Best midrange all-rounders 2020 - buyer’s guide

Our new top pick for this under-€200 mid-range category is the Realme 6. Its price has already dropped to some bargain numbers and it is easily the most feature-rich phone you can buy for as low as €170.

The Realme 6 is better suited that many more expensive mid-rangers - it offers a 6.5" 1080p screen with 90Hz refresh, there is gaming-capable Helio G90T chipset and 4GB or 6GB of RAM. The phone scored 103h endurance rating on our battery life test and on top of that you can top up its battery quite fast.

But wait, there is more. The Realme 6 offers a capable quad-camera on its back, which snaps regular, ultrawide, macro and portraits shots with good quality, and it can even do 4K video capturing.

Finally, the Realme 6 runs on Android 10 with the new Realme UI and it's quite fast under that 90Hz screen. What's the catch then? Well, there is no catch. It is that good!

Choosing the Redmi Note 9S as a runner-up in this category was a no-brainer. In addition to the outstanding battery autonomy, it also delivers some excellent bang for the buck making it one of the cheapest gaming-oriented smartphones. It also offers enjoyable stills and videos, as well as a large and HDR10-capable screen.

Despite it is aimed at global markets, it omits NFC and that may be a bummer for some.

If we have about €200 to spend on a phone and Realme 6 isn't an option for some reason, we will then go with the €150 Redmi Note 9. It has pretty much everything you'd want out of a handset for this price - a large and sharp LCD display, a capable chipset (powerful enough and efficient), a big 5,020mAh battery with 18W charging support and a whole array of cameras.

But that's not even all. It's offers a Gorilla Glass 5 protection for the screen, it has NFC support, and can even control your legacy appliances with its built-in IR emitter.

Perhaps the one thing we can come up with that could be an issue to some is the 200g weight - it's not unreasonable, it's just a bit hefty.

The global Redmi Note 9 Pro (also known in India as Redmi Note 9 Pro Max) is priced at about €200 and it has a lot to offer. First - it has a large screen with one tiny cutout. Then, it's one of our battery champs and it supports 30W fast charging. We also enjoyed the output of its 64MP main and 8MP ultrawide cameras, aren't bad either. Then there is the Snapdragon 720G chip, which is ideal for gaming on the budget.

It's got flaws too, naturally. The uneven backlight around the notch is a bit of an eyesore. The flipside to the large battery is that the Redmi 9 Pro is a bit chunky, too. And then there is the fact that Realme offers a 90Hz screen on a cheaper phone.

Still, if the 90Hz screen isn't a must-have, the Redmi Note 9 Pro is a real powerhouse and will last you days on a single charge.

The Realme 7i is quite the offer if it's available in your region. The phone is priced at around INR13,000 and offers some great features like a 90Hz LCD screen, adequate power for gaming, and a quad-camera on the back with a 64MP primary and an 8MP ultrawide snappers.

The Realme 7i has the usual battery backup of 5,000mAh with fast charging at that, and it have some niceties like a 3.5mm jack, Gorilla Glass protection, fingerprint scanner, and 64GB base storage.

The Realme 7i is not the cheapest of the bunch though and it doesn't offer some essentials like FM radio, IR blaster or NFC.

The Galaxy A41 is easy on your pocket in more than one way. It stands out thanks to a high-density Super AMOLED display, excellent battery life (quite an improvement over the A40) and a decently capable camera system for the money.

What helped Samsung make the budget is the unpretentious chipset. It's acceptable for routine tasks, but heavy gaming is not its strong suit. There's also no 4K video recording capability, though certain users may not mind one bit.

Still, getting a great AMOLED screen and decent camera at such low price - €185 or so - is quite the deal and we do recommend considering this Galaxy A41.

The Galaxy M21 (with 48MP primary, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP depth, 20MP selfie cams) is available under different names in different parts of the world. You can find it as Galaxy M31 Prime (64MP+8MP+2MP with 5MP macro and 32MP selfie cams), or the Galaxy F41 (64MP+8MP+2MP and 32MP selfie cams). These three costs the same, look the same and run the same, they just have some minor differences in the camera setups.

So, no matter which phone you can find in your local stores, it will be a pretty tempting offer. At about €200/INR 14,000 you'd be getting a large AMOLED screen, very decent performance, multiple cameras with Night Mode and 4K capturing, beefy 6,000mAh battery and recent software. What's not to like?

The Moto G9 Play is quite the marathon-runner with chart-topping battery life. It has a large HD screen and the Snapdragon 662 provides enough punch for decent HD gaming. The Play isn't that good with camera, but it offers speedy charging, a 3.5mm audio jack, NFC, and a microSD storage.

One thing that we didn't like about the Play is that even with its clean Android OS, it still felt somewhat sluggish. Then again, the phone is quite cheap at €160, so if your budget is limited, you may want to consider it.

The $130/€170 Poco M3 was released just recently and it is already shaping as one of the best offers on the budget. It has a large and high-res LCD screen, stereo speakers and a massive 6,000mAh battery with fast charging, which makes it a great companion for multimedia and social networks. Gaming is very much possible, too, you just need to lower the graphics settings and resolution.

The M3 won't be known for its camera prowess, but it's okay. It makes up for that with speedy charging, a 3.5mm audio jack, stereo speakers, and a microSD storage.

The $190/€170 Nokia 5.3 is an unique suggestion for its Android One participation and on-time OS updates. It has a large 720p screen and the proper chip to handle such resolution, plus it shows potential with its quad-camera (wide+ultrawide+depth+macro). The 4,000mAh battery seems enough for the job, too.

The Nokia 5.3 isn't the fastest phone and its screen sharpness isn't ideal, but it's quite cheap and Android One is a treat you'd like.

Another US special is the $190 Moto G Fast. It has a water-repellent coating on its plastic body, offers a large enough screen and an adequate chip to handle its 720p resolution. Just like the Nokia 5.3, this one also shows camera potential with a triple setup (main, ultrawide, macro) The 4,000mAh battery capacity should be plenty, too.

The Moto G Fast runs on the latest Android, clean at that, even if it's not an Android One phone. It’s not the fastest either, despite what the name suggests. It's quite cheap and it does offer enough for its price and that's why we are putting it in this shortlist.

There is no better mid-ranger than the Poco X3 NFC if your budget is around the €250 mark. The phone offers unbelievable bang for the buck - you get a large 120Hz display within a splash-proof body, snappy performance, a very good (mid-range) quad-camera, and pretty amazing battery life.

The Poco X3 NFC omits nothing - it has a 3.5mm jack, stereo speakers, a microSD slot, IR blaster, FM radio, NFC. It runs on the latest Android and MIUI versions.

There is only one issue with the X3 but it will be noticed by few if any users - slower pixel response time which may result in smearing or ghosting when scrolling. But as we said - you need to really look for it and even then - you may not be able to notice it.

If you have slightly more to spend, we'd recommend the Galaxy M31s. It had a limited launch this August, but we expect it to hit more markets soon enough. The M31s has a 6,000mAh cell inside, paired with a nice 6.5-inch FullHD AMOLED, a speedy Exynos mid-tier chip and a promising camera setup - if that's not an all-rounder, we don't know what is.

The M31s has a rather plasticky build, and its glossy back is nigh impossible to keep clean - not strictly a dealbreaker, but a nuisance nonetheless.

Its predecessor - the Galaxy M31 is slower to charge and packs a 6.4" AMOLED instead of 6.5", but it's the same phone more or less. So, if the M31s is impossible to find, the M31 will do the same fine job

If you are a fan of them Super AMOLEDs, the Samsung Galaxy A31 is a pretty viable option priced at around €220. It has a 1080p screen, a good quad-camera, an excellent selfie shooter, and offers brilliant battery life.

The Galaxy A31 is a bit slow to charge and its GPU performance is trailing behind the competition. There is no Night Mode or EIS in video - things that the majority of smartphones offer regardless of the price. Still, if you are okay with these setbacks, then you will enjoy the A31 and its large AMOLED screen for sure.

The Motorola One Fusion+ delivers an excellent balance of performance across all key areas and it is priced just under €250. One of the LCD's best features is that it's cutout-free, but it's also reasonably bright and contrasty. Battery life is off-the-charts great, while the Snapdragon 730 (730G in India) is a potent mid-range chip. The main camera takes excellent photos in good light and at night, portraits and selfies aren't half bad either.

True, while stills are great, video isn't quite as likable out of the Fusion+. The ultrawide camera isn't on the same level as the main shooter either. The lack of NFC could put off some buyers too. There's also the concern that the elevating selfie cam that eliminates the display notch could pose issues in the long run - but we haven't heard of pop-up mechanisms failing en mass plus the worst thing that can happen is no selfies, how bad could that be?

The Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 5G is a bit reworked version of the Poco X3 NFC with a 5G-capable chip. It has the same 6.67" 120Hz LCD display but with better pixel response time and better refresh rate handling (including Smart AdaptiveSync). The Mi 10T Lite 5G offers excellent bang for the buck - you get a large 120Hz display within a splash-proof body, snappy performance thanks to the Snapdragon 750G chip, a very good (mid-range) quad-camera, and pretty amazing battery life.

The Mi 10T Lite 5G, just like the Poco X3, comes with a 3.5mm jack, stereo speakers, a microSD slot, IR blaster, FM radio, NFC. It runs on the latest Android and MIUI versions.

The Mi 10T Lite 5G is a bit pricier than the Poco X3 and that's why it didn't become our new top. It is quite the offer at the UK for about £200, but it is more expensive than the Poco X3 elsewhere. Still, if found at a Poco X3-like price, we'd suggest considering the Mi before the Poco for the overall better display quality.

The Moto G Stylus, also known as Moto G Pro, is one of the few midrange smartphones with an integrated stylus. It offers a decent screen, performance and camera, though it may lack in battery life and high-stakes gaming.

We like the stereo speakers, the water-repellant coating on the body and the presence of audio jack and FM radio. We are also fans of Moto's clean Android experience. We are just not thrilled with the battery life, charging speed and the overall camera quality and experience. The Moto G Stylus is cheap at the States though and we recommend giving a try.

The Moto G Power is the Moto G Stylus but without the stylus. Thanks to the extra space, Motorola managed to fit a larger 5,000mAh battery inside and this one allows taking photos with the ultrawide camera. , also known as Moto G Pro, is one of the few midrange smartphones with an integrated stylus. It offers a decent screen, performance and camera, though it may lack in battery life and high-stakes gaming.

We appreciate the stereo speakers, the water-repellant coating on the body and the presence of audio jack and FM radio, and the clean Android experience. The lackluster gaming experience could be a turnoff, though. We are also fans of Moto's clean Android experience. The Moto G Power is incredibly cheap at the States and that's why you should consider it.

The Realme 7 5G is among the cheapest 5G phones priced at around €300 and it is our new top suggestion. It offers a large LCD screen with 120Hz refresh rate and runs on the Dimensity 800U 5G chip that provides decent performance. You can also rely on a pretty good quad-camera on the back.

The Realme 7 5G is a champ when it comes to battery life though. It scored a 129h endurance rating on our battery life test and is great for calls, web and even video playback. It charges quite fast, too. It is really hard to find flaws in this offer and probably the only thing that comes to mind is that the LCD's 120Hz refresh rate isn't handled in the best possible way.

The Realme 7 Pro is about €30 more expensive over the Realme 7 5G and impresses with battery life. While it doesn't come with an HRR screen, its panel is of the OLED kind and it trumps the 7 Pro with a stereo speakers setup.

The Realme 7 Pro did great in our battery life test with excellent on-screen tests and talk time. It can charge super-fast thanks to Realme's 65W SuperDart charging solution. It may not be featuring the smoothest of screens, but its performance and OLED panel are more than adequate.

The Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G is a new entry in this category, replacing the Mi 9T that is now discontinued. There's a lot to like about Xiaomi's offer in this class, starting with the great AMOLED screen, be it limited at 60Hz refresh, and the best Snapdragon mid-range chip.

Add to that the excellent battery life, 5G support, and a reliable camera and the Mi 10 Lite looks better and better. If anything, the only prominent downside is that its AMOLED uses a standard 60Hz refresh rate.

The Galaxy A51 is the typical Samsung mid-ranger with great AMOLED screen and capable enough chip, while its camera is up to par most of the time.

It is a plastic phone and as such - a huge fingerprint magnet. The A51 also disappoints with its low-light images and lacking video capturing modes, but it makes up for that with smooth One UI experience.

The Galaxy A51 sure isn't the best phone, but the A series are often subsidized by carriers and these Galaxies have a rather strong following out there. So, it deserves a spot in this guide and you should check with your local carrier for offers.

Most recent updates

Midrangers up to €200
Nov 27, 2020: Moved here Realme 6, Note 9 Pro from the upper price category. Realme 6 replaces the Realme 6i as the new Editor's choice. Added Samsung Galaxy A41, Galaxy M21/F41/M31 Prime, Moto G9 Play, Moto G Fast, Nokia 5.3, Poco M3, Realme 7i. Replaced Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T with Note 9. Removed Redmi Note 8 Pro and Samsung Galaxy A21s.

Midrangers up to €250

Nov 27, 2020: Added Poco X3 NFC as the new Editor's choice replacing the Realme 6 which was moved to the lower price bracket. Moved here Moto One Fusion+ from the upper price category. Added Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 5G, Samsung Galaxy A31, Moto G Stylus, Moto G Power. Replaced Samsung Galaxy M31 with Galaxy M31s.

Midrangers up to €300

Nov 27, 2020: Added Realme 7 5G as the new Editor's choice replacing the Xiaomi Mi 9T. Added Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G, Realme 7 Pro. Moved Redmi Note 9 Pro and Moto One Fusion+ as recommendations in the lower price category. Removed Realme X2.