Ranking: Best smartphones for under 200 dollars/euros

The Samsung Galaxy A25, which weighs just under 200 g, does a lot of things right, such as its bright 6.5-inch 120Hz AMOLED display with a brightness of over 920 cd/m². The long-lasting updates including 5 years of security patches are also particularly pleasing. The built-in SoC Exynos 1280 offers solid mid-range performance, especially for less than 200 euros - but small stutters have to be forgiven.

There is also 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of memory, which can be expanded via a microSD card slot. Depending on the scenario, you can expect a battery life of around 13 to 16 hours. The 50 MP main camera comes with OIS and offers very good low-light performance.

For less than 200 euros, the Galaxy A25 really offers a lot, but it charges slowly, lacks IP67 certification and WiFi 6 and uses a lot of plastic.

you currently have to pay 179 euros for the

Galaxy A25 in the Samsung store.

The Xiaomi Poco M6 Pro presents itself as the display king with its 120Hz AMOLED panel with a brightness of over 1,000 cd/m². It also has a very solid plastic casing that protects against splash water. The built-in mid-range SoC Mediatek Helio G99 also offers plenty of power. The battery life of 14 hours is also impressive, as are the good stereo speakers.

the Poco M6 Pro lacks 5G, otherwise it only has significant weaknesses in terms of camera quality.

The Poco M6 Pro from Xiaomi is available in the basic configuration with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB ROM (expandable via microSD) for 175 euros in Amazon's Black Friday deal.

The design of the partially transparent Tecno Pova 6 Pro with mini LED light effects on the back is interesting and visually reminiscent of the Nothing Phone.

The smartphone from the Chinese manufacturer comes with 5G, a full 12 GB of RAM, 256 GB of storage and a 120 Hz AMOLED display, which is not as bright as the competition with a full 550 cd/m². The mid-range SoC Dimensity 6080 offers quite good performance, but more complex apps can lead to delays.

the Tecno Pova 6 Pro supports 5G, has a long battery life of 18.5 hours and fast charging with up to 70 watts or 10 watts reverse charging (wired).

The Tecno phone's speakers produce a very clear sound, but the update supply is unclear. It also does not support eSIM. In Europe, the Tecno Pova 6 Pro is currently available in very limited quantities. Only a few examples appear from time to time, sometimes below 200 euros, sometimes above. Alternatively, the Pova 6 Neo is available for 160 euros.

Smartphones from Tecno are not yet so well known in Europe, but the Spark 20 Pro+ offers a good main camera with 108 MP including decent low-light performance, but without an ultra-wide-angle camera. You also get a 120 Hz fast 1,080p AMOLED display with a very bright 906 cd/m². However, the panel is not optimally calibrated and uses PWM. The Helios G99 SoC offers class-standard performance values, plus 256 GB ROM, 8 GB RAM and Android 14.

The Tecno Spark 20 Pro+ is a slim and lightweight smartphone with a long battery life and good speakers, but lacks a microSD card slot.

In Germany, the Spark 20 Pro+ is still available in very few stores, such as at X-Kom for 195 euros.

With a whopping 8 GB RAM, 256 GB memory and the MediaTek Dimensity 7020 the Motorola Moto G54 G5 offers decent performance in the under 200 euro price range.

The storage space can also be expanded via microSD. 5G, DualSIM and eSIM are also offered. It also has a 120 Hz 6.5-inch display, although it uses IPS and remains somewhat dim at 470 cd/m². 3 years of security patches and two major OS updates are guaranteed. The disadvantages are WiFi 5 and slow charging at 15 watts.

As an entry-level smartphone, the Motorola Moto G54 offers a well-rounded package with a decent 50MP main camera, a long battery life and a robust casing including the option of a non-slip vegan leather back.

With 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage, the Moto G54 5G is available on Amazon for as little as 156 euros or for just 6 euros more you can get 12 GB RAM.

The Phone 1 comes from CMF, a subsidiary of Nothing, and is very interesting due to its modular design as well as its sheer specs. The Phone 1 comes with a high-resolution 90Hz OLED display with almost 1,200 nits and a fast Dimensity 7300 from MediaTek.

The modular design also makes it possible, for example, to swap the bottom shell, as we know it from older phones - different colors are possible, for example - but the simple screw connection makes it look more valuable and also visually appealing to some people. You might think that this concept would make it easier to access the battery, but this is masked off.

The modular design is a unique selling point of the Phone 1 from CMS, but CMS failed to make the battery accessible - otherwise you get very attractive specs for the price class, including good cameras and long battery life.

Thanks to the Accessory Point, a fold-out stand or a carrying strap can be used. 5G is also on board, but no NFC and only WiFi 5. The cameras are very good for the price range and the battery life is also very long at 18.5 hours. It charges with 33 watts. Either two nano SIM cards or a microSD card instead of the second SIM can be installed

For Black Friday, the CMS Phone 1 with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB ROM costs 179 euros on Amazon and Nothing.

The latest edition of the mid-range phone Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 5G once again offers a 120Hz AMOLED display, which is very bright at 965 cd/m² and is well pre-calibrated. The built-in MediaTek SoC Dimensity 6080 is quite a bit faster than the Snapdragon 685 4G of the predecessor model and thus offers good mid-range performance, plus 6 GB RAM and 128 GB fixed memory in the basic version.

The IP54-certified plastic casing is quite sturdy and looks much slimmer than the Redmi Note 13 4G. You get NFC, IR blaster, 3.5 mm jack and two NanoSIM slots, one of which optionally accepts a microSD card. eSIM is not supported. You get decent pictures in good ambient light, while the ultra-wide-angle camera is suitable for snapshots at best.

The Redmi Note 13 5G from Xiaomi is given a modern polish, the localization is good, the heat dissipation is low, but the advertising is annoying, WiFi 6 is not supported and the earpiece is a little too quiet.

The basic version of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 5G is available from Amazon for 199 euros.

On the one hand, the mid-range phone Vivo V40 SE 5G eSIM, a 1,200 cd/m² bright 120 Hz OLED display and 8 GB RAM. It can also be charged with up to 44 watts and has a battery life of over 17 hours.

In addition to mediocre speakers, however, only WiFi 5 is used and there will only be two major updates up to Android 16.

The V40 SE 5G from Vivo offers quite a lot, such as a good main camera and a fairly fast mid-range SoC, but lacks in detail.

For currently 159 euros you can get the Vivo V40 SE with 128 GB of storage at Alza.de. However, the 5G version has risen to well over 200 euros in the short term.