latest version of Android and will continue to receive updates for several years. An older high-end smartphone may not be supported for as long, meaning it won't get the latest software features and security patches.
Full warranty: Buying a new smartphone gives users the peace of mind that it is covered by the manufacturer's warranty. For some, that's more important than having the best features or a sleek design. Plus, if you accidentally break something, a new model is easier to repair because replacement parts are more likely to be available. Repairing a high-end smartphone will be more expensive because it uses premium materials.

Buying a new mid-range product is really appealing, but older high-end smartphones still have some advantages.

Better photos and videos: If you are social and take a lot of photos/videos to post on social media or share with friends and family, an older high-end smartphone may be more useful as their cameras may have larger image sensors, OIS, and better autofocus. It is true that mid-range smartphones are getting better with AI (artificial intelligence) photography, but software excellence can only compensate for hardware deficiencies to a certain extent. In low light, a top-of-the-line camera system will always come out on top.
Heavy apps or games: Like their high-end counterparts, mid-range smartphones are getting more powerful every year to handle basic tasks, but if you use them to run demanding apps like video editing or graphics-intensive gaming, mid-range phones are more likely to get hot, lag, stutter, and drain the battery faster. This can be solved on high-end smartphones with more powerful and efficient chips, faster RAM, storage, and optimized software.
Premium Hardware and Cool Features: In order to deliver a unique experience and perform well, older flagship smartphones were equipped with premium hardware and cool features like dedicated telephoto cameras for portraits, advanced vibration motors for better haptic feedback, brighter and higher resolution QHD displays, etc. While they may not be necessary for everyone, considering the level of usage and dependence on phones for daily tasks, they offer many advantages.