Navigating the Mid-Range Maze: Top Smartphones Under 400 Euros in 2024

Are you looking for a mid-range smartphone, for a budget of less than 400 euros? Here is our selection and our recommendations to find the best smartphone for less than 400 euros, with the best quality/price ratio at the moment.

The top 3 best smartphones under 400 euros

Understanding Your Priorities

Before diving into specific models, it's crucial to define your priorities. What features are most important to you?

Consider the following:

• Performance: Do you need a powerhouse for gaming and heavy multitasking, or are basic tasks like browsing and social media your primary use?

• Camera: How important is capturing high-quality photos and videos?

• Battery life: Do you need a phone that can last a full day on a single charge, or do you have access to frequent charging opportunities?

• Display: Do you prioritize a large screen for immersive entertainment, or is a smaller screen for easier one-handed use preferable?

• Brand preference: Do you have a specific brand in mind, or are you open to exploring different options?

For a smartphone, the price bracket between 300 and 400 euros is that of the mid-range par excellence. They generally offer excellent value for money, with few compromises in both features and performance. Indeed, the best smartphones of the moment, for their part, can reach stratospheric prices, which not everyone wants to pay…

Choosing the right mid-range smartphone, less than 400 euros, is however not so simple. The references are legion and it is necessary to sort the wheat from the chaff. The good news is that we have taken care of it for you and we have selected the best products for the moment.

Our selection of the best smartphones under 400 euros

• Google Pixel 6a: the best smartphone under 400 euros

• Samsung Galaxy A34: one of the best value for money at the moment

• Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G: the alternative below 400 euros

• Xiaomi Poco X5 Pro: the best gaming smartphone for less than 400 euros

• Apple iPhone 12: the best refurbished smartphone for less than 400 euros

• Vivo V21: selfies but not only

The best photo smartphone for less than 400 euros: Google Pixel 6a

The Pixel 6a was originally sold for 459 euros when it was released in 2022. It is now sold for around 350 euros almost everywhere, which is why we chose to place it in this selection. At this price, we might as well say that it is all the more worth it. It's quite simply the best photo smartphone in our selection.

The Pixel 6a takes up the well-established design of its big brothers, with a horizontal and prominent photo module. We will salute its beautiful 6.1-inch Oled screen, which makes it a compact phone that fits in your pocket. On the other hand, you will have to settle for 60 Hz. But it compensates with a nice maximum brightness and accurate color calibration.

What's in his stomach? Let's say it right away, the Pixel 6a is not a gaming smartphone. It will be an excellent companion, but it is not a thunderbolt, the Tensor chip does just well, offering good performance daily. It's in the photo that Google's affordable phone stands out (no wonder for a Pixel...). It has a main lens of 12.2 megapixels (f/1.7) and a second, an ultra-wide-angle of 12 megapixels (f/2.2). The AI ​​developed by Google works wonders on most photos, in any situation: portrait mode, night mode, landscapes... It is also capable of filming in 4K.

The battery life is average, and the fast charging is not really, since you will have to make do with 18 W. But if you want to test the Pixel experience, with a balanced smartphone, it's an excellent option — the best in this price bracket. If your budget can go up to 500 euros, also take a look at its successor, the Pixel 7a.

The good news, its successor, the Pixel 7a, is often on sale at 399 euros. If you see it at this price, go for it! Its only real faults are a somewhat tight autonomy (one day) and a fingerprint reader that is a bit capricious. In photos, you clearly won't get any better at this price (it even matches much more expensive phones).

One of the best quality/price smartphones: Samsung Galaxy A34

Samsung is going all out on the mid-range lately and is doing very well. The Galaxy A34, a successor to the A33, is sold at a retail price of 399 euros but is already benefiting from small promotions. This is a very balanced smartphone, which benefits from the Samsung touch, particularly on the screen.

Particularly well built, it has IP67 certification and Gorilla Glass 5. The design is reminiscent of that of the Galaxy S23 and therefore high-end – a very good point. Another strong point is the screen, which is superb, with a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED panel with a definition of 2340 x 1080 pixels. It is also compatible with a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. With a maximum brightness indicated by the manufacturer of 1000 cd/m², we are on very good terms.

Being equipped with a MediaTek Dimensity 1080 SoC, the A34 will only fail you in heavy usage despite its 6 GB of RAM. On the interface, we benefit from the excellent One UI 5.1, based on Android 13. What about the photo, a crucial point? The model is equipped with no less than three back sensors, including a 48 Mpx main sensor, as well as a macro sensor which we could have completely done without. If the photos are generally good, Portrait mode may have some difficulties with clipping.

Finally, you can count on excellent autonomy, since it can last two days. On the other hand, Samsung is still lagging for 25W charging, which means waiting 1h30 to reach 100%…

In conclusion, the Galaxy A34 is an attractive smartphone under 400 euros – especially when counting on future price reductions and promotions. With an excellent interface, 4 years of updates, a sober design, and a beautiful screen, it holds its own easily in its category and is undoubtedly one of our favorite mid-range smartphones.

The alternative below 400 euros: Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G

Xiaomi continues its journey with its new batch for 2024, namely the Redmi Note 13. The Note 13 Pro 5G is the model that is placed right under the 400 euro mark, and it is an excellent choice if you are hesitant. This model offers a good-quality technical sheet. However, the Xiaomi smartphone is not without its flaws, being an entry/mid-range phone.

In terms of design, nothing special to report, except a shiny plastic back that takes fingerprints quite a bit. The borders still have the good taste of remaining discreet around the screen, unlike the Pixel 6a and 7a. The handling is generally well thought out.

The screen of the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G is very good: it is a 6.67-inch AMOLED panel with a 20:9 format. It offers an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate. Everything offers very good comfort in use, especially for this price.

Good point also on performance since the Chinese brand has chosen to integrate a Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chip, a recent model that does a good job in this price range. The Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G will receive three Android updates and four years of security updates. It's less than other brands, but it's not bad either.

The camera does its job well, especially the main lens. The ultra-wide angle is much more difficult, but this is hardly surprising in this range. Small downside to Night mode, much worse than what is available from competitors at the same price.

All in all, the Redmi Note 13 Pro is a good model, not to mention that its price will probably drop quite quickly, as is often the case with Xiaomi smartphones.

The unbreakable smartphone for less than 400 euros: Honor Magic 6 Lite

Honor is resuming its pace of smartphone releases since the brand freed itself from Huawei's supervision. The new Magic 6 range has been released and its Lite version is aimed at a target audience with little budget. However, the Honor Magic 6 Lite is attractive due to its design. The Orange color, although little appreciated by our editorial staff, has a leather-like texture.

The real strong point of the phone is its screen. Indeed, the smartphone has a beautiful and large AMOLED panel measuring 6.78 inches. It also offers a refresh rate of 120 Hz. On our measurements, we noted an average Delta E of 4.21, which is correct for a device at this price. The color temperature is 7418 K which is quite far from the reference value. Finally, the peak brightness at 982 cd/m2.

In terms of autonomy too, the Magic 6 Lite is remarkable. Our test showed a day and a half of battery life for versatile use. This good performance goes hand in hand with sufficiently fast charging. The maximum charging power of 35 W. This allows the smartphone to be at 100% in 70 minutes on the mains. Certainly, it's not a lightning bolt, but the phone manages to find a balance between endurance and charging power.

In other areas, the Magic 6 Lite turns out to be a little tight in terms of daily performance. We especially regret that only two versions of Android are planned. Likewise, the photo part of the smartphone is a little too tight when it competes with a Pixel 7a.

The best gaming smartphone under 400 euros: Xiaomi Poco X5 Pro

The catalog of Xiaomi smartphones continues to expand with the arrival of a new Poco model. In this case, the Poco X5 Pro comes with an attractive technical sheet and a low price. If the shape is quite classic, the phone has a pretty plastic back in an elegant color. The edges are flat, which gives it a very modern look.

Xiaomi's Poco branch is known for its power and gaming focus. This Poco smartphone for less than 400 euros has a Snapdragon 778G processor, combined with 8 GB of RAM. This fairly complete configuration allows you to run mobile games without the slightest problem. On the other hand, on slightly more demanding titles, the heating is felt a little more.

In terms of autonomy, the Poco X5 Pro battery has a capacity of 5,000 mAh. You will therefore be entitled to a day and a half of endurance with mixed use. Above all, you will benefit from nice fast charging with 67 W at the helm. Total recharge is done in 50 minutes. Xiaomi's MIUI software is faithful to itself and offers a wide range of global customizations.

The screen is a 6.67-inch poled panel, with an adaptive refresh of 120 Hz. For a smartphone less than 400 euros, this is an excellent point, not so common. On the other hand, the photography is still a little random even if the 108-megapixel mode is appreciable. Overall, it will do quite well if the light conditions are right.

The Xiaomi Poco X5 Pro is available for 349 euros.

The best-refurbished smartphone for less than 400 euros: Apple iPhone 12

Are you looking for a high-end smartphone that is affordable in terms of price? Choosing reconditioned is a good solution if you are looking for this type of service for less than 400 euros. Acquiring an iPhone 12 in 2023 allows you to have a high-end iPhone without making too much effort in terms of budget.

At first glance, this allows you to have a smartphone with beautiful finishes and solid construction, in particular thanks to the IP68 certification. The iPhone 12 also has a beautiful 6.1-inch Oled panel to view your content with a high level of detail.

Above all, the iPhone 12 remains relevant at the moment thanks to the power deployed. The Apple A14 Bionic chip offers great performance, especially with the addition of iOS. The operating system is updated enough to keep you going over time.

Selfies but not only that!: Vivo V21

Little known in our region (the brand launched at the end of 2020 in France), Vivo is however one of the new Chinese telephony giants, with almost 10% market share globally. The Vivo V21 5G, for its part, attacks the mid-range segment, which is nevertheless saturated. The model intends to stand out with particular attention paid to selfies.

In terms of form, the V21 5G is very classic but benefits from good manufacturing quality. It is also IP 52 certified. We would have preferred real waterproofing, but it's always a good thing. The 6.44-inch screen is “only” refreshed at 90 Hz, whereas more and more competitors go up to 120 Hz. The colorimetry, however, is excellent, as is the brightness which rises to 700 cd/m2.

The SoC used is an MTK Dimensity 800 U. Quite unusual, the chip is slightly less powerful than a Snapdragon 765G and offers a generally smooth experience.

The photo rendering itself is generally good, although the wide angle is a little dull. The dual front flash sold as revolutionary for selfies turns out to be quite a gadget in practice. The autonomy of the phone is low on average, counting on a day and a half of use on a charge.

If it does not shake up the current hierarchy, the Vivo V21 5G poses itself as a balanced and solid option in its category.

What is the smartphone with the best value for money?

What is the best mid-range phone?

It all depends on your needs and preferences. If you prioritize photography above all, we advise you to go for the Pixel 6a. If you want a big screen and a phone with the longest software tracking possible, the Samsung Galaxy A34 will be ideal. For gamers, Xiaomi's Poco range is ideal. The Note 13 Pro should also be considered since it offers both a large and beautiful screen but also much faster charging than its competitors Google and Samsung.

What can you do with a smartphone for less than 400 euros?

Between 300 and 400 euros, you will find excellent smartphones that will satisfy most needs without having to break the bank to buy a premium smartphone. They generally make the right compromises to offer a pleasant overall experience, whereas some smartphones do not hesitate to emphasize power or photography, for example — in addition to their other qualities. However, don't expect the most powerful smartphones on the market, nor those with the fastest charging.

What concessions should I make on a cheap smartphone?

In this price range, the concessions are there, even if they remain moderate. You can very well find a powerful smartphone, equipped with a beautiful OLED screen and also with good battery life for less than 400 euros. On the other hand, it will be necessary to ignore certain elements reserved for high-end smartphones, such as wireless charging on the one hand, a certain standing in photography (in particular the presence of a telephoto lens), and IP68 certification. You will also not have the most resistant windows, nor the high-end designs reserved for the Galaxy S23 and other iPhone 14s.

What are the trusted brands for mid-range smartphones?

The champions at less than 400 euros vary more often than in the more premium brackets, so we cannot systematically trust a brand. We advise you to refer to regularly updated purchasing guides, such as this one. That being said, Xiaomi, Google, and Samsung regularly appear in our selections.

Remember: Don't fall prey to marketing hype. Read reviews from trusted sources, compare specifications across different models, and prioritize the features most important to you. By following these steps, you'll be well-equipped to navigate the maze and find the perfect smartphone under 400 euros in 2024.

In Conclusion:

The smartphone market is constantly evolving, offering a wide range of options within various budget segments. By understanding your priorities, exploring different models, and considering additional factors, you can make an informed decision and find the perfect smartphone that meets your needs without breaking the bank. Happy hunting!