Poll: Best Android Mid-Range Phones for 2017 ($300 ⇆ $500)

scrimshaw on 21/07/2017 - 13:48
Last edited 24/09/2017 - 14:37

Moderators at OzBargain have decided to run yearly polls to decide the best products in popular categories that get asked repeatedly in the forum. Our aim is to have a central thread where users can vote on the items, suggest options and also change their vote throughout the year. The polls will end once the year is over.

Question

What is your favourite Mid-range Android Phone for the year 2017?

Mid-range: Phones with market prices between $300 AUD to $500 AUD.

To make the number of choices more manageable, we’ve split the questions into three separate polls — one for each price bracket and tier (consisting of "Budget", "Mid-end" and "Flagship"). Also we recognise some devices may not strictly belong in a certain category because phone prices continually change throughout the year and might exist in more than 1 poll.

Tips:
Found a phone you liked? You can click on the 'Related Products' section to view current or active deals, and see forum discussions related to it.

  • Don't see a phone that you like in the poll options? Make a (sensible) suggestion and we'll add it to the list.
  • You are allowed to change your vote.

How to Suggest a Poll option? Simply type into the textbox above your Comment box and then submit your comment.

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Poll Options expired

This is part of What Should I Buy poll for 2017. Check out other recommendations from the OzBargain community.
Mobile ASUS HTC Lenovo LG Mobile Phone Motorola Nokia Oppo What Should I Buy Xiaomi ZTE Android

Comments

  • Axelstrife on 21/07/2017 - 14:34

    IMO the best mid range for 2017 is a Flagship from 2016 such as axon 7 for $499 or axon 7 mini for $298.

    • Wonderfool on 23/07/2017 - 06:31

      Lost value, g6 can be found for Similar price, with v20 being cheaper.

      It was released too late for the 700AUD price point.

  • dasher86 on 21/07/2017 - 15:35

    Has the s7 hit that price point yet?

    • scrimshaw on 21/07/2017 - 15:41
      +1

      Not yet, unfortunately. If you take into account time-limited eBay coupons, yes, you should be able to score S7's for $450~499. But otherwise you won't be obtain these kinds of prices for most of the year.

      Market price hovers around $550~650 depending on seller, and whether it's the American or Global Dual-SIM variant you want.

      • sam buster on 03/10/2017 - 22:27

        Where are you getting S7s at that price?
        Cheapest local stock I can see is $799 - even with an eBay 20% off that's still $640.

        • scrimshaw on 04/10/2017 - 11:06

          The S7 american version I purchased at $460 AUD. via Shopping Square during the EOFY sale. Normally that's north of $500 dollars.

          This version I don't recommend because it uses SD820 CPU which Samsung hasn't optimised. You also lack Band 28. I gave this one to my brother, he won't mind since he's on Kogan and has Xiaomi power bank, so not a huge deal. But may be a dealbreaker for non kogan or voda users.

          Exynos version is more power efficient than Snapdragon. I bought this version for myself.
          But Yes, you will have to spend close to $600 for that. that's why the S7 does not exist in this poll

        • sam buster on 04/10/2017 - 12:12

          @scrimshaw: Thanks for the informative reply, scrimshaw

  • FrugalFrella on 21/07/2017 - 15:42
    +4

    How about a Flagship G6 for $470~?

    • Wonderfool on 23/07/2017 - 06:33
      +1

      V20 is another viable option.

  • SBOB on 22/07/2017 - 08:16
    +5

    LG G6, it's in that bracket during eBay sales.

  • dajackal on 25/07/2017 - 09:25
    +1

    LG G6 without a shadow of a doubt. Current gen flag ship at mid range prices.

  • Wallace on 28/07/2017 - 11:23

    Samsung C9 and C9 Pro anyone?

  • scrimshaw on 02/08/2017 - 18:39
    Suggested Xiaomi Mi 5s

    Xiaomi Mi5s (regular price is around $330 AUD thanks to Aussie dollar picking up,
    It has: 5.15 inch Snapdragon 821 2.15GHz Quad Core 3GB RAM 64GB ROM

    • AlienC on 12/08/2017 - 12:16

      What would the major differences in usage between this and a redmi note 4x.. I need a cheap phone to just accept calls, keep Facebook on, interface with delivery food apps and websites and shopping apps. Basically everything my tablet can't do because it doesn't have a number.

      I am thinking I should get a g5 plus to be safe but I hate spending more than I have to..

      • scrimshaw on 12/08/2017 - 13:02
        +1

        The difference between the budget "Redmi"'s and the flagship "Mi"s is mainly in hardware. Redmi's (generally speaking) have mediocre cameras. The Note 4x also only has single band wifi while the Mi5s has dual band 5ghz AC protocol, not to mention the NFC reader. Forums also indicate the Note 4x doesn't fast charge, seems Xiaomi disabled the option

        Of course these features come at a little bit of a premium and it's up to you whether you should pay the $100 or so for these upgrades.

        The Motorolas have a big advantage and that is b28 support, so if you want the best 4G speeds and connectivity at all times, it'll be a better option over any Xiaomi device.

        • AlienC on 12/08/2017 - 18:37

          Anything like a LG G4 but with more memory. 4gb preferred but if there is one with 6 under $300 I might take it. 3 is heading too into dangerous territory as my old nvidia shield warned me. Even my 4gb Huawei Mediapad M3 gets bottlenecks at times thigh not sure if that's cpu or memory.. most of the time it feels like memory.

        • garage sale on 17/09/2017 - 09:41

          Yeah phone needs to support all bands whether on voda Telstra or optus …. The days of needing a China Droid and to get cheap 1080p are long over ….

  • scrimshaw on 22/08/2017 - 20:26
    +2
    Suggested LG V20

    I believe the LG V20 is old enough that it can be considered mid-range (even though the specs, SD820 and 2560 x 1440 is totally not mid-range), it has seen a price drop to $490 dollars on Uniqemobiles, without any coupon code.

    http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=LG+V20

  • Ronnnie on 04/09/2017 - 14:23

    G6 is best imo. The LGQ6 is an interesting phone too. However that phone is too expensive at rrp

  • StrayfireX on 04/09/2017 - 14:56
    +1
    Suggested Nokia 6

    I got my dad a Nokia 6 from Amazon US for about $300 AUD.

    Works nicely enough. Supports bands 3 and 28.

    Deciding factor was the fast updates (patch level: August 2017) for the phone.

  • barydos on 04/09/2017 - 20:32
    +1
    Suggested Lenovo ZUK Z2 PRO

    Bought the Lenovo ZUK Z2 PRO for ~400 or maybe less on Banggood. (the 6GB ram 128gb storage version)
    pretty decent!

    • jjj123 on 05/09/2017 - 09:58
      +1

      $335 today on gearbest

      • barydos on 05/09/2017 - 22:57

        oh true, nice price drop, i bought mine near the start of the year

  • Baebs on 05/09/2017 - 12:59

    Practically itching at this point for a g6 deal.

  • jtrvk on 11/09/2017 - 02:22

    Xiaomi Mi A1. Perfect partnership between hardware from xiaomi and software by Google. No NFC and no band 28 though.

    • scrimshaw on 11/09/2017 - 12:12

      added to bracket

      for those wondering why, that's because hardware wise they are the same phone but running slightly different OS.

  • [Deactivated] on 12/09/2017 - 18:37

    I want a new phone in that price range but with Bluetooth 5.0. Are there any options, guys? Thanks

  • Charity on 22/09/2017 - 19:48

    Motorola Moto Z (The flagship - not to be confused with the Play) Dual Sim, 1440p AMOLED, Band28, etc lol

    • Moderatorhamza23 on 26/09/2017 - 10:21

      Please use flagship poll to vote for Moto Z it's in there already.

      Thanks

  • Charity on 22/09/2017 - 19:51

    It is so underated.

  • revmacca on 27/09/2017 - 17:06
    Suggested HTC U Ultra

    HTC U Ultra is now $500, good option for a bigger device. .

    • scrimshaw on 27/09/2017 - 22:12

      HTC U Ultra added (price @ 497 Harvey Norman)

  • patzorz on 28/09/2017 - 09:55

    which would you recommend. The xiaomi 5, 5s or 5x. What are the differences between the 3 phones

    • scrimshaw on 28/09/2017 - 12:56
      +1

      If you like Stock android, the (5.5 inch) Xiaomi A1, or also called the 5x Global edition, runs a clean unadulterated version of Android which is leaner and only contains the most essential apps out of the box. And guaranteed updates for 2 years. If you're into photography, you'll like it's dual camera setup. It also has a SD card slot.

      The Xiaomi Mi 5 (5.1 inch) is the oldest of the three and runs a flagship CPU, SD820. However it's also out of production and stock is difficult to find. With their high end phones, Xiaomi omits the SD card expansion slot.

      It got a refreshed version called the 5s, which improves performance, battery life, camera performance, a better aluminium body,
      but it also lost Gorilla Glass protection (which means the screen scratches easily) and the optical image stabilisation was also removed to cut costs.

  • Mattystein on 04/10/2017 - 07:09
    Suggested Motorola G5S Plus

    Moto G5S Plus announced for Aus and looking promising for an excellent midrange buy, new dual camera etc.

    From what I understand a 4GB RAM model will be available at the Motorola Au store for a slight premium, but at this stage can only see the 3GB RAM model.

    Hoping for some deals before Feb/Mar when I get back to Aus, will be very tempting.

    Also, Moto G5S available, but no dual camera.

    Specs:
    http://m.gsmarena.com/motorola_moto_g5s_plus-8699.php

    $429 from official Motorola Australia store:
    https://www.motorola.com.au/products/moto-g-plus-gen-5-speci…

    $339 (Grey Import) at Eglobal:
    https://www.eglobaldigitalcameras.com.au/motorola-moto-g5s-p…

    • sam buster on 04/10/2017 - 09:54
      +1

      I don't like that the 4GB model will only be available from Motorola - unlikely to ever get a bargain price from that source.
      At least Australian version of the S has 32GB storage though.
      One of the things that put me off the G5 Plus was that it only had 16GB.

      A minor factor, but the body looks nicer on this new model too, the rear being made from a single piece.

      I read an overseas review recently that performance-wise and camera-wise there isn't much difference between the new S model and the G5Plus.

  • Bmann999 on 23/10/2017 - 15:22

    How would you rate the camera on the G5Plus? I always buy $200-$400 phones for the mrs. and me, but we are planning on doing some travelling and want to take nice photos/videos. I hate spending $1,000 on a phone, but I've heard the Galaxy/Pixel cameras are awesome.

  • AlienC on 24/10/2017 - 07:49
    Suggested LeEco Le Max 2

    Serious Question: Why no mention of the LeEco Le Max 2?

    https://www.gearbest.com/cell-phones/pp_356972.html

    Is there something very bad or shady I don't know about this phone?

    I mean i know no micro sd slot and no headphone jack can be a deal breaker but 1440p screen and snapdragon 820 has gotta count for something.

    Personally I might be finally moving to bluetooth wireless earphones soon so that handles the headphone jacks but I can see how the no micro sd slot can be a major bummer but other than that I haven't heard much bad things about it's UI or software.

    Can anybody elaborate?

    If I didn't own a tablet and it was a little bigger I might have bought this device instead for the calling and sms functionality.

    • scrimshaw on 24/10/2017 - 09:08

      The company (leeco) is facing bankruptcy and there probably aren't any developers being employed anymore to keep the phone's software updated. You would have to look to XDA-dev for community cooked roms.

      • AlienC on 25/10/2017 - 16:43

        Ah so it's mostly an abandoned piece of hardware with no future updates? I guess that could be a major deal breaker if you couldn't find third-party development for it but as a raw piece of hardware is this phone not a great deal? I mean it looks like you save anywhere from $100-200 compared to a more established non bankrupt company phone or is it really that useless now with no mute future development? Do they have a good usable phone currently straight out of the box because I am looking at this phone add just a good replacement backup phone for mostly "having a number" and calling sms duties etc.

        (Kind of like my 7" Windows tablet for solely game streaming duties fun but I think dirty now I am getting off topic)

  • MysticalWok on 10/11/2017 - 13:38

    Meizu M6 Note

    SD 625 + 3/4GB RAM + 4000 MaH battery

    China Phone so no B28

  • scrimshaw on 10/11/2017 - 13:40
    Suggested Meizu M6 Note

    you will need to type into the suggestion box in order to suggest a phone. If left empty it won't appear. It's added now.

  • JJG on 21/11/2017 - 14:36

    Motorola G5 Plus - what is the battery life as battery is not easily access to change battery? What is the cost to replace battery at the service centre?

  • brentsbits on 01/12/2017 - 17:48
    Suggested Xiaomi Mi5s Plus

    This is a cracker of a phone and can be had for next to nothing (relatively). I think I paid maybe $300-$350, somewhere around there and that was six months ago. Good battery life, nice screen, nice and fast.

  • fatness94 on 04/01/2018 - 18:35

    Hi scrimshaw,

    Hope you are well.

    Lately, I have been researching the forums and polls for mobile phones and laptops. I have stumbled upon your mobile phone and laptop polls and have thought you would be a good person to contact. I am interested in purchasing a laptop under $1500 but cannot find any polls for this category. I was fortunate to stumble onto your poll for laptops under $1000. I am interested in a laptop which is lightweight and has long battery life. The Thinkpad e470 is great but is slightly heavier than what I want. If you have any information regarding a laptop which falls into this category please let me know.

    Regards,
    Anthony

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