The new “$400 flagship” category is real. We put “$400 flagship” in quotes, of course, because there are some reasons why this new tier of phones with the same grade of specs as more premium phones, still can’t compete on the very same level. At the same time, though, it’s also true that these days you don’t need to spend a whopping $700 or more on a phone, and these devices are the reason why.
The “$400 flagships” that we’ve picked below all excel in terms of performance and their design and overall finish. Most of them, though, will not work on CDMA networks like Verizon Wireless and Sprint in the United States, and they are not sold via carrier subsidies.
In many cases, these phones are not sold in brick-and-mortar stores, but are instead only sold online. This is part of the reason that allows phone makers to cut their costs and provide the best value for these phones. Still, support and repair service is available for those phones, as well as a proper warranty, so you don’t need to worry about that.
With all this in mind, let’s get started: here are the best mid-range phones, the top “$400 flagships” of early 2017.
1: OnePlus 3T
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Dimensions: 74.7 x 152.7 x 7.35 mm Weight: 158 g SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro CPU: 2x 2.35 GHz Kryo, 2x 1.6 GHz Kryo, Cores: 4 GPU: Qualcomm Adreno 530, 653 MHz RAM: 6 GB, 1866 MHz Storage: 64 GB, 128 GB Display: 5.5 in, Optic AMOLED, 1080 x 1920 pixels, 24 bit Battery: 3400 mAh, Li-Polymer OS: Oxygen 3.5.1 (Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow) Camera: 4608 x 3456 pixels, 3840 x 2160 pixels, 30 fps SIM card: Nano-SIM Wi-Fi: a, b, g, n, ac, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct USB: 2.0, USB Type-C Bluetooth: 4.2 Positioning: GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou |
The OnePlus 3T does not change much in the already excellent formula that is the OnePlus 3: it’s fast, it’s good all around and it does not make cheap compromises. It brings a slight improvement in performance compared to its predecessor, some nice polish to the interface that we appreciate, but best of all, it has a battery that lasts longer. The new color option is also nice. The OnePlus 3T is not as good of a value as the 3, but it’s still one of the very best value-for-money phones around. And it’s a dual SIM phone, an extra feature that is hard to find in mainstream flagships. Apple iPhone SE
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Dimensions: 58.6 x 123.8 x 7.6 mm Weight: 113 g SoC: Apple A9 APL0898 CPU: Apple Twister, 1840 MHz, Cores: 2 GPU: PowerVR GT7600, Cores: 6 RAM: 2 GB Storage: 16 GB, 64 GB Display: 4 in, IPS, 640 x 1136 pixels, 24 bit Battery: 1642 mAh, Li-Polymer OS: iOS 9.3 Camera: 4032 x 3024 pixels, 3840 x 2160 pixels, 30 fps SIM card: Nano-SIM Wi-Fi: a, b, g, n, n 5GHz, ac, Dual band, Wi-Fi Hotspot USB: 2.0 Bluetooth: 4.2 Positioning: GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Wi-Fi, Cell ID |
The Honor 8 is a true design gem: with 15-layer glass that reflects in crazy combinations, it is a 5.2-inch design that fits great in your average-sized hand and is a beauty to behold. It features a premium glass with metal design, a dual-camera system that allows you to change the focus on a picture after you capture it, and a smooth performance combined with killer battery life.
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Dimensions: 71 x 145.5 x 7.45 mm Weight: 153 g SoC: Huawei HiSilicon KIRIN 950 CPU: 4x 2.3 GHz ARM Cortex-A72, 4x 1.8 GHz ARM Cortex-A53, Cores: 8 GPU: ARM Mali-T880 MP4, 900 MHz, Cores: 4 RAM: 3 GB, 4 GB, 1333 MHz Storage: 32 GB, 64 GB Memory cards: microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC Display: 5.2 in, IPS, 1080 x 1920 pixels, 24 bit Battery: 3000 mAh, Li-Polymer OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow Camera: 3968 x 2976 pixels, 1920 x 1080 pixels, 30 fps SIM card: Nano-SIM, Nano-SIM / microSD Wi-Fi: a, b, g, n, n 5GHz, ac, Dual band, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct USB: 2.0, USB Type-C Bluetooth: 4.2 Positioning: GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS |
3: Honor 8
The Honor 8 is a true design gem: with 15-layer glass that reflects in crazy combinations, it is a 5.2-inch design that fits great in your average-sized hand and is a beauty to behold. It features a premium glass with metal design, a dual-camera system that allows you to change the focus on a picture after you capture it, and a smooth performance combined with killer battery life.
4: Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
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Dimensions: 71.4 x 146.1 x 7.9 mm Weight: 159 g SoC: Samsung Exynos 7 Octa 7880 CPU: ARM Cortex-A53, 1900 MHz, Cores: 8 GPU: ARM Mali-T860 MP3, 950 MHz, Cores: 3 RAM: 3 GB, 1033 MHz Storage: 32 GB Memory cards: microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC Display: 5.2 in, Super AMOLED, 1080 x 1920 pixels, 24 bit Battery: 3000 mAh, Li-Polymer OS: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow Camera: 4608 x 3456 pixels, 1920 x 1080 pixels, 30 fps SIM card: Nano-SIM Wi-Fi: a, b, g, n, n 5GHz, ac, Dual band, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct USB: 2.0, USB Type-C Bluetooth: 4.2 Positioning: GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou |
The new mid-range Galaxy A series do not fall exactly under the definition of a “$400 flagship”, but they sure feel like one. The discord comes from the fact that the Galaxy A5 (2017), the golden middle of the A series, features the Exynos 7 Octa system chip, which is not considered flagship territory. On a positive note, though, it is a 14nm chip, meaning that it uses modern manufacturing tech and this allows it to be extremely battery-efficient. Independent testing has shown that the Galaxy A5 (2017) is an absolute champ in battery life and a decent performer. It’s also got water protection, Galaxy S7-like sleek looks and runs on a TouchWiz-embellished Android 6.0 Marshmallow (with the promise for update to Nougat).
5: Huawei Nova
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Dimensions: 69.1 x 141.2 x 7.1 mm Weight: 146 g SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 MSM8953 CPU: ARM Cortex-A53, 2000 MHz, Cores: 8 GPU: Qualcomm Adreno 506 RAM: 3 GB, 933 MHz Storage: 32 GB Memory cards: microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC Display: 5 in, IPS, 1080 x 1920 pixels, 24 bit Battery: 3020 mAh, Li-Polymer OS: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow Camera: 4032 x 3016 pixels, 3840 x 2160 pixels, 30 fps SIM card: Nano-SIM, Nano-SIM / microSD Wi-Fi: b, g, n, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct USB: 2.0, USB Type-C Bluetooth: 4.1 Positioning: GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS |
The Huawei nova is a new series for increasingly popular Huawei, and while it’s not sold in the United States, the nova phone is a good value in Europe. It features a sleed metal design that is reminiscent of the Nexus 6P, it has got an outstanding selfie camera (with a few beauty modes for the more vane), it features a smooth performance and solid battery life.
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Dimensions: 69.4 x 142.7 x 7.9 mm Weight: 153 g SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 MSM8956 CPU: 2x 1.8 GHz ARM Cortex-A72, 4x 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex-A53, Cores: 6 GPU: Qualcomm Adreno 510, 550 MHz RAM: 3 GB, 933 MHz Storage: 32 GB, 64 GB Memory cards: microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC Display: 5 in, IPS, 1080 x 1920 pixels, 24 bit Battery: 2620 mAh, Li-Polymer OS: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow Camera: 5520 x 4140 pixels, 1920 x 1080 pixels, 30 fps SIM card: Nano-SIM Wi-Fi: a, b, g, n, n 5GHz, ac, Dual band, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct USB: 2.0, Micro USB Bluetooth: 4.2 Positioning: GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou |
6: Sony Xperia X
An edge in a world of round, the Sony Xperia X is a familiarly, but still rather uniquely, designed smartphone that we can’t help but feel attracted to. It doesn’t look or feel mellow at all, but it isn’t overly imposing as are the likes of the HTC 10. It’s balanced, really, and comes across as approachable. A nice blend, and a decent job from the Sony design team.
7: ZTE Axon 7
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Dimensions: 75 x 151.7 x 7.9 mm Weight: 175 g SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996 CPU: 2x 2.15 GHz Kryo, 2x 1.6 GHz Kryo, Cores: 4 GPU: Qualcomm Adreno 530, 624 MHz RAM: 4 GB, 6 GB, 1866 MHz Storage: 64 GB, 128 GB Memory cards: microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC Display: 5.5 in, AMOLED, 1440 x 2560 pixels, 24 bit Battery: 3250 mAh, Li-Polymer OS: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow Camera: 5952 x 3348 pixels, 3840 x 2160 pixels, 30 fps SIM card: Nano-SIM, Nano-SIM / microSD Wi-Fi: a, b, g, n, n 5GHz, ac, Dual band, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Display USB: 3.0, USB Type-C Bluetooth: 4.2 Positioning: GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou |
With its stylish, good-looking metal design, the ZTE Axon 7 stands out in a crowd. The thing you notice first are its dual front-firing speakers, they are louder and better than what you get on many other things, and are a great thing to have. The phone runs on one of the fastest chips around, the Snapdragon 820, and features top grade internals including 4 gigs of RAM, a plentiful 64GB of storage and a decent battery.
