If you’re not willing to work out a sultan’s ransom for a triple-core ivory-plated iPhone 7, but still want a mobile phone that’s half-decent, then you should reach for what some call a ‘mid range’ handset.
Phones that come under the mid-range label vary in terms of price, functionality and appearance - generally they’re considered to be a cut above a bargain level pay-as-you-go styley phone, but retain the appearance and some features of a more expensive high-end smartphone.
Mid-range is a pretty broad category in terms of price; the phones we’ve featured here are priced in and around the £100 to £200 mark on pay-as-you-go (where available) click through on the relevant links to be taken to our Deals section to compare prices more accurately.
So without further ado, here’s our lowdown on the best of the mid-range phones from the first half of 2011 or so, available now or coming very soon.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray is one of the nicest-looking phones we’ve seen in a long time. Not only is the exterior design elegant and eye-catching but the high resolution 3.3-inch screen looks great as well.
Featuring Sony’s Mobile Bravia Engine (higher contrasts, greater colour fidelity) and a high PPI (pixels per inch) count of 296, the Xperia Ray’s screen is a thing of beauty. The 8.1-megapixel camera is great; it’s got a low-level light sensor, meaning you can take better pictures in dim and dark locations and is capable of 720p HD video recording.
Though not the most powerful phone out there, the single 1GHz chip of the Xperia Ray powers through the everyday tasks with no problem. More importantly, the majority of popular apps and games downloaded from the Android Market work just fine on the Xperia Ray.
Samsung Galaxy W
Like the Xperia Ray, the Samsung Galaxy W has a high resolution screen that really packs in the detail. The Galaxy W is lightweight and unassuming in design; it’s very much an all rounder with some respectable specs.
The 5-megapixel camera takes some decent stills and can record HD movies at 720p. The 1.4GHz processor means that things run pretty smoothly and though you don’t get a lot of internal storage (1.7GB) you can bump this up with microSD cards (up to 32GB).
Running on Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, it’s as up to date as you’d expect a mid-range phone to be for now. Jury’s out on whether or not it will get updated to Ice Cream Sandwich, but in our review we found that the Galaxy W was able to handle most of the main Android apps and games.
HTC Rhyme
With its plum coloured jacket, flashing charm bracelet notifier and bunged-in leather pouch, the HTC Rhyme has been written off in some quarters as a fashion-oriented novelty. That’s partially true - looks are at the forefront here - but it’s not all about the looks.
Like the previous two entries in our current line-up, the HTC Rhyme’s 5-megapixel camera is capable of 720p HD Video recording (around 15fps) and can take some respectable stills.
Boasting HTC Sense 3.5, HTC’s custom Android UI, the HTC Rhyme’s homescreens are easy to customise and finding your way around the phone is a piece of cake. You also get access to HTC Watch, HTC’s movies on demand service, built-in here and the 3.7-inch screen provides some good off-angle viewing.
At 800 x 480 it’s not the highest resolution screen out there but high enough for text and images on websites to look detailed and sharp and for the movies on HTC Watch to look respectable. Plus the fabric-textured dock that comes included in the box allows the HTC Rhyme to double as an alarm clock while you charge it.
BlackBerry Curve 9380
The latest BlackBerry phone with a large touchscreen is also probably one of the best in value-for-money terms. It’s not the most powerful phone we’ve seen this year but the BlackBerry Curve 9380 is dependable. It features a solid battery, has a compact, ergonomic design that feels great in the hand. The camera isn’t the best one we’ve seen but is by no means terrible.
Coming with an NFC chip installed, the BlackBerry Curve 9380 is also future proofed for services like BlackBerry Tap (tap to exchange contacts) and Telefonica Wallet (tap to pay and unlock doors).
For simple web browsing and Facebooking on the go, the Curve 9380 is perfectly suited, with the 3.2-inch screen lending itself well to both tasks.
Nokia 700
The Nokia 700 is a really nicely built phone; the 3.2-inch AMOLED screen features Nokia’s ClearBlack technology which means high levels of contrast and great legibility in sunlight. The body of the Nokia 700 is coated in brushed metal and gleaming plastic and has the reassuring ‘solid’ feel that Nokia phones are famous for.
Though a touchscreen phone, the Nokia 700 most certainly has a touch of the old school about it and will no doubt prove a hit with those after a phone primarly for calling and texting, but also want something that’s reliable and nicely designed.
There’s access to Facebook and Twitter with the Social app and there’s also BBC iPlayer and YouTube apps for entertainment on the go. Internal memory clocks in at just 2GB but you can always bulk this out with microSD cards (up to 32GB).
The 5-megapixel camera takes some good shots and video recording, again, can capture 720p HD video.
Doro PhoneEasy 610
For those who want their phones really back to basics, there’s Doro’s PhoneEasy range. Call quality and text legibility is a premium here; the PhoneEasy 610 boasts high decibel call and ringtone volume and large responsive keys that make texting the old fashioned way a breeze.
The PhoneEasy 610 is a flip phone that’s got a solid build and a soft touch coating for easy grip. Three specific numbers can be assigned to the ‘A’ ‘B’ and ‘C’ buttons and there’s a shortcut button for the text message writer as well.
Features and functions of the Doro PhoneEasy 610 are super-Spartan; there’s a calculator, calendar, alarm clock and an ICE (In Case of Emergency) alarm; no camera and no Angry Birds here. There’s no microSD slot, but the phonebook has space for 300 contacts; plenty enough for most.
Motorola Defy+
Motorola’s Defy+ is an upgraded version of last year’s Defy, a tough, rugged phone that’s designed to withstand the everyday knocks and drops that your average phone might not be able to. Water-resistant (not fully water-proof) the Motorola Defy+ is perhaps the phone for those who are forever dropping things or knocking drinks over.
Aside from this uber-durable USP, the Motorola Defy+ is a pretty nice phone in it’s own right; the 854 x 480 WVGA display is sharp and detailed and the default music player is nicely bolstered with a range of third party services - including SoundHound for track identification and TuneWiki for live playback of lyrics.
Samsung Galaxy Ace
The Samsung Galaxy Ace gives you all of the useful stuff you’d want from an Android smartphone - Gmail, Google Maps, navigation, a healthy dose of Android apps - for a fraction of the cost. The 3.5-inch display is also one of the nicest we’ve seen on a mid-range phone this year - bright and big enough for you to do all the above without any of it feeling cramped.
The Samsung Galaxy Ace also has the bonus of looking a lot like a smartphone as well. It looks very similar to the Galaxy S2 and with that faux metal trim around the edge, it even looks a bit like an iPhone 4 (if you squint some). So you might be able to fool less gadget-savvy mates into thinking you’ve got a smartphone.
One drawback of the Galaxy Ace is that it won’t be able to install Flash Player 10.1 - this is due to the processor limitations. So certain apps and games, like BBC iPlayer and Shift won’t be playable. Top casual games like Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, Drop 7 and Robot Unicorn Attack however work fine and dandy.
HTC Wildfire S
The HTC Wildfire S’s screen at 3.2-inches is a little smaller doesn’t have as high a resolution, so web pages and the like are a little less easy on the eye.
Like all of HTC’s Android phones, the Wildfire S is something of a looker. It’s a compact, curved phone that fits nicely in the palm and is available in a range of colours (matt white, graphite grey and metallic lavender).
It’s smaller size means that it’s not a pocket hog and the fact that it runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread means you can benefit from things like improved download/app management and easier cut and paste.
INQ Cloud Touch
The INQ Cloud Touch is shaping up to be one of our favourite phones of 2011. It boasts a bright and colourful design both inside and out. The interface is bright, colourful and easy to use and you get the Spotify for Android app pre-installed as the default music player. INQ's Cloud Touch is very much about the Facebook integration.
Things like Facebook Events get automatically pinned to your calendar and your top five friend’s profiles are always easily within reach. There are also shortcuts to Facebook features like Chat, as well as quick access key that fires up the settings. So you’ve always got shortcuts access to whatever you want to use all over the place. The 3-megapixel camera doesn’t have a flash, making it less ideal for nights out.
