Best midrange Android phones in 2024

While we love budget devices and high-flying Android flagships, midrange phones often provide the best value. In the last few years, midrange phones have gone from flagship wannabes to smartphones that offer a premium experience for a fraction of the price.

This list explores the top Android devices under $700 that will surprise you with their performance and quality. So, if you’re up for saving a few dollars, and don’t mind compromising on some features, one of these phones might be your next purchase.

Top midrange Android phones

It’s no secret how much we love the OnePlus 12R. It brings OnePlus back to its flagship-killing roots with fantastic performance, lots of RAM, and a gorgeous display — all for the undoubtedly midrange price of $500.

Its midrange supremacy is cemented by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 beating at its heart, giving the 12R flagship-level power from just a year ago. It’ll out-benchmark every other phone on this list, and while that’s rarely a guarantee of a good experience, it will give mobile gamers an added boost.

The OnePlus 12R features a gorgeous LPTO4 AMOLED panel refreshing at 120Hz, with a retina-busting 4,500 nits of peak brightness. You’ll have no problem seeing it outdoors, and we love how clean and crisp it is — qualities that bely its midrange price tag. It also sports Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and an aluminum frame, giving the 12R a premium feel in hand.

We still have our reservations about OxygenOS and the 12R is only receiving three major Android upgrades and four years of support, but we still think it’s an excellent buy.

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Read our review

OnePlus 12R review: A real flagship killer for $500

A phone that packs all the power you need for the price you want to pay

OnePlus didn’t forget about battery life, giving the 12R a massive 5,500mAh, ensuring you’ll make it an entire day with power to spare. When it’s time to recharge, the OnePlus SuperVOOC technology will allow you to top off at 100W wired. While the 12R is impressive, it’s not without flaws; the camera system is something you’d fully expect in this price range, with decent but not impressive shots that fall off in low light. Overall, it’s hard to beat the 12R for the price.

Premium pick

Samsung Galaxy S24 FE

One step away from greatness

Samsung’s Galaxy S24 FE aims to deliver the flagship experience of the 2024 lineup in a more budget-friendly option. Featuring a 6.7-inch display, a triple camera cluster, and a host of AI functionalities, this device essentially offers most of the good things of the Galaxy S24+ at around two-thirds of the cost. However, it may lack key features that could lead some users to choose the pricier model instead.

Pros

• Colorful display
• Dependable performance
• Better cameras than the S23 FE

Cons

• Poor charging speed
• Not budget pricing

There is a fine balance when making a more affordable option for those who won’t pay for a premium phone, and the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE might not have that perfect position.

Samsung intended to bring the S24+ within reach for those who wouldn’t pay the price, and the S24 FE retains many of its premium brother’s headline features. Available with either 128GB or 256GB of storage, the Galaxy S24 FE comes in four colors: Graphite, Gray, Blue, and Mint.

On the plus side, it has a bigger display than the S24+, which is easier to see in sunlight and has a bigger battery. Conversely, it’s heavier, and the Samsung Exynos 2400e processor is less powerful than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 the S24+ uses in the US. Users won’t notice the performance difference most of the time, and for international customers, the S24+ comes with the Exynos 2400 SoC anyway.

Read our review

Review: The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is one step away from greatness

It faces stiff competition

Our biggest technical complaint about the S24 FE is that the larger battery charges way too slowly, but what ultimately stops us from recommending this design wholeheartedly is that this phone is still north of $600, making it more expensive than some premium options in other ranges.

Best value

Samsung Galaxy A25 5G

You’ll be surprised what you get for $300

The Samsung Galaxy A25 5G offers a gorgeous 6.5-inch AMOLED display refreshing at 120Hz for $300. It backs that up with an Exynos 1280 chipset and 6GB of RAM, resulting in speedy performance through daily tasks and light gaming. Its 50MP camera provides good images for its price, with editing tools to help get the best photo.

Pros

• Great display
• Decent camera
• Fantastic software experience

Cons

• Slow charging
• Plastic build

We decided to include a budget device like the Samsung Galaxy A25 to show you can get premium features with decent performance at the bottom of the midrange options. At $300, the Galaxy A25 sports a vibrant 6.5-inch AMOLED display refreshing at 120Hz — specs that would’ve been unheard of at this price a few years ago. And while its Exynos 1280 power plant won’t turn many heads, it still gets the job done, offering smooth scrolling through social media and decent gaming at lower settings.

It also doesn’t look like a $300 phone. Samsung designed the Galaxy A25 to match other devices in its lineup, sporting a sleek back and triple camera setup. Every aspect of the A25 screams value, with four years of Android upgrades and five years of security updates — impressive support for the money.

Read our review

Samsung Galaxy A25 5G review: Better than budget

At this point, Samsung’s cheap phones can’t get much more reliable

No one says the Galaxy A25’s cameras can come close to something like a Pixel, but you’ll get surprisingly vibrant and crisp images in good lighting. In low light, things fall apart, but if you keep your expectations in check, the Galaxy A25 brings a lot to the table at a relatively affordable price.

Best midrange Pixel

Google Pixel 8a

For shutterbugs on a tighter budget

$449 $499 Save $50

The Google Pixel 8a brings the performance of the Pixel 8 down to a midrange price point, powered by a Tensor G3 and 8GB of RAM. Compared to the Pixel 7a, the 8a offers a brighter display and higher refresh rate, eliminating concerns about prior devices. It’s also one of the best camera systems you can buy, especially at $499.

Pros

• Improved display
• Snappy performance
• Excellent camera system

Cons

• Slow charging
• Not the best for gaming

Google can’t seem to shake the awkwardness the Pixel A series causes its product lineup. On paper, the Pixel 8a is an excellent deal, offering the same power and performance as its more expensive siblings, with a fantastic camera system as the icing on the cake. However, it doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and the Pixel 8 gets tantalizingly close in price when on sale.

Google isn’t completely unaware of the potential conflict, as it increased the price of the Pixel 8 back to $699 when the 8a launched. Even still, we can expect the Pixel 8 to go on sale again; it’s only a question of how low Google cuts the Pixel 8a to match and how much value you place on the differences between the two devices. If you need a glass back, a newer camera system, and a better display, the Pixel 8 might be worth the extra scratch, but if you’re looking to save a few bucks and still get a quintessentially Google experience, the Pixel 8a is worth a look.

Read our review

Google Pixel 8a review: A great phone that I’m not sure you should buy

Google’s hardware lineup is in a tricky spot, and the Pixel 8a only makes things more confusing

All told, the Pixel 8a still offers an improved display over its predecessors, with the Actua display technology helping to address the weakness of the Pixel 7a. In addition, it still features a Tensor G3, 8GB of RAM, and a 4,500mAh (roughly) battery. If the Pixel 8 had never existed or Google had never promoted such aggressive sales, the Pixel 8a would have been a no-brainer. And, if you don’t care about the differences between the two, it still is.

Best midrange fold

Motorola Razr (2024)

A fantastic price point for a flip phone

Last year, Motorola launched the first sub-$1000 foldable in the United States. While it was a solid offering, there was room for improvement. For 2024, Motorola has taken the core experience of the much pricier 2023 Razr+ and stuffed it into the 2024 Razr, including its much larger and useful cover display.

Pros

• Similar to last year’s Razr+, only less expensive
• Improved hinge and IPX8 water resistance
• Solid battery life

Cons

• Cameras aren’t very good
• Motorola’s update timeliness
• Non-foldables still offer more power for less money

Motorola continues to push the foldable category, not just in terms of overall design, but the company has taken the idea that all foldables are expensive and flipped the idea on its head. Motorola borrowed the overall design of its pricier 2023 Razr+ and used that as its template to create the 2024 Razr. It also tweaked the hinge to make it much sturdier and the Razr is now IPX8 rated against water.

Outside the flip form factor, the real star of the show here is its beautiful and very capable displays. The cover display has grown significantly to 3.6 inches, which makes it infinitely more useful compared to the 1.5-inch display on last year’s model. This pOLED display has a 90Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling. Internally, you are getting a 6.9 inch, 2640 x 1080 panel with a 120Hz refresh rate.

Motorola changed its processor strategy this year and went with a MediaTek Dimensity 7300X coupled with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage. While the Dimensity is going to fall behind the flagship processors you can find in other non-foldable midrange phones, it’s still more than powerful enough to handle your general day-to-day activities. The 4,200mAh battery should easily get you through an entire day.

The biggest knock against Motorola devices is when you start talking about software update policies. As the Google and Samsung of the world are offering seven years of updates, Motorola is only offering three Android OS upgrades and four years of security updates. Not only does its overall policy fall behind the competition, but they aren’t in a hurry to release those updates.

Read our review

The Motorola Razr (2024) is a killer foldable that deserves better software support

Moto’s software game can’t match its hardware

If you are on a budget and are curious about foldable phones, then the Motorola Razr is your only option. Luckily, Motorola has made a solid device that is more than capable of handling your daily load. Just don’t expect timely software updates or great cameras and you’ll be quite happy.

Vegan leather goodness

Motorola Edge (2024)

Just wait for it to go on sale

The Motorola Edge (2024) is in a precarious position. It feels great in the hand, comes with a gorgeous display, and offers decent performance, but Motorola has priced this phone to go directly against some of the top midrange devices. If you can find it on a steep sale, it’s a great alternative to a Samsung or Google-made device.

Pros

• Fantastic build quality
• Gorgeous display
• Decent performance

Cons

• Motorola takes its time with updates
• Too expensive at full retail price

The Motorola Edge (2024) is a solid and less-known alternative to the bigger players in this price segment. The Edge excels in a couple of key categories and is solid in a few others. It’s not a perfect device by any means, but it offers enough to earn a spot on this list.

The display and build quality are two areas the Edge excels in. With a 6.6-inch, 2400 x 1080, pOLED panel, the display on the Edge is gorgeous. Swiping and scrolling on this device will be nice and smooth thanks to its 144Hz refresh rate. It also has 1300 nits of peak brightness, allowing you to easily see it outdoors. With an aluminum frame and vegan leather back, the Edge also feels fantastic in the hand. When just about every other device has a glass back, it’s nice to hold something that has a bit of texture to it.

Performance is also decent thanks to its Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 is a snappy little chip in its own right, and won’t hold you back, but it pails in comparison to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the OnePlus 12R or the Tensor G3 in the Pixel 8a. It 50MP f/1.8 primary camera can get some decent shots, but it’s a bit unreliable. Quality also drops off quite a bit once you start using the 13MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera.

Much like the Razr, Motorola’s update policy needs to be mentioned here. Motorola is only promising two Android OS upgrades and three years of security updates, which is quite anemic compared to Google and Samsung. Motorola also has a bad track record of providing timely updates, often being a full year behind on Android updates.

Read our review

Motorola made the Edge a phone without a home

Good phone, awful pricing

The Motorola Edge is in a unique situation. On one hand, the Edge is a solid offering, especially if you can find it on sale. On the other, when it’s at full price, it goes up against some of the midrange champions, including the OnePlus 12R and the Google Pixel 8a. This level of competition makes it a tough sell. If you can get it at a great price, and keep expectations in check, this device is more than capable of handling your needs.

Best for Qi2 charging

HMD Skyline

An iFixit approved phone

An early Qi2 charging phone with a big battery and fast charging speeds is big news for Android users. Designed in conjunction with iFixit, it allows for easier repairs and swapping the screen, rear cover and battery is all remarkably straightforward. However, much of the technology in the HDM Skyline isn’t cutting edge, and the distinctly average cameras will seem below par in a couple of years.

Pros

• Easy to fix phone
• Qi2 wireless charging
• Customisable button

Cons

• Inelegant design
• Mediocre cameras
• One two years of OS support

Most phone makers make their devices nearly impossible to open or fix, but the thinking behind the HMD Skyline is it can be easily dissembled with an iFixit tool kit and users should be able to address common issues, such as the screen breaking or the battery dying, rather than buy a new phone.

However, making it that accessible has saddled the HMD Skyline with an awkward geometric form factor that doesn’t feel elegant or natural. Maybe the reason other phones are difficult to fix is also due to how they’re internally structured, where assumptions can be made to make them thinner and shaped less like the 1980s Volvo.

Read our review

Review: The HMD Skyline pushes Android phones in the right direction

Repairability and Qi2 help the Skyline shine

The strength of this design is that it supports the new Qi2 wireless charging standard, and it can also charge quickly using a wired charger. However, that needs to be balanced against some average camera sensors, a screen that isn’t bright by current standards, and the maker’s promise of only two years of Android updates.

Overall, the HMD Skyline is a unique design that doesn’t quite hit the high notes.

Best use of LEDs

Nothing Phone 2

If you want something a little different

The Nothing Phone 2 offers more power than its predecessor, with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 at its core and 8GB of RAM. It sports a gorgeous 120Hz OLED display and 45W fast wired charging. It also has a unique style, with glyph lighting providing incoming text and call notifications.

Pros

• Fantastic display
• Great battery life
• Premium build

Nothing promised a different smartphone experience with its first phone, and while it was impressive, it had some drawbacks that limited its appeal. With the Nothing Phone 2, the company made significant improvements, making its headline device an attractive midrange option in 2024. It starts with a clean design; the Nothing Phone 2 sports Gorilla Glass front and back with an aluminum frame. And, whether you think the Glyphs are a gimmick or not, there is no denying they are a conversation starter when people see the back of your phone light up.

It’s also surprisingly light, tipping the scales at a mere 201g, which is impressive given it still features a 6.7-inch LPTO OLED refreshing at 120Hz. The Nothing Phone 2 has the same powerplant as the ThinkPhone, a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, offering impressive performance and all-day battery life.

Read our review

Nothing Phone 2 review: Finding its niche

Nothing’s first US smartphone is (mostly) a success

We love how Nothing handles updates, offering detailed patch notes on each improvement. The latest release brings ChatGPT integration to the Nothing Phone 2, allowing you to access the magic of AI from your home screen. Whether Nothing began a smartphone revolution is still to be determined, but for the price, you’ll enjoy your experience.

An awesome experience at every price point

The top pick is the fantastic OnePlus 12R. It’s hard to beat its combination of performance and price, which makes us question why we need to spend over $1,200 on some flagship phones. It still has enough power to handle AAA mobile games and provides smooth scrolling through daily tasks. If you’re serious about saving money on smartphones, the OnePlus 12R is an excellent deal.

Our premium choice is the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, a cheaper version of the S24+ with a bigger screen and a larger battery that packs most of the headline features of that flagship. Only a few mistakes, like the slow charging, stopped this being our top choice.

Meanwhile, it’s hard to keep a Pixel off the list, especially since Google’s cameras still rule the roost. The Pixel 8a offers the Tensor G3, 8GB of RAM, and a gorgeous OLED display, and it’s blessed with the Pixel 8’s software and camera experience while still being cheaper than the Pixel 8, which has now been replaced by the Pixel 9.

Then there’s the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G, which is a respectable value pick if you want to save a few dollars. For $300, you get solid performance, a decent camera, and five years of Samsung support, making the Galaxy A25 an excellent choice for OneUI fans on a budget. It also features a modern design, so you won’t feel like you are carrying around a device from 2017.

Best overall

OnePlus 12R

Pound for pound midrange champ

It’s hard to beat the OnePlus 12R’s combination of performance and value. For $500, the 12R goes up against some heavy-hitting flagships, bringing OnePlus back to its roots of offering more performance for less. With its gorgeous display and fantastic battery, the OnePlus 12R deserves its title as best midrange phone.