The year 2022 has been rich in very good smartphones below 500 euros. Proof that this price segment is called to play the leading roles in the market.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus, Galaxy A53, Nothing phone (1), Google Pixel 6a, Oppo Reno 8, Honor 70, mecetera t, etc.. We are not going to lie to ourselves, the year 2022 has been generous in good smartphones under 500 euros. This segment is quite special as it is paradoxical. It’s still a bit too expensive, even out of reach, for many people who don’t want to or can’t afford to invest such an amount in a phone, but are nonetheless full of very good value for money products.
At the top of the mid-range? At the doors of the high range? Smartphones launched between 400 and 500 euros have a strange status. However, despite this positioning with blurred borders, they are on their way to being at the center of an all-out battle between the different brands in the market. A battle that will have to intensify in the coming years for various reasons.
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The drowning of the ultra high-end sector
We already talked about it in another article, but smartphone innovation is inexorably running out of steam. The market has consolidated and the most expensive mobile phones are today so sophisticated that with each generation we have more right to tweaks than to real upheavals. These devices have reached such a level of sophistication that the differences are mainly played out in small details here and there, or in manufacturer-specific software assets.
To a lesser extent, this observation also applies to price ranges below 900 or 800 euros. On the other hand, below 500 euros, there is still plenty of room to introduce significant innovations. In 2022, this was particularly confirmed.
Better and better for less than 500 euros
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus has a fast charge that charges at 120 W. The Samsung Galaxy A53 shone with its complete and balanced experience. The Nothing phone (1) set the mood with its eccentricity. The Google Pixel 6a is amazing with its high-flying photo quality. All launched from a price between 400 and 500 euros, these smartphones obviously make concessions, some more than others, but borrow beautiful qualities that, however, could have remained in the high-end sector for longer. For a reasonable sum, we can afford to be able to choose from a good number of very good smartphones.
Oled screen, refresh rate at 90 or 120 Hz, good photo quality, chip capable of running 3D games well, very fast charging, extended software monitoring… These types of features are increasingly less than 500 euros. If we have to wait a few more years a priori before finding a device at this price that absolutely ticks all the boxes, it is clear that these data sheet items are no longer out of the ordinary in this price segment.
a ruthless market
The market is so made that the most premium smartphones will always have arguments to justify their crazy prices exceeding 1,000 euros.
However, products below 500 euros show that you no longer have to wait long to see the most advanced technologies offered at reasonable prices. Good news for consumer wallets.
Though. As we said at the beginning of this article, investing more than 350 euros in a smartphone always supposes a budgetary and/or psychological blockage. At the same time, in view of all the technologies on board, these are not outliers either. Furthermore, a smartphone launched at 450 euros can be 100 euros cheaper a few months after its launch. Information to consider for the most limited budgets.
For all these reasons, we could almost speak of a golden age for the mid-range in 2022. And if we already see how competitive and ruthless the entry level below 300 euros can become, the segment below 500 euros I might as well track him down. same way 2023 promises beautiful fierce battles.
Which smartphone for less than 500 euros is best suited to your needs, the Google Pixel 6a or the Nothing phone (1)? Discover our point-by-point comparison to determine which of these two phones…
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