(Pocket-lint) – Choosing a new smartphone isn’t as simple as it used to be. They come in lots of different sizes, with plenty of different features and, critically, at plenty of different price points.

For some the camera is important, for others it will be battery life, or perhaps biometric login. These days it isn’t just the very best flagship smartphones that offer these features though. There’s another breed of smartphones – the mid-rangers – that offer great specs at a lower price.

Here we’ve rounded up the best devices that sit between the £/€/$200-400 mark – yes our European and American readers, we have you covered – as fully reviewed here on Pocket-lint. Want something even cheaper? Then check our best budget phones feature.

Pocket-lint

Google Pixel 4a

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The Google Pixel 4a has a clean and smooth software interface, coupled with the excellent Pixel camera, offering a great point-and-shoot experience.

The Pixel 4a offers plenty of power, a great display, a compact form and some great speakers. It might be too small for some and it doesn’t have the latest hardware, but for those looking for a compact phone we can’t really see why you’d need to look any further.

• Google Pixel 4a review: Small but mighty

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OnePlus Nord

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The OnePlus Nord is an excellent mid-range device. It offers a large display, 90Hz refresh rates, 5G connectivity and a great battery life.

There are more cameras than there need to be, it’s not available everywhere and the edges are a little plasticky, but what OnePlus has quite expertly done is make a phone that doesn’t leave you pining for a greater experience. 

• OnePlus Nord review: Who needs a pricey flagship anyway?

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OnePlus Nord N10 5G

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The OnePlus Nord N10 5G is a great Android device for the markets where the Nord (above) doesn’t exist. 

It offers an affordable price point, smooth and reliable performance, physical fingerprint sensor and headphone jack and it comes with expandable storage.

The camera isn’t the best and the original Nord is better in most departments, but in the markets where this device is the only Nord-branded phone, it’s a well-priced, affordable Android device with few major negatives.

• OnePlus Nord N10 5G review: Unsettled

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Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro

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The Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro is a fabulous phone for its price. It has huge amounts of performance, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a solid battery and a lovely OLED display too, not to mention decent camera performance for the most part.

The MIUI software might put some off, low light camera performance isn’t brilliant and it has a fairly chunky build with no water or dust resistance, but this device has unrivalled spec for its price. In fact, it’s quite simply bonkers this phone sells for the money it does.

• Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro review: Incredible value

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Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite

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The Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite offers class-leading spec for its price, a smooth experience, great OLED display and a decent battery life, as well as very capable main camera.

The quad cameras is an oversell, there’s some software bloat and the notch looks a little dated but as the market hots up to deliver a more affordable 5G phone, this Xiaomi offering is high up the scale.

• Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite review: A 5G heavyweight

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Motorola Moto G 5G Plus

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The Motorola Moto G 5G Plus isn’t just a great phone because it offers 5G future proofing. It’s a great phone for all it offers, from the excellent battery life, the big screen experience, power and super smooth hardware.

It is a little plasticky, the cameras are an oversell and there is no in-display fingerprint sensor, but otherwise there’s little within this class that can touch this Moto.

• Moto G 5G Plus review: Super performance, super price

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Motorolal Moto G8 Power

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This phone is all about battery life – that’s why it has ‘Power’ in its name. It lasts for an absolute age, comes in at the lower end of our budget, and is a surprisingly smooth handler too.

At this price point you won’t get the best cameras going, but if you want longevity and as little outlay as possible then it’s simply superb.

• Moto G8 Power review: The big-battery boss

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Oppo Reno 2 Z

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The Oppo Reno 2 Z has a clear and crisp display, a premium look and feel and a great battery life. It isn’t a flagship phone, but it gets you most of the way there for an astonishingly good price.

The finish is a little slippery and the low light images aren’t as good as the Google Pixel 4a, but the Oppo Reno 2 Z offers super fast-charging and you get an awful lot for your money, making it easily recommendable.

• Oppo Reno 2 Z review: Plenty to shout about

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Motorola Moto G8 Plus

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The Motorola Moto G8 Plus has a refined design over its predecessor with a graduated rear, a great price proposition, a responsive fingerprint sensor and an excellent battery life.

It’s camera is a little basic, albeit capable, and there is some serious competition in this market, but the Moto G8 Plus offers ample performance for its price and its problems are few and far between.

• Motorola Moto G8 Plus review: Is this the affordable phone you’re looking for?

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Honor 9X

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One of the last Huawei-made phones to come with Google Services – so no limits to access there – the 9X is one of the unsung hereos on this list in many respects.

The absence of a notch on that large screen, the eye-catching reflective design, and great battery life all make for a solid handset. However, the processor isn’t a bump over last year’s and the cameras aren’t all that. At this price, though, it’s a strong contender.

• Honor 9X review: Notch-free brings the X factor?

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Motorola Moto G Pro

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The Motorola Moto G Pro offers a stylus without the typical associated cost, a clean software experience, good battery innings, ample power and a capable main camera.

There are no decent palm rejection or pressure levels for the stylus and the additional cameras are of limited worth, but if you’re looking for a stylus in a phone and all the functionality that brings, but don’t have a big budget, the Moto G Pro is just the ticket.

• Moto G Pro review: Stylus style

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Samsung Galaxy A51

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Samsung’s flagship phones might steal the limelight, but it’s also been putting out really solid mid-range handsets this whole time, with its A series the most interesting. The A51 is the latest lower-priced star, and we’re suitably impressed. Perhaps its most impressive aspects are in design, where you could honestly be fooled into thinking it’s a premium handset.

The display is great, and while you might not have loads of power under the hood it’ll do nicely for most people. Battery life is also solid, and an under-display fingerprint scanner works well for unlocking. You even get a quad-camera setup to make sure that you can play with the big boys while shooting. 

• Samsung Galaxy A51 review: A mid-ranger with plenty of polish

Writing by Britta O’Boyle.