The Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro (5G) is equipped with an impressive 200MP camera (with a 1/1.4” sensor), which produces excellent photos day and night. The sensor’s high resolution allows it to take great quality shots at 2x zoom and decent shots at 4x. The 8MP ultra wide and 16MP selfie cameras are nothing special, though.
Still, with a 6.67” 120Hz 12-bit display (1220p+ resolution) and a Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset, this is one of the more impressive mid-rangers. The 5,100mAh battery doesn’t offer the best endurance (10:16h Active use score), but the 67W charger gets it from flat to 83% in 30 minutes.
If you’re looking to spend less than £200 and don’t care about 5G, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 4G is an option. This one dials things back to a 108MP camera that still does a solid job during the day and for night shots. The sensor isn’t great at 2x zoom, but (due to its sub-pixel layout) it does better at 3x zoom with clean and sharp images.
Battery life is better (11:52h Active use score), but the 33W charger is slower (51% in 30 minutes). The Snapdragon 685 has sufficient cooling, but is well behind modern chipsets in terms of performance.
For basically the same price, you can have the Motorola Moto G84 instead. This one does do 5G with the similar Snapdragon 695 chip. The 50MP main camera has a fairly large 1/1.5” sensor, but its performance in the dark leaves a lot to be desired. While it has a lower resolution, it still manages decent 2x zoom photos. Like the Redmis, there is a basic 8MP ultra wide camera.
Both the Redmi Note 13 4G and the Moto G84 have microSD slots and 3.5mm headphone jacks. The Moto has a smaller 6.5” 1080p+ 120Hz OLED display (vs. 6.67” 1220p+ 120Hz on the Redmi).
You may be better off paying up to the Motorola Edge 40 Neo. It has a similar 6.55” 1080p+ 120Hz OLED display, but this time with curved sides. The dust and water resistance are better (IP68 vs. IP54 for the G84 and the two Redmis). The camera is similar (50MP 1/1.5” main) but with a 13MP ultra wide and 32MP selfie (with 4K video recording to boot).
The Edge loses the microSD slot and 3.5mm jack, however. The Edge does have a more powerful Dimensity 7030 chipset, but the 5,000mAh battery doesn’t last as long as the G84 (10:28h vs. 12:31h). It does charge faster, though, at 68W it gets to 82% in half an hour.
If you’re on the lookout for a tablet, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE and Tab S9 FE+ provide a good middle ground between the entry-level Tab A-series and the pricier Tab S9 series.
The vanilla model has a 10.9” display, the plus a 12.4” display. Both are 90Hz IPS LCDs. Both slates are powered by the Exynos 1380, but note that the vanilla model starts with 6GB of RAM (you can get 8GB with the higher storage capacity option). The batteries have 8,000mAh and 10,090mAh capacities, respectively, and both charge at 45W. Note that while the Tab S9 FE duo supports DeX, it can’t do it over wired or wireless video out, the desktop mode is only for the tablets’ own displays.
This would have been a great deal if OnePlus offered longer update schedules sooner. Amazon has left over OnePlus 9 Pro phones and the 8/128GB versions cost £230. The Snapdragon 888 may be old, but the QHD+ LTPO OLED display and the triple Hasselblad cameras are better than you can get on a similarly priced mid-ranger.
However, the phone already received its last OS update, OxygenOS 14/Android 14, and it only has a year of security patches left. Still, it is supported by a number of custom ROMs, if that’s your thing, which is why we’re including this here.
Finally, the Samsung Galaxy Fit3 is a small and cheap way to track your exercises, your sleep and more. It has a 1.6” rectangular OLED display and features like Fall Detection and Emergency SOS, making it suitable for older folks. It should last up to 13 days on a charge (this isn’t a Wear OS device).
We may get a commission from qualifying sales.
