Ranking: Best smartphones for under 500 dollars/euros

The Xiaomi 13T shows many small improvements compared to last year's model. The AMOLED display still measures 6.67 inches and offers a high pixel density, but now works with a refresh rate of up to 144 Hz and has significantly more brightness. The built-in MediaTek SoC is positioned in the upper mid-range, has 8 GB of RAM and ensures good system performance. There is 256 GB of internal memory available, which cannot be expanded.

The Xiaomi 13T offers a well-rounded overall package, including a Leica camera.

The equipment is otherwise quite complete: IR blaster, IP68 certification, 67-watt fast charging and five-year updates are on the credit side. Unfortunately, the 13T does not support wireless charging and only uses USB 2.0. The Xiaomi smartphone also shows many changes in the camera setup, which now relies on two 50 MPix sensors and one with 12 MPix. Although the 13T does not achieve top imaging performance, it still offers a good and flexible setup.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G may have a rather unwieldy name, but it was convincing in the test. It has a 6.67-inch AMOLED display, which offers a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz and can be very bright. It is powered by a mid-range MediaTek SoC and can access 8/256 GB or 12/512 GB of memory, depending on the selected configuration. Xiaomi has also given it IP68 certification for the first time in the Note series. The 5,000 mAh battery can be charged quickly with 120 watts and the 200 MPix main camera delivers good photos.

The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G offers a stylish design and plenty of powerful technology.

Compromises have to be made with the additional camera optics. The smartphone will be supplied with updates for four years, but as it is still delivered with Android 13, it will already stop with Android 16. It also only uses USB 2.0 and does not support wireless charging.

The Poco F6 from Xiaomi offers a strong overall package. It offers a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with up to 120 Hz and a crisp display. The smartphone is powered by a fast Snapdragon chipset, which can fall back on 8 or 12 GB of RAM, with a choice of 256 or 512 GB of internal memory. A 5,000 mAh battery, fast charging, an IR blaster and Wi-Fi 6 round off the features.

The Poco F6 offers plenty of performance, but skimps on the camera.

The main sensor of the dual camera on the back delivers decent imaging performance in good lighting conditions, but the quality of the additional ultra-wide-angle sensor drops significantly. Furthermore, eSIM and 6 GHz Wi-Fi are not available.

The realme GT 6 has been launched as a real flagship killer and is extremely powerful on the data sheet, but does not rely on Qualcomm's fastest SoC. The battery is generously dimensioned at 5,500 mAh and can be charged quickly, the OLED display can be very bright and an IR blaster is also on board.

The realme GT 6 offers an eye-catching design and fast technology. However, it is not enough to be a flagship killer.

However, there are too many gaps in the equipment to compete with the premium smartphones: only USB 2.0, no wireless charging, no eSIM, no 6 GHz Wi-Fi and not fully waterproof with IP65. The camera, on the other hand, relies on two 50-MPix sensors and delivers good results, only the ultra-wide angle is rather weak in terms of quality.

The Google Pixel 8a has a comparatively small 6.1-inch AMOLED display. However, the compact appearance is marred by the rather thick display edges. It is powered by a speedy Tensor chip and has 8 GB of RAM. The internal memory is 128 or 256 GB.

The Pixel 8a comes with seven years of updates.

The Google smartphone is dust and waterproof in accordance with IP67 and has both USB 3.2 and eSIM support. Wireless charging is also supported and the 4,500 mAh battery gives the Pixel 8a a good battery life. The main sensor of the dual camera also takes really good photos.

The OnePlus Nord 4 has a large 6.74-inch AMOLED display, which can become very bright. The memory is very generous at 12/256 or 16/512 GB, but cannot be expanded. The update support is also long at six years. The 5,500 mAh battery is powerful and can be charged extremely quickly at 100 watts.

The OnePlus Nord 4 impresses with its stylish design and many features.

The Nord 4's main camera takes appealing pictures, but the additional ultra-wide angle is visibly weaker in terms of quality. In addition, eSIM support and wireless charging are not available.

The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus has a 6.7-inch AMOLED display, which is very bright in the test, but not as bright as promised by the manufacturer. The smartphone is powered by an exclusive MediaTek SoC with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal memory. Updates are available for four years. The support of the 6 GHz band in Wi-Fi is a positive highlight. Two 50 MPix sensors on the back are also rather rare in this class.

The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus impresses with its unusual design, including glyph LEDs on the back.

The LEDs on the back can be used for notifications, but can also pulsate to the rhythm of the music. However, it is a shame that the Nothing smartphone does not come with any premium features such as wireless charging, eSIM or a high IP certification.

The Motorola Edge 50 Neo is characterized by its compact design and offers a 6.4-inch pOLED display with a very high pixel density and a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. It is powered by a mid-range SoC from MediaTek, which has access to a generous 12 GB of RAM. The internal memory is also generous at 512 GB, but cannot be expanded.

The Motorola Edge 50 Neo comes in a stylish design and also offers unusual Pantone colors.

The triple camera on the back offers an additional ultra-wide angle with macro function and an optical zoom with OIS. The Motorola smartphone is also IP68 and MIL-STD 810H certified. Fast charging with 68 watts is also on board, as is wireless charging. In the test, the battery runtimes could have been a little longer, but are still at a good level.

The Xiaomi 13 Lite presents itself with a 6.55-inch display that aims to impress with features such as a dual selfie camera and 1,000 nits brightness. The Xiaomi 13 Lite is similar to the Xiaomi 12 Lite in many technical aspects and is also positioned in the mid-range. There are only a few major changes, such as the camera setup. The 108 MP main camera of the Xiaomi 12 Lite has been replaced by a 50 MP camera. The front camera now has two sensors: a 32 MP main sensor and an 8 MP depth sensor, which should enable better bokeh effects. The battery has also been slightly improved and now has a capacity of 4500 mAh instead of the previous 4300 mAh.

The Xiaomi 13 Lite is a slim and convincing mid-range smartphone.

The Xiaomi 3 Lite has to put up with criticism for its rather weak mono speaker. It also only comes with Android 12. In the test, however, it also impressed with its fast charging and speedy Wi-Fi.

The Xiaomi Poco X6 Pro turns out to be a smartphone with powerful hardware features. It has a 6.67-inch 120 Hz AMOLED display, is powered by a fast MediaTek SoC and can access 8/256 or 12/512 GB of storage, depending on the selected configuration, but there is no microSD support, although an IR blaster is available. Also on the plus side: fast charging with 67 watts and modern UFS 4.0 memory.

The Poco X6 Pro 5G is a real price-performance hit in terms of hardware, but shows weaknesses in the software.

Of course, there are also compromises to be made in view of the price range. The main camera offers rather average fare and the two additional lenses are rather mediocre. There is also only USB 2.0 and neither eSIM support nor wireless charging. Updates also stop after just three years.