Smartphones have become increasingly advanced over recent years, with fast performance, multiple cameras and even foldable screens cropping up on more and more devices over time. But, these premium features don’t come without their price. That’s why we’ve put together this list of all the best mid-range handsets available right now.
While flagship phones continue to impress, the mid-range market has also grown massively in recent years. Major smartphone brands including the likes of Apple, Samsung and Google have gotten in on the game, offering affordable alternatives for those of us looking for a number of flagship features without the flagship price.
Most mid-range phones usually fall within the £400 to £750 (or $400 to $800) range, making them tempting alternatives to those left aghast at the handful of £1000+ phones we’ve seen launch over the last few years – albeit usually with a few sacrifices to justify the smaller price tag.
In this list, you’ll find all the best mid-range phones we’ve rigorously tested this year along with links to our full, in-depth reviews.
Pixel 6
A cheaper alternative to the Pixel 6 Pro
The Pixel 6 is the Google’s newest mid-range phone and a more affordable alternative to the Google Pixel 6 Pro.
The phone is the first from the company powered by its own Tensor chipset, offering major improvements in AI and machine learning over previous Pixels to enable new features like auto-translations built into the phone.
The phone features a new three-tone design sure to stand out in a crowd, a 6.4-inch display and is the first device to run Android 12 out of the box so you know its got the latest software on board.
On the back on the phone, there’s a dual camera made up of a 50-megapixel (f/1.85) wide angle lens and a 12-megapixel (f/2.2) ultra-wide angle lens backed up by Google’s advanced photo-processing algorithms, along with new photography features like the Magic Eraser, Real Tone and Face Unblur.
However, unlike the flagship Pixel 6 Pro, the Pixel 6 does not include a 120Hz display or a third telephoto lens for zooming in close to your subject.
Full review: Google Pixel 6 Review
OnePlus 9
A flagship phone for less
If you’re a power user that desperately wants a flagship phone, but can’t afford to spend over $1000 then the OnePlus 9 is the best option at the moment.
It features all the key trappings you’d expect from a flagship. Highlights include 5G connectivity, top of the line internal components plus a few exclusive extras that put it a cut above its arch-rival, the Galaxy S21, during our tests.
The biggest are its improved Hasselblad camera setup. Built in partnership with the iconic camera brand the OnePlus 9’s rear camera beats the Galaxy S21 when it comes to color reproduction and features a more useful secondary ultrawide sensor, which is great if you regularly shoot landscape shots.
It’s also one of the fastest charging phones we’ve reviewed. During our tests its Warp Charge tech let the phone go from zero to 100 percent charge in less than 30 minutes, which is seriously impressive.
The only slight downside is that, unlike the Galaxy S21, the phone’s 120Hz AMOLED screen doesn’t feature a variable refresh rate. This means it offers slightly shorter battery life than we’d like if you set the screen to its highest settings.
Read full OnePlus 9 review
Asus Zenfone 8
The best small Android phone around
The Asus Zenfone 8 sets itself apart from other phones on this list by being both a small device and one that packs plenty of power.
The size is far more comparable to the iPhone 12 with the 5.9-inch display and thanks to some software tweaks you can use the phone well with just one hand.
Where the Zenfone 8 stands above other smaller devices, like the Pixel 5, is in the internals. Here you’ve got a flagship Snapdragon 888 chipset (with 5G), up to 16GB RAM and 30w charging. The screen can also ramp up to 120Hz – the Pixel 5 is stuck at 90Hz.
It might be small, but Asus has still managed to fit in a pair of stereo front-firing speakers and a 3.5mm port for your wired headphones.
Not all is perfect, though. There’s no wireless charging and the lack of a zoom camera means versatility in photography is limited when compared to some other phones on this list. It can get a little when gaming, too.
Read full Asus Zenfone 8 review
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
The best mid-range Samsung Galaxy phone
£699 might be pushing the definition of mid-range, but with flagship devices costing twice this these days, it can sometimes put more affordable phones into context. A good example of this is the Galaxy S20 FE, which Samsung crammed many of its 2020 flagship features into without making too many sacrifices.
The highlights here include an attractive 120Hz OLED flat panel offering punchy colours and deep blacks, 6GB of fast RAM and 128GB storage. You’ll also find a triple camera array on the rear of the device, which is headlined by an excellent 12-megapixel camera capable of capturing bright, detailed and intensely colourful photos. Through testing, we found it more than good enough for taking photos for use on social media and video-calling over Zoom. However, we’d still say the Pixel series offers the very best camera experience in this price bracket.
Samsung has also included plenty of features that are often ditched at this price, including Qi charging, an IP68 water-resistance rating and expandable storage.
The real star of the show here is the Snapdragon 865 chipset (there’s also a 4G Exynos 990 version available for £100 less), which not only gives the FE better performance than other European versions of last year’s S20, but superior battery life, too. There’s 5G support to boot – although, as we found during testing, unless you live in an area with 5G coverage, the latter isn’t a huge selling point.
Finally, there’s the FE’s design, which is fairly similar to Samsung’s current Galaxy S21. It’s built of tough plastic rather than glass. But using it as my everyday phone, I found the matte finish attractive – and, unlike most plastic-backed phones, it wasn’t a magnet for fingerprints. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is also available in a range of eye-catching colours, including a deep blue and striking red.
It’s also worth noting that we expect the Galaxy S21 FE to launch this year, so it may be worth holding out for that launch if you like the sound of Samsung’s more affordable S Series line.
Read full Samsung Galaxy S20 FE review
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
A great all-rounder with 5G
At £399 (no current US price available), the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G is one of the cheaper options on this list and is a great pick if you want to save a bit more money without sacrificing too many features.
The star of the show here is the 6.5-inch OLED display which, like some of the pricier phones around, has a quick 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling and responsive gaming. You’ll notice that quick screen constantly, as it just makes the phone feel a lot smoother than you’d expect.
It’s a quality panel in other ways too. The OLED tech gives you inky blacks and vivid colours, while the 1080p resolution is more than sharp enough. There’s no proper HDR support, but the bright screen still looks great for watching Netflix on.
Inside the phone you’ll find a Snapdragon 750G chipset paired with 6 or 8GB RAM. This is a slower chipset than many phones on this list in terms of benchmarks and overall performance, however we found it more than capable of handling day-to-day tasks and gaming. You’ve got 128GB storage too, and a slot for expansion – something you won’t find on the Galaxy S21.
Another impressive feature is battery life, which we found easily lasted through the day and then some. It’s a 4500mAh cell and charges up via an included 15w charger.
On the back of the phone you’ll find a good main 64MP camera with OIS (optical image stabilisation) along with a couple of less impressive secondary cameras and an adequate 32MP selfie camera.
There aren’t too many sacrifices here. You get an IP rated body, various colour options and Samsung promises three years of security updates. The design is a bit basic though, and it’s very much made out of plastic.
Read full Samsung Galaxy A52 5G review
Google Pixel 4a
A mix of the 4a and 5
Sitting bang in the middle of Google’s 2020 range of Pixel phones is the 4a 5G. It’s very much a mixture of the 4a and 5 models, combining the design of the former with the camera and 5G support of the latter.
It’s the biggest of the Pixels, too, coming with a 6.2-inch display. This OLED panel looks great, even if we do wish it had a 90Hz refresh rate. It’s missing wireless charging too, and an IP rating which are two features often missed at this price. Other specs include a 765G Snapdragon chipset, 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It runs Android 11.
Battery life during testing was good, but it’s the dual camera that really shines. It’s the same unit as included in Pixel 5, which means in tests it proved capable of taking super-detailed shots in all manner of conditions, including low light. If camera is your main focus then this should be very high on your list, especially if you don’t want to spend more on the Pixel 5.
Read full Google Pixel 4a 5G review
iPhone SE 2
A fast and cheaper iPhone
The iPhone SE 2 is a simple device. It looks very much like the iPhone 7 or 8, but it has the internals of the newer iPhones. It’s fast, packs a good camera and okay battery life.
What really sets this phone apart from other handsets on this list is its size. This is a small phone, whose screen we found was atypically easy to use one-handed during testing.
The SE 2 comes with a physical Touch ID home button, too. Other features worth noting include an IP67 rating, wireless charging and it’s available in an eye-catching red colour, too.
If you’re on the hunt for an iPhone and your budget is less than £500, this really is your only choice if you’re looking new. Of course, there’s also the iPhone 12 Mini available for £699 – however the smaller size might put some off.
Read our full iPhone SE 2 review
Motorola Edge 20 Pro
A 5x periscope zoom camera for under £700
In our review, reviewer Andrew Williams calls the Motorola Edge 20 Pro the “most expensive Motorola phone most of you should consider buying” and there’s a reason for that.
The phone features a slim design, a bright display and is powered by the Snapdragon 870 5G processor, a tweaked version of last year’s Snapdragon 865 that offers fast performance and can handle gaming.
The highlight here is the triple camera array, which consists of a 108-megapixel wide angle lens, a 16-megapixel ultra-wide angle lens and an 8-megapixel periscope zoom lens. The latter lens is particularly impressive, offering 5x optical zoom at an affordable price, but the main camera falls behind some rivals.
The battery is smaller than average, but nevertheless offers a decent amount of battery life despite its size.
Full review: Motorola Edge 20 Pro Review
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra
Packed with high-end features
The ZTE Axon 30 Ultra is the Chinese manufacturer’s attempt at creating a mid-range “ultra” phone and it offers a competitive range of features.
These include a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a speedy 144Hz refresh rate and Qualcomm’s high-end Snapdragon 888 5G chip commonly found inside more flagship Android phones.
Triple camera array consisting of two 64-megapixel sensors – a main sensor and an ultra-wide sensor – and an 8-megapixel periscope zoom lens. There’s a wide array of shooting modes and colour reproduction is strong, but some photos can come out overly sharpened
The battery life is decent and the inclusion of 65W fast charging and a fast charger in the box means you can charge the phone to 70% in as little as 30 minutes.
The main disadvantage here is the software, which lacks some polish and doesn’t appear to be supported with long-term updates, meaning the phone may not hold its resale value.
Full review: ZTE Axon 30 Ultra Review
