We have now arrived in mid-February and, as usual, the time has come to elect the best Android smartphones in the range between 200 and 300 euros. The last few weeks have brought several innovations in this regard, including the arrival on the market of Galaxy A51, the announcement of devices of the caliber of POCO X2 and Moto G8 Power and rather interesting price drops. In short, 2020 is starting to "mesh" even at the mid-range level. Let's go to see together what are the more valid solutions between 200 and 300 euros, reminding you that the prices taken into consideration are only those present on Amazon Italy or on the manufacturers' sites.
Realme X2
Arrived in our country a few months ago, Realme X2 is certainly one of the most convincing smartphones in this range. It is no coincidence that many describe it as a sort of anti-Xiaomi Mi 9T, especially because of the excellent quality / price ratio.
We are talking about a solid device in almost all its components, from the excellent screen to the good constructive solidity, passing through the above-average performance, for the photographic sector capable of keeping promises, for the complete connectivity sector (NFC, jack audio, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C included), for fast charging at 30W and for good autonomy. For all the details of the case related to the smartphone, we invite you to consult our review of Realme X2.
Of course there are obviously painful points: in fact many criticize the software, or the usual ColorOS, which is still a bit immature from different points of view. There are also some other small flaws, such as the unlocking speed offered by the in-display fingerprint sensor, which is not exactly the fastest. Realme X2 is currently sold at a price of 299 euros on Amazon Italy (model 8 / 128GB). At the time of writing, Amazon Italy also offers a 10% discount on the purchase of the device using the promotional code VHXS6W3F. In this way, you can take Realme X2 home for 269 euros instead of 299 euros.
Redmi Note 8 Pro
Another valid smartphone arrived at the end of 2019 is Redmi Note 8 Pro. We are talking about a device that gives its best ingranite autonomy (4500 mAh battery), in the complete connectivity sector and in good constructive solidity. But it is not in front of a perfect smartphone, since the photographic sector is only average, the performances are not exactly at the top (SoC MediaTek Helio G90T) and the display is not the best, but the device remains a good exponent of the Redmi range Note. For more information on the technical features, we refer you to our news dedicated to Redmi Note 8 Pro.
For the rest, everything is in place in terms of connectivity, from NFC to the 3.5 mm audio jack for headphones, via the USB Type-C port, for dual-band Wi-Fi ac and for the Bluetooth 5.0. Redmi Note 8 Pro is currently sold at a price of about 210 euros on Amazon Italy through resellers (6 / 64GB variant).
Xiaomi Mi 9T
In a ranking linked to the best smartphones between 200 and 300 euros, Xiaomi Mi 9T cannot clearly be missing. We are talking about a device in particular acclaimed by both critics and the public, also thanks to its all-screen design with pop-up camera. Currently the smartphone is sold at a price of about 295 euros on Amazon Italy through resellers (model 6 / 128GB).
For the uninitiated, this is a device that has managed to break through the hearts of Italians right away, making a sold out in our country already on the debut night, an event that has not happened for a long time.
On the other hand, we are faced with a solid smartphone that finds its strengths in the good screen, in the granite autonomy, in the above-average performance and in the excellent constructive solidity. For all the details of the case regarding the device, we recommend you take a look at our review of Xiaomi Mi 9T.
In terms of connectivity, we find everything where it must be: there is no shortage of NFC, USB Type-C port and 3.5 mm audio jack for headphones. The only aspects of Mi 9T that have not completely convinced us are the not exactly "feather" weight and the non-expandable memory.
Samsung Galaxy A51
Although the list price is set at 379 euros, Samsung Galaxy A51, smartphone that has only arrived on the market for a few weeks, can already be purchased at 299 euros on Amazon Italy through retailers (4 / 128GB model). Here then the device, criticized mainly for its high list price, begins to become decidedly more interesting.
We are in fact talking about the successor of that Galaxy A50 which for a long time was among the most purchased smartphones in Europe. The main strengths of the smartphone are the excellent display, the feature-rich software and the complete connectivity compartment (which also includes NFC, audio jack for headphones and triple slot, i.e. Dual nanoSIM + microSD). However, Galaxy A51 has divided critics and audiences. Its main drawbacks are below average performance and the photographic sector is not exactly the best. The autonomy, on the other hand, is good, but nothing striking.
In short, we are talking about a device that cannot convince as Galaxy A50 had in the past and surely the purchase must be made with the weaknesses of the smartphone in mind. However, the recent drop in price could convince a certain type of user.
Special mention: TCL Plex
Arrived in Italy in the last months of 2019, TCL Plex is a smartphone that has gone a little muted, especially because of its initial price of 299.99 euros, which positioned it in a particularly crowded range of excellent devices. However, recently this TCL Plex has suffered an excellent price drop and can therefore be found at around 220 euros on Amazon Italy (variant 6 / 128GB). For more details on the data sheet, we recommend you take a look at our news dedicated to TCL Plex.
The smartphone gives its best in the good display, in the autonomy, in theexcellent constructive solidity and in the complete connectivity sector (we find NFC, audio jack for headphones and Bluetooth 5.0). The photographic sector is in the average of the price range. Too bad only for performance not exactly at the top, for some flaw on the software side and for a backcover that is sometimes too slippery. Ultimately, it is a device that we would not have recommended at its original cost, but given the important drop in price, TCL Plex is certainly configured as an interesting smartphone especially for those who want to focus on constructive solidity.
Market choice: Huawei P30 Lite
A little surprising, since we are talking about a model released in April 2019, the Italians in recent weeks are buying a lot of Huawei P30 Lite on Amazon Italy, as you can see in the ranking of Bestseller devices.
We are talking about a device that has not received particularly positive evaluations from critics, but which in any case defends itself well for the use that the average user must make of it. In particular, the main strengths of the smartphone are to be found in the good constructive solidity, in the complete connectivity compartment (complete with NFC and audio jack for headphones), in pleasant design and good display. For more information, please refer to the news dedicated to P30 Lite.
For the rest, we are faced with a smartphone without infamy or praise, which has the classic hardware compartment with the coupled Kirin 710 and 4GB of RAM. The pain points are mainly the below-average performance of the price range, the photographic sector not the best and the autonomy that can not reach that of other Huawei smartphones.
In short, probably the good name of the brand and the price of just 205 euros on Amazon Italy through retailers (4 / 128GB model) have had their weight in the choice of users. It should also be considered the fact that the P30 Lite New Edition has also recently been launched, a slightly improved version of the device which, however, is not particularly convincing. For more details, we advise you to consult our review of Huawei P30 Lite New Edition.
Next arrival: Motorola Moto G8 Power, POCO X2 Samsung Galaxy M31
Announced last February 7, 2020, Motorola Moto G8 Power is already available in Italy at a recommended price of 249.99 euros. However, we can safely consider it as a "coming soon", given that the critics have not yet had the opportunity to test it properly. We are talking about a smartphone that, as can be seen from the name, focuses heavily on autonomy. In fact, the peculiar characteristic of the device is the presence of one 5000 mAh battery. For the rest, we are talking about a medium range that features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 octa-core processor, flanked by an Adreno 610 GPU, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal memory (expandable via microSD up to 512GB). The photographic sector instead includes four rear 16MP sensors (f / 1.7) + 8MP (f / 2.2, wide angle, 118 degrees) + 8MP (f / 2.2, telephoto) + 2MP (f / 2.2, for macro), a camera front 16MP (f / 2.0). For more details on Moto G8 Power, we advise you to consult the official Motorola website.
Another very interesting smartphone that could also arrive in Europe in the future at a starting price of less than 300 euros is POCO X2, a device announced in India in early February. It is a very interesting smartphone, since it has one screen with 120 Hz refresh rate and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor, flanked by 6 / 8GB of RAM and 128 / 256GB of internal memory. The battery is instead of 4500 mAh with 27W charging support. For all the details of the case, we refer you to our discussion on POCO X2.
Entering instead in the field of rumors, February 25 2020 should be announced Samsung Galaxy M31, another smartphone that should focus heavily on autonomy. In particular, in this case there are rumors of the possible presence of a 6000 mAh battery. Under the body we should instead find an Exynos 9611 processor, flanked by 6 / 8GB of RAM and 64 / 128GB of internal memory. A quadruple rear camera should not be missing, but clearly at the moment there are no precise details about this smartphone. According to many, the device may have a price lower than 250 euros: we'll see. For more details, we advise you to consult our news dedicated to Galaxy M31.
