If you're in the market for a capable, affordable phone that looks good and is nice to use, then our rundown of the best mid-range phones of the moment is worth a gander.
A few years back, Apple broke the £1,000 barrier for the mainstream flagship smartphone and since then, plenty of competitors have followed suit. Luckily, despite the high-prices of top-end handsets, people have shown that they don't want to spend such large quantities of money, leading to a far more competitive mid-range space than ever before.
Add in Chinese newcomers and you've got a mid-range market of capable smartphones that sail beneath the £500 mark but still afford you excellent design, performance and features, in varying measures.
You'll notice this list reflects our list of best mid-range phones, albeit with a few extra deals thrown in for colour.
Best Mid-range Phone Deals
Mid-range phone buying advice
Mid-rangers are typically a mix of competitively-priced fully-fledged flagships, more affordable members of the same product family as a company's top device with reduced performance, or a dedicated device, designed to deliver a certain premium feature (or features), without breaking the bank.
Deciding which one best suits your needs falls to a number of factors. If you want raw performance, a former flagship will stand you in better stead but will more likely suffer more from waining software support sooner than less powerful but newer dedicated mid-ranger compatriots.
Flagship-adjacent phones will try and offer the closest experience to a product line's true top-tier offering but will likely skimp on the processor and/or RAM available. While dedicated mid-rangers don't aim to excel based on their price point, save for one or two key areas, chosen by the manufacturer.
As ever, buying from phone makers you trust is always the way you go, even if it means paying a little more for a similarly-specced phone. Bigger companies' products are usually held to higher quality standards and should anything go wrong, they'll likely offer more robust customer support.
Should I wait until Amazon Prime Day?
While a date hasn't formally been set, we know that Amazon Prime Day is officially taking place a little earlier than usual for 2021, with the event kicking off sometime in June.
Despite the name, Prime Day 2021 will likely stretch over multiple days, bringing with it waves of new discounts and deals each day for the duration.
What's more, these are exclusive deals, only available to Amazon Prime subscribers (which itself also comes with other benefits, like faster delivery, unlimited cloud storage and access to Amazon Prime Video streaming).
There's no guarantee how long the deals currently listed here will run, or whether this year's Prime Day deals will provide better discounts; so if you're enticed by a deal that's currently on offer, we suggest not lingering on it too long.
Learn more in our guide to Amazon Prime Day.
1. OnePlus Nord (12GB RAM, 256GB)
From: Amazon
Was: £469
Now: £416.91 (£52.09 off)
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OnePlus' superb re-entry into the mid-range market in 2020, the OnePlus Nord, is already a great example of value-for-money, but this discount on the higher RAM/storage SKU found on Amazon makes a good deal even better. (There's also currently a discount on the 8GB RAM model and other colourways too.)
2. OnePlus 8T (8GB RAM, 128GB)
From: Amazon
Was: £549
Now: £399 (£150 off)
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In one of its biggest discounts to date, the fully-fledged flagship OnePlus 8T (which already wowed with its sub-£550 starting price) is now available for under £400. The OnePlus 9 may now be on the market but the 8T still gets our vote. See more of the best OnePlus 8T deals right here.
3. Google Pixel 4a (6GB RAM, 128GB)
From: Amazon
Was: £349
Now: £299 (£50 off)
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The simplicity of Android as Google intended paired with simple but effective hardware, an impressively capable camera, a clean design and an OLED display - the Pixel 4a is a wonderfully well-rounded package and now comes with £50 off on Amazon.
4. Realme 7 5G (6GB RAM, 128GB)
From: Amazon
Was: £279
Now: £249 (£30 off)
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The Realme 7 5G is still pretty fresh to market but that hasn't stopped Realme from blessing it with a discount, making this well-specced affordable 5G mid-ranger even better value.
5. Oppo Find X2 Lite (8GB RAM, 128GB)
From: Amazon
Was: £399
Now: £299 (£100 off)
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The baby of Oppo's Find X2 line, the Find X2 Lite already delivers on performance and design at a compelling price, and that's before you take into account the notable £100 reduction it's currently enjoying on Amazon.
Note: Discount varies by colour, double-check before purchase.
6. Oppo Reno 4 5G (8GB RAM, 128GB)
From: Amazon
Was: £499
Now: £299.85 (£199.15 off)
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There's a sizeable near-£200 reduction available on the Oppo Reno 4 5G, making an already-capable premium mid-ranger even more enticing.
7. Samsung Galaxy A71 (6GB RAM, 128GB)
From: Amazon
Was: £419
Now: £334.95 (£84.05 off)
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Samsung's 2020 mid-range family is fronted by the Galaxy A71, with its expansive display, multiple cameras and eye-catching Prism finish. Now available with over £80 off the RRP, courtesy of Amazon.
8. Oppo Reno 4Z 5G (8GB RAM, 128GB)
From: Amazon
Was: £329
Now: £249.95 (£79.05 off)
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Despite toting mid-range performance, the most affordable member of Oppo's recent Reno 4 line - the 5G-capable Reno 4Z 5G - now comes in at a budget phone price, thanks to this near-£80 discount on Amazon.
9. Apple iPhone SE (3GB RAM, 256GB)
From: Amazon
Was: £569
Now: £549 (£20 off)
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The top storage SKU of Apple's stellar affordable offering for 2020 - the updated iPhone SE - enjoys a £20 Amazon discount, making it a solid choice amidst Apple's current smartphone lineup.
Note: Discount varies by colour, check before purchase.
10. Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite (8GB RAM, 128GB)
From: Amazon
Was: £579
Now: £458.79 (£120.21 off)
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Don't be fooled by the name, the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite is a 2020 phone, making the fact that this Amazon deal knocks over £120 off the asking price all the more impressive.
11. Samsung Galaxy A51 (4GB RAM, 128GB)
From: Amazon
Was: £329
Now: £227 (£102 off)
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The 4G flavour of Samsung's capable Galaxy A51 mid-ranger - one of 2020's best-selling phones worldwide - gets a nice price reduction on Amazon.
12. Samsung Galaxy A41 (4GB RAM, 64GB)
From: Amazon
Was: £269
Now: £199 (£70 off)
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The modest Galaxy A41 still packs plenty of punch thanks to its 6.1in Super AMOLED display, triple camera setup and in-display fingerprint sensor. Available with a tidy £70 Amazon discount on top.
If you want to know more about the current mid-range phone market, check out our best mid-range phones roundup or if all the entries here still seem a little too pricey, have a look at our Best budget phones roundup instead, where every deal features a phone that costs under £250. We also have a general roundup of the UK's best tech deals right now, worth checking in on too.
