Mid-range phones have become, one of, if not the most popular smartphone segment today. And to be honest, we’re not surprised why. Who doesn’t want to have a phone that can give you an above-average to even flagship-like experience for a much lesser price?
While there are hundreds of mid-range phones that have been released over the years, there are a few mid-range devices that have had a huge impact on the mid-range category as a whole.
In this list, we’ll be taking a look at what we think are the Top 10 Mid-Range Phones of All Time. For our roundup, “mid-range” phones will be defined as phones that are not considered flagship phones (by name or by reputation) and are not categorized as “budget” as well. In other words, these are phones that fall in between flagship-level devices and entry-level phones.
As broad as this may seem, this is what makes the mid-range segment fun. The broad spectrum of mid-range devices has given manufacturers the freedom and the leeway to be creative in what kind of mid-range phone they want to offer the market.
Without further ado, let’s begin!
Table of Contents
Released just last year, the Nothing Phone (1) 45 just about cracks the list by showing us that a mid-range smartphone can very much look and feel like a flagship device. It has a 6.55-inch AMOLED display with 120 Hz, a Snapdragon 778G+, and a 4500 mAh battery.
Bringing with it a balanced feature set, clean and almost-stock software experience, and its one-of-a-kind glyph interface design on the back, the Nothing Phone (1) is a great mid-range phone that stands out and gives users a no-nonsense experience.
You can check our in-depth review of the Nothing Phone (1) here 87.
Standout features:
Next on the list is the realme GT Master Edition 23. The GT Master performed way above its specs when we reviewed 12 it 2 years ago.
With a 6.43-inch FHD+ Samsung Super AMOLED screen with 120 Hz, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G chip, and a 4200 mAh battery with 65W fast charging, the GT Master was a solid all-around phone that, at a price of Php 21,990, didn’t give you much to complain about. In particular, the realme GT Master Edition was a great option for gamers who needed a good enough performing device without the pretty price tag.
Not only that, the camera performance of the GT Master exceeded our expectations offering sharp and contrast-y images even with its mid-range price. Camera performance is often one of the main comprises you find in a mid-range phone but the realme GT Master was more than decent in terms of its camera system.
Standout features:
When the POCO F3 5G launched back in 2021, it offered an irresistible package. For just Php 17,990 at the time, you could get a flagship-grade Snapdragon 870 5G chip, a high-definition 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED screen with 120 Hz, and a 4520 mAh battery.
Those are specs (especially the chipset) that you’ll usually find on phones that are over Php 30,000 or even more. While you do get a somewhat lacking design and build (with POCO branding loudly placed at the back), as well as an average camera, the flagship performance, big screen, large battery, and crazy price makes the POCO F3 a no-brainer for this list.
Standout features:
Redmi has built a reputation for offering devices in the sub-Php 15,000 range and has made a name for itself, in particular, with its Redmi Note line. For us, the Redmi Note 8 Pro 10 is one of their best.
With a 6.53-inch FHD+ display, a MediaTek G90T, and a quad camera setup led by a then-rare 64MP main sensor, Note 8 punched above its Php 11,490 starting price.
tThe standout feature here is the premium glass build and construction as well as the surprisingly fast MediaTek G90T. As you can see above, one would be hard-pressed not to think it was a flagship phone with its premium and high-quality design. It’s not all aesthetics too as the Note 8 Pro’s G90T chipset performed great in our tests and was able to play graphically intensive games with no problem at all.
You can read more about the Redmi Note 8 Pro here. 25
Standout features:
The Huawei Nova 7i is one of two Huawei phones that we have on this list, and while it’s not the higher ranked device of the two phones, it definitely deserves its respect as a formidable mid-ranger.
Released in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic era, many people were looking for a phone that could give them good performance at an even better price. For a lot of people, the Huawei Nova 7i hit the spot perfectly.
Bringing consumers a 6.4-inch FHD+ display, a HiSilicon Kirin 810 octa-core CPU, and a 4,200 mAh battery with 40W Huawei Super Charge — all for just Php 13,990, the Nova 7i was on a lot of people’s top mid-range phone lists that year.
Its best feature is the fast-performing Kirin 810 which allowed for quick switching of apps, instantaneous fingerprint unlocking, and really good gaming performance. If only it had built-in Google services (read our full review here), it would have made it higher on the list.
Standout features:
Cracking our top 5 is the Samsung Galaxy A50. The A50 gets our fifth spot for arguably starting one of Samsung’s most popular lines of phones ever. In 2019, the Galaxy A50 was Samsung best-selling smartphone. You heard that right, it wasn’t the flagship Galaxy S10 or the Note 10. It was the mid-ranger-that-could A50.
It had a good balance of specs with a beautiful 6.4-inch FHD+ Samsung AMOLED display, an Exynos 9610 CPU, and a 4000 mAh battery.
Perhaps its two best features are its top-notch display and the new and improved Samsung One UI Android skin. For a price of Php 17,990 in 2019, you basically had an S10-level display and software experience for more than half the price.
Standout features:
One of the last Huawei star mid-rangers that had Google apps and services, the Huawei Nova 5T was a dream smartphone for those who wanted a flagship experience at half the cost.
It had a 6.26-inch FHD+ display, a HiSilicon Kirin 980 chip, and a 3750 mAh battery with a 22.5W SuperCharge. What made this phone so amazing was that it did not feel like a mid-range phone. It had a premium design, good cameras, and excellent performance. It even had a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, which a lot of people (like me) prefer (check our in-depth review of the Nova 5T here).
At a price of Php 18,990, it was a great option for those who didn’t want to spend an exorbitant amount of money on the flagship P30 Pro. And in hindsight, one could argue that the Nova 5T was actually the better deal of the two.
Standout features:
When we reviewed the Xiaomi Mi 9T back in 2019, we straight up said it was a “robbery.”
Why?
For only Php 15,990 for the 64GB model and Php 17,990 for the 128GB variant, you were getting a smartphone with a notch-less 6.39-inch FHD+ display, an extremely performant Snapdragon 730 CPU + Adreno 618 GPU combo, and a large 4000 mAh battery.
Not only that but you got a premium glass design and a triple-camera setup, led by a 48MP sensor, that could very well pass off as a flagship-grade camera.
All that for just under 18,000 was crazy at the time. You even get a unique pop-up selfie shooter that gave users an all-screen design on the front. The Xiaomi Mi 9T was one of the best mid-rangers we’ve seen and it had both the features and price to show for it.
Standout features:
Despite being the only phone not launched in the Philippines on this list, the OnePlus One 14 is one of the most important mid-range phones to ever grace the smartphone market.
Back then, having top-of-the-line specs on a mid-range priced phone was unheard of. That was until OnePlus released the OnePlus One in 2014 with a 5.5-inch full HD display and a flagship Snapdragon 801 CPU, staking its claim as the fondly named “flagship killer.”
Not only that, it had a minimalistic software experience with CyanogenMod OS. This was during a time when most phones had bloat-heavy software, bogging down the overall experience.
While we didn’t get it here in the Philippines, the impact of the OnePlus One on the mid-range segment several years down the line can’t be denied. That’s why it gets our Top 2 spot.
Standout features:
Was there ever any doubt? The Pocophone F1 17 is not only the best mid-ranger of all time, but it is also perhaps the most important.
In our Pocophone F1 review back in 2018, we called the F1 a “wakeup call not just for consumers but for other smartphone brands as well.” It challenged the way both consumers and brands saw mid-range phones and arguably made the mid-range segment what it is today.
Back then, mid-range phones usually had a good screen, and a big battery, but was bottle-necked by a poor-performing processor. That was not the case with the Pocophone F1.
Bringing with it a flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 at just PHP 17,990 for the 6GB + 64GB model and PHP 19,990 for the 6GB + 128GB, the Pocophone F1 proved that consumers don’t need to pay ridiculous amounts just to get the best performance possible.
Not to mention the fact that it had a vibrant 6.18-inch FHD+ display, really good dual rear cameras (led by a 12MP Sony IMX363 sensor), and a 4000 mAh battery.
Almost all of the phones in this list (save for the OnePlus One) followed the footsteps and the formula of the Pocophone F1, making it the most important and the undisputed best mid-range phone of all time.
What do you think of our list? Do you agree with our round-up of the top 10 Best Mid-Range Phones of All Time?
Let us know in the comments down below!
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