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Finder's expert review team has tested every single phone on this list extensively, considering design, camera output, performance, battery life and any special features for each handset.
Our editorial team selected the phones on this list based on their overall quality and value compared to other phones on the market. The selection and order is not based on review scores. More detail on methodology below.
Compare the best mid-range phones of 2020
Apple is not known for being an "affordable" brand, but the iPhone SE (2020) is the exception, thanks to the inclusion of the exact same processor that's found in the much more expensive iPhone 11 line, the Apple A13 Bionic. It puts it astonishingly far ahead of its Android competition when it comes to running apps of any type.
While the single-lens camera isn't as extensive as competitors, it shoots quite well, and the smaller size will appeal to those who hate large phones. If you're in the iOS camp, you're not spoilt for choice, because it's either the iPhone SE or trying to score a cheap secondhand older model, which is complete with risks around how it's been treated. The big downside of the iPhone SE (2020) is the battery life. It's built on the chassis of the old iPhone 6 and it keeps the "classic" – which is to say awful – iPhone battery as a result.
Read our full review of the Apple iPhone SE (2020)
The Android space has abundant choices in the mid-range, but Google's cheaper Pixel 4a impresses across the range despite only featuring a single rear camera and no 5G onboard just yet. That's down to its clean Android UI and the promise of at least three years of updates where many makers struggle to provide even a single year's OS upgrades, as well as its amazing low-light performance when shooting at night.
You are stuck with fixed storage, because Google is rather obsessed with putting data in the cloud, and it may be worth waiting to see how the 5G Pixel 4a pans out, as it's due for release imminently.
Read our full review of the Google Pixel 4a
Chinese phone brand realme's usual space is more in budget phones, but the realme X3 SuperZoom shows what it can do when it flexes its design muscles. The real standout here is in the camera space, and specifically the flexibility of its combined and mostly capable triple lens array, although the 60x "SuperZoom" is, like so many others, more of a software curiosity than something you'll want to use all the time.
The inclusion of a 120Hz display also makes the X3 SuperZoom a real pleasure to use day to day. However, you are stuck with the heavily adjusted realme UI rather than clean Android.
Read our full review of the realme X3 SuperZoom
Realistically, buying a 5G phone right now is more of a question of futureproofing than getting super-fast access speeds wherever you are, because access is still limited as networks roll out. To date, most 5G handsets have been premium priced, but the introduction of Qualcomm's more affordable Snapdragon 765G has seen a slew of more affordable models hit the market. Oppo's Find X2 Neo stands out not just for 5G capability, but also solid camera specifications and impressive battery life to boot.
We're still not huge fans of Oppo's own "ColorOS" launcher on top of Android, but it's definitely improved over the years since it started as a blatant iOS homage.
Read our full review of the Oppo Find X2 Neo
LG's Velvet phone is another 5G-capable handset that leans into the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G for its networking prowess. LG has steered somewhat away from the true premium space as of late, and the Velvet is a mostly pleasing phone with features such as IP-rated water resistance, a proper headphone jack and wireless charging that are often left off mid-range phones.
It doesn't quite match up to the best of the mid-range in terms of camera quality in our tests, and the dual-screen accessory for it isn't sold officially in Australia, sadly.
Read our full review of the LG Velvet
Compare the specs and and purchasing options of each phone in the table below. Click on "View details" for more product specifications.
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The Nokia 3.4 is an affordable Android phone, and the inclusion of Android One means it has the potential to improve over the years. We hope it does, because at launch, the Nokia 3.4 is mediocre.
The Alcatel 1SE 2020 is certainly an inexpensive handset, but it needs to do a little more to really compete even though it's cheap.
Nokia's latest super-affordable feature phone isn't fancy – but that's totally the point.
Calling it a "Pro" phone might be a bit of a stretch, but the realme 7 Pro is otherwise a dependable mid-range phone with good battery endurance.