8 excellent handsets at a reasonable price

Flagship phones, despite their impressive features, continue to rise in price. This compilation of eight exceptional mid-range smartphones, ranging from £399/$399 to £699/$699, can serve as a valuable alternative.

Our top picks

The mid-range smartphone market struggled in the 2010s, often offering subpar performance, limited software support, and lacklustre cameras compared to their pricier brethren. However, the market has matured over the past few years, with the trickle-down nature of tech meaning it’s now much more tempting.

Mid-range smartphones in 2024 can provide numerous benefits, including robust camera capabilities, long-lasting battery life, powerful performance, and more. Premium features like wireless charging and IP68 water resistance have even started making their way into this category, although they are not yet universally available.

Nonetheless, the vast array of phones available in the 2024 mid-range market can make selecting your new phone quite challenging. This guide aims to simplify your decision-making process by presenting a carefully curated list of the very best options available right now.

Each phone featured in this list has undergone rigorous testing by expert reviewers, lasting at least one week. They have conducted benchmark tests and assessed real-world day-to-day performance to provide comprehensive insights into how each device compares to the competition.

Our review process considers factors such as screen quality, processing power, battery life, camera performance, design, and durability, ensuring that our buying recommendations are both reliable and well-informed.

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 sub-£399/$399 handsets we’d recommend to you right now.

Best mid-range smartphones at a glance

Google Pixel 8a

Google’s latest A-series device matches many of the essential features found in its pricier counterpart, the Pixel 8, while also offering several advantages over last year’s Pixel 7a. Improvements include a boost to 120Hz, up from 90Hz, along with the flagship Pixel’s Actua display tech for a massive boost to brightness. 

The Pixel 8a also sports a more rounded design than the Pixel 7a and even the Pixel 8 with rounded corners and softer edges, marking one of few ‘a’ series to diverge from the look and feel of the flagship counterpart. It also sports the same matte finish as the top-end Pixel 8 Pro in place of the glossy Pixel 8, giving it a more premium feel in the hand. 

As with previous entries in the series, the standout feature of the Pixel 8a is its impressive camera array. While the main 64MP snapper is the same as last year’s budget model, delivering exceptional images in various lighting and some of the best skin tone rendering around, it also offers high-end AI-powered photo editing tools like Best Take and Magic Editor. 

Under the hood, the Pixel 8a is powered by the same Tensor G3 chip found in its higher-end counterparts, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. This chip offers satisfactory performance for its price range and handles the phone’s AI features, such as call screening and voice recording, with ease. There are faster, more capable mid-range phones though – including the Poco F6 Pro.

The Pixel 8a sadly remains a one-day device, with no real boost to battery life this time around, and with equally slow charging, it’ll take close to two hours to regain a full charge. A boost to charge speeds and battery capacity would be welcome here, especially compared to the 125W charging of the Edge 50 Pro. 

Still, the Pixel 8a presents itself as an impressive choice, combining excellent camera capabilities, Google’s software prowess, an affordable price point and one of the longest software support promises around.

Nothing Phone (2)

If you want a smartphone that stands out from the crowd, look no further than the Nothing Phone (2).

Continuing what was started with the Nothing Phone (1), the latest model sports the same unique transparent look that gives a good look at some of the components powering the phone, and the Glyph interface has made a return too.

The white LED strips on the rear are much brighter this time around and, thanks to improvements in the strips, the light show is much more customisable. That’s further improved by Glyph Composer, a synthesiser-style app that allows you to create your own visual ringtones that sync with the rear lighting panel.

The Glyph interface is still mainly used to alert you to incoming calls and texts, but it’s handy and, importantly, looks impressive – especially at the mid-range price point.

It’s not just a looker either; it sports the flagship-level Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 for top-end power and efficiency, a 4,700mAh battery with 45W charging that delivers a full charge in under an hour and a dual 50MP rear camera offering.

There’s also Nothing OS 2.0, introducing new features like widget support on both the lock screen and always-on display. It’s heavily stylised with a dot-matrix iconography that won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but as with the hardware, it certainly sets itself apart from the mid-range competition.

Reviewer: Lewis Painter
Full review: Nothing Phone (2) review

Poco F6 Pro

If mobile gaming is a focus but you don’t want to splash out for ultra-premium gaming phones like the ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition, the Poco F6 Pro serves as a surprisingly capable alternative that doesn’t break the bank. 

That’s because, despite costing just £499, the Poco F6 Pro sports the flagship-level Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset – aka the chipset of choice for most flagships last year – along with a healthy 12- or 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. 

That combination means the Poco F6 Pro easily outperforms the mid-range competition and isn’t that far off from what you’ll get from top performers in 2024. For gaming, you can max out the graphics settings on practically any game on the Play Store and it’ll run like a dream, and the cooling is superb too. 

You might assume that, going all-in on power, Poco has neglected other areas of the phone – but that’s not the case. The design feels premium with a velvet glass rear, a flat 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED display with a 1440p resolution, decent camera performance (from the main 50MP f/1.6 camera, anyway) and all-day battery life.

Of course, you don’t get everything with the Poco F6 Pro, with elements like IP54 dust and water resistance falling well behind the competition, middling auxiliary cameras and Poco’s spotty long-term software support, but if you want the most power possible from a mid-ranger, the F6 Pro remains a tempting option.   

Reviewer: Luke Baker
Full Review: Poco F6 Pro 

iPhone 15

Following the release of the iPhone 16, yesteryear’s iPhone 15 has now taken this slot from its own predecessor with Apple having dropped the price of the handset to just £699/$699, making it arguably the biggest bargain amongst the company’s wares right now.

It’s worth mentioning right off the bat that the iPhone 15 isn’t compatible with Apple Intelligence, and while there’s been plenty of hubbub about the feature, its importance to the average consumer will depend on how much they already use existing AI systems. If you’re not exactly drawn in by all the AI hype then you’ll get on just fine with what’s on offer here.

Finally doing away with the age-old Lightning port, the iPhone 15 is fully compatible with USB-C, meaning that you don’t have to bring about a separate Lightning cable with you when you travel, allowing you to use the same USB-C cable that you might already be utilising for your headphones, tablet and more.

Unlike the iPhone 14, which was using the same 12MP wide and ultra-wide standard from previous iPhones, the 15 kicked things up a notch by upgrading that wide angle lens to a 48MP model. This switch allows the iPhone 15 to capture far more detail in a single picture, which in turn gives you more flexibility when it comes to cropping and editing after the fact.

The upgraded camera also complements the fact that the iPhone is still far in the lead when it comes to video capture on a smartphone. If you’re a content creator who wants an all-in-one device that lets them shoot smooth 4K footage and has a plethora of top-shelf editing apps to work with, this is it.

As a final point, the iPhone 15 also brings about a jump in processing speeds. The iPhone 14 used the same A15 Bionic chip as its predecessor, but you’ll find the faster A16 chipset in this handset. Even though it’s hampered somewhat by Apple’s reluctance to implement a 120Hz display on its base-level iPhones, the overall experience is still incredibly efficient, with slowdown being nonexistent.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: iPhone 15 Review

Samsung Galaxy A55 5G

If you’re a Samsung purist and your budget can’t quite stretch to the £799 Samsung Galaxy S24, the more budget-friendly £439 Galaxy A55 5G might suit your needs.

It sports a look not that dissimilar from the flagship Galaxy S24, complete with a glass front, a glass back and aluminium sides, an upgrade from the plastic sidewalls of the Galaxy A54 5G that immediately makes the phone feel more premium in the hand than much of the plastic competition. 

It’s also covered by Corning’s high-end Gorilla Glass Victus+, and sports IP67 dust and water resistance to complete the premium build experience. 

Netflix bingers and social media addicts will love the 6.6-inch 120Hz AMOLED display, delivering vibrant colours and deep blacks, and a 5000mAh battery will see you through the day without any worry, even if the ‘fast charging’ remains relatively slow at just 25W.

The main camera is a fairly capable one, sporting a 50MP sensor that our reviewer described as “pretty satisfying” with none of the usual red flags – purple fringing, oil painting-esque detail at the pixel level – that you see from mid-range cameras. The auxiliary cameras, a 12MP ultrawide and 5MP macro lens, aren’t quite as useful, but that’s a sacrifice we often see at the price point. 

The only real weak point of the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G is, rather ironically, performance. Despite the premium build and features, Samsung’s 4nm Exynos 1480 chipset is far from the most powerful you can find. It was bested by the Pixel 7a’s Tensor G2, let alone the Pixel 8a’s Tensor G3, in both CPU and GPU tests, suggesting that mobile gamers might be better off looking elsewhere. 

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

Motorola Edge 50 Pro

Despite the Pro branding, the Edge 50 Pro is Motorola’s latest mid-ranger to hit the market, sporting a sleek, svelte design, an impressive screen, solid performance and some of the fastest charging we’ve seen at any price point that makes it one to consider.

First off, the Edge 50 Pro looks the part with a choice between vegan leather and marble rears, complete with vibrant colour options including a particularly attractive shade of Lavender to choose from. It’s also thin and lightweight at 8.2mm and 186g respectively, and when combined with a slightly curved screen, it feels great in the hand.

The 6.7-inch display is another standout feature, with OLED screen tech, a rapid 144Hz refresh rate that’s ideal for gaming and a maximum brightness of 2000nits. Combined with a 1.2K resolution, the screen experience is crisp, bright and vibrant, ideal for binging Netflix on the go.

Despite its mid-range price tag, the Edge 50 Pro is one of few mid-rangers to sport a dedicated 3x telephoto lens alongside its 50MP main and 13MP lenses. The main camera is identical to the Motorola Edge 40, which is to say that it remains an impressive snapper with a large 1/1.55-inch sensor and f/1.4 aperture, but the addition of a 10MP telephoto means you can get closer to the action than ever before. 

For us though, the real highlight of the Motorola Edge 50 Pro is the charging experience. Not only does it support 125W fast charging tech, but you’ll get a 125W fast charger in the box – and you can’t say that about many flagships, let alone mid-rangers. With tests showing a full recharge takes just 19 minutes, it’s one of the fastest-charging phones on the market at any price point.

The only real weak point of the Edge 50 Pro is the performance, utilising the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset present in phones that cost £100 less. It’s more than enough for everyday use when paired with 12GB of RAM, but you’ll really notice the lack of graphical grunt when playing games. 

Reviewer: Lewis Painter
Full review: Motorola Edge 50 Pro

OnePlus 12R

The OnePlus 12R is a solid attempt at a mid-range smartphone that manages to stand out in a busy market with a smattering of truly high-end tech.

The OnePlus 12R’s display is one of the main reasons to opt for the phone. While the 6.78-inch AMOLED screen isn’t quite as pixel-packed as the flagship OnePlus 12, it boasts the same 120Hz refresh rate and, rather importantly, LTPO 4.0 tech.

It’s one of the first phones on the market to sport the tech at any price point, not just the mid-range market, and allows the phone to essentially adjust the refresh rate as you scroll. This essentially means that the screen feels super responsive in use and, crucially, it’s way more battery-friendly.

That also means that, combined with a 5500mAh battery that’s larger than any other phone in our chart, the OnePlus 12R has the best battery life of any phone in our chart, managing around 7-8 hours of screen-on time on a single charge. If you’re not a power user, that should get you through two days of use. Even then, with 100W SuperVOOC charging it’ll get a full charge in under 30 minutes. That makes it one of the fastest-charging mid-rangers around.

It’s also a decent performer with the 2023 flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, especially when coupled with OnePlus’ various software and hardware optimisations. It’ll even give the Pixel 7a’s Tensor G2 chipset a run for its money, both in benchmarks and real-world use.

Elsewhere, it has a solid primary 50MP camera, though it is let down by its supporting 8MP ultrawide and 2MP macro cameras, and it also lacks some key features like wireless charging.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full Review: OnePlus 12R review

Honor 200 Pro

The Honor 200 Pro may be one of the pricier phones on our list at £699, but if you want a top-notch viewing experience, it may well be worth the upfront investment.

The Honor 200 Pro sports a 6.8-inch curved OLED screen that’s larger than much of the competition, but it’s not just a big-screen device. 

It comes with a pixel-packed 1.2K resolution, a maximum brightness of 4000nits and even supports blazing-fast 3840Hz PWM Dimming that bests some of the priciest smartphones around. There are also a number of features aimed at reducing blue light to keep your peepers fresh, and the whole experience is highly customisable too. 

Elsewhere, the Honor 200 Pro boasts an impressive camera experience headed by a 50MP f/1.9 main camera with a large 1/1.3-inch sensor, but the 50MP 2.5x telephoto is most interesting. That’s because Honor worked with famed French photography house Studio Harcourt to bring its unique portrait style to the Honor 200 Pro using AI to deliver some of the best Portrait mode results around.  

It’s also a powerhouse with the Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 and 12GB of RAM that can handle basically anything you can throw at it, and with a 5200mAh silicon-carbon battery, it has no issue lasting a day or two on a single charge. Combined with 66W fast charging, it’ll regain a full charge in under an hour, achieving 70% in half an hour.  

The only hurdle is the software experience, with Honor’s MagicOS 8.0 based on Android 14 deviating quite far from the stock Android experience. It’s arguably closer to iOS 17 than stock Android with elements that mimic iOS, from Dynamic Island-esque controls to a split notification centre and quick control panel.

That’s great for those leaving team iPhone, but it’s a massive learning curve for other Android users. 

Reviewer: Luke Baker
Full Review: Honor 200 Pro