The offer of smartphones is expanding every week and it is not easy to choose the one that best suits our needs and budget. Today we are going to update one of our great product guides with a selection of the best mobile phones you can buy in each price range. And since you will ultimately be the one who must choose it, we will review all the criteria that a demanding user should evaluate before purchase.
Selecting the best mobile phones
A long time has passed since decades ago we used those  “bricks” that today we call  “dumb mobiles”, but which offered us an unheard of capability for the time: communicating on the move. Since then, they have become the flagship electronic device of the technology industry and today they are true miniature computers. Moreover, their enormous flexibility allows them to offer a host of functions in addition to communications. And this is where the difficulties in choosing the most suitable ones begin.
What are you going to use it for?
Surfing the Internet; using social networks; instant messaging; videoconferencing; photography and video; watching movies or series; listening to music; reading e-books; playing games on the move; using it as a virtual reality device engine and even on the desktop transformed as a mini-PC … There are countless functions that can be used today with an intelligent mobile phone. Even so, there will always be a preferred area of use, in addition to others such as autonomy or robustness, which you will have to evaluate. And also if you are going to use it as your main and only smartphone, or as a secondary device.
How much are you willing to spend?
Another important pre-requisite. The average price on mobiles has increased quite a lot in the last few years and the differences between cheap and expensive has widened. Although you can find entry-level terminals below the 100 euro barrier, some top-of-the-line devices exceed 1,000 euros. Don�t get too excited about marketing. Assess your needs and set yourself a maximum budget to invest. As is generally the case in the purchase of any technological product, balance is the virtue and if you are looking for the best price/features ratio, the mid-range will be the most interesting.
Technical features to evaluate
Displays – Resolutions â Technologies
Screen size is one of the first parameters to be assessed by the consumer. A larger diagonal will increase viewing comfort, but will increase weight and make one-handed use more difficult. Here the industry does not leave much choice. The average size has not stopped increasing in a trend that seems unstoppable and we can easily place it as follows in the 6-inch range. Below that there are few, while larger ones may even exceed 7 inches.
As for the native resolution, the average stands at an acceptable 1080p, although there is variety from the simple HD that is used in the entry range. In the high end we can find 2K and even 4K of some particular model, a real barbarity considering its size. Special “stretched” resolutions such as FHD+ or 2K+ are in full trend as designs with 18:9, 19:9 and even 21:9 aspect ratios have become fully established.
In display technologies, IPS remains the most widely used, while LCDs are used at the entry level. Panels derived from OLED are reserved for the high-end, although they are increasingly being used in the mid-range as well. All panels are multi-touch and most support the use of optical pencils, although the experience is not the best except in specific models with active digitizers. Support for technologies such as HDR10 or Dolby are other additions, although perhaps the biggest news in recent months has been the increase in the refresh rate above the typical 60 Hz, up to 90, 120 or 144 Hz, especially suitable for mobile gaming.
Formats â Designs â Finishes
The new form factors with flexible display or dual display have been the biggest novelty of the last year and an innovation that the industry expects to encourage sales. Samsung is the most prominent manufacturer with two series Fold and Flip, but there are others like Motorola, Huawei or Microsoft that have already marketed such models. And others are expected from Xiaomi and LG, in addition to the entry of Apple with foldable iPhones. As with the first generations, these formats still need development, improvement of components such as hinges and a greater number of applications that take advantage of them. Prices so far are very high, outside of the mass market.
At chassis and finishes there is still a difference in the different market segments. If the mid-range and entry level usually bet on plastics (polycarbonate), in the high-end we see premium materials such as aluminum, magnesium and glass. The use of protective layers such as that offered by the specialized firm Gorilla Glass are common and some smartphones add a higher degree of protection with resistance to water or splashes, bumps and falls, although they do not avoid the use of screen protectors and cases. The industry offers special rugged terminals for professionals working in environments that need it.
A trend that has almost completely taken hold are the all-screen designsâ where the bezels and frames are almost completely eliminated and the entire front of the terminal is occupied. It is an interesting design that allows you to expand the viewing area without having to increase the overall size of the device, increasingly large as we saw above.
Cameras
The photographic and video capabilities of smartphones just keep getting better and better. The versatility of these devices has sunk the sale of compact cameras and the truth is that (although they are still incomparable with a good dedicated camera) their use is the majority and their features are highly valued by users.
The bet for the multi-sensor to divide the tasks according to the shot to be taken or as a complement to the main one; the increase of resolution of the same; the addition of Artificial Intelligence functions and the improvement of the software, are the main trends. Here we must remember that a high number of sensors and megapixels does not ensure the best pictures and that a high number of sensors and megapixels does not ensure the best pictures and that a high number of sensors and megapixels does not ensure the best pictures good optics and applications capable of taking advantage of them are above and beyond the above.
Check independent reviews because you may be surprised. The best smartphone camera in 2018 was assembled by Google in the Pixel 3. And it mounted a single sensor. Other options to value are the optical image stabilizer, autofocus, lens aperture, dual LED flash or video capability with resolutions that will soon offer up to 8K.
In terms of designs, the main camera tends to be mounted in specific frames increasingly larger to accommodate multiple sensors and integrated with the chassis at the rear. As for front-facing autofocus cameras, it seems that the industry is betting on getting rid of the holes in the screens once and for all. Some manufacturers are employing flip-down camera designs in the chassis, although the general trend here is to use a multi-sensor front panel for autofocus to include it under the display.
Chipsets
There are no alternatives here. The aRM architecture completely monopolizes the core hardware engines for smartphones. Qualcomm is the world’s leading supplier of mobile chipsets for third parties and you will see its designs in all market segments, while in the mid-range and entry level the Chinese manufacturer MediaTek also has a large presence. The rest is divided between manufacturers’ own designs, Apple’s SoCs for iPhones, Samsung’s Exynos or HiSilicon’s Kirin (Huawei).
The trend here is towards increased performance and the ability to integrate components. In addition to CPU and GPU performance to power tasks such as mobile gaming, chipsets are increasingly integrated, with expanded support for AI, augmented reality, DSP signal processing and ISPs to support ever larger photo sensors. Also important is the expansion of the 5G chips beyond the high-end to support the latest generation of mobile networks. Both the SoC itself and with additional modems can be included.
Memory and storage
The RAM capacity of today’s smartphones exceeds even the average in PCs and models with 12 and 16 Gbytes. The installed average is below and you can find everything from the minimum allowable 1 GB in specific systems such as Android Go, through 2, 4, 6 or 8 Gbytes. It is always preferable for RAM to be faster than capacity, and manufacturers have to improve in optimization, but the trend is to include more and more. The most advanced are the recently adopted LPDDR5.
In terms of storage capacity, the minimum would be 32 Gbytes, and from there we would scale up to 256-512 Gbytes at the top end of the range. The Tbyte mark is on the way (it will probably be Samsung who will debut it) while the new UFS 3 standard for storage solutions based on NAND Flash memory is a major breakthrough that will enable high performance to be achieved.
User selection in this section in the search for the best mobile phones is important not to fall short. It should be noted that the RAM memory will not be expandable in the future and almost the same can be said about the internal storage, since a large part of mobile phones no longer support microSD expansion cards. The next Nubia with 18 Gbytes of RAM will have no problems.
Connectivity
Extending support for the new 5G mobile networks from the high-end to the rest of the market by  “democratizing” their reach is a priority in the industry today and we have already seen multiple solutions from Qualcomm and MediaTek for the mid-range. Although these networks have not yet been rolled out to all regions or deployed to their full potential, there is no doubt that it is a bet on the future that the user will have to value. In January 2022, for the first time in history, more 5G phones were sold than all other standards.
Support for the Wi-Fi 6 or better wireless standard, and its extension to tri-band with Wi-Fi 6E, are another important element to consider for their huge advantages over previous versions of the standard. From mid-range upwards, a 2022 smartphone should not reach the market without them. The same goes for Bluetooth 5.2. Important because in mobile phones it is used to connect smartwatches and quantifier bracelets or the increasingly used wireless headphones once the classic audio jack has almost disappeared from many new models.
As for the charging and data port, USB Type-C is the connector of the present and future in smartphones and is fully deployed in mid-range and high-end handsets. Others are optional, such as short-range communication technology, NFC, while dual-SIM is useful for some use cases. In the biometric authentication section, the most innovative feature is the fingerprint sensor under the screen, something that will end up being extended throughout the mid-range segment and above.
Sound
A section perhaps less valued than the previous ones, but also worth knowing. The DAC converter chip (Digital-to-Analog Converter) is the key in the audio and video section there can be a lot of difference in quality. Of course, stereo speakers are a must to start with. Some of the best smartphones in this section include larger and more powerful speakers and design the inside of the handsets as a resonance chamber to reinforce the sound.
The use of dedicated external speakers, usually connected via Bluetooth, is another option when we are not on the move, in the office or at home. There is plenty of choice of all prices and qualities, without forgetting that we can also play the audio from our smartphone in the new digital assistants or transmit it to high-definition systems.
As for the headphone output you know how things stand. Â The typical audio jack is disappearing and the big manufacturers are eliminating headphone delivery so the ultimate solution will be to have the best wireless headphones your budget will allow. There is a lot to choose from and in all price ranges.
Autonomy
It is a pending account since smartphones became increasingly powerful computers, with real ‘screens’, with more functions and all kinds of sensors that consume much, much more than the ‘dumb’ phones of the past. The issue is aggravated by the trend towards the extreme thinness of modern cell phones, which prevents the installation of larger capacity batteries. Also by design (and for commercial reasons), manufacturers are betting on non-replaceable batteries complicating this section.
If autonomy is an important aspect for you, value battery capacity and replaceability because as we said not all of them allow it. There are specialized models that include batteries of higher capacity than the industry average that we could place between 3,500 and 4,000 mAh.
Also look for smartphones with fast recharging systems (increasingly advanced) and additionally, those that allow wireless recharging to improve the convenience of the process without the need for wiring. Have a good charger of your own has gone from option to obligationas all manufacturers are following in Apple’s footsteps and most do not include chargers on new phones.
Operating systems
There is little to think about here because after the withdrawal of Windows Mobile and the lack of support for Linux Mobile alternatives, today there are no real alternatives beyond Android or iOS. Android is sweeping the mobile market with an estimated market share of over 85% and therefore almost the entire offer is concentrated around Google�s system.
Apple’s iOS is second in market share (and last). Since Apple does not license the operating system to other companies, you can only access this platform with the purchase of an iPhone. And little else. Outside the two major platforms the offer is almost null except for some Linux Mobile as a niche. After Trump’s blockade, Huawei started working on a Linux-based operating system called Harmony OS, but it needs more development, services and applications that we do not really know if they will have external support.
It really is very difficult and not even a giant like Microsoft has been able to use Windows in its return to the mobile hardware market and its Surface Duo uses a tuned Android. Windows 10X could have been a future alternative, but Microsoft used some of its features in Windows 11 and discontinued it.
The best mobile phones by price range (March 2022)
The offer of smartphones is very high and can overwhelm any consumer. In this tag you have all the releases of the last months in case you want to entertain yourself… The arrival of new models usually causes reductions in previous generations. It can be worth it in some cases because there has not been so much innovation and improvements to discard them.
To help you in the purchase and as an example because the offer is immense, we have selected those that seem to us of most interesting in each price range in free sale, looking for the best current offers and including models from all major manufacturers. We will start at the top with the foldables and finish in the entry range with terminals below the barrier of 100 euros.
From 500 euros upwards:
– Samsung Galaxy Fold3 5G. We start with the best foldable that money can buy and is that Samsung wins by a landslide in this segment. The latest version maintains the book-style design, with an impressive flexible Super AMOLED interior screen and a vertical fold that allows us to open and close it effortlessly. With improvements in its aluminum chassis; the resistance of the hinge; the additional screen; a more powerful SoC; better cameras; support for the S-Pen Fold pen or greater number of apps and software integration, it is undoubtedly the most advanced smartphone on the market. It is not cheap, but you can already find interesting offers For example this one that leaves its price at 1,161 euros.
– Apple iPhone 13. All generations of the Cupertino will be in the lists of the best phones, either in their own right or simply to access the iOS ecosystem as the only alternative to Android. For the latest version, Apple has been conservative in external design with few changes except for the placement of the cameras. It offers several models according to screen size and features, including a smaller and cheaper mini, with major changes in the internal hardware, reorganization of components and the Apple A15 SoC as the main engine. We found discounts on the iPhone 13 (843 euros) and on the Mini for 760 euros.
– Samsung Galaxy S22 5G. In addition to the foldable, Samsung keeps at the top of its catalog the S series. Recently renewed, they adopt a minimalist design in a high-strength aluminum frame and IP68 certification against water and dust. The Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 120 Hz refresh rate is among the best panels on the market, while the Exynos 2200 SoC marks a new level in proprietary chips with the help of AMD graphics technology. Samsung offers three versions with the ‘Ultra’ version featuring the Note’s S-Pen. It is very recent and there are still not too many offers, although if you do not mind buying the international version, you can buy the ‘Ultra’ version here it is for 839 euros.
– Huawei P50 Pro. Recent update of its series and top of the range of the Chinese firm, offers improvements such as a larger screen size and refresh rate of 120 Hz, the camera system with the addition of a fourth sensor, increased battery life with fast charging, a large 6.6-inch curved OLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 as the main engine and waterproof chassis. There’s still not too much on offer among retailers. Here you have it in gold color and 256 Gbytes of capacity for 999 euros.
– ASUS ROG Phone 5. Rated as a ”gaming beast”, its main objective is mobile gaming. Its screen is a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with 144 Hz refresh rate and its SoC is the powerful Snapdragon 888. Its 18 Gbytes of RAM and 512 GB of storage space that can be equipped, already speaks of its performance, in addition to its special cooling system and a customized and overclocked Adreno GPU factory overclocked Here it is with 12 GB + 256 GB for 979 euros.
– Sony Xperia 5 III. Sony continues to produce very good terminals, although like other major brands has declined in market share against the strength of Chinese manufacturers. The model that we offer you has a 6.1-inch OLED CinemaWide FHD HDR 21:9 HDR CinemaWide display, with 120Hz refresh rate and BRAVIA image quality. Powered by a Snapdragon 888 chipset, it has dual SIM, 8 GB RAM + 128 GB Storage and IP65 certified. Its camera system is powered, the same as the sound section With Android 11 it is priced at 899 euros.
– OPPO Find X3 5G. Chinese manufacturers, specialists in offering the most balanced terminals in price / features, have long since climbed also to the high end competing with the big players in the mobile sector. This is a sample with AMOLED screen and large diagonal, a Snapdragon 888, 12 GB of RAM + 256 ROM, triple sensor camera and fast charging 65 watts It is priced at 779 euros. And if you want more, the newest X5 is already available in the Spanish channel.
– Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G. Xiaomi has presented this week its new 12 series, but it is not yet available. If until recently the Chinese firm focused on offering the best of the mid-range, the latest generations compete head to head in performance and features with the top of the range. One example is this 11T Pro with a large AMOLED screen, with the Snapdragon 888, 8 or 12 gigabytes of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 256 gigabytes of UFS 3.1 storage It is marked down to 569 euros.
– Apple iPhone SE. Also recently introduced, it is the smallest and most economical model in the Apple mobile catalog. Although its build quality is high with metal and glass chassis, its design is reminiscent of the past and has already been left behind by all manufacturers. The great novelty has come from its internal hardware as it mounts the Apple A15 SoC, the most advanced of the company and the same one used by the iPhone 13 in this offer reduced to 529 euros.
From 200 to 500 euros:
– Lenovo Legion Phone Duel. A sample of those phones dedicated to mobile gaming. Built in metal and glass, it combines premium build quality with a spectacular finish in various colors, black, red and blue with integrated and customizable RGB LED lighting. Large AMOLED display with 144 Hz refresh rate, a Snapdragon 865+ SoC, 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB for storage confirm its level. Right now it is available at a great offer that leaves its price at just €399.
– LG Velvet. Like Sony, the South Korean giant sells less mobile than its quality deserves, but that’s the market. We selected this Velvet with 6.8-inch OLED display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G mobile chipset, 6 Gbytes of RAM and 128 Gbytes of storage capacity. Its fingerprint sensor is integrated into the screen and has IP68 certification against water and dust. It has a triple camera configuration with a 48 MP main sensor It is priced at 379 euros.
– Honor 50. The Huawei sub-brand also has a good catalog to offer, such as this model with 6.6-inch OLED display and 120 Hz refresh rate, a Snapdragon 778G SoC with good performance and 5G, accompanied by 6 GB of RAM and 128 Gbytes for internal storage. Its rear camera mounts four sensors with a 108 MP main and 66 watts fast charging. Pre-installs Android 11 and compared to some Huawei models, here you have all the services and apps from Google It has a discount of 34% leaving its price at 349 euros.
– Motorola Edge 20. One of the multiple Motorola series for the mid-range, available in three versions: Pro, standard and Lite. The intermediate version is the most balanced and stands out for its 6.7-inch OLED display, 144 hertz refresh rate, 10-bit color depth, DCI-P3 color space and support for HDR10+. Its engine is a Snapdragon 778G, accompanied by 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB for storage. 5G, WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 stand out in its connectivity We found it on offer for 339 euros.
– Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G. Beyond foldables and the top-of-the-line  “S” series, Samsung has been pushing the Galaxy A series aimed at the mid-range for a while now. Last week we had the presentation of new models for upcoming release, but it has many other models available. We have selected the A52s as an example and because it is currently 28% off. Its display is a 6.5-inch Infinity-O AMOLED FHD+ display and it comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable storage. Triple sensor camera and 4500 mAh battery It is available for 321 euros.
– Motorola Moto G50. The Motorola  “G” series has been for years one of the best sellers for the mid-range. There are a lot of versions, although over time it has been increasing in performance and price. One of the most balanced is this model with 6.5-inch screen, Snapdragon 480 SoC, 48MP triple camera, 5000 mAH battery, Dual SIM, 5G, 4 GB RAM and 128 GB. It comes with upgradable Android 11 and is priced at 269 euros.
– Nokia G50 5G. The Nokia brand is still on the market thanks to the Chinese manufacturer HMD Global. Its catalog is quite broad, although it is in the mid-range where the greatest interest is. We selected this model with 6.8-inch screen and Snapdragon 480 that is used quite a lot in this range for its good performance and 5G support. 4 GB of RAM + 128 GB of ROM, 5000 mAh battery and triple camera 48 MP complete the configuration of a mobile that can be purchased for 266 euros.
Under 200 euros:
– POCO M4 Pro 5G. Another of Xiaomi’s brands and one of those that offers “more for less”. It has a 6.6-inch IPS display with a resolution of 2,400 x 1,080 pixels and 90 Hz refresh rate and a MediaTek Dimensity 810 5G SoC, accompanied by 4 Gbytes of RAM and 64 Gbytes of storage. Multi-sensor camera, a 5,000 mAh battery with 33 watt fast recharge and Android 11 preinstalled confirms the value of this terminal that can be purchased for only 188 euros.
– Xiaomi Redmi Note 11. A long-awaited renewal for a series that is marketed in four different versions (Redmi Note 11, 11S, 11 Pro and 11 Pro 5G), all with AMOLED screens of good dimensions, thin and light designs, and mobile chipsets from Qualcomm and MediaTek. They are offered in configurations from 4 to 8 Gbytes of RAM and with 64 or 128 Gbytes of storage capacity Few better for a price of 179 euros the base model or the Pro versions taking advantage of this eBay promotion.
– TCL 30 SE. Another brand that is committed to offering value in all the phones it sells. It is based on a 6.5-inch screen with HD+ resolution and a MediaTek Helio G25 mobile chipset, with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of expandable storage with microSD cards. It features triple sensor camera (50MP+2MP+2MP+2MP), 5,000mAh battery with 15 watt fast charging and ships with Android 12 It has an offer price of 149 euros.
– ZTE V30 Vita. Good terminal for entry range this model of another of the Chinese manufacturers that monopolize the top positions in mobile sales. Large screen of 6.8 inches, MediaTek chipset with 8 cores, 4 GB of RAM + 128 GB for internal storage, triple 48MP camera and a 5,000 mAh battery It is reduced in price to 139 euros.
– Realme C21Y 3/32GB. Specializing in affordable terminals, this manufacturer is a subsidiary of Chinese group BBK Electronics, like Oppo, OnePlus and Vivo. And it has quite a few models to choose from. In the entry range we can find this one we select with 6.5-inch screen, UNISOC T610 processor, 3 GB of RAM + 32 GB of internal storage, triple sensor camera and a good capacity battery of 5,000 mAh It can be purchased for a price as low as 99 euros.
We leave it here because we could be a week listing phones. Remember that it is only a selection. With all the sections to assess that we have described above you are sure to find the one that best suits your needs and budget. Our headline retailers have the selected models and many more:
Note: This selection contains links from our affiliates, but none of the products included have been proposed or recommended by them or their manufacturers, but chosen at our own discretion.
