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I’ve (almost) lost all hope for mid-range, at least when launched at the starting price. Manufacturers are following a clear path: dressing up as premium phones that are
I’ve (almost) lost all hope for mid-range, at least when launched at the starting price. Manufacturers are following a clear path: dressing up as premium phones that are not aimed at the customer who wants an expensive mobile phone. Mid-range with Pro surnames, high megapixel cameras, high-end aura.
The mid-high range has evolved and created a new standard. It has completely swallowed what we always understood as a mid-range mobile phone, contextualizing it and reducing it to the magic 200 – 300 Euro phone range with technical specifications closer to the entry range.
Until not so long ago, ranges in Android were quite different: entry range or low range, mid range and high range. There were no further complications.. If you need the most basic thing: low range. If you want something quality and affordable: mid-range. If you’re aiming for the best: high-end.
“Pro” surnames started to come in to distinguish the less assertive midrange from the more complete midrange. Despite this, the mid-range Pro was still mid-range without its high-end pretensions. This situation allowed prices to be brought under control to some extent.
Some painful data in 2024:
It’s nothing if manufacturers start giving surnames to middle-class mobile phones, making families bigger and giving users more options, by himself, negative. The problem is that if you want technologies as simple as 5G or you want a processor that works quite well, the manufacturer kindly invites you to go to the more expensive middle class.
200 megapixel cameras, 120W fast charging systems, Dolby Vision compatible panels, high-end processors in mid-range sets, etc. Manufacturers find in the “premium middle class” an excellent scheme to increase the final price of their star models. And yes, we all want better features. But in the mid-range what you usually look for is quality-price.
Examples of this new premium mid-range can be found in models such as the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro+, which is a very complete phone with a starting price of 449.99 euros and, as an analyst, it has differences compared to the Redmi Note 13 Pro. , I am more than sure that the main target of such devices will not notice.
UFS 3.1 memory instead of 2.2, silicon coating instead of glass, Snapdragon 7S Gen 2 instead of MediaTek 7200 Ultra, 67W fast charging instead of 120W. Again, the problem is not having a mobile phone with good features. features and more expensive. The thing is that the starting model of the family has a price of 349 euros and 4G.. Solution? Move up to the Pro model (not Pro+) to get another chipset and therefore 5G.
Its counterpart is the Google Pixel 8a, a terminal with a top-end processor but no camera sensor, finishes (plastic, large bezels, etc.) and some affordable mid-range technologies. Price? 549 euros. This figure puts it so close to the Pixel 8 that Google had to launch an unusual trade-in scheme to boost sales and bring the device closer to the €300 RRP.
Please note that this is a purely personal perspective, but it is something I have made clear for a long time and will not change no matter how much inflation we experience: a mid-range product cannot cost 500 euros.
The data backs up my point: Premium mid-range pricing is so artificial It doesn’t take more than a few months for them to come back. always where they should be. In fact, some models are born with such inflated prices that they dwarf the discounts on other models. There are very interesting examples:
The strategy is completely legal: high starting prices are maintained in the early months of the sales cycle and then lowered as the next pattern approaches. Despite this, it is thought-provoking to think that a 500 Euro phone can be purchased for less than 250 Euros from the manufacturer’s own official store just a few months later.
This stubbornness in prices is not a personal obsession, but simply the result of seeing the market moving towards a middle range that moves at irrational numbers. First of all, if we take into account that there are some exceptions that struggle with quality and price.
We find examples in the Nothing Phone (2a): 5G mobile with 8 GB RAM, 45W fast charging, AMOLED display and three years of updates. Is this the fee? 329 euros.
Something similar happens with Motorola and Moto G84: OLED display, 12 + 256 GB internal memory, 5,000 mah with 33W, 50 MP camera with OIS, Snapdragon 695 and… all for 299 euros.
POCO also doesn’t lose focus.
Yes, in mid-2024, mid-range may continue below 350 euros. Mid-range with 5G, good surfaces and everything you need for everyday life. When these terminals start to become the exception, it is time to evaluate what is happening in the market.
Image | Xataka
in Xataka | The cheapest and best phones you can buy in 2024: Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO and more
Source: Xataka
Emma Ortiz is a gadget expert and author at Div Bracket. She provides in-depth coverage of the latest and greatest in consumer technology, offering readers an inside look at the latest trends and innovations in the world of gadgets.
