Our midrangers Buyer's Guide video for the 2021 Holidays

11 December 2021
The best classic midrangers, flagship killers and upper-midrange devices made the list.

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  • Ken
  • XVy
  • 25 Dec 2021

AlienKiss, 13 Dec 2021Please show me a so called 'flagship killer' that... moreYour eyes seems to be powerful to still see pixels on 1080p resolutions on a 6.5 inch screen. Wow

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    • AlienKiss
    • iDB
    • 13 Dec 2021

    Anonymous, 12 Dec 2021plastic back --I dont but most people put on cases anyway... morePlease show me a so called 'flagship killer' that has a better resolution than FHD and more than 395 PPI (Pixels per inch).
    You can have 240mhz display, but if the resolution is bad (FHD), the outcome will be the same : bad. As in you can see the pixels.
    Try a 4k display from a Sony, then go back to a flagship killer with FHD. You'll want at least 2k after that while experience.
    I'm not asking for 4k, I'm asking for 2k minimum. Though I know a lot of Samsung users would love a 4K display Note series. Me including.
    S6 Edge - 5.1 - 1440x2560
    S7 Edge - 5.5 - 1440x2560
    S8+ - 6.2 - 1440x2960
    S9+ - 6.2 - 1440x2960
    S10+ - 6.4 - 1440x3040
    S20+ - 6.7 - 1440x3200
    S21+ - 6.7 - 1080x2400
    S22+ - 6.5 - 1080x2400
    Please point out what did I lie about..

      joe nodden, 12 Dec 2021Depends on the price. If you can get it for under $380 then... moreHe said he can get both for the same price, so it doesn't matter in that context.
      I did have an offer for the A52-s for only USD $302, direct from Samsung. It's hard to beat at that price.

      The Samsung S20-FE is also the same as the other two options.
      However, it gives you DeX (USB 3.2) included in OneUI. And it removes the Headphone Jack. Which isn't a worthy trade-off. But it does have Wireless Charging, with reverse, which the other two lack (personally not a fan, it makes the battery hot). Also it is slightly more expensive than the other two in the market.
      https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=11039&idPhone2=10420&idPhone3=10428

      So it depends on your NEEDS versus WANTS.
      If you need Headphone Jack: A52-s
      If you need Wireless Charging: S20-fe
      If you want OxygenOS (for 1 year): OnePlus 8t

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        • Anonymous
        • 7kk
        • 12 Dec 2021

        AlienKiss, 12 Dec 2021I'd rather buy a 1, 2 year old high-end flagship than ... moreplastic back
        --I dont but most people put on cases anyways, so doesnt matter too much, and anyways most glass backs are glossy which are a pain to keep clean, but yeah glass does look premium

        gorilla glass
        --I use my phone naked, but many people prefer to put a sacrificial $10 tempered glass instead of risking a costly repair or leaving behind their primary phone for a few days-weeks; also most other brands like Dragontrail/NEG protection is on par in terms of scratch resistance, my dad's 2.5yr Nokia8.1 is still absolutely fine without ever putting any front protection on it

        plastic frame instead of aluminium or stainless steel
        --some brands do it so well that you are fooled that it might be metal until you feel its not cold after a while, but I agree it feels more premium; also only very few phones like the N8 Sirocco have had SS frames; I'd rather prefer some more interesting materials like fiberglass like on my previous Z2Plus or ceramic like on some high-end phones b4; metal frames if coloured also chip away to reveal the Al colour beneath
        I think the best design is like the Lumia 925/930-metal frame with plastic backs!

        cheap, low resolution, low DPI displays
        --that's just false & utter BS, you only find those on really budget devices under $150 or $200, above that most are LCD/OLED 1080p+ with HRR-which a majority of iphones out there still dont have, lol

        And for what? To have 20% better CPU/GPU that overheats because the phone wasn't designed as well as a high-end product? No thanks!
        --Everyone who buys a "flagship killer" isn't looping benchmarks or playing genshin all day long, and most phones handle the chips very well (except 888 ofc and some exynos and xioami ofc which throttles even the 860 very badly)

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          • bubble BB
          • XTL
          • 12 Dec 2021

          Anonymous, 12 Dec 2021I wouldnt call a phone that costs 650 euro midrange.. midra... moresimple truth, mid range sholudnt be more than $300

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            • Anonymous
            • 7kk
            • 12 Dec 2021

            Anonymous, 12 Dec 2021I wouldnt call a phone that costs 650 euro midrange.. midra... moretrue and sad, seeing that $650-700 was the flagship territory just a few years back.

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              • Anonymous
              • 7kk
              • 12 Dec 2021

              Doubt, 12 Dec 2021Same price: a52s or op 8t?Why not the S20FE 5G instead of those 2?? or Iphone XR/11 (if u want those)?
              btw first you need to decide 'what you want' from the phone?
              Depending on where you live, you could get some other cheaper options as well-M62, X7 Max, 5a, GT Neo2, GTMedn, GTEMedn, X60 Pro/+, X70 Pro/+, iQoo 7, F3, etc.
              Or get some older flagships like 1+7T/7Pro (the last good 1+ buys imo)

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                • AnonD-731363
                • Lfw
                • 12 Dec 2021

                As long as brand slike xiaomi or realme can sell a lot better specced devices for same or less price compared to Samsung Sony etc we know the winners.
                Same goes for motorola and Nokia with pure android experience.
                Niothing beats pure android experience because every UI is nothing else just a drag, garbage and obsolete thing full of bloatware and dual apps.

                  Kangal, 12 Dec 2021As a OnePlus owner, I actually recommend the Samsung A52-s.... moreDepends on the price. If you can get it for under $380 then sure it's worth it.

                    AlienKiss, 12 Dec 2021I'd rather buy a 1, 2 year old high-end flagship than ... moreSd 778G/780G/778G+ is Good soc and has premium features definetely worth over sd 855, but agree still sd 865 devices are better than current midrange.

                      Doubt, 12 Dec 2021Same price: a52s or op 8t?As a OnePlus owner, I actually recommend the Samsung A52-s.
                      https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=11039&idPhone2=10420

                      They're both the same size and weight. Very similar battery life. Very similar performance. Very similar screens. Very similar camera quality.

                      The biggest/only differences are:
                      - USB-3.1 port on OnePlus, versus, USB-2.0 port on the Samsung
                      - no Music port on OnePlus, versus, 3.5mm Headphone Jack on the Samsung
                      - no microSD slot on OnePlus, versus, upto 1TB microSD slot for Samsung
                      - Splash Resistance for OnePlus, versus, proper IP67 Waterproofing on Samsung
                      - 1 year of updates left for OnePlus, versus, 2 years updates left for Samsung
                      - OxygenOS/HydrogenOS updating to ColorOS, versus, using Samsung's OneUI

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                        • Anonymous
                        • Tui
                        • 12 Dec 2021

                        bby, 12 Dec 2021we all know that the pixel 6 is the best buy mid range optionI wouldnt call a phone that costs 650 euro midrange.. midrange is max 300 euro not more...

                          AlienKiss, 12 Dec 2021Note 20 Ultra, S20+ or Xperia Pro-I have the SD card slot. ... moreThose phones you just mention are still priced above any new midrange smart phone and they're also not considered "old flagship"

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                            • AlienKiss
                            • iDB
                            • 12 Dec 2021

                            Anonymous, 12 Dec 2021Unless you want headphone jack and expandable storageNote 20 Ultra, S20+ or Xperia Pro-I have the SD card slot. Sony also has the 3.5mm jack.
                            Both brands have at least 2 years of software support + extra year of security updates. EU is also forcing them to raise it to 5 years.

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                              • Anonymous
                              • mE0
                              • 12 Dec 2021

                              vrvly, 12 Dec 2021Well, if you need like more portable - in pants - alternati... moreYou can easily tell difference between dslr shot and even an high end phone.
                              I use to mess with image stack decades ago, but my last real dslr didn't even need hdr options, it had amazing tonal control , way more stops than a phone....yes it was slower to shoot off many frames, but it still managed more than 10 frames a second.
                              The auto focus was quick , I used it for motorsport and wildlife photography.

                              I mean if you want a more pocket friendly camera, then the Olympus pen series or similar from other companies.
                              Especially when mixed with a pancake lens or similar size.

                              Phones are great I agree, but they aren't every photographers dream.
                              I'd rather total control and best quality possible over a pocket friendly design.

                              But each to their own, its why I love tech, there is something for everyone

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                                • bby
                                • pMQ
                                • 12 Dec 2021

                                we all know that the pixel 6 is the best buy mid range option

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                                  • Doubt
                                  • pHu
                                  • 12 Dec 2021

                                  Same price: a52s or op 8t?

                                    AlienKiss, 12 Dec 2021I'd rather buy a 1, 2 year old high-end flagship than ... moreDepends what brand you are talking about. Not many support their phones beyond two years except OnePlus, Google, Apple and Samsung.

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                                      • Doubt
                                      • pHu
                                      • 12 Dec 2021

                                      Same price: a52s or op 8t?

                                        Anonymous, 11 Dec 2021Photographers dream is a full frame dslr Well, if you need like more portable - in pants - alternative with full manual control and raw format on all fov's, there is a little who can achieve that. Then it depends if you want higher res - Vivo, or 12mp from Sony.
                                        Its hard to argue about resolution vs color&speed, so I guess xperia 1III would do too.