Here at Tech Arena we always focus on the largely common and popular brands such as Microsoft, Apple, and Samsung. In most instances we give little attention to the other equally competitive and respectable companies out there. This means that most of their product releases and keynotes pass unnoticed, and this makes most people miss out on the devices that they are most likely to buy anyway. Come to think of it, not many of us will be able to afford the iPhone 6, or the iPhone 6 Plus. Neither shall we be able to buy the Galaxy Note 4, or the Note Edge. Most likely we will settle for some mid-range device that is barely given any media attention.
In relation to above, not many people are even aware of the latest devices that fall within this category. Therefore, let us take a look at some of the newest offerings that exist here. (This list is not in any particular order of hierarchy, priority or importance).
- 2nd Generation Moto X.
This is a relatively new Motorola device that was released just over a week ago, September 5th. It is a follow up to the original 2013 Moto X, which was quite exceptional. It has impressive specs as highlighted below:
- 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801.
- 2GB RAM.
- 5.2” 1080p Super AMOLED screen (423ppi).
- 13MP, dual LED flash capable of 4K video recording.
- 2MP front facing camera.
- Android 4.4.4 Kit Kat.
- HTC Desire 820.
This is also a device that was released this September by HTC, yet is not even known by many. The device is a follow up to the HTC Desire 816 that was released back in February. It is pretty impressive for its price range, courtesy of the features listed below:
- 5.5” 720 by 1280 LCD capacitive screen (267ppi)
- Quad-core 1.5Ghz Cortex-A53 CPU
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 Chipset.
- 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage (expandable up to 128GB).
- 13MP Primary Camera
- 8MP Secondary Camera
- Adreno 405 GPU.
- HTC Sense UI v6.
- Google Nexus 5.
Well this is not necessarily the latest in this list but its impressive specs make it hold a spot here. Though it was released back in November 2013, this device has been a true depiction of what a midrange device should be. A Nexus 6 is due to be released later on this year, and while we wait on that, let’s have a look at some of the features that make this device such an epitome of Android experience.
- 5.0” True HD IPS+ 1080p display (445ppi).
- 2GB RAM, 16/32GB internal.
- 8MP Primary Camera.
- 1.3MP Secondary Camera.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset
- Quad-core 2.3Ghz Krait 400 CPU
- Adreno 330 GPU.
- Android v4.4 upgradable to v4.4.4
- Nokia Lumia 730 Dual SIM.
Another September baby right here. This one was also released just this September, and is the latest mid-range offering from Windows Phone. It is the smaller brother to the Lumia 830, also another September release from Microsoft. Additionally, this is the upgrade to the Lumia 720, which was the midrange Windows Phone device from 2013. Here are the major features that this phone has to offer.
- 4.7” 720p ClearBlack display (312ppi).
- 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage.
- Micro SD support up to 128GB.
- 6.7MP Carl Zeiss Optics Primary camera.
- 5MP Secondary Camera capable of 1080p recording.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset.
- Quad-core 1.2Ghz Cortex-A7 CPU.
- Adreno 305 GPU.
- Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1 OS.
- Let’s not forget the Dual SIM capability (dual stand-by).
- Huawei Ascend G7.
Well, lest we forget, we have to mention at least one OEM from our Chinese friends. Huawei, the manufacturer of the famous U8150 (or Ideos as it was popularly known) has been hard at work coming up with some good phones for the budget-limited market. Indeed, most Kenyans have a Huawei, or Tecno, or Samsung. The Huawei Ascend G7 is a September release from Huawei, and the following features define this device as a relatively good mid-range phone.
- 5.5” 720p IPS display (267ppi).
- 2GB RAM, 16GB internal.
- Micro SD support up to 32GB.
- 13MP Primary Camera with HDR.
- 5MP Secondary Camera.
- Quad-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A53 CPU
- Android v4.4 (Kit Kat).
- It’s pretty thin too, at only 7.6mm
Of course this list can never have all the good mid-range phones out there. The smartphone industry is flooded with so many devices that narrowing down to just five is a nearly impossible undertaking. For example our list lacks a Samsung device, yet Samsung has the widest range of devices of any OEM. Consequently, the following devices are worth checking: Samsung Galaxy Grand 2, Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini, HTC One Mini/Mini 2, LG Optimus F7, Tecno R7, Tecno F8, Moto G, Moto E…let’s call it a wrap there, just for precision purposes.