The competition for midrange smartphones makes companies duel for consumer attention. We’ve done an extensive research and figured out which phone has the best value for money and the most features.
With the advancement in technology and increase in taxes, phones are getting expensive, whether they come from brands such as Samsung, Apple or Chinese brands such as Huawei, Oppo and Infinix. In order to counter this and still leave consumers with a chance to get a device of their own, these companies have started selling “midrange smartphones” that are available at cheap rates with entry level specs and hardware. This trend has been common in 3rd world countries mostly for the past two years, so we decided to compare a few of the latest midrange devices and pick out the best one for you.
Infinix S4
Recently, Infinix has released a very promising smartphone, the S4 in an amazing price of just Rs 22,999. The S4 has a lot to offer to its users, such as a 32MP selfie camera and a rear triple camera of 13MP+8MP+2MP. The phone supports live AI beauty during video streaming unlike other phones that support beauty mode only in photograph mode. The high resolution camera also gives it an edge over other phones in terms of security as FaceID works better on it during all times of the day. Compared to the usual 2 slotted phones from Samsung and Vivo and such other brands, the S4 comes with dual sim slots. It comes with the latest Android OS, the 9.0 Pie. The phone comes with a unique high pixel density dewdrop screen housing 4 GB RAM and 64 GB ROM, making it a substantial entertainment device. Other midrange smartphones are found with a maximum of 4 gigabytes of RAM but this is an exception in the case of Infinix. So not only does photography come at a lower cost, but also gaming and leisure value. The Octa Core Helio P22 chipset supporting the device is enough to run the most demanding of mobile games with a breeze and the 4000 mAh battery will let you use the phone for upto 2 days without charging it at all.
TECNO Camon i4
In the same price range we have the TECNO Camon i4 at PKR 26,000. It has relatively similar specs to the Infinix S4 such as 4G support, latest Android OS and a crisp triple rear camera to take wide angle shots, portraits, lowlight pictures and a lot more. The difference, however, is the front camera which is of 16MP while the S4 features a front camera of 32MP at a much lower price. The Camon i4 has a RAM worth 4GB and internal storage of 64GB which averagely abundant for smartphone users these days. It comes with a MT6761 Octa Core 2.0 GHz processor which is nice and smooth if managed well. The phone has a 6.2” display, the same as the Infinix S4 and the Camon i4 comes packed with a 3400mAh, making the phone a great deal to buy.
Realme 3
The Realme 3 was recently launched by Realme at price of PKR 23,000. With specs similar to the Infinix S4 and TECNO Camon i4, it comes with 4G support and the latest Android OS. The Realme 3 runs on a MTK Helio P70 2.1GHz Octa core processor which is slightly better than the Infinix S4, thus making the phone run a bit faster. It alos features a 6.2” dewdrop display. However, where the phone lacks is its storage capacity and cameras. The Realme 3 has just 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage when you can get more than this at a lower price by purchasing the INfininx S4. It also has just a dual rear camera like the Samsung A20, 13MP and 2MP which gives good images but not the best ones. The Realme 3 has a slightly better battery as well with a 4230mAh power capacity. The Realme 3 has another variant though, which features 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage, the same as the Infinix S4 but at a much higher price of PKR 28,999.
Oppo A5s
Another one of the mid-range smartphones is the Oppo A5s. With a price tag of PKR 24,999 the Oppo A5s offers what the rest do as well, 4G support and dual SIM but the A5s has a slightly older Android OS, running on the 8.1 Oreo. For its processor though, the A5s runs on the MTK6765 Helio P35 Octa core 2.0GHz processor which is decent enough for a phone at this price. A common flaw between the A5s and the Realme 3, however, is less storage capacity at a high price. The A5s offers just 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage which we feel isn’t exactly justified. The phone has a 6.2 inch screen and another combined flaw with the Realme 3 is its dual camera with 13MP and 2MP plus a very weak 8MP selfie camera at an expensive price. The phone offers a good battery timing though with an above average 4230mAh battery.
Vivo Y93
Next up we have the Vivo Y93 at PKR 24,999. With the same aforementioned specs such as the 4G support, where this phone differs is its Android OS version which is 8.1 or Oreo, which is relatively old. It has the SNP439 1.95GHz Octa core processor which is a little slower than the other phones in this comparison. It has a 6.2 inch display but where the phone is a little left behind is its 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage which is less given that it has a high price compared to others. It has a dual camera like the Samsung A20, Realme 3 and Oppo A5s and a weak 8MP camera like the Oppo A5s. The phone has a 4030mAh battery and all of this combined makes the Y93 a mediocre phone to buy.
Huawei Y7 Prime (2019)
Coming towards the slightly expensive side we have the Huawei Y7 Prime released earlier this year. The phone costs PKR 28,999 and has an older Android OS version, the 8.1 Oreo. It has the Snapdragon 450 1.8Ghz Octa core processor which is a good processor in such a price. The only thing that isn’t good about this phone is that it just has 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage while they easily could’ve given this phone more storage and RAM. Again, this phone also has a dual camera with 13MP and 2MP and a 16MP front camera which is just average. The Y7 Prime has a 4000mAh battery, just like the Infinix S4. Though it is a good phone, it could have been made better.
Samsung A20
The Samsung A20 features the same specs mentioned earlier in this comparison, where it stands out is with its processor, using the Exynos 7884 Octa core 1.6GHz processor, making it really fast. The A20 has a 6.4 inch display with a sAMOLED screen, giving an amazing resolution, best to binge-watch sitcoms and shows. The phone has a dual camera with a wide angle lens and a portrait lens, well suited for taking group pictures and portraits.
Vivo Y17
Lastly, we have the most expensive of the bunch, the Vivo V17. At a high price of PKR 36,999 the phone has the same specs as the other phones with Android 9.0 and 4G. It has the MTK6765 Octa core 2.3GHz+1.8GHz processor giving fast and reliable performance. The best part about the Vivo Y17 is its storage capacity and RAM, probably what makes it this expensive. The Y17 has 4GB RAM and 128GB internal storage which is abundant for any smartphone user. It has a triple camera similar to the Infinix S4 and the TECNO Camon i4 but where it lacks is its 20MP front facing selfie camera which is less than the Infinix S4 which is priced at just PKR 23,000. The other best part about this phone is its extremely robust 5000mAh battery which is much higher and powerful than average phones.
Infinix is always ready to entertain criticism from it’s consumers to give the best they can to it’s users. This and the S4’s mere price of 22,999 PKR makes it the best budget midrange device as well the best device in general out of all the other competitors. The phone is expected to be widely acclaimed by many as it sets to release all over the world, especially at a larger volume in Asia and Europe, where midrange devices are deemed more important. So if you are someone who doesn’t want to spend much on a smartphone but still want lots of features and the most value for your money, Infinix is the best bet for you.
