Best mid-range smartphones: 7 excellent options tested and reviewed

The Pixel 7a is an impressive mid-range Android phone that combines excellent camera skills, Google’s renowned software, and an affordable price tag. It has quickly become a favourite among the Trusted Reviews staff.

Google’s latest A-series device matches many of the essential features found in its pricier counterpart, the Pixel 7, while also offering several advantages over the Pixel 6a. These advantages include convenient Qi wireless charging, a generous 8GB of memory, a faster 90Hz screen compared to the Pixel 6a’s 60Hz, and a sturdy metal body that improves durability.

The standout feature of the Pixel 7a is, as many would expect from this series, its impressive camera array. Equipped with a new 64MP sensor that’s far larger than the one in the Pixel 6a, it captures exceptional images in various lighting conditions, accurately rendering skin tones. In fact, it’s hard to find a better phone in this price range that can match the camera performance here.

Under the hood, the Pixel 7a is powered by the same Tensor G2 chip found in its higher-end counterparts, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 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 Asus Zenfone 9.

It’s worth noting that the Pixel 7a’s battery life is average, and charging is slow. While the phone generally lasts a day, heavy screen usage on busier days might require a quick recharge. A full charge can take over 100 minutes, and a charger needs to be purchased separately.

Overall, the Pixel 7a presents itself as an impressive choice, combining excellent camera capabilities, Google’s software prowess, and an affordable price point.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: Google Pixel 7a

Pushing up to the upper end of mid-range market, the Asus Zenfone 9 is our top choice if you’re looking for a great all-round performer that is also easy to fit into your hand or slide into a petite pocket.

With a 5.9-inch screen, the Zenfone 9 is not for you if you subscribe to the “bigger is better” mantra, but that’s what makes it ideal if you would struggle to get to grips with some of the other massive mid-rangers on this list. 

On top of its appealing size, this handset offers great photographic results thanks to a twin of sensor on its rear (50-megapixel wide and 12-megapixel ultrawide), and it’s got a snappy chipset too that should comfortably see you through any difficult processing tasks, including mobile games.

However, charging speed is on the slow side and the matte finish may not stand up to much hard-wearing use.

Reviewer: Andrew Williams

Full review: Asus Zenfone 9 review

Motorola’s mid-range Edge 40 is a strong option for prospective buyers, offering not only a sleek, svelte design but impressive camera performance, a gorgeous display and fast 68W charging tech for £529.

The design of the Edge 40 is unique, sporting a vegan leather rear that completely encompasses the rear including the camera housing, with the material also proving to be grippy enough to wield the 6.55-inch phone one-handed without much issue. It’s also one of the thinner and lighter options around at 7.6mm and 172g respectively.

The display is rapid at 144Hz, with pOLED tech delivering the vibrant colours and inky blacks expected of the tech – it’s just a shame that the 144Hz refresh rate is locked, with the auto-refresh rate option only cycling between 60- and 120Hz.

The main 50MP rear camera has the widest aperture around at f/1.4, and combined with PDAF and OIS, takes impressive low-light photos for the money. It also adds a nice natural bokeh to most images with a relatively shallow depth of field. The ultra-wide isn’t quite as capable, however, and the selfie camera delivered consistently washed-out images.

Things aren’t quite as rosy when it comes to performance though; the Dimensity 8020 chipset is more than enough to power the day-to-day experience without lag, but the phone can quickly overheat when playing demanding games like Call of Duty Mobile leading to lag and framerate drops.

Reviewer: Lewis Painter
Full review: Motorola Edge 40

If you’re a Samsung purist and your budget can’t quite stretch to the £849 Samsung Galaxy S23, the more budget-friendly £449 Galaxy A54 5G might suit your needs.

It sports a near-identical design to the flagship Galaxy S23 series complete with rounded edges and a minimalistic camera setup on the rear, and even makes the jump to a glass rear for an added premium feel, though it’s let down somewhat by the polycarbonate frame.

Netflix bingers and social media addicts will love the 6.4-inch 120Hz AMOLED display, delivering vibrant colours and deep blacks. It’s just as good for gaming, though with the distinctly mid-range Exynos 1380 chipset, it’s more limited to 2D titles than AAA 3D games like Call of Duty Mobile with top-end graphics enabled.

Though it may seem like a downgrade on paper compared to the 64MP snapper of its predecessor, the A54 5G’s 50MP main lens has a larger sensor and improved OIS that leads to notable improvements in low-light photography, though it can’t quite compete with the Pixel 7. That’s flanked by an ultrawide and macro lens, but the main lens is where most of the attention is.

The inclusion of a 5000mAh battery is welcome, matching the top-end S23 Ultra and beating the flagship S23 and S23 Plus, but battery life is a bit hit-and-miss in real-world conditions. It has the potential to last all day with average use, but pushing the A54 5G to its limits will leave you scrambling for a charger. And, with 25W charging, it takes quite some time to charge too.

Reviewer: Lewis Painter
Full review: Samsung Galaxy A54 5G

If you’re an Apple fan, and dead-set on getting an iPhone, then there are a couple of options on the market at the moment. At £779, the regular iPhone 13 is too expensive for what we consider a mid-range phone, so that’s crossed off the list. But the cheaper iPhone 13 Mini is within budget and a great choice if you want a smaller device.

You’ve got to be really comfortable with this smaller form factor to enjoy the iPhone 13 Mini, and it probably isn’t for those who watch a lot of media or play lots of games on the go. We found the screen is too small for that.

But, if you use your phone more for messaging, social media and taking pictures then the smaller size might be of benefit. It’s also the most comfortable phone to use one-handed on this list, especially if you’ve got smaller hands.

Feature-wise, the iPhone 13 Mini is the same as the pricier iPhone 13. Performance is the best out of any mid-range phone both in stringent lab tests and real-world use, while the duo of cameras on the back are the only ones listed that can compete with the Pixel 6. You’ll also get multiple years of support through iOS updates.

Wireless charging is here, as is an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. It’s also just a very nice looking phone, with multiple tasteful colour options available.

If you want a cheaper iPhone, the iPhone SE 2022 packs the same high-end performance but in a slightly dated body with a smaller screen.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: iPhone 13 Mini Review

As the name suggests, the Xiaomi 13 Lite is a cheaper version of the excellent Xiaomi 13 – one of our favourite Android phones of the year so far.

Our reviewer was thoroughly impressed with the design here, praising the curved looks and thin overall build. But it impressed in other areas too, even bettering the pricier Xiaomi 13 when it came to the selfie camera.

It has a bright OLED display too, a really impressive main rear camera that beats many entries on this list even if it can, at times, oversaturate images. If you like the blurry, bokeh-influenced selfies too this is a winner.

There’s snappy 67w charging that can take it from 0-100% in less than 45 minutes and generally battery life that got our reviewer comfortably through the day.

Reviewer: Andrew Williams

Full review: Xiaomi 13 Lite review

The Poco F5 is the latest mid-ranger from the Xiaomi sub-brand and has a distinct focus on performance and entertainment with decent performance and a strong display experience at just £449.

The star of the show is the 6.67-inch OLED display which we found to be plenty bright at a boosted 100nits and, as expected from OLED tech, the colours are accurate and blacks inky, making it a great option for binging movies on Netflix on the move.

It also has a 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sample rate that should appeal to gamers, especially when paired with the other key feature; the latest Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 chipset, the only smartphone in our list to boast the tech. We found that the chipset could comfortably outpace the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 found in the Poco F5 Pro in the CPU department, with decent GPU performance too.

Other key features include a healthy 5000mAh battery with fast 67W wired charging that saw a full charge in 52 minutes, 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM as standard and 5G connectivity too. It’s just a shame that the so-so camera offering remains largely the same as the Poco F4 and MIUI 14 remains as cluttered as ever or it’d be an easy recommendation for most.

Reviewer: Jon Mundy

Full review: Poco F5 review