Top Picks in Mid-level Phones of 2020

In recent times, smartphones have become the main source of communication and info-tainment for the consumers, enabling them to access the outside world around them. As the human-race was primarily dependent on these smart-devices, the users needed more powerful features, with complete reliability to maximize their productivity and usability.

Therefore, the leading producers and brands of digital devices, continue to create feature-rich smartphones, to enable and empower the consumers to ease into this new and unconventional lifestyle, where everyone must protect their own and the public’s health through social-distancing and hygienic living post Covid-19. In these difficult times, innovative and resourceful telecommunication enterprises have provided the world with sustainable growth.

According to the evaluations of tech-analysts and experts, the most impressive smartphones with futuristic solutions that promise to fulfill the evolving needs and expectations of the masses, at affordable mid-range prices, include HUAWEI Y9a, Samsung Galaxy A51, OPPO Reno 3, Vivo S1 Pro and Realme 6.

HUAWEI Y9a (PKR 43,999/-)

The world’s leading smartphone producer – Huawei has once again established its leadership by introducing the most feature-rich device in the mid-range segment. It is enriched with the most advanced applications to exceed performance and functionality of all the competing products. It comes pre-installed with the HUAWEI AppGallery – Huawei’s official app marketplace, where the users can simply browse and download a constantly growing list of apps that they need.

As a global technology leader – Huawei continues to create fascinating experiences for the consumers promising great value-for-money, along with blazing performance and a sleek Halo Ring design – the Y9a device brings Huawei’s trendsetting flagship specs like; 64MP Hi-Resolution Quad-Camera, 8GB RAM and 128GB storage with 40W HUAWEI SuperCharge.

The 64MP Quad-Camera also features Night Mode, a 120° Wide Angle Photo-lens, AI beautification and EIS anti-shake technology. It comes with a pop-up selfie camera of 16MP lens and a 6.63 inch HUAWEI Ultra FullView Display. The latest EMUI 10.1 software update as standard, allows the most convenient usage.

While the Huawei devices no longer come with pre-installed Google services which may be a problem for some however with the Petal Search Widget users have access to more than a million apps at convenience.

Overall, the HUAWEI Y9a takes a lead in its category thanks to its flagship like features such as a seamless viewing experience, powerful performance, a brilliant camera setup and a very sleek looking design and build. Moreover, the 4200mAh large battery with the 40W HUAWEI SuperCharge technology gets 70% charge-up with only a 30-minutes charging session which is another major plus point. The HUAWEI Y9a is evidently the best device in this category, promising greater value for money with its unmatched features and globally proven quality and prestige.

Oppo Reno3: (PKR 46,999/-)

This midrange smart-device from OPPO does a pretty decent job when compared to the plethora of midrange devices currently available in the market. The Reno3 runs on an 8GB RAM along with a 128GB Internal memory capacity.

It boasts a powerful camera system featuring a 48MP Main Camera with a 13MP Telephoto Lens, 2x Optical Zoom and 8MP Ultra Wide-angle Lens and a 44MP camera on the front is the front.

Key features of this smartphone include full HD video recording, a 6.4inch AMOLED display with a super pixel density. Additionally, the 4025 mAh battery along with 30W charging makes it good for heavy usage.

While the big battery, excellent display and a decent camera performance makes this a wholesome device – the downside is that the performance lacks for this price range. Instead of the Mediatek Helio P90 chipset, using Mediatek Helio G80 would have been a better choice to provide faster gaming to compliment the battery power.

Samsung Galaxy A51 (PKR 49,999/-)

Samsung Galaxy A51 is another popular smartphone packed with the latest Exynos 9611 chipset, a quad camera setup and a 6.5inch AMOLED display paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB ROM (extendable).

The Galaxy A51 has a 48MP primary sensor with a 12MP wide-angle lens, a 5MP depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture along with a 5MP macro sensor and LED flash. The device runs on an Android 10 operating System out-of-the-box and is powered by a 4000 mAh battery. It has an Octa-core CPU and Mali-G72 MP3 GPU along with OneUI2.0 User-Interface.

This smartphone also offers all the standard features found in this category of devices, to deliver quality info-tainment for the consumers of all ages. The design and display are the strongest features of this device, however the camera can be weak in delivering sumptuous results. The in-screen fingerprint scanner also lags in unlocking faster and overall considering the competition in this price range that offer stronger features – the A51 could have stood out more if it was priced less.

Vivo S1 Pro (PKR 39,999/-)

Vivo S1 Pro is another good contender in this category with a comparatively lower price. It offers an 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. It is a powerful handset with a good selfie camera. Vivo’s S1 Pro comes with Snapdragon 665 chipset, (Octa-Core CPU and Adreno 610 GPU) that is also used by global technology giants.

The device has a 6.38-inch Super AMOLED notch-less display screen, with 1080 x 2340 pixels resolution and slim bezels. On the back, it has a Quad-Camera setup, with a 48MP main sensor, an 8MP Ultra-wide angle lens and a 2MP third sensor along with a 2MP depth sensor, LED Flash and many other features. On the front, it has an impressive 32MP selfie-sensor with a pop-up feature along with a 4500 mAh Li Po non-removable battery.

While this device is priced the most attractively offering features like a vibrant AMOLED display and a premium looking design, the rear-camera is mediocre and doesn’t work well in low-light. Moreover, in a world of Type C ports, the MicroUSB 2.0 Charging Port also feels outdated.

Realme 6 (PKR 36,999/-)

Realme is another emerging brand that doesn’t have a long legacy in the technology sector, however its smartphones are gradually gaining popularity in Pakistan. The Realme 6 is a great product featuring 8GBRAM and 128GB internal storage.

This decent quality smartphone line is equipped with a Penta Lens Camera Setup, with five different lenses and several other exciting features. It has a Quad Camera including: a 64MP and an 8MP lens, along with a 2MP depth camera and a 2MP B/W, and an LED Flash. Its front-facing camera also boasts a powerful 16MP lens.

Its performance is powered by the Mediatek Helio G90 chipset, an Octa-core CPU and a Mali G76 MC4 GPU. It has a 6.5 inch display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It runs on a 4300 mAh Li-Po Non removable battery that can be charged quickly due to the 30W Fast Charging feature.

Overall while the device offers high resolution, good performance and long battery life – the camera department can be bumped up on the quality with crisper results and a lot of improvement in the video recording feature.