It’s that time of year again. The likes of Samsung and HTC have launched their latest flagship smartphones. But high-end iPhones and fancy Samsungs aren’t for everyone. So, what if you’re in the market for something a bit cheaper? We’re going to take a look at a couple of mid-range smartphones for under €250. Each of these nifty little numbers are great value for money. That’s great for you whether you’re a techie on a budget, want a second phone or just plain don’t give a ra’ts ass about the latest tech. Without further adieu, we present the mid-range marvels.
The obvious choice: Samsung Galaxy J5
Right, first up is the most obvious choice for a mid-range smartphone is the Samsung J5. Depending on the network you can find this sexy piece of kit for approx €180. There is the slightly cheaper option of the J3 model which is about €30 less. This is not the time to cheap out. Spending the few extra pennies will really see you reap the rewards. Housed in a beautiful slim body with a metal frame, the J5 sports a great screen for the price with a 5.2″ super AMOLED display. Seriously, for this money the spec sheet is very impressive. Most notable is the 16GB of storage and the 13MP camera. That’s iPhone 5s kinda specs for half the money.
At this kind of price, this mid-range entry from Samsung is a clear and obvious choice. Well worth the money.
The real winner: Huawei P9 lite
Where the Samsung J5 might have been the obvious choice, for those who are in search of something a bit different the Huawei P9 lite is the real winner. The P9 lite we have seen going for in and around €250. That makes it the most expensive of our mid-range smartphones, but really this is a case of you get what you pay for.
In the last number of years, Huawei has made huge inroads into the Irish market, producing smashing products at discount prices. Stick a Samsung or Sony logo on anything Huawei make and it would surely cost at least €100 more. Ahhhh, the power of branding.
Anyway, the P9 lite is the baby brother of the flagship P9 and on the main specs is very similar to the J5. Memory, camera and display, all match up between the two rivals, However, the P9 lite is the only mid-range phone we can see with a fingerprint sensor. The battery is also a 3000mAh which is the same as the higher spec Samsung A5 2017. It also boasts a huge Octo-core processor again something seen in much more expensive phones.
Lovely phone to look at and feel, with really top notch specs to boot The Huawei P9 lite is as slick as your going to find on a budget.
The specialist: HTC Desire 825
HTC is, in my opinion, the most underrated smartphone brands around. The M flagship series has repeatedly beat out top notch products for years now. The tech from the flagships eventually gets incorporated into the Desire range. The Desire 825 is no different, boasting HTC Sense and is HD voice ready.
Once again, like the previous models the 825 is working with a 13MP camera, a 5MP selfie cam and the now obvious 16GB memory. The main difference between this and the other mid-range smartphones shown is the display. The 825 is boasting a mad 5.5-inch display, making it perfect for those of use who love to catch up with Netflix on the go. For anyone who is in the market for a large phabletesque display on a budget could do a lot worse than the Desire 825.
Available for roughly €180 it is the cheapest large displayed phone on the market.
The outlier: Xiaomi Note 4
Now this one you can’t buy from stores but if you don’t mind waiting around for a couple weeks then you have the opportunity to get something a little bit special.
Similar to the Huawei, Xiaomi is another Chinese brand looking to make big headway in the European market. The Note 4 is proving to be a rather successful model offering stupidly good specs for about €200 on a range of online stores. To be fair the spec sheet is like something you would see on a lot of flagship products. 32GB of memory, 5.5-inch display and a fingerprint scanner coupled with a big old processor. If it helps the battery is a 4100mAh making it one of the biggest batteries on the market. Nice!
The phone looks superb, acts amazingly and is priced beautifully. Just have to be willing to wait a few weeks.
So there ya have it, the four best phones money can buy for under €250.