Best midrange all-rounders 2024 - buyer’s guide

The Poco X6 is an excellent upgrade over the Poco X5, improving on almost every single aspect - design, display, battery and charging, speakers, performance, camera, software even. And it is as well-rounded as every other Xiaomi-made phone and offers great bang for the money. No wonder we picked it as our top phone in this category.

We liked the Poco X6 for its IP54-rated design, but the real showstopper is the Dolby Vision OLED with all sorts of niceties. The 67W fast charging and the new chip are quite alright, too. The cameras do well in broad daylight, but the low-light performance is mediocre at best. We did expect more.

Overall, the Poco X6 is a solid phone with competitive price and features.

We enjoyed the 120Hz AMOLED display on the Poco M6 Pro. It gets plenty bright, especially for a budget device, and Xiaomi's software refresh rate handling is quite good. The hybrid stereo speaker setup is also quite decent overall, and we appreciate the inclusion of a 3.5mm audio jack as well as an IR blaster. We realize it's an increasingly niche and legacy feature, but we still think it is a nice value-added feature, just like the onboard FM receiver. The Poco M6 Pro also managed solid battery life and pretty fast charging.

If we still had to express some wishes, a better chipset would probably be up there. While the Helio G99 is not necessarily strapped for power, it features compromises like 4G connectivity and 1080p video capture. we weren't particularly impressed with the Poco M6 Pro's camera capabilities either, but it's not a dealbreaker. The same goes for the omission of HyperOS and the latest Android 14, both of which Xiaomi has promised to deliver as soon as possible, whatever that means.

Overall, the Poco M6 Pro is a solid all-round offer in this basic segment and we do recommend exploring it.

The Galaxy A25 finally unifies the A2x devices into one version with 5G, fast charging and fluid display. Indeed, the move from 90Hz to 120Hz refresh rate might be relatively small, but it is meaningful and helps the phone feel smother and more responsive overall. You could probably eek some longer battery life runtimes out of it with the high refresh rate disabled so it's up to you to make that choice

The jump up from the MediaTek Helio G99 to the Exynos 1280 might not be colossal in terms of raw performance either, but beyond the already mentioned 5G connectivity, it also brings 4K video recording to the Galaxy A25, which is another small but important update.

The new stereo speaker setup also counts big time in our books. It might not shine in any particular manner over the competition, but it is still miles better than the single speaker offered on the Galaxy A24..

All of these small updates pile up and arguably place the Galaxy A25 closer than ever to Galaxy A3X territory regarding features. Other than the upgrades, the Galaxy A25 still offers a solid build, now with a slightly tweaked design, which we found to offer a more comfortable grip. Both the battery life and performance are dependable, and the same can mostly be said about the camera setup. Well, at least in daylight. Low-light photography is a bit of a letdown, though still not bad enough to be a dealbreaker.

We would have loved to see a proper ingress protection rating on the Galaxy A25 like its bigger brothers get, but perhaps next year. We really don't see anything major in the Galaxy A25 to complain about. It is a solid Samsung device with all that entails for a reasonable price, and we are sure it will enjoy good popularity.

We generally enjoyed our time with the Redmi Note 13 5G. It is a solid device overall that does not disappoint, given its reasonable price point. It looks and feels good, runs mostly smoothly, and its main and selfie cameras are very dependable.

However, for one reason or another, it seems Xiaomi made too many compromises with the specs sheet for its own good. We don't get why there are no stereo speakers. The same goes for HDR video support on the display. We can't quite get over the 1080p video capture cap as well. Having tested the phone extensively, we can't say we are totally satisfied with its battery endurance either.

All things considered, the Redmi Note 13 is not a bad phone in any particular way and it should be considered for its low price and plenty of good features.

The Redmi Note 13 4G is the most affordable out of the Redmi Note 13 bunch. As such, one would expect lots of compromises and corner-cutting. Interestingly enough, that isn't entirely true. In fact, in some aspects, the 4G model offers better solutions than its 5G counterpart. Notably, it has a stereo speaker setup and an under-display fingerprint reader.

In many other aspects, the Redmi Note 13 4G is arguably just as good as the Redmi Note 13 5G. The design is nearly identical, and you get IP54 ingress protection on both phones. The display on the 4G model is nearly identical to the 5G one and only lacks 10-bit color support. You get nice and large 5,000 mAh batteries in both phones with adequate 33W fast charging and microSD storage expansion. Aside from some differences in processing, the camera setup on the Redmi Note 13 4G is also identical to that of the more expensive 5G model and is pretty dependable and versatile overall.

The Redmi Note 13 4G arguably only has one major shortcoming. Unfortunately, it's a pretty significant one too. The Snapdragon 685 chipset is just way too starved for performance, especially in the GPU department. It struggles to deliver an adequate experience even while simply browsing the phone's UI. Slowdowns are just a fact of life with the Redmi Note 13 4G. Still, the rest of the Redmi Note 13 4G experience is solid through and through, especially for the price.

The Galaxy А15 5G is a balanced smartphone across the board. It has one easily likable design available in various cool colors; the OLED screen is bright and fast; the battery life is outstanding, and the charging speed is great.

The performance is not a strong side of the Galaxy A15 5G, and the cameras are rather average, with the ultrawide camera being straight-up disappointing.

But the Galaxy A15 5G is an entry-level smartphone with 5G connectivity that makes sense, and Samsung got it right - it has the design and screen to impress and rich connectivity options, but something had to give, and in this case, it was the camera and the performance.

Overall, we recommend putting the Galaxy A15 5G on your shortlists if you want to buy an affordable phone, though it probably won't be our top pick as you can get better value elsewhere.

The Realme 12+ is an interesting device. It definitely has an exquisite design with standout aesthetics. There is plenty more to like here, such as solid rear cameras, a very competent stereo speaker setup, pretty good battery life, and competitive charging speed.

The Dimensity 7050 inside the Realme 12+ may not be the fastest chip around but it's hard to find something more powerful for that kind of cash. It has enough power to run the UI and most daily tasks and apps smoothly, but you can't expect much more. The Realme 12+ also handles its high refresh rate very poorly, with practically no dynamic switching and very limited high refresh rate gaming abilities.

Even so, the Realme 12+ seems like a good value device at its current price point – INR 21,000 for the 256GB model - it's got our outright recommendation.

The Moto G84 is a very "predictable" device in many ways. It gets most of the basics right and even impresses in a few ways. Unfortunately, it has one major flaw that is worth discussing straight off the bat – the Snapdragon 695 chipset. It was never particularly good, even when it was new a couple of years ago, and nowadays, it is just woefully underpowered compared to what the competition is offering. Worst of all, however, it limits video capture on the G84 to 1080p resolution.

Most other aspects of the G84 are pretty solid. There is plenty to like about the 6.5-inch P-OLED display of the Moto. It gets very bright and has excellent color accuracy and even 10-bit colors. There is no HDR support, but that can be overlooked. Besides that, the Moto G84 offers a surprisingly enjoyable multimedia experience thanks to the already-mentioned display and a very competent stereo speaker setup. There is even a 3.5mm audio jack if that is your thing. The 5,000 mAh battery pack also offers great battery endurance.

There is also plenty to like about the cameras on the G84, particularly during the day. The autofocusing ultrawide that doubles as a macro shooter is worth highlighting in particular. All of this is wrapped inside a pretty sturdy yet surprisingly light and well-balanced body with an IP54 rating and a very classical look that can optionally be had in the signature Pantone Viva Magenta color option for some added extravagance.

The Infinix Zero 30 is a well-rounded device with a clear focus on photography, particularly in the selfie department. The selfie camera is arguably the standout camera performer with its autofocus and incredibly clean and sharp selfies and selfie videos. It even has a dedicated selfie LED flash that definitely helps out in low-light photography. Other things we like about the Zero 30 include its fast 144Hz display with very competent high refresh rate handling and nearly perfect DCI-P3 color reproduction. The stereo speakers are solid, and the charging speed is commendable. The phone also has great ergonomics, an IP53 rating and Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back.

The omission of expandable storage is a bit of a bummer, and battery life, while dependable, is not the best in the class. More importantly, XOS still needs polish as it will count against the Zero 30 in the comparisons to established makers' phones. Despite these shortcomings, the Infinix Zero 30 represents a good value proposition.

Nothing remains a relatively small operation with a limited portfolio of devices. It is clear that the company is still doing a lot of soul-searching, and if the number of produced device models doesn't increase, it might take some time to get the "formula" just right. Still, even with a small sample size of only three phones we can safely say that Nothing is seemingly attempting to return to its original roots with the Nothing Phone (2a) and make a more budget or rather midrange device, like the original Nothing Phone (1). That being said, we have to commend the company on preserving much of the experience of the flagship Nothing Phone (2) and carrying it over into the much cheaper Nothing Phone (2a).

Ignoring hardware specs for a bit here, we have to admire the consistency and dedication to the overall design and UX that Nothing is displaying. These are truly the unique parts of the Nothing formula, and they seem to be not going anywhere.

As for the Nothing Phone (2a), we really liked our time with it. As we said, all of the unique Nothing design and aesthetics are there. We can safely say that the Nothing Phone (2a) hardware platform that is powering the experience does not disappoint. There is enough power under the hood to keep everything running smoothly. The display, while not industry-leading, is colorful, vibrant and smooth. The camera setup is also perfectly satisfactory. In general, we found no glaring faults. And sure, you can probably get better value for money in this price bracket, but nothing quite as unique as the Nothing Phone (2a).

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo is no longer the step down from the baseline that the 30 Neo was. It's got the camera system of the Edge 40 proper (okay, almost) with particularly good results from main camera in low light, solid selfies too. Thene we have a capable chipset, and the IP68 rating, which has suddenly turned into a universal Moto Edge feature.

The chipset is offers excellent performance and stability for the class, the charging speed is quite fast. The smoother-than-most 144Hz display is also among the brightest in the class, and the stereo speakers are both loud and easy on the ear.

It's not all roses though, and the insecure video stabilization that we saw on the Edge 40 is now on the Neo as well, and the merely okayish update policy isn't scoring it any points either. But what's the biggest red flag here is the substandard battery life - we shouldn't have to settle for 'decent', when the norm is 'very good'.

Then there's the recognizable design that comes alongside an ongoing partnership with the color specialists at Pantone, so the new Neo is easy on the eyes too. And when it's also that easy on the pocket too - in both important ways we can think of - the Edge 40 Neo does earn a recommendation..

The Redmi Note 13 Pro offers a substantial upgrade over its predecessor without asking more for the upgrade. It's a solid all-rounder, leaving very little to complain about. The display is superb, the performance is good, the main camera is unrivaled, and the fast charging solution is competitive as well as battery life. We would still like to see a better ultrawide camera, though, and a hardware proximity sensor.

Does the phone get our approval? It sure does! We believe that the Redmi Note 13 Pro will remain competitive throughout 2024 as it's an excellent piece of hardware, especially when the price is expected to go down.

The Galaxy A35 is a very well-rounded device through and through. While it doesn't do anything groundbreaking with the tried-and-true Galaxy A formula, it further refines the A3X series. While the Galaxy A25 still arguably comes with quite a few omissions, notably to its build and ingress protection, the A35 is much closer to the A55 in its general offering.

With the A35, you get glass on both sides, Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the front, and an IP67 ingress protection rating. The 6.6-inch Super AMOLED 120Hz display is still solid without really changing much from previous generations. You also get a solid hybrid stereo speaker setup and a large 5,000 mAh battery with solid endurance.

Performance-wise, the Exynos 1380 is a nice little step up from the Dimensity 1080 inside the Galaxy A34. It is perfectly adequate for the class and enough to offer a fluent One UI experience. That experience will be a big draw for a lot of people. Very few features are still relegated to Samsung's flagship models and outright missing from the Galaxy A35. Plus, the A35 comes with four years of major software updates and five years of security updates.

That said, there is no point in claiming that the Galaxy A35 is the best in its class. Shopping around, you can get notably better hardware for your money. However, the Galaxy A35 remains attractive in its entirety as a package. We are sure it won't disappoint any prospective buyers.

The €330 or so Poco X6 Pro turned out a solid smartphone with all sorts of premium features. The Poco's greatness shines brightest on the front, where the thoroughly excellent display tops things off nicely with Dolby Vision playback and 68B colors- a most welcome rarity. The speedy charging complements a solid battery life result too.

A key selling point for the X6 Pro is the chipset has power to spare and actually comes in a package that's not a one-trick pony. There's also the evolution from an already widely loved MIUI into an ever so slightly nicer HyperOS. The largely unremarkable camera hardware, meanwhile, turns in pretty great stills, with a knack on low-light shooting that's not to be overlooked.

In the end, we'd say the Poco X6 Pro does a few things exceptionally, many things very well, and falls short in only a few areas (IP54 ingress protection, poor ultrawide camera). That makes it an easy recommendation in our book for this category.

The €270 Realme 11 Pro is a real treat, there are no two questions about it. This exquisite smartphone impressed us with its design and look; offers an excellent OLED screen, snappy hardware, a good main camera, and a large battery with fast charging.

The Realme 11 Pro aced our display and battery tests, it did well when it comes to speaker and performance, and its main camera turned out to be a solid performer even if it had its hiccups like the poor video stabilization or the lack of it in 4K, the over-processed photos at times, also the noisy Auto Nightscape images.

Still, despite these shortcomings, the Realme 11 Pro is a great smartphone with a standout design that will not disappoint.

The Honor Magic6 Lite is quite an attractive offer priced below €300. It has a gorgeous, thin and lightweight design with IP53 ingress rating. The OLED screen is of high resolution, high refresh rate and offer over a billion of colors.

Furthermore, the Magic6 Lite offer a lot of connectivity options, and it primary camera promises great photo and video quality. The large battery us much appreciated, of course.

The Magic6 Lite is far from perfect, of course. It has basic auxiliary cameras, there are no stereo speakers, no charger in the box either. But it is a phone we do recommend exploring as it offers a lot for its asking price.

The Moto G54 Power Edition does what it does without too much fanfare. It is an okay budget device that does have certain nice aspects to it, particularly for the price range. The 120Hz refresh rate and the relatively good way the dynamic refresh rate is handled on the phone are much appreciated. The ability to lower said refresh rate down to 30Hz to conserve power is a great addition to the mix. The Moto G54 Power also has a surprisingly solid stereo speaker setup with Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio support. The camera setup, while nothing to phone home about, is also quite versatile thanks to an autofocusing ultrawide that doubles nicely as a macro shooter. OIS on the main cam is also great to see.

The battery life is solid, of course, but that is right there in the name and kind of a given on a 6,000 mAh pack.

As for things we didn't like about the G54 Power, there is the LCD panel, which simply doesn't get bright enough and has pretty slow pixel response times, leading to smearing and ghosting. The Dimensity 7020 is also not a particularly impressive chip. While it holds up quite well in terms of CPU performance, its IMG BXM-8-256 GPU is a bit starved for power. Also, the onboard ISP limits video capture to 1080p. To be fair, that is the norm in this budget price range anyway.

All things considered, we generally had a good time while using and testing the Motorola G54 Power. It certainly has plenty of limitations to work around, but it still delivers a satisfactory experience and it is a great phone if you want a long-lasting battery life.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is the best Redmi Note this year - it has the best design/display/chipset and the fastest charging solution among its Note peers. Plus, it is not that expensive, on the contrary.

We did like the new curved glass design and very much appreciated the IP68 protection. The high-res Dolby Vision OLED and the pair of Dolby Atmos speakers are surely something anyone would like, and the Dimensity 7200 Ultra turned out not only adequate but chart-topping when it comes to mid-rangers.

The good news continues with the super-fast charging and the very capable cameras with great photo and video quality.

The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ has uninspiring battery life, something we do hope for Xiaomi to improve with an update. The camera processing could benefit from some fine-tuning, too.

Still, the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is an excellent all-round smartphone with an impressive specs sheet and an incredibly competitive price. This is the first phone you should consider if your budget is about €400; there are no two questions about that.

The Motorola Edge 40's price has already settled down below €400, which makes it one of the best smartphones in this price range and an awesome runner-up. It has quite an interesting offer for its feature set and performance quite unlike the rest.

The chipset is among the most potent options on this side of a truly flagship SoC and the Edge 40 extracts excellent results from it both in terms of performance and stability. The Moto is also no slouch when it comes to battery level, and the class-leading charging speed doesn't hurt either. The smoother-than-most 144Hz display is also among the brightest in the class, and the stereo speakers are both loud and easy on the ear.

The camera system isn't too bad either, with the bright aperture on the main unit making for solid low-light results and nicely out-of-focus backgrounds. The ultrawide is... good enough, and the selfies are pretty nice too. The UI offers a very appealing marriage of simple stock look and added in-house functionality, including the PC-like Ready For feature - Samsung midragers don't do DeX.

All of this comes in a hard-to-find lightweight package that is dust and water-resistant - more so than the bulk of its competitors. Its soft back is nicely grippy too, perhaps too much so for its own good - we found it all too easy to accumulate dirt and grime, which is among the few complaints we have about the phone.

The lack of a zoom camera is perhaps only half a problem - the main camera does okay for 2x shots, and we wouldn't have expected more reach in this segment anyway. The less-than-perfect video stabilization irks us a bit more, perhaps, since most others have it dialed in pretty well. And if we label that a software issue, we have another one of those to mention - a two-year OS update policy sounds like too little.

Still, the Motorola Edge 40 offers a very well-rounded smartphone experience that's in many ways better than its competitors, and we think it's worth adding to your shortlist.

The new Galaxy A55 tries to ride on the success of its predecessors and though it brings modes updates, it is still one incredibly solid offer. We are impressed by the battery life; we liked the new, more premium design; raw performance is good along with sustained performance, and we are generally happy with the camera all-around, including selfies and video recording. Display quality is competitive, although it's not hard to find bright 120Hz OLEDs nowadays.

We are very disappointed by the fingerprint reader; we are not fans of the virtual proximity sensor, and the thick screen bezels are off-putting. While none of these is a real deal-breaker, they should be considered when shopping for a phone.

All in all, the Galaxy A55 is a good phone on a reasonable price and it gets our recommendation.

The €370 Honor 90 is unquestionably an eye-catching device. Honor clearly paid a lot of attention to design, and the results speak for themselves. Few phones look as flashy as the Honor 90 in some color options.

There is plenty to like about the phone besides design as well. Its display is definitely a highlight. It's very bright and offers great color accuracy and HDR10+ support. It is also fast, with a 120Hz refresh rate. Automatic refresh rate management on the Honor 90 can still use some work but generally does the job well enough.

The Honor 90 has a pretty versatile camera setup. We particularly like the inclusion of autofocus on the ultrawide and the fact that the main cam, ultrawide and selfie can all capture 4K video.

On the flip side, the battery life on the Honor 90 is nothing to phone home about, and neither is the single bottom-firing speaker. We would have also appreciated some ingress protection, ideally a microSD card slot and a 3.5mm audio jack. The virtual proximity sensor is also pretty disappointing. It's a small detail for sure, but one that can get very annoying in daily use.

All things considered, we would say that the Honor 90 appeals with its design, performance and camera experience. It's not a bad value proposition by any means, but better hardware can definitely be had in the same price range.