THE MOST IMPORTANT MID-RANGE PHONES

These four excellent handsets should be high up on your shortlist in 2020

The mid-range section of the smartphone market has never been busier: if you’ve got, say, $350 to $750 to spend, then there are a wealth of phones to pick from. The four mid-range devices mentioned here should offer something for everyone – they differ in size, features, software and camera quality, so you can compare them carefully against your own personal list of key considerations.

Whatever you’re looking for, don’t rush yourself. New phones are appearing all year round, which knocks down prices further as the current handsets get older, so keep a careful eye on deals and special offers from the usual retailers.

CHOOSE YOUR PRIORITIES

If you can’t or don’t want to spend enormous sums of money on a flagship smartphone, then picking the right midranger is all about deciding on what you do want – these more affordable handsets offer sleek looks, excellent battery life, fantastic cameras and speedy performance... but not usually all in the same phone. You’re going to have to make some compromises to spend a little less.

As well as taking a look at the headline features, examine the small print closely when you’re picking out a mid-range phone for yourself. Manufacturers usually won’t advertise the areas where they’ve cut corners: it might be a lack of support for the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology, for example, slower charging speeds, or a display that doesn’t support the very latest and greatest HDR standards.

Smartphone specs can be a bit bewildering, but don’t buy anything until you’ve found out where the trade-offs are being made. Remember that as 5G spreads across the country, this is something else to look out for, though it’s not really essential for a smartphone at the moment – 4G will still serve you very well for the next few years, whether you’re streaming movies or downloading games while away from Wi-Fi.

We’ve already mentioned Apple, Google and Samsung, but brands such as Nokia and Motorola have been putting out reliable, affordable mid-range phones for years: these are well worth adding to your mid-range phone shortlist, offering a variety of specs and features across a variety of price levels.

You do of course also have the choice between Android and iOS – you may well have already made this decision a long time ago, but in terms of guaranteeing future updates for several years, Apple usually has a better record than Google. If you’re picking Android, check with the manufacturer how long you can expect updates for (and if you want the best Android software before everyone else, choose a Pixel).

Otherwise picking a mid-range phone is a lot like picking a flagship phone: look at how much you’re having to spend versus what you get in return, be aware that product refreshes usually happen about once a year (price discounts on current models are a good indicator of this), and make sure you read plenty of reviews – starting with those in T3 of course! – before putting down money for your chosen handset.

Speaking of product refreshes, we’re expecting new iPhones and Pixel phones before the year is out, as well as plenty of other handsets – though it’s those Pixel phones (the Pixel 5 and the Pixel 4a 5G) that are likely to be of more interest to the mid-range shopper. As for what’s to come in 2021, the rise of the mid-range smartphone doesn’t look like it’s going to be stopping anytime soon.

Don’t buy anything until you’ve found out where the trade-offs are