Updated on 22 March 2023
This comparison is certified 100% impartial and follows our selection process.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
Although not as innovative in terms of photography as other versions, it stands out for its impressive battery, fast charging and excellent connectivity.
With its 5000 mAh battery, this smartphone has exceptional battery life and charges very quickly with its powerful USB-C charger (67 W). Its 6.67″ AMOLED screen has a resolution of 2400 x 1080 px, and with a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, it is responsive but will require some adjustments in terms of colour and light. For its price, its performance is impressive thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 which provides good power and fluidity. Its memory is not very large, so it has a microSD slot to extend it. Its connectivity is also state-of-the-art (4G, NFC, etc.). In terms of photography, it has three rear sensors, and its 108MP main sensor does well with support for 4K video recording. However, the stabilisation isn´t perfect, and the ultra-wide-angle sensor is not the best.
This smartphone brings together many first-class features in a convincing and high-quality device. In our opinion, it is the best solution for everyone at a reasonable price.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
Like the Redmi Note 10 before it, the Note 11, is an excellent smartphone for average users. It combines good performance for all uses and even for gaming. Ergonomics and battery life are, of course, still of an excellent level. The only downsides are the lack of 5G and the photography, which still needs improvement. For a smartphone of this price, the results are still very satisfactory.
Google Pixel 6a
It is sold at an affordable price and its performance/price ratio is impressive. In addition to its good photo quality, its software experience is interesting, which somewhat compensates for its poor battery life.
This IP67-rated smartphone has 128 GB of storage capacity and a 6.1″ screen with a convincing resolution of 2400 x 1080 px. Equipped with Google’s Tensor G2 chip, it also guarantees good performance and power, making the software experience more enjoyable. When it comes to photo quality, it is hard to do better at this price. Indeed, it has a dual lens at the back with 12MP each (including an ultra wide-angle), and an 8MP sensor at the front. This results in beautiful shots in portrait mode as well as in night mode, thanks to the AI processing. Despite this, the digital zoom (x7) is a bit different from a real optical zoom, which does not allow you to get as detailed pictures or from as far away as with a higher-end camera. On the plus side, this model does have Magic Eraser, a tool for removing or eliminating unwanted objects in the background of a photo. On the downside, the battery life is a bit limited and the slow charge does not quite make up for it.
Xiaomi Poco X4 Pro 5G
Its superb, smooth, responsive screen and exceptional durability make it ideal for regular use. Except for gaming and photography, it’s just fine.
This smartphone has a highly responsive 6.67″ AMOLED screen with a 120 Hz display frequency and a resolution of 2400 x 1080 px. The quality of its excellent display does not affect its battery life, as it has an exceptional battery life. In addition, it charges quickly thanks to its powerful charger (67 W). In terms of performance, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor is sufficient for normal use but lacks power for mobile gaming. This model runs Android 11 with 6 or 8 GB of RAM (depending on configuration) and is compatible with 5G networks. Photographically, the 108MP main sensor is interesting but fails to impress. It is accompanied by 64MP sensors, an 8MP ultra wide-angle sensor, a 2MP macro sensor and a 16MP front sensor. What did we like least? The poor adaptation of the cameras to the design of the smartphone.
Our selection
| Our choice, Best Budget | Best cheapest | Best Mid-range | Mid-range alternative |
|---|---|---|---|
| | | | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro | Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 | Google Pixel 6a | Xiaomi Poco X4 Pro 5G |
| Although not as innovative in terms of photography as other versions, it stands out for its impressive battery, fast charging and excellent connectivity. | This smartphone brings together many first-class features in a convincing and high-quality device. In our opinion, it is the best solution for everyone at a reasonable price. | It is sold at an affordable price and its performance/price ratio is impressive. In addition to its good photo quality, its software experience is interesting, which somewhat compensates for its poor battery life. | Its superb, smooth, responsive screen and exceptional durability make it ideal for regular use. Except for gaming and photography, it's just fine. |
| £ 272.39 on Amazon | £ 179.99 on Amazon | £ 399.00 on Amazon | £ 293.49 on Amazon |
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How to choose a smartphone?
Nowadays, it is difficult to do without a mobile phone in your daily life. But not everyone can afford (or needs) the latest smartphone.
When our budget does not exceed £250, how can we be sure that we are investing in a model that offers good value for money and that will not force us to buy another one after only a few months of use?
Even though we are aware that it is impossible to find a smartphone in this price range that rivals the best-performing models on the market, we have determined the major criteria to observe before buying:
- The processor: often highlighted on the description sheet, it is the heart, or rather the brain, of your smartphone. The more powerful it is, the faster you can navigate, perform complex tasks, etc. The processor (CPU) is coupled with a graphics chipset (GPU) that determines the smoothness of the interface and games. A latest generation processor can often push up the price.
- RAM: this is what will determine the speed of your smartphone to perform tasks, and especially will facilitate multitasking (managing several pages simultaneously). It generally varies from 2 to 8 GB, always allowing for faster processing. But beware, having too much RAM is useless: it is one of the most energy-consuming elements of your phone, and it only guarantees the speed of the device if the processor can keep up.
- The screen: while OLED (a device where each pixel is individually illuminated, generating better contrast and draining less battery power) is in vogue, it is an expensive device. Under the £250 mark, you will therefore find mainly LCD screens. These must provide sufficient illumination and good colourimetry. Finally, to obtain a correct display quality, you should at least look for an HD screen (720p).
- The photo sensor: as we explain in our comparison of the best photo smartphones, there is no point in investing in a smartphone that rivals the pixel quality if the hardware quality is not up to par, because the result will be poor anyway. If you really want to get an idea of the quality of the camera, we recommend that you check out the existing tests.
- Storage space: many smartphones nowadays offer you extended storage space via microSD card, but this is not always the case. So check what space will be most cost effective for you, depending on your needs. Below 16GB, unless you only use your smartphone for very basic purposes, you may quickly find yourself limited, even if only in terms of photo space.
- The autonomy: this is probably the least reliable data. Expressed in mAh, it is only relevant if you have in mind the sum of the consumption of all the phone’s components. Thus, a smartphone may offer twice as many mAh as another, but it will not necessarily last longer. So, once again, we can only recommend that you consult the dedicated tests to get an idea of the real autonomy of a model.
- Build quality: there’s no point in investing in a low-cost smartphone if you have to change it within three months. Of course, it’s very rare to find features such as water resistance certification in this price range but consider whether the package looks solid and has a good finish.
Otros modelos que recomendamos
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro (£248.95 upon publication): an excellent design. It has an excellent 6.67″ AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120 Hz (non-adaptive) and a resolution of 2400 x 1080 px. It also boasts great picture and sound quality with Hi-Res Audio. Its 108 MP main sensor delivers convincing shots in most environments. However, it lacks telephoto and autofocus for ultra wide-angle mode, and video quality is somewhat inferior. Performance-wise, its Snapdragon 732G is sufficient for normal use, but gaming performance is more limited. As usual, Xiaomi includes a powerful battery that can last up to 2 days and charges quickly (around 1 hour).
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G (£292.00 upon publication): better design and battery life, but… This IP67-certified smartphone has a nice design and fits well in the hand. It has a 6.3″ AMOLED screen with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. The screen has good colours and excellent light for its price. The Exynos 1280 processor, on the other hand, is not the best in terms of performance. In terms of photography, with its four rear sensors (including the 64 MP main sensor with optical stabilisation and autofocus) and its 32 MP front sensor, it does relatively well in all areas, with a fairly well-controlled portrait mode. In terms of endurance, Samsung also hits hard with a battery life of around two days but charging could have been a little faster (25W power). In addition, it does not support wireless charging technology.
Realme 9 5G (£294.92 upon publication): a good battery and connectivity. With its Snapdragon 680 processor coupled with 4, 6 or 8 GB of RAM (depending on configuration), it offers satisfactory overall performance but is not ideal for gaming. Thanks to the microSD port, the memory is expandable and benefits from fairly comprehensive connectivity (dual-SIM, mini-jack, etc.). The 6.4″ AMOLED screen has a refresh rate of 90 Hz and offers beautiful colours, but it sometimes needs to be recalibrated. The photography is a little less effective, especially in dark environments and with the ultra-wide-angle sensor. The best thing? A long battery life of two days of use thanks to the 5000 mAh battery.
Translated by Ramsés El Hajje
