As certainly one of Engadget’s resident cellular geeks, I’ve reviewed dozens of midrange telephones and have discovered that a fantastic smartphone doesn’t must break the bank. Years of commoditization have introduced options as soon as unique to high-end gadgets – together with massive batteries, multi-camera arrays and excessive refresh price shows – all the way down to their extra reasonably priced siblings. Whereas there are nonetheless some belongings you’ll solely discover on flagship smartphones, you do not have to compromise as a lot anymore for those who’re trying to discover the perfect purchase at a lower cost level. In case you have lower than $600 to spend, I can assist you determine what options to prioritize when looking for the perfect midrange smartphone.
Editor’s be aware (5/9/24): Google has introduced the Pixel 8a, its newest midrange smartphone. The 6.1-inch handset begins at $499 and, as anticipated, takes lots of its cues from final 12 months’s flagship Pixel 8 series. We’ll have a full evaluation within the coming days and can replace this information accordingly. For now, you may take a look at our hands-on preview for extra particulars on what to anticipate. Google says it’ll proceed to promote the Pixel 7a, our present prime decide, at a diminished worth, so it could proceed to be worthwhile. Most ought to maintain off till we put the brand new Pixel by way of its paces, although.
What’s a midrange cellphone, anyway?
Whereas the time period reveals up incessantly in articles and movies, there isn’t an agreed-upon definition for “midrange” past a cellphone that isn’t a flagship or an entry-level possibility. Our suggestions for the perfect midrange smartphones price between $400 and $600 — any much less and you need to count on important compromises. In case your price range is increased, although, you need to contemplate flagships just like the Apple iPhone 13 and Samsung Galaxy S22.
What components do you have to contemplate when shopping for a midrange smartphone?
Shopping for a brand new system could be intimidating, however just a few questions can assist information you thru the method. First: what platform do you need to use? If the reply is iOS, that narrows your choices down to precisely one cellphone. (Fortunately, it’s nice.) And for those who’re an Android fan, there’s no scarcity of compelling choices. Each platforms have their strengths, so that you shouldn’t rule both out.
Clearly, additionally contemplate how a lot you’re comfy spending. Even growing your price range by $100 extra can get you a dramatically higher product. And producers are inclined to assist their costlier gadgets for longer. It’s positively price shopping for one thing towards the highest restrict of what you may afford.
Having an thought of your priorities will assist inform your price range. Would you like a protracted battery life or quick charging velocity? Do you worth speedy efficiency above all else? Or would you want the very best cameras? Whereas they proceed to enhance yearly, even the perfect midrange smartphones nonetheless demand some compromises, and figuring out what’s essential to you’ll make selecting one simpler.
Lastly, take note of wi-fi bands and community compatibility. In the event you don’t need to fear about that, your finest wager is to purchase immediately out of your provider. To make issues simpler, all of the telephones we suggest are appropriate with each main US wi-fi supplier and could be bought unlocked.
What received’t you get from a midrange smartphone?
Yearly, the road between midrange and flagship telephones will get blurrier as extra upmarket options and specs trickle all the way down to extra reasonably priced fashions. Once we first printed this information in 2020, it was tough to search out $500 gadgets with waterproofing or 5G. Now, the most important factor you may miss out on is wi-fi charging. Simply keep in mind to price range for an influence adapter too – many corporations have stopped together with chargers with their smartphones. Efficiency has improved in recent times, however can nonetheless be hit and miss as most midrange telephones use slower processors that may wrestle with multitasking. Fortunately, their cameras have improved dramatically, and you’ll sometimes count on a minimum of a dual-lens system on most midrange smartphones beneath $600.
The very best midrange telephones for 2024
Google Pixel 7a: The very best midrange Android cellphone
Picture by Sam Rutherford / Engadget
The $500 Pixel 7a delivers every little thing we search for in a fantastic reasonably priced cellphone. New options embody a sooner Tensor G2 chip, a smoother 90Hz show and for the primary time on certainly one of Google’s A-series telephones: assist for wi-fi charging. And with a refreshed design with IP67 water resistance, it appears and appears like the usual Pixel 7 however for $100 much less. You additionally get nice assist thanks to 5 years of safety updates and a minimum of three OS upgrades. The cellphone’s solely shortcomings are somewhat small and embody an absence of a devoted zoom lens and no assist for mmWave 5G (except you buy a barely costlier $550 mannequin from Verizon).
iPhone SE (third technology): The very best iPhone underneath $600
Apple
If you may get previous its dated design and small 5.4-inch show, the Apple iPhone SE is the quickest cellphone you should purchase for lower than $600. No different system on this record has a processor that comes near the SE’s A15 Bionic. What’s extra, you may count on Apple to assist the 2022 mannequin for years to return. The corporate is barely simply ending assist for the first-generation SE after six years. The corporate hasn’t mentioned how lengthy it intends to furnish the most recent SE with new software program, but it surely’s more likely to assist the system for the same size of time.
For all its strengths, the iPhone SE is held again by a dated show. Not solely is the SE’s display small and sluggish, but it surely additionally makes use of an IPS panel as an alternative of an OLED show, which means it will probably’t ship deep blacks. Moreover, that display is surrounded by a few of the largest bezels you’ll discover on a contemporary cellphone. That’s not shocking. The SE makes use of the design of the iPhone 6, which might be a decade previous in two years. And if the SE appears dated now, it would solely really feel extra drained in just a few years.
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G: The midrange cellphone with the perfect show for streaming
Picture by Mat Smith / Engaget
For the very best show at this worth, look no additional than Samsung’s $450 Galaxy A53 5G. It encompasses a 6.5-inch Tremendous AMOLED show that’s preferrred for watching TV reveals and films. Plus the 120Hz panel is the quickest on this record. Different standout options of this Samsung cellphone embody a 5,000mAh battery and versatile digital camera system. The A53’s three shooters could not ship pictures with the identical element and pure colours because the Pixel 7a, however it will probably seize larger scenes with its two wide-angle rear cameras.
Like the opposite Android smartphones on this record, the Samsung Galaxy A53 isn’t the quickest performer. At finest, Samsung’s Exynos 1280 is a lateral transfer from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G discovered within the Galaxy A52 5G. And although the A53 is $50 cheaper than its predecessor, this Samsung cellphone not comes with an influence adapter and headphone jack, so the distinction could not find yourself being a lot.
OnePlus Nord N200 5G: The very best low cost smartphone when on a price range
Picture by Brian Oh / Engadget
In the event you solely have round $200 to spend in your subsequent cellphone, you possibly can do quite a bit worse than the OnePlus Nord N200. To start out, this price range cellphone encompasses a massive 5,000mAh battery that can simply final you a full day. The N200 additionally has a 90Hz show and 5G connectivity, that are tough to search out at this worth. Better of all, it doesn’t appear like an affordable cellphone.
However the N200 can also be a superb illustration of why you need to spend extra on a price range cellphone for those who can. It is the slowest system on this record, resulting from its Snapdragon 480 chipset and paltry 4GB of RAM. Its triple foremost digital camera setup is serviceable in the course of the day however struggles in low gentle and doesn’t provide a lot versatility past a disappointing macro lens. OnePlus additionally doesn’t plan to replace the cellphone past the soon-to-be-outdated Android 12. Briefly, the N200 is unlikely to final you so long as any of the opposite reasonably priced telephones on this record.
Chris Velazco contributed to this report.
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