Some phones offer premium features at much more affordable price points. Here’s our pick of the best mid-range handsets you can buy.

By Jason Murdock

Published: Thursday, 19 August 2021 at 12:00 am


The term “flagship killer” is often used to describe a phone with high-end features and a more affordable price point. That may well be a cliché in 2021 – but it’s undeniable that many mid-range handsets are more than up to the fight.

Yes, the days of having to pay £1,000 outright for a premium smartphone are gone. Tech has moved at a blistering pace, and you can easily get high-resolution screens, lengthy battery life and next-generation connectivity for half that price.

In terms of what top-line specs are now on offer, the mid-range smartphones that are the best today are essentially just the flagship phones of the (very recent) past.

What was once the domain of top-tier devices – OLED displays, high refresh rates and 5G chips – are now available not only on the devices that make up our best smartphone list but even the ones that fall into the best budget smartphone territory.

Sitting in between those two extremes are the mid-rangers, all-rounders that give off a premium-like experience for much less upfront cost. This is a vast category that’s surprisingly complex. It’s broad and can arguably contain phones priced anywhere between the £250 and £600 mark, typically when bought outright and unlocked.

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How to choose the best mid-range phone

Luckily, due to the broad mid-range category, there’s a lot of options for both brand and budget. Here are some tips on how to choose the right model for you.

Still unsure which model to go for? Don’t worry – we have got you covered. Our expert reviewers have tested a variety of handsets in this popular category – at a range of prices. So here are the best mid-range smartphones that you can buy in 2021.

Best mid-range phones at a glance 

Best mid-range phones in 2021

Apple iPhone SE (2nd gen)

Best mid-range iOS experience 

"Walid
Walid Berrazeg/SOPA Images/LightRocket/ Getty Images

Pros

  • Seamless iOS experience
  • Excellent camera results

Cons

  • Battery life isn’t amazing
  • No 5G connectivity

Key features

  • A13 Bionic chip, same as iPhone 11
  • Wireless charging capability

At just under £400, the second-generation iPhone SE is the best option if you want an iOS experience without paying a premium for a newer model such as the iPhone 12. Released in 2020, the 4.7-inch SE has an older design, weaker battery life and a slightly more dated screen – but it retains many of the key iOS features, such as Siri, iMessage and FaceTime. We found the camera setup to be pretty good, too.

As our expert tester, Natalya Paul, wrote in our in-depth Apple iPhone SE (2nd gen) review: “The SE (2nd gen) is a smaller and more basic version of the 2020 iPhone line-up. It comes with many of the same features, but for a fraction of the price.”

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Google Pixel 4a 5G 

Best mid-range Android experience

"Google

Pros

  • Excellent main camera
  • Uncluttered software

Cons

  • Battery life is not very long
  • Plastic casing frame

Key features

  • Android updates before other manufacturers
  • Same Snapdragon processor as the Pixel 5

There are multiple handsets in the current Google Pixel range – the Pixel 4a (From £349), the Pixel 4a 5G (from £499) and the flagship Pixel 5 (from £599). In terms of the best mid-range, you will be more than safe with either the 4a or 4a 5G – and we are only choosing the 5G variant as it’s slightly more futureproof. The camera is stunning, and the phone has great update support, solid battery life and a large screen. With the Google Pixel 6 incoming this year, the 4a 5G may be about to get cheaper.

As we wrote in our full Google Pixel 4a 5G review: “[It] is a good alternative to… the Samsung Galaxy S21. It takes excellent photos, is powerful enough for most people, isn’t too large or heavy and has a bigger screen than the Pixel 5 or Pixel 4a.”

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OnePlus Nord CE 5G 

Best mid-range all-rounder

"OnePlus

Pros

  • Good OLED screen
  • Relatively petite and light

Cons

  • Plastic back and sides
  • Not as powerful as the first Nord

Key features

  • 5G connectivity
  • Headphone jack

OnePlus made its name with so-called flagship killers, and the OnePlus Nord CE is a 5G-enabled phone that offers a premium feel for well under £500. The 6.43-inch  OLED screen has a 90HZ refresh rate for smooth scrolling, while the 4500mAh battery capacity will easily keep you going through the day. It’s not perfect, however, and we deducted some points in our OnePlus Nord CE 5G review for its plastic construction and it being more expensive than some key rivals. For a more premium mid-range experience, we advise looking in the direction of the fantastic OnePlus 8T 5G.

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro

Great budget option

"Note

Pros

  • Long battery life
  • Large OLED screen

Cons

  • No 5G connectivity
  • May be too large for some hands

Key features

  • 120Hz refresh rate
  • Great for streaming video and games

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro will certainly be one of the smartphones that skim along the edge between budget and mid-range, coming in at around £250. There’s a lot we loved about the handset during our hands-on testing, including the large OLED screen, a premium glass back, solid cameras and two-day battery life. It doesn’t have 5G, but this is a great option if budget is your main priority. If you want to spend slightly more cash for 5G, consider the £345 Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G.

But as we noted in our full Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro review: “The [handset] is almost certainly one of the best value phones of 2021. If you are a demanding phone buyer who wants as much for your cash as possible, you can’t do much better.”

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POCO F3 5G

Best affordable 5G mid-range

"POCO

Pros

  • Strong gaming performance
  • Solid 4520mAh battery

Cons

  • Branding may be off-putting
  • Cameras are just OK

Key features 

  • 120Hz refresh rate
  • Snapdragon 870 5G processor

The Poco F3 5G, which is from a sub-brand of top Chinese phone maker Xiaomi, has a fantastic variety of top-end features that would be just as suited to a much more expensive handset: a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G processor, a 120Hz refresh rate, a 4520mAh battery, an AI-powered triple camera setup and Dolby Atmos dual speakers. It comes in three colours, but we recommend either the black or white versions to avoid the larger Poco branding that is found on the “deep ocean blue” model. Regardless of colour, it’s still a great mid-range smartphone for the price.

In our guide to the best Android phone, we praised the POCO F3 5G as being the best option for sheer value, specifically loving its strong gaming performance and top quality screen. As we wrote: “This phone is something of a money-saving maverick.”

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Oppo Find X3 Lite 5G

Best mid-range phone by Oppo

"Oppo

Pros

  • 5G connectivity
  • Fast charging

Cons

  • No wireless charging
  • No water or dust resistance

Key features

  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • 90 Hz refresh rate

The Find X3 Lite 5G from Oppo, a brand that is owned by Chinese tech giant BBK Electronics, which also oversees OnePlus and Realme, is a great Android phone for under £400. It not only has 5G but also boasts a 90 Hz refresh rate, fast charging, a quad-camera set-up, a glass back frame and a nice 6.4 inch AMOLED screen. The only big aspects missing are water or dust resistance and wireless charging.

As we noted in our Oppo Find X3 Lite 5G review: “As part of Oppo’s flagship series, we were expecting a lot… And while it doesn’t have the bells and whistles of the Pro model, it is a solid smartphone that delivers well on everything it offers.”

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Motorola Moto g100

Best for mid-range power specs 

"Moto

Pros

  • Lots of power for gaming
  • 64 MP triple camera setup

Cons

  • Expensive compared to other Motos
  • Camera is not as good as its rivals

Key features

  • Can attach monitor and keyboard
  • Snapdragon 870 5G chip

While Motorola offers a wide range of smartphones that are typically on the more affordable side of the spectrum, the G100 actually stands out as a bit of a beast. At a little over £400, it runs on Android 11, has a strong Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G chipset, a large 5000mAh battery and boasts a 64 MP triple camera setup. The 6.7″ display has a 90Hz refresh rate – great for web browsing and gaming. In the UK, the Moto g100 comes with a “Ready for” stand – intended for added productivity as it can help the smartphone to be hooked up to an external monitor and keyboard.

Due to its powerful specs, we awarded the Moto g100 the title of “best for gaming” in our buyer’s guide to the best Motorola phones.

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