The alternatives: Cut-price flagship phones

Saying no to the Pro? Fair enough, but the standard iphone has competition from Google’s even cheaper night stalker…

Apple iphone 12

from £799 / apple.com

What’s the story?

iphone 12 Mini too small? iphone 12 Pro Max too big? If you’re somewhere in the middle, that’s where it gets difficult. The standard iphone 12 has the same display, the same CPU, much of the same camera tech and the same 5G future-proofing as the

Pro version, for £200 less. Easy to recommend, then?

Is it any good?

We loved the iphone 11, and huge improvements to the design and display mean its successor gets an equally emphatic thumbs-up. In fact, if you can live without the telephoto camera (and most can), you should save yourself some cash and get the 12 ahead of the 12 Pro. In many ways it’s exactly the same phone, and it’s just as 5G-ready. Fans of big or small phones should wait for our verdicts on the two iphones still to come this winter; for everyone else, the iphone 12 is one of Apple’s very best to date.

TECH SPECS

Screen 6.1in 2532x1170 OLED Processor A14 Bionic RAM 4GB Storage 64/128/256GB OS IOS 14

Cameras 12+12MP rear, 12MP front Battery

2815mah Dimensions 147x72x7.4mm, 162g

Google Pixel 5

£599 / store.google.com

What’s the story?

The Pixel 5 ditches the gimmicks and quirkiness of past efforts, focusing on a streamlined take on Android and some algorithmic camera excellence. It also adds a few tasty extras like 5G; but with the rest of the phone world chasing a piece of the mid-range pie, are the basics still enough?

Is it any good?

With fewer fancy features than previous Pixels and hardware that’s a distinct step down from today’s top-end models, this is as mainstream as Google’s phones have been for some time. It still takes great photos (especially at night), is quick enough for most users and does the basics extremely well. But the Oneplus Nord packs almost as much punch for barely half the price, while Samsung’s Galaxy S20 FE gets a top CPU for only £100 more. For bargain hunters, the £499 Pixel 4a 5G makes more sense.

TECH SPECS

Screen 6in 2340x1080 OLED Processor Snapdragon 765G RAM 8GB Storage 128GB OS Android 11 Cameras

12+16MP rear, 8MP front Battery 4080mah Dimensions

145x70x8mm, 151g