Mobile phones have almost become somewhat of an extension of ourselves. These devices, that we rely so heavily upon, can come at quite a hefty price. Not everyone can afford the almost astronomical price that you have to pay to buy premium flagship devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the recently released iPhone X, which will retail for $1000. There is, however, a number of mid-range devices that will be able to offer consumers a quality device that will have a number of different features while not breaking the bank in the process.
Many African’s have looked to take advantage of this selection of devices in order to allow them to keep up with the latest technological trends at an affordable price.
With this in mind, IT News Africa has identified the 5 smartphones that top that mid-range category.
Here are the top 5 mid-range smartphones:
Huawei P10 Lite
The first device to feature on this list is the Huawei P10 Lite. The P10 Lite is Huawei’s answer to the mid-range category, it offers many of the same functions as the flagship device, the P10, but at an affordable price. This is due to cuts being made in certain areas such as build quality and computing power, but don’t get me wrong the P10 Lite is still a more than an adequate device and has proved to be extremely popular among consumers. The device retails for $374 and is considered by many as one of the top mid-range devices on the market.
Specs:
- Display: 5.2-inch FHD LCD screen
- CPU: Kirin 658, 16nm Octa-core (4 x 2.1GHz + 4 x 1.7GHz) + i5 co-processor
- Operation System: Android 7.0 Nougat
- Memory: 3GB RAM+ 32GB ROM
- Camera rear: 12MP, 1/2.8 inch sensor and 1.25 um single pixel
- Camera front: 8MP
- Dual Sim: Nano-SIM card slot
- Battery: 3000 mAh
Nokia 5
The second phone that makes it onto this list is the Nokia 5. Before releasing their flagship device, the Nokia 8, Nokia released a number of mid-range smartphones which the Nokia 5 ranks among the best. The device features a number of impressive features. This smartphone retails for around $274 and proves to be real value for money within the mid-range category of smartphones.
Specs:
- Display: 5.2″ IPS LCD 1280 x 720 pixels
- CPU: Quad-Core 1.4GHz
- Operating System: Android 7.1.1 Nougat
- Memory: Internal: 16GB, RAM: 2GB
- Camera rear: 13MP
- Camer front: 8MP
- Sim: Nano-Sim
- Battery: 3000 mAh
OnePlus 5
As with many other device manufacturers, Chinese manufacturer OnePlus decided to build on their success of the OnePlus 3 by skipping the 4 and moving straight to the OnePlus 5. The OnePlus 3 was an impressive phone and somehow the device has become a distant memory with the release of the 5 which comes with a seriously packed spec sheet but at a slightly higher price. The OnePlus 5 retails for around $420 and is a top choice when looking for a device in the mid-range category.
Specs:
- Display: 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, Octa Core, 2.45GHz, 64bit,GPU Adreno 540
- OS: Android Nougat ,
- Memory: 6GB RAM + 64GB
- Rear Camera: 20mp dual camera
- Front Camera: 16mp
- Sim: Dual Nano SIM card
- Battery: 3300mAh battery
Tecno Phantom 6 Plus (A9)
The Tecno Phantom 6 Plus is not only the successor to the Phantom 5 but is also Tecno’s first attempt at building a phablet-sized smartphone. This has resulted in a phablet-sized phone which fills the gap in the mid-range device category. The device is also jam-packed with some great specs and with it retailing for only $363 it is certainly one of the best mid-range phones available on the market.
- Display: 6.0″ FHD LTPS (1920×1080)
- CPU: 2.0 GHz Deca-Core
- Operating System: Android Marshmallow 6.0
- Memory: 4GB RAM, 64GB ROM
- Rear Camera: 21MP
- Front Camera: 8MP
- Sim: Hybrid Dual SIM
- Battery: 4050mAh
Samsung Galaxy A7
The Samsung Galaxy A7 was launched in January 2017 and joined a long list of Samsung devices in the smartphone market. The device was the first one to be released after the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco so best believe that Samsung took extra care when developing this device. The A7 is Samsung’s answer to the mid-range market and offers a durable device packed with great features. The device retails for around $390 and rounds up this list of the top mid-range smartphones for Africans.
Specs:
- Display: 5.7-Inch 1920 x 1080 (FHD)
- Operating System: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- CPU: Octa-core 1.9GHz processor
- Memory: 3GB RAM, 32GB ROM (expandable by up to 256GB)
- Rear Camera: 16MP
- Front Camer: 16MP
- Sim: Dual
- Battery: 3600mAh capacity
By Dean Workman
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