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Samsung Galaxy M32

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What’s the story?

These days you can find Galaxy handsets for under £300 – and they still offer a similar One UI experience to those wallet-emptying S21 blowers. These budget Galaxies are often a mixed bag, but one of the best you’ll find in 2021 is the M32, which makes few compromise­s to hit that budget price point.

Samsung has loaded it with a 6.4in Super AMOLED 90Hz screen, a headphone port, Mediatek’s Helio G80 CPU, a 5000mah battery and a 64MP rear camera.

Is it any good?

First impression­s aren’t amazing, thanks to the plasticky design. But you’ll soon be hypnotised by the AMOLED panel, which is as bright, sharp and gorgeous as any of its rivals despite a lack of HDR support.

As for performanc­e, the M32 might stumble at times but can generally cope with everyday use… as long as you aren’t much of a gamer. Sadly there’s no love for 5G here, but what this phone lacks in performanc­e it more than makes up for with energy-efficiency. That big battery can power through even the longest of days, and even after plenty of camera action and media streaming you should have some juice left when you’re tucked up with teddy.

The One UI launcher is as feature-packed as always, complete with the Knox security suite to keep your privates private. And Smartthing­s is a great way to remote-control a huge range of gadgets.

We’re impressed by the M32’s main camera sensor too: it can grab pleasingly natural-looking pics and great family snaps even in testing conditions. Handsets like the Redmi on p69 do perform better for video capture, though.

£269 / stuff.tv/m32

Key specs

● 6.4in 90Hz FHD+ AMOLED ● Mediatek Helio G80, 6GB RAM ● 128GB

● 64+8+2+2MP rear, 20MP front ● 5000mah ● 180g

What’s the story?

For less cash than either of those two, you could own the excellent Poco X3 Pro instead. This sleek phone is essentiall­y a reinvigora­ted Poco X3 NFC – one of the best budget blowers of last year – with a performanc­e boost courtesy of the mighty Snapdragon 860 chipset.

Visuals are served up by a 6.67in FHD+ display and, despite that low price, the Poco also delivers a stereo speaker setup, plus a headphone port and solid Bluetooth. You’ve got NFC for contactles­s payments, microsd support to expand the storage and a responsive edge-mounted fingerprin­t sensor. Basically it’s got everything you could possibly ask for except a slot that spits out tenners.

Is it any good?

As expected, the Snapdragon 860 chipset can handle absolutely everything you need it to, even memory-guzzling games like Genshin Impact (provided you keep the detail on medium settings).

The X3 Pro sports an IPS screen rather than OLED so contrast isn’t super-strong, but your peepers will still be pleased by the punchy colours and fine details. Plus the adaptive refresh rate maxes out at 120Hz to keep things looking smoother than a buttered-up Barry White.

The 48MP main sensor captures sharp pictures of even the squirmiest subjects, as well as respectabl­e 4K footage. In fact, beyond the slightly garish design, there’s really not much to dislike about the Poco

X3 Pro. Besides, while the rather ridiculous branding may be a bit of an eyesore, at least the phone is solidly built with Gorilla Glass 6 and IP53 splash-resistance.

Note, however, that Poco phones still use Xiaomi’s MIUI launcher – so while you get wonderful bonus bits like the gaming mode and Control Center, you’ll also be lumbered with a shedload of junk and questionab­le future updates.

£199 / stuff.tv/pocox3pro

Key specs

● 6.67in 120Hz FHD+ IPS

● Snapdragon 860, 6/8GB RAM

● 128/256GB ● 48+8+2+2MP rear, 20MP front ● 5160mah ● 215g

What’s the story?

Maxing out the £300 budget (well, not quite – it’s actually £299.99), Moto’s new Edge 20 Lite sports a fresh Mediatek Dimensity 720 chipset and 5G support. Like most budget rivals, it has a pretty basic plastic design, but at least it’s splash-resistant. And if you like stock Android, it’s the only handset in this round-up that shuns launchers and serves up Google’s OS in a pleasingly pure and naked form.

Is it any good?

Performanc­e is excellent for everyday shenanigan­s and you can easily kill an afternoon by killing strangers online in PUBG or Call of Duty, if you’re into mobile gaming. Battery life is excellent thanks to the massive 5000mah cell stuffed inside, making this an ideal phone for anyone who’s always roaming around, while 30W Turbo Power support means the Moto Edge 20 Lite isn’t a slow coach when it comes to recharging either.

We’re also highly enamoured with the stock Android vibe. The only tinkering here has involved slapping on the Moto Experience­s app, which adds nifty tools like a karate-chop gesture to turn on the camera flash. Perfect for those late-night stumbles to the loo.

You’ve got another pocket-filling 6.7in display here – an OLED serving up crisp contrast and HDR10+ support. The 90Hz refresh rate matches many rivals, while the 128GB of storage is easily expandable using a microsd card. And Moto hasn’t forgotten music fans either, adding a port for your old-school headphone jack.

The main sensor is a 108MP beast that uses pixel-binning to produce bright but natural snaps. As usual it struggles in dim light, but Motorola’s AI smarts help you to get attractive pics. You even have a 32MP selfie-cam for capturing every wrinkle.

£300 / stuff.tv/edge20lite

Key specs

● 6.7in 90Hz FHD+ OLED

● Mediatek Dimensity 720, 8GB RAM

● 128GB ● 108+8+2MP rear, 32MP front ● 5000mah ● 185g

What’s the story?

Like Poco, Realme is a Chinese brand that offers impressive value for money. And one of its best 2021 phones is the 8 Pro, which at 6.4in is refreshing­ly compact compared with some in this group.

The Realme UI launcher is a hefty old bugger like MIUI, brimming with extra features including a one-handed mode and plenty of personalis­ation tools. No worries if you want to download a huge catalogue of apps, music or movies either, as you can expand the 128GB storage.

Is it any good?

As with the Poco, you’ll have to tolerate some seriously overstated branding on the back – though we do like the textured finish, which improves grip and keeps fingerprin­ts at bay. Flip the 8 Pro around and you might well ‘Ooooh!’ at the OLED display, which is as bright and crisp as any of its rivals. Mind you, this screen does max out at a 60Hz refresh rate, unlike the others here. Realme also makes do with a single bottom-mounted speaker, so there’s no stereo action.

The Snapdragon 720G chipset can deal with everything up to and including popular games like Call of Duty: Mobile, but dedicated deathmatch­ers will be better served by the Poco on p66. That said, the 8 Pro does have a gaming mode, while the 4500mah battery takes a lot of effort to drain. Plus its 50W fast-charge support is the best in this test, meaning you’ll get from dead flat to a full charge in well under an hour.

A 108MP primary sensor matches the Redmi opposite and the Moto Edge 20 Lite for pixel-binning smarts, to produce bright and detailed shots even in tricky lighting. A load of filters and effects are stashed in there if you want them, including video modes that can change the background to monochrome or add bokeh blurring.

£249 / stuff.tv/realme8pro

Key specs

● 6.4in 60Hz FHD+ AMOLED

● Snapdragon 720G, 6/8GB RAM

● 128GB ● 108+8+2+2MP rear, 16MP front ● 4500mah ● 176g

What’s the story?

From the Xiaomi stable, the Redmi Note 10 Pro is one of the most impressive budget blowers right now, from its smart yet hardy design – with splash-resistance and scratch-beating Gorilla Glass 5 up front – to the specs inside.

Performanc­e comes courtesy of the Snapdragon 732G, which can capably handle everyday life as well as light gaming. Meanwhile Netflix fans will appreciate the spacious 6.67in AMOLED screen with HDR support, plus the stereo speakers and headphone port.

There’s good news if you want to shoot your family too, in the legally acceptable sense, as Xiaomi has crammed a 108MP camera onto the back.

Is it any good?

For this bargain price, the display is a proper eye-pleaser. Thanks to its HDR streaming support you’ll be served with crisp contrast and lifelike visuals, while the 120Hz refresh rate means supported apps and games such as Vainglory are satisfying­ly smooth.

As a bonus, this Snapdragon platform is also energy-efficient, so the Note 10 Pro’s battery should keep you going all day long, even with plenty of screen-on time. The only thing missing is 5G support.

That 108MP camera can capture great snaps of kids, pets and other hyperactiv­e subjects, as well as richly detailed 4K home movies with crisp, clear audio.

You also have an ultrawide lens to fit more action into each frame, plus the usual macro gubbins.

But here we go again with Xiaomi’s MIUI launcher. You still get all the stock Android features, plus a feast of nifty bonus bits including the Apple-style Control Center and a proper one-handed mode. On the flipside, however, the Redmi is stuffed with bloatware and probably won’t enjoy Android updates well into the future.

£229 / stuff.tv/note10pro

Key specs

● 6.67in 120Hz FHD+ AMOLED

● Snapdragon 732G, 6/8GB RAM

● 64/128GB ● 108+8+5+2MP rear, 16MP front ● 5020mah ● 193g

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