The first quarter of 2019 had seen major smartphone markers releasing their mid range offerings so often, that a week’s old devices were made obsolete by newer and better ones. Finally, things have calmed down; making it the right time to swap that smartphone on your hands with a brand new one. In case, you can’t decide with which one; then you have come to the right place.
The mid range segment of the smartphone market has always been one of the most populated and competed. Making it difficult to pick out the right one from the crowd. To ease your pain a bit; we have sorted out 6 of the best bang-for-buck mid ranges you can buy right now.
Samsung A30 (Best Display)
The Good: AMODLED display, wide-angle camera, good battery life, dedicated SD card slot
The Bad: Disappointing processor and graphics performance, a bit expensive for what it’s offering
Overall Rating: 7/10
Samsung was never good at making mid range devices, but seems like they want to turn that around with the new and improved iteration to the A series. At number 6 on our list, we have none other than the Galaxy A30; Samsung’s latest mid range, with which it hopes to win back the budget smartphone market.
One thing about all Samsung smartphones which can be bragged about, is the gorgeous AMOLED display, A30 is no exception. It spots a 6.4 inches AMOLED display, which offers eye popping viewing experience. In addition to the display, 4,000 mAh battery and 15W fast charging will make sure you have long lasting backup time for all your entertainment needs.
What makes the A30 a special case amongst it’s peers, is it’s 5MP secondary camera, which does not act as a depth-sensor, but rather as an ultra-wide camera.
The 16 MP (f/1.7) primary camera captures satisfactory images during day time and under natural lighting conditions. The secondary 5MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide camera is a treat for those, who like to take wide angle landscape shots. There is also a 16 MP (f/2.0) on the front for taking selfies. However, the cameras struggle to take decent pictures in low light conditions and the overall video quality is just average.
The area where A30 really falls behind is in terms of raw processing power. The Exynos 7904 just fails to perform, even under the minimum stress load. Don’t even expect of playing PUBG at medium settings; the Mali-G71 MP2 GPU can barely survive running it at low. When most mid range smartphones can offer near flagship level performance; it is really disappointing to see such sub-par hardware on the A30.
The 4GB RAM / 64 GB ROM variant of the Samsung Galaxy A30 can be bought for 20,990 BDT in the Official Samsung Showrooms. But, if you plan on buying it from local shops, then it will cost you around 17,000 BDT.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 (Best Battery Life)
The Good: Good performance, very good battery life, dedicated SD card slot
The Bad: No fast charging, camera struggles a lot in low light
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
The nearly forgotten Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 is at number 5 on our list. The 6.26 inches LCD display and that huge notch may make the Zenfone seem a bit old tech; but make no mistake, this smartphone in every way can put up a fight with all the mid ranges out there. The Snapdragon 660 powered phone’s strength lies in it’s colossal 5,000 mAh battery and the pure Android experience.
Pre-enabled Camera 2 API, available GCAM port, active developer community and pure Android makes this smartphone a modding delight.
In the camera section, you’ll find a primary 12 MP (f/1.8) lens and a secondary dept-sensing 5 MP (f/2.4) lens on the back. Although, able to take some good day time shots, it will struggle in night time like most of it’s counterparts. If you like taking selfies, you might not mind the extra large notch on the front, which houses a 13MP (f/2.0) front camera and a LED flash to bright up those images.
3GB RAM / 32GB ROM variant of the Zenfone Max Pro M2 is going around for 15,000 BDT at the moment.
Huawei Honor 20 Lite (Best Camera)
The Good: Flagship grade camera, very good performance, dedicated SD card slot
The Bad: No fast charging, small battery capacity
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
After the recent fallout between US and Hauwei, most might avoid this brand for good reasons. But, with the trade war finally coming to an end; nothing is stopping us from giving the Honor 20 Lite a spot on our list.
The Kirin 710 powered 6.21 inches device is the only mid-ranger right now to feature 3 top of the line camera modules on it’s the back. Primary 24 MP (f/1.8) lens, ultra-wide 8 MP (f/2.2) lens, depth-sensing 2 MP (f/2.4) lens and 32 MP (f/2.0) for taking selfies; a combination you’d only see on a flagship.
Excelling in capturing day-light and low-light images alike, this phone is a hobbyist photographers dream come true.
3,400 mAh battery capacity on a mid range and lack of fast charge support does leave some room for complain. Something you’ll have for make do, in exchange for the flagship grade camera modules.
4 GB RAM / 128 GB ROM variant of the Honor 20 Lite was usually sold around 20,000 BDT. Due to lack of demand and somewhat limited stock, you might be lucky enough to get it as low as 18,500 BDT.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 (Best Value for Money)
The Good: Very good performance, good camera quality, IR Blaster, Watertight seals
The Bad: No faster charge charger included, shared SD card slot
Overall Rating: 9/10
Occupying the 2nd and 3rd position of the list are the two twins by Xiaomi; Redmi Note 7 Pro and Redmi Note 7S respectively. Xiaomi has always been redefining the mid range segment for years and its dominance has only gotten stronger with the Note 7 line-up.
Both the devices are identical from top to bottom in every aspect; featuring the same 6.3 inches screen, 4,000 mAh battery and 13MP front camera. Difference lies only in the SoC and the primary camera module. The 7 Pro version has a Snapdragon 675 and 48MP (f/1.8) Sony IMX 586 sensor, while the 7S version has a cheaper Snapdragon 660 and 48MP (f/1.8) Samsung GM1 sensor. With the Quad Bayer array and it’s conversation technology featured in both the cameras, the Note 7 Pro and Note 7S is able to capture some exemplary low light images.
IR Blaster and Watertight seals are just few bells and whistles that comes along with the Redmi Note 7 lineup, but what makes it truly formidable is it’s price.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 7S 3GB RAM / 32GB ROM variant is available in local stores at as low as 15,500 BDT; giving it the highest bang for buck ration. The 4GB RAM / 64GB ROM variant can also be found around for 17,800 BDT. If you are willing to sacrifice a bit of raw power and camera quality; this is the best budget mid-range phone you can buy right now. Otherwise, the older twin, the Redmi Note 7 Pro 4GB RAM / 64 GB ROM variant starts at 19,500 BDT in local stores.
Oppo Realme X (Futureproof All Rounder)
The Good: No notch AMOLED display, on-screen fingerprint scanner, good quality camera, fast charging with included charger, great gaming performance
The Bad: No SD card slot
Overall Rating: 9/10
When Oppo first announced the Realme sub-brand, who would have thought they would go on to blur the line between mid ranges and flagships to the point of non-existential. The Realme X is one heck of smartphone, which is too good to be true. At number 1 is Realme X, the mid range smartphone of the future.
From the gorgeous 6.53 inches AMOLED display with motorized pop-up 16 MP (f/2.0) to the on-screen fingerprint scanner, Realme X borrows a number of features from flagship; while keeping the price nearly one-third lower. This irresistible pseudo-flagship looks and feels so similar to the likes of the latest OnePlus 7 Pro and Xiaomi Redmi K20; you are bound to fall in love with it.
The Sony IMX 586 48MP (f/1.7) and it’s sidekick the 5 MP (f/2.4) depth-sensor, does a very good job capturing true-to-life images both in day light and low light conditions. The smartphone’s stock camera app also offers Chromaboost mode for boosting colors and Nightscape mode for taking images during night time. The images captured by the Realme X seemed natural and more vibrant, but lack a bit of detail; something most won’t mind much. The device also has native 4k video recording feature.
Although, the Snapdragon 710 falls a bit short in terms of benchmark score compared to the Snapdragon 660, but it offers few extra perks to covers up the gap. One such perk being the Andreno 616, which offers much better gaming performance compared to the Andreno 612 on the Snapdragon 660. If you plan on playing PUBG or Fortnite on a higher setting, this is the phone for you.
Fast charge is a feature which has been widely ignored by most; but, its good to see Realme X support Oppo’s in-house 20W VOOC 3.0 charging. In addition to that, unlike it’s counterparts, it also comes with a VOOC 3.0 supported charger which can charge 55% of the 3765 mAh battery in 30 min. Which in my book just gives the phone more points to stand on top of the crowd.
The Realme X is a flagship-tier smartphone in every way, but at the price of a mid range. Realme X not only offers a future proof design and features, but it also has all round performance and value; making it the number one mid range smartphone you can buy right now. Currently the 4GB RAM / 64GB ROM variant is being sold for 23,000 BDT, but do expect a price cut when the device hits Indian market in July.