Greatest Mid-Vary Smartphones 2024: 8 glorious choices examined

Google’s newest A-series system matches lots of the important options present in its pricier counterpart, the Pixel 8, whereas additionally providing a number of benefits over final yr’s Pixel 7a. Enhancements embrace a lift to 120Hz, up from 90Hz, together with the flagship Pixel’s Actua show tech for an enormous enhance to brightness. 

The Pixel 8a additionally sports activities a extra rounded design than the Pixel 7a and even the Pixel 8 with rounded corners and softer edges, marking considered one of few ‘a’ sequence to diverge from the feel and appear of the flagship counterpart. It additionally sports activities the identical matte end because the top-end Pixel 8 Professional rather than the shiny Pixel 8, giving it a extra premium really feel within the hand. 

As with earlier entries within the sequence, the standout characteristic of the Pixel 8a is its spectacular digital camera array. Whereas the principle 64MP snapper is identical as final yr’s price range mannequin, delivering distinctive photographs in numerous lighting and a few of the finest pores and skin tone rendering round, it additionally affords high-end AI-powered picture enhancing instruments like Greatest Take and Magic Editor. 

Beneath the hood, the Pixel 8a is powered by the identical Tensor G3 chip present in its higher-end counterparts, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional. This chip affords passable efficiency for its worth vary and handles the telephone’s AI options, resembling name screening and voice recording, with ease. There are sooner, extra succesful mid-range telephones although – together with the Poco F6 Professional.

The Pixel 8a sadly stays a one-day system, with no actual enhance to battery life this time round, and with equally gradual charging, it’ll take shut to 2 hours to regain a full cost. A lift to cost speeds and battery capability can be welcome right here, particularly in comparison with the 125W charging of the Edge 50 Professional. 

Nonetheless, the Pixel 8a presents itself as a formidable selection, combining glorious digital camera capabilities, Google’s software program prowess, an inexpensive worth level and one of many longest software program assist guarantees round.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full overview: Google Pixel 8a

If you’d like a smartphone that stands out from the gang, look no additional than the Nothing Cellphone (2).

Persevering with what was began with the Nothing Cellphone (1), the most recent mannequin sports activities the identical distinctive clear look that offers a very good take a look at a few of the parts powering the telephone, and the Glyph interface has made a return too.

The white LED strips on the rear are a lot brighter this time round and, due to enhancements within the strips, the sunshine present is rather more customisable. That’s additional improved by Glyph Composer, a synthesiser-style app that permits you to create your personal visible ringtones that sync with the rear lighting panel.

The Glyph interface continues to be primarily used to warn you to incoming calls and texts, however it’s helpful and, importantly, appears to be like spectacular – particularly on the mid-range worth level.

It’s not only a looker both; it sports activities the flagship-level Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 for top-end energy and effectivity, a 4,700mAh battery with 45W charging that delivers a full cost in underneath an hour and a twin 50MP rear digital camera providing.

There’s additionally Nothing OS 2.0, introducing new options like widget assist on each the lock display screen and always-on show. It’s closely stylised with a dot-matrix iconography that received’t be to everybody’s tastes, however as with the {hardware}, it definitely units itself other than the mid-range competitors.

Reviewer: Lewis Painter
Full overview: Nothing Cellphone (2) overview

If cell gaming is a spotlight however you don’t need to splash out for ultra-premium gaming telephones just like the ROG Cellphone 8 Professional Version, the Poco F6 Professional serves as a surprisingly succesful various that doesn’t break the financial institution. 

That’s as a result of, regardless of costing simply £499, the Poco F6 Professional sports activities the flagship-level Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset – aka the chipset of selection for many flagships final yr – together with a wholesome 12- or 16GB of RAM and as much as 1TB of storage. 

That mixture means the Poco F6 Professional simply outperforms the mid-range competitors and isn’t that far off from what you’ll get from prime performers in 2024. For gaming, you may max out the graphics settings on virtually any sport on the Play Retailer and it’ll run like a dream, and the cooling is great too. 

You may assume that, going all-in on energy, Poco has uncared for different areas of the telephone – however that’s not the case. The design feels premium with a velvet glass rear, a flat 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED show with a 1440p decision, first rate digital camera efficiency (from the principle 50MP f/1.6 digital camera, anyway) and all-day battery life.

After all, you don’t get all the things with the Poco F6 Professional, with parts like IP54 mud and water resistance falling properly behind the competitors, middling auxiliary cameras and Poco’s spotty long-term software program assist, however if you need essentially the most energy potential from a mid-ranger, the F6 Professional stays a tempting possibility.   

Reviewer: Luke Baker
Full Evaluation: Poco F6 Professional 

When you’re an Apple fan dead-set on getting an iPhone, then there are a few choices available on the market in the mean time. At £799/$799, the common iPhone 15 is just too costly for what we contemplate a mid-range telephone, in order that’s crossed off the record. However the now-discounted £699/$699 iPhone 14 is inside price range and an awesome selection.

Sporting a 6.1-inch Tremendous Retina XDR show, the iPhone 14 offers a top-notch video-watching expertise full with Dolby Atmos assist for spectacular HDR playback. It’s not fairly as massive because the iPhone 14 Plus’ 6.7-inch panel however that additionally means it’s rather more comfy to make use of one-handed – so long as you may get on with the comparatively angular design of Apple’s iPhone.

Elsewhere, a twin 12MP digital camera setup serves properly in each well-lit and low-light eventualities, although it lacks the finesse of high-res sensors from each the iPhone 14 Professional and its Android brethren. Nonetheless, premium options like Dolby Atmos HDR video recording and a few of the finest video stabilisation round will imply you’ll possible be pleased with what’s on supply.

The Apple A15 Bionic inside the iPhone 14 isn’t essentially the most highly effective chipset that Apple makes, however it’ll greater than suffice for day-to-day use and gaming, comfortably preserving tempo with essentially the most highly effective mid-rangers round.

Wi-fi charging is right here, as is an IP68 ranking for mud and water resistance. It’s additionally only a very nice-looking telephone, with a number of tasteful color choices accessible.

If you’d like a less expensive iPhone, the iPhone SE 2022 packs first rate efficiency however in a barely dated physique with a smaller display screen.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full overview: iPhone 14 Evaluation

When you’re a Samsung purist and your price range can’t fairly stretch to the £799 Samsung Galaxy S24, the extra budget-friendly £439 Galaxy A55 5G may fit your wants.

It sports activities a glance not that dissimilar from the flagship Galaxy S24, full with a glass entrance, a glass again and aluminium sides, an improve from the plastic sidewalls of the Galaxy A54 5G that instantly makes the telephone really feel extra premium within the hand than a lot of the plastic competitors. 

It’s additionally lined by Corning’s high-end Gorilla Glass Victus+, and sports activities IP67 mud and water resistance to finish the premium construct expertise. 

Netflix bingers and social media addicts will love the 6.6-inch 120Hz AMOLED show, delivering vibrant colors and deep blacks, and a 5000mAh battery will see you thru the day with none fear, even when the ‘quick charging’ stays comparatively gradual at simply 25W.

The principle digital camera is a reasonably succesful one, sporting a 50MP sensor that our reviewer described as “fairly satisfying” with not one of the standard crimson flags – purple fringing, oil painting-esque element on the pixel degree – that you just see from mid-range cameras. The auxiliary cameras, a 12MP ultrawide and 5MP macro lens, aren’t fairly as helpful, however that’s a sacrifice we frequently see on the worth level. 

The one actual weak level of the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G is, quite satirically, efficiency. Regardless of the premium construct and options, Samsung’s 4nm Exynos 1480 chipset is way from essentially the most highly effective yow will discover. It was bested by the Pixel 7a’s Tensor G2, not to mention the Pixel 8a’s Tensor G3, in each CPU and GPU checks, suggesting that cell players is likely to be higher off trying elsewhere. 

Reviewer: Andrew Williams
Full overview: Samsung Galaxy A55 5G

Regardless of the Professional branding, the Edge 50 Professional is Motorola’s newest mid-ranger to hit the market, sporting a modern, svelte design, a formidable display screen, strong efficiency and a few of the quickest charging we’ve seen at any worth level that makes it one to contemplate.

First off, the Edge 50 Professional appears to be like the half with a selection between vegan leather-based and marble rears, full with vibrant color choices together with a very engaging shade of Lavender to select from. It’s additionally skinny and light-weight at 8.2mm and 186g respectively, and when mixed with a barely curved display screen, it feels nice within the hand.

The 6.7-inch show is one other standout characteristic, with OLED display screen tech, a fast 144Hz refresh charge that’s preferrred for gaming and a most brightness of 2000nits. Mixed with a 1.2K decision, the display screen expertise is crisp, brilliant and vibrant, preferrred for binging Netflix on the go.

Regardless of its mid-range price ticket, the Edge 50 Professional is considered one of few mid-rangers to sport a devoted 3x telephoto lens alongside its 50MP important and 13MP lenses. The principle digital camera is an identical to the Motorola Edge 40, which is to say that it stays a formidable snapper with a big 1/1.55-inch sensor and f/1.4 aperture, however the addition of a 10MP telephoto means you may get nearer to the motion than ever earlier than. 

For us although, the actual spotlight of the Motorola Edge 50 Professional is the charging expertise. Not solely does it assist 125W quick charging tech, however you’ll get a 125W quick charger within the field – and you’ll’t say that about many flagships, not to mention mid-rangers. With checks displaying a full recharge takes simply 19 minutes, it’s one of many fastest-charging telephones available on the market at any worth level.

The one actual weak level of the Edge 50 Professional is the efficiency, utilising the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset current in telephones that price £100 much less. It’s greater than sufficient for on a regular basis use when paired with 12GB of RAM, however you’ll actually discover the shortage of graphical grunt when taking part in video games. 

Reviewer: Lewis Painter
Full overview: Motorola Edge 50 Professional

The OnePlus 12R is a strong try at a mid-range smartphone that manages to face out in a busy market with a smattering of actually high-end tech.

The OnePlus 12R’s show is without doubt one of the important causes to go for the telephone. Whereas the 6.78-inch AMOLED display screen isn’t fairly as pixel-packed because the flagship OnePlus 12, it boasts the identical 120Hz refresh charge and, quite importantly, LTPO 4.0 tech.

It’s one of many first telephones available on the market to sport the tech at any worth level, not simply the mid-range market, and permits the telephone to primarily alter the refresh charge as you scroll. This primarily signifies that the display screen feels tremendous responsive in use and, crucially, it’s far more battery-friendly.

That additionally signifies that, mixed with a 5500mAh battery that’s bigger than some other telephone in our chart, the OnePlus 12R has the perfect battery lifetime of any telephone in our chart, managing round 7-8 hours of screen-on time on a single cost. When you’re not an influence consumer, that ought to get you thru two days of use. Even then, with 100W SuperVOOC charging it’ll get a full cost in underneath half-hour. That makes it one of many fastest-charging mid-rangers round.

It’s additionally a good performer with the 2023 flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, particularly when coupled with OnePlus’ numerous software program and {hardware} optimisations. It’ll even give the Pixel 7a’s Tensor G2 chipset a run for its cash, each in benchmarks and real-world use.

Elsewhere, it has a strong major 50MP digital camera, although it’s let down by its supporting 8MP ultrawide and 2MP macro cameras, and it additionally lacks some key options like wi-fi charging.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full Evaluation: OnePlus 12R overview

The Honor 200 Professional could also be one of many pricier telephones on our record at £699, however if you need a top-notch viewing expertise, it might be well worth the upfront funding.

The Honor 200 Professional sports activities a 6.8-inch curved OLED display screen that’s bigger than a lot of the competitors, however it’s not only a big-screen system. 

It comes with a pixel-packed 1.2K decision, a most brightness of 4000nits and even helps blazing-fast 3840Hz PWM Dimming that bests a few of the priciest smartphones round. There are additionally a variety of options aimed toward decreasing blue gentle to maintain your peepers contemporary, and the entire expertise is very customisable too. 

Elsewhere, the Honor 200 Professional boasts a formidable digital camera expertise headed by a 50MP f/1.9 important digital camera with a big 1/1.3-inch sensor, however the 50MP 2.5x telephoto is most attention-grabbing. That’s as a result of Honor labored with famed French pictures home Studio Harcourt to deliver its distinctive portrait fashion to the Honor 200 Professional utilizing AI to ship a few of the finest Portrait mode outcomes round.  

It’s additionally a powerhouse with the Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 and 12GB of RAM that may deal with principally something you may throw at it, and with a 5200mAh silicon-carbon battery, it has no difficulty lasting a day or two on a single cost. Mixed with 66W quick charging, it’ll regain a full cost in underneath an hour, reaching 70% in half an hour.  

The one hurdle is the software program expertise, with Honor’s MagicOS 8.0 primarily based on Android 14 deviating fairly removed from the inventory Android expertise. It’s arguably nearer to iOS 17 than inventory Android with parts that mimic iOS, from Dynamic Island-esque controls to a cut up notification centre and fast management panel.

That’s nice for these leaving group iPhone, however it’s an enormous studying curve for different Android customers. 

Reviewer: Luke Baker
Full Evaluation: Honor 200 Professional