Intro:
Now before you go and hay shag loads of money at the likes of Apple for their latest overpriced slab, you should absolutely check out what you can get for half the price or even less, because you might be surprised at all the tasty tech you'll find stuffed inside of the latest mid-range mobiles.
The likes of Samsung, Google, Motorola, OnePlus, and Nothing all offer some supremely satisfying smartphone action for a fraction of the cost of a flagship blower, complete with capable cameras, proper gaming grunts, gorgeous OLED displays, and plenty of features that Apple can't be bothered to put in the iPhone 16, like hey, a USB 3 port, or an always-on display, or a good bit of fancy pant disco lights. Who doesn’t like that?
I've already reviewed literally dozens of mid-range smartphones in 2024, I just can't get enough, so here's my guide to the best mid-range smartphones you can grab yourself right now. And for more on the latest and greatest tech, please do pug subscribe and ding that notifications bell, cheers. Now, one of the first mid-rangers you should have a good hard squint at is Google's Pixel 8A, which is a fair chunk of change cheaper than the Pixel 9 flagship, but almost just as good as the bugger.
Sure, the Pixel 8A is made of cheaper stuff than its Pixel 9 flagship siblings, but you wouldn't know it. Even if you cop a pretty hefty feel, you've still got yourself a metal frame, and I actually prefer the fingerprint-free finish here on the Pixel A compared with the absolute muck fest of the Pixel 9 and its glossy ass. The brin of this mini mid-ranger is that selfsame Tensor G3 chipset that Google crammed into the 8 and the 8 Pro, complete with all those smarto AI-type shenanigans, and while it's not the beefiest of blowers, the Pixel 8A can still handle some serious gaming impact and mercifully rarely overheats.
Now, a 6.1-inch OLED screen is another 90Hz slice of eye-pleasing heaven, while the stereo speaker setup isn’t too shabby either, and the software side is just as satisfying, as you’ve got up to 7 years of OS and security updates to look forward to. But as always, one of the highlights of this Google handset is the excellent camera tech.
That hardware isn't quite as advanced as the flagships, but the top-notch image processing smarts mean you'll get good-looking pics at almost any time of day, and even if your photo does look a bit crap, well no worries, those editing tools will rescue even the kiest of snaps. One of my other favorite mid-range phones right now is the OnePlus Nord 4, a full metal hanger that conjures up glorious flashbacks of HTC and LG blowers from back in the day, better days all around, I think we can agree, especially as I still had some hair on my head and my liver wasn’t quite as hurt.
As well as that hardy and lovable design, the Nord 4 boasts extended OS upgrade support and a slick bit of Oxygen OS complete with a proper gaming mode and quite a few other useful extras. The massive 6.74-inch AMOLED screen is a beauty, and your pork and prods will register even when this phone is proper moist, making it ideal when living in damp fests like the UK. A capable Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 powers the Nord 4, so it can handle pretty much anything you throw at it, including some serious gaming on titles like Gen shin Impact without suffering a metaphorical prolapse of its metaphorical rectum.
The battery life here is absolutely sublime, which is certainly helped along by the fact that it’s got a mighty 5,500mAh capacity cell stuffed inside that metal body, which is not just one of the biggest you’ll find on any mid-range phone in 2024, it’s one of the biggest you’ll find on any phone.
Basic:
And even if the Nord 4 does run dry, you’ve got that 100W Super VOOC wide charging support, so bung a cable in it and it’ll charge up faster than you can say "this charges up really jolly fast." Actually, no, not quite that quick, but it's pretty nippy.
And while the camera results aren't quite as reliable as Google's, this OnePlus mobile can still produce attractive-looking photos even in quite challenging conditions. So overall, it’s a bit of a cracker. Now, very similar in the specs department is Vivo latest V40 and V40 Pro, although they can be a bit of a ball-ache to track down here in the UK, but if you live somewhere with easy access, they are certainly worth a crack.
You’ve once again got a massive 6.78-inch AMOLED screen with pin-sharp 1.5K resolution, complete with a respectable stereo speaker setup on both of these phones.
The regular Vivo V40 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, while the Pro model has Media Dimensity 9200 Plus stuffed inside. Both can cope with Gen shin Impact, WEA, and other memory-hogging games, although things are slightly smoother on the V40 Pro. Battery life is again absolutely stellar on both these handsets with a 5,500mAh battery crammed inside, complete with 80W fast charging.
You've also got a bit of 50-megapixel Zeiss-branded camera tech slapped on the back end of both of these blowers, albeit with slightly different sensors as well as the usual mods to boost your pics with eye pop and the vivid results, but only the Pro offers a telephoto portrait shooter for capturing crispy pics of your family or other humans without getting right up in their face.
And if you're getting ready to spunk loads of cash on Samsung's latest Galaxy S24 or maybe one of its even bigger and pricier siblings, well, stuff that thick W back into your pants and maybe consider the Galaxy A55 instead. For a start, the A55’s Gorilla Glass and metal design look and feel about as luxurious as those premium-priced S24 efforts with a nice selection of colors also on offer, and like the Pixel, this blower boasts IP67 dust and water resistance.
Best Phones:
Good news for any slippery-fingered folk who’ve suffered that heart-rending experience of dropping their shiny new blower into a sink, a bathtub, or God forbid a urinal mid-stream. The software shenanigans are similar on the Galaxy A55 too, including Samsung's many, many bloated apps, as well as their useful-as-a-chocolate-condom Bixby assistant.
Just don’t expect all of those AI smarts that you’ll find crammed onto the S24 blowers, and Sami has also promised that Galaxy A55 owners will enjoy up to 5 years of OS and security updates on this shiny blower, making it another keeper.
That 6.6-inch 120Hz Super AMOLED screen has grown over last year's model, but it still pumps out sharp Full HD+ images, complete with Samsung's trademark poppy colors, while it’s also bright enough for comfortable outdoor use.
You've got micro SD memory card support, you've got SIM support, the works, and thankfully, despite being powered by yet another Samsung chipset, the Galaxy A55 serves up a reasonably jutter-free everyday experience and doesn’t absolutely drop a bollock when faced with intensive games like Gen shin. Likewise, the generously sized 5,000mAh capacity battery can keep you going all day long, although yes, the 25W wide charging support is slower than a blind tortoise wearing concrete shoes. And while the camera tech isn’t as sturdy as the S24's, you’ll still hopefully be happy with the Galaxy A55’s pics and home movies, even if you don’t get those same excellent editing tools that Google slaps on its Pixels.
Alternatively, for a wee bit less cash, there’s always the Samsung Galaxy A35. It’s another water-resistant blower with a 120Hz AMOLED display, got stereo speakers, and some decent optics for the respectable asking price. Battery life is brilliant too, giving you stress-free all-day play, no worries. Performance sadly is a wee bit shaky at times, but if you’re blessed with patience, unlike my good self, you should get on with it just fine.
My full review of the Galaxy A35 is live right now, and you may have spotted that Samsung has finally launched the Galaxy S24 FE as well, where the FE stands for Fan Edition. What it really is, is basically just a slightly cut-price version of the original flagship with some of the shinier bits stripped out to bring down the cost, but that's not quite as catchy as "Fan Edition," I guess. Anyway, full review coming at you real soon. Might even be live by the time you're watching this, depending on how my editing is going. After all, I do actually have a proper booze cabinet these days, tends to slow things down a bit.
Conclusion:
Now, one of the more distinctive smartphones at this price range is the Nothing Phone 2A, which starts from just over 300 quid and again offers some decent specs to rival the Pixel. This slightly chunky smartphone sports a simplified Glyph finish compared with the full-priced Nothing Phone 2, this time surrounding the rehoused camera hardware, but you still got that full notification support, the nifty countdown timer, and other literally flashy features.
And sadly, there’s no wireless battery charging support, but at least the battery life is easily good enough to last you the full day. That OLED screen is a delight, and the stereo speaker setup is not rubbish, so you can happily put your feet up and enjoy some video-type shenanigans or a bit of gaming on the go. Speaking of which, thanks to the custom Media Tek chipset which runs the show here, that Nothing Phone 2A is nippy
