A few years ago, the mid-range market may have found itself in a rather sorry state, with devices offering sub-par performance, very limited software support, and underwhelming cameras. Fortunately though, that’s no longer the case. These days, buying a mid-range phone on a budget can still land you with useful benefits such as a strong camera, beefy battery, muscular performance, and more. Over the past few years, we’ve even seen handy premium features such as wireless charging trickle down into this sector. All that said, there is still an enormous quantity of phones to choose from at this price point, and the sheer weight of this selection can make the choice of your new handset a particularly difficult one. That’s why we’ve created this guide, in order to show you the handful of devices we consider to be the very best. Each phone on this list has been put through its paces for at least one week by an expert reviewer, who has subjected it to benchmark tests as well as assessing its day-to-day performance, in order to give you the best possible idea of how it stands up compared to its peers. We’ve carefully considered the screen quality, processing power, battery life, camera quality, design and robustness of every one of these smartphones, so you can trust our buying advice. If price isn’t your biggest concern and you’d actually prefer to compare the best top-end phones around, you should check out our best phones guide. On the other hand, if your budget doesn’t stretch as far as the devices listed below, then you can head over to our best cheap phones page to find the most eminently affordable handsets we’d recommend to you right now.
Best mid-range smartphones at a glance
Best mid-range phone: Realme GT 2 Pro – check priceBest camera performance: Pixel 7 – check priceBest small mid-range phone: Asus Zenfone 9 – check priceBest Motorola: Moto G200 5G – check priceBest set of features: Samsung Galaxy S21 FE – check priceBest iPhone under £700: iPhone 13 mini – check price
Importantly, it’s a fast phone that’s reliable to use and Realme has promised three years of major Android updates – so you won’t be forced into upgrading again anytime soon. Frankly such software support is a rarity on Android, with many mid-range and affordable phones coming with no such guarantees. We compared the Realme GT 2 Pro against far pricier Android phones like the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus and Oppo Find X5 Pro and found that in our suite of benchmark tests, the cheaper GT 2 Pro actually performed just as well. It was a similar story in real world tests too – when you open up a demanding game like Genshin Impact on both you’ll find that there’s very little difference. What’s more, this is just one of many areas the GT 2 Pro impressed. The papery finish on the back is unique, and offers a nice change of pace from a glass and metal slab, especially in this minty green hue we reviewed. There’s 5G connectivity too – something you’ll find on all these phones – and snappy charging available using the included plug. We managed to go from a completely depleted phone to fully charged in around 33 minutes – that’s far quicker than the Pixel 6 and Galaxy S21 FE. Not only does it have the fastest charging of any of the phones on this list, but it also has the best screen too. The OLED panel is flat, packs a 1440p resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. Increasing the refresh rate makes for a smoother experience, whether you’re just scrolling through Instagram or playing games. As with any phone of this price, there are some sacrifices to be found here. You won’t find wireless charging support here and it doesn’t carry an official IP rating for water and dust resistance. Look at the Pixel 6 if those are two key features you care about. A zoom camera is missing too, though that’s often a weak spot for phones in this segment; most affordable zoom sensors deliver results that are merely usable at best. Reviewer: Tom MorganFull review: Realme GT 2 Pro Review With a modest $599/£599 price tag, this handset nevertheless offers a premium-looking design that’s plenty robust (thanks to IP68 water resistance and Gorilla Glass Victus), along with truly wonderful camera performance that gives top-line flagship phones a run for their money. The 6.3-inch screen is also plenty good enough for watching films or playing games, and the battery life offered us enough juice for a heavy day’s usage on just one charge. Some gripes included the relatively slow charging speeds, but for its price you’ll be hard pushed to find better than this, especially as it hands you all of Google’s latest software smarts as well. At £599, the Pixel 7 is also cheaper than the GT 2 Pro and the S21 FE. However, there is an option that’s cheaper still in the form of the Pixel 6a. This doesn’t offer quite such a strong spec sheet, missing out on features like the 50MP camera and 90Hz display, but it remains a good pick if you’re after the simple software and sleek design of a Pixel phone. Reviewer: Peter PhelpsFull review: Pixel 7 Review With a 5.9-inch screen, the Zenfone 9 is not for you if you subscribe to the “bigger is better” mantra, but that’s what makes it ideal if you would struggle to get to grips with some of the other massive mid-rangers on this list. On top of its appealing size, this handset offers great photographic results thanks to a twin of sensor on its rear (50-megapixel wide and 12-megapixel ultrawide), and it’s got a snappy chipset too that should comfortably see you through any difficult processing tasks, including mobile games. However, charging speed is on the slow side and the matte finish may not stand up to much hard-wearing use. Reviewer: Andrew Williams Full review: Asus Zenfone 9 review The Moto G line from Motorola was the original impressive, affordable phone and it showed the world that cheaper handsets needn’t sacrifice basic tech for a slashed retail price. The line has expanded a lot since, but the G phones tend to remain reliable buys based on our experience reviewing them over the years. Where the G200 5G stands out with its display. This is the only phone on this list to pack a gaming-focused 144Hz display, meaning it can refresh up to 144 times every single second. As a comparison, the Pixel 6 refreshes 90 times per second and the Realme GT 2 Pro at 120 times per second. This faster display should appeal to gamers who want the best performance going, but it also adds extra zip to scrolling and swiping that will be appreciated by all users. The performance here is great, owing to the high-end Qualcomm chipset at the heart of the phone. It can’t quite compete with the Realme GT 2 Pro in benchmark tests, but the difference in actual day-to-day use is minimal. Games and apps still open very quickly, and 5G is present if you have the right plan. Another nifty trick is the Ready For feature, which is a way of outputting your phone onto a larger display. This makes it easy to cast content onto desktop monitors and TVs to see your work, gaming and video calls on a bigger screen, which we found useful while working from home. Like many other devices listed here, there’s no wireless charging and the IP53 rating means it’s only mildly splash-proof. Still, it remains a strong phone for the price based on our testing. Reviewer: Hannah DaviesFull review: Moto G200 5G What the S21 FE does well is to include just about every feature going, even if they’re not always the best around. It’s one of the only phones included in this list to feature wireless charging, an IP68 rating water resistance rating and a telephoto camera for zoomed shots. The 6.4-inch OLED screen isn’t the very best one you’ll find on this list, but we still found it to be wonderfully bright and perfectly usable in sunnier conditions during our time reviewing the phone. Out of the three rear cameras, it’s the main 12MP sensor that impressed us the most and since it’s pretty much the same unit that features in the regular Galaxy S21, photos are reliable in all manner of conditions based on our testing. However, if camera quality is key, then we’d confidently say the Pixel 6 is a better choice. Comparing snaps from the two phones, Google’s Pixel 6 is more reliable in darker situations and its daylight shots are more pleasing as well. Reviewer: Max ParkerFull review: Samsung Galaxy S21 FE You’ve got to be really comfortable with this smaller form-factor to enjoy the iPhone 13 Mini, and it probably isn’t for those who watch a lot of media or play lots of games on the go. We found the screen is too small for that. But, if you use your phone more for messaging, social media and taking pictures then the smaller size might be of benefit. It’s also the most comfortable phone to use one handed on this list, especially if you’ve got smaller hands. Feature-wise, the iPhone 13 Mini is the same as the pricier iPhone 13. Performance is the best out of any mid-range phone both in stringent lab tests and real-world use, while the duo of cameras on the back are the only ones listed that can compete with the Pixel 6. You’ll also get multiple years of support through iOS updates. Wireless charging is here, as is an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. It’s also just a very nice looking phone, with multiple tasteful colour options available. If you want a cheaper iPhone, the iPhone SE 2022 packs the same high-end performance but in a slightly dated body with a smaller screen. Reviewer: Max ParkerFull review: iPhone 13 Mini Review 14,192 Mobile Phone
