What is a “Flagship” Phone?

Yearly, Apple, Samsung, Google, and lots of different corporations launch new smartphones. In case you prefer to examine new merchandise, you’ve got most likely seen that a few of them are known as “flagship” telephones. This phrases goes again a great distance, however what does it really imply?

What Does “Flagship” Imply?

The origin of the time period “flagship” has nothing to do with know-how. Going all the best way again to the 1700s, a flagship was the vessel that housed the commanding officer. In some circumstances, it was merely the lead ship in a fleet. Sometimes, the flagship was the biggest, quickest, and most closely armed ship. Actually, it was the ship that bears the admiral’s flag.

What Does That Need to Do with Telephones?

The flagship was primarily the most important and greatest ship within the fleet—that is precisely what “flagship” means for telephones, too. Typically, the flagship time period is used for a single system, but it surely will also be utilized to a collection of units. There’s not likely a tough and quick definition—it is a metaphor.

For instance, somebody may name the Galaxy S25 Extremely the “flagship” Samsung cellphone since it is the one with probably the most options. Nevertheless, you can additionally have a look at the larger image and check with any cellphone within the Galaxy S collection as a flagship since they’re extra high-end than the Galaxy A collection. It simply relies on what you are evaluating.

One other instance is the iPhone. Not like Samsung, Apple does not have a number of iPhone product strains—there are simply variants of the iPhone 16. So, the iPhone 16 Professional Max is the “flagship” iPhone. It is the one with the most important and greatest options you may get in an iPhone.

Not Only for Telephones

“Flagship” is used to explain extra than simply telephones and ships. It is usually utilized to an organization’s principal product, the product that is been across the longest and was most likely what made a reputation for the corporate. Home windows and Workplace are flagship merchandise for Microsoft. Photoshop is Adobe’s flagship product.

In broadcasting, the flagship channel is the privately owned station of a community. For instance, WCBS in New York is CBS’ east coast flagship community. In sports activities radio, the flagship station is the first station within the staff’s house market—WXYT Detroit for the Detroit Tigers. You get the concept.

Like the unique flagships within the 1700s, the time period is typically used to explain the most effective and highest high quality merchandise, but it surely will also be utilized to the “chief”—the factor that was there first. If you hear {that a} cellphone is a “flagship,” you realize you are getting the most effective the corporate has to supply.