Top 3 Mid-range Smartphones in 2018

Mid-range smartphones just keep getting better for cheaper in the recent years. If you do not want to spend a bomb or burn a hole in your pocket on getting a flagship smartphones which usually cost more than S$1000, then you should consider having a mid-range smartphone which cost half as much to or even less to accomplish almost the same thing for casual gaming, social media, or photography.

This is a comparison between the 3 best mid-range smartphones (SAMSUNG Galaxy A8 Star, HUAWEI nova 3i and OPPO R15) which were recently released with very exciting specs at a very affordable pricing.

Front view ( From left: SAMSUNG Galaxy A8 StarHUAWEI, nova 3i and OPPO R15)

Back view ( From left: SAMSUNG Galaxy A8 StarHUAWEI, nova 3i and OPPO R15)

General

	HUAWEI nova 3i	OPPO R15	SAMSUNG Galaxy A8 Star
Release date	July 2018	March 2018	June 2018
Form factor	Touchscreen	Touchscreen	Touchscreen
Dimensions (mm)	157.60 x 75.20 x 7.60	155.10 x 75.20 x 7.40	162.40 x 77.00 x 7.50
Weight (g)	169.00	175.00	188.00
Battery capacity (mAh)	3340	3450	3700
Colours	Black, Iris Purple	Snow White, Hot Red, Star Purple	Black, White

In term of phone sizes, SAMSUNG Galaxy A8 Star is the biggest, followed by HUAWEI nova 3i and OPPO R15. HUAWEI nova 3i is the lightest among them and weighed at 169gram.

The Samsung Galaxy A8 Star comes with a battery capacity of 3700mAh, and lasted almost eight hours of intensive use with the display constantly on.

Oppo R15 is in the second with a 3450mAh cell and followed by Huawei Nova 3i with 3340mAh. It might not matter all that much if you handles battery saving well.

Display

	HUAWEI nova 3i	OPPO R15	SAMSUNG Galaxy A8 Star
Screen size (inches)	6.30	6.28	6.28
Touchscreen	Yes	Yes	Yes
Resolution	1080x2340 pixels	1080x2280 pixels	1880x2220 pixels
Aspect ratio	19.5:9	-	18.5:9
Pixels per inch (PPI)	409	-	-

When come to screen size of the phone, some people prefer phones with larger screen sizes and some prefer pocket comfort and portability of a smaller device. 

HUAWEI nova 3i comes with a 6.30-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1080 pixels by 2340 pixels at a PPI of 409 pixels per inch. 

Oppo R15  comes with a 6.28-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1080 pixels by 2280 pixels.

Samsung Galaxy A8 Star comes with a 6.28-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1880 pixels by 2220 pixels. 

Hardware

	HUAWEI nova 3i	OPPO R15	SAMSUNG Galaxy A8 Star
Processor	octa-core (4x2.2GHz + 4x1.7GHz)	2GHz octa-core	octa-core
Processor make	HiSilicon Kirin 710	MediaTek Helio P60	Snapdragon 660
RAM	4GB	6GB	4GB
Internal storage	128GB	128GB	64GB
Expandable storage	Yes	Yes	Yes
Expandable storage type	microSD	microSD	microSD
Expandable storage up to (GB)	256	256	256

The Huawei Nova 3i is powered by octa-core (4x2.2GHz + 4x1.7GHz) processor and it comes with 4GB of RAM. The Oppo R15 is powered by 2GHz octa-core processor and it comes with 6GB of RAM. The Samsung Galaxy A8 Star is powered by octa-core processor and it comes with 4GB of RAM. 

If you are someone like me who take a lot of photo and video, you might want to consider HUAWEI nova 3i and OPPO R15 which have 128 GB internal storage. All smartphone have an expandable storage of up to 256 GB.

Camera

	HUAWEI nova 3i	OPPO R15	SAMSUNG Galaxy A8 Star
Rear camera	16-megapixel (f/2.2) + 2-megapixel	16-megapixel	16-megapixel (f/1.7) + 24-megapixel (f/1.7)
Rear autofocus	Phase detection autofocus	-	-
Rear flash	Yes	-	LED
Front camera	24-megapixel (f/2.0) + 2-megapixel	20-megapixel	24-megapixel (f/2.0)
Rear Flash	-	LED	LED

We all know that nailing the perfect selfie isn't easy—it's about the right combination of light, angle, setting, and photo filters. Make your selfie much more easy with better front camera.

OPPO R15 has a 20MP front camera, and 16MP+5MP for the rear camera.comes with numerous AI scene modes that can identify 120 different scenarios for the best shots

Samsung Galaxy A8 Star has a 16MP + 24MP dual camera setup on the rear with f/1.7 aperture and a single 24MP selfie camera on the front with f/2.0 aperture.

Huawei nova 3i has two front cameras, the first with 24 megapixels and the second with 2 megapixels

Huawei Nova 3i stand out from the crowd as they are one of the first smartphone that comes with four cameras (two on the front and two on the back), unlike the other phones which stick with a single front camera and dual-rear camera. The 24MP sensor captures the details with its f/2.0 wide aperture lens, while the 2MP sensor is for the depth of field.

To help you take your selfie game to the next level, Huawei’s Nova 3i has a AI Selfie recognition that optimises your portrait background depending on the scene. 

Like iPhone X Animojis, Huawei has also introduced its 3D Qmoji in Nova 3i. The animated emoji avatar can be can imitate expressions and movements along with voice.

Shot with OPPO R15's front camera

Shot with HUAWEI nova 3i's  front camera
Personally I feel the photo taken with Nova 3i is more vivid and I'm able to see the blue sky.

  

Shot with SAMSUNG Galaxy A8 Star's front camera

Shot with OPPO R15's rear camera

Shot with HUAWEI nova 3i's rear camera

Shot with SAMSUNG Galaxy A8 Star's rear camera

Software

	HUAWEI nova 3i	OPPO R15	SAMSUNG Galaxy A8 Star
Operating system	Android 8.1	Android 8.1	Android 8.0
Skin	EMUI 8.2	ColorOS 5.0	-

The Huawei’s Nova 3i and Oppo R15 runs on Android 8.1 and and Samsung Galaxy A8 Star runs on Anriod 8.0. 

Connectivity

	HUAWEI nova 3i	OPPO R15	SAMSUNG Galaxy A8 Star
Wi-Fi	Yes	Yes	Yes
Wi-Fi standards supported	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
GPS	Yes	Yes	Yes
Bluetooth	Yes, v 4.20	Yes, v 4.20	Yes, v 5.00
USB Type-C	Yes
Micro-USB	Yes	-	-
FM	Yes	-	-
Number of SIMs	2	2	2
NFC	-	-	Yes
Headphones	-	-	3.5mm

Sim 1

	HUAWEI nova 3i	OPPO R15	SAMSUNG Galaxy A8 Star
SIM Type	Nano-SIM	Nano-SIM	-
GSM/CDMA	GSM	GSM	GSM + CDMA
3G	Yes	Yes	-
4G/ LTE	Yes	Yes	-

Sim 2

	HUAWEI nova 3i	OPPO R15	SAMSUNG Galaxy A8 Star
SIM Type	Nano-SIM	Nano-SIM	-
GSM/CDMA	GSM	GSM	GSM + CDMA
3G	Yes	Yes	-
4G/ LTE	Yes	Yes	-

Sensor

	HUAWEI nova 3i	OPPO R15	SAMSUNG Galaxy A8 Star
Face Unlock	-	-	Yes
Fingerprint sensor	Yes	-	Yes
Compass/ Magnetometer	Yes	-	-
Proximity sensor	Yes	Yes	Yes
Accelerometer	Yes	Yes	Yes
Ambient light sensor	Yes	Yes	Yes
Gyroscope	Yes	-	-

The Huawei Nova 3i is a dual SIM (GSM and GSM) smartphone that accepts Nano-SIM and Nano-SIM. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, Micro-USB, FM, 3G and 4G (with support for Band 40 used by some LTE networks in India). Sensors on the phone include Fingerprint sensor, Compass/ Magnetometer, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor and Gyroscope.

The Oppo R15 is a dual SIM (GSM and GSM) smartphone that accepts Nano-SIM and Nano-SIM. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, 3G and 4G. Sensors on the phone include Proximity sensor, Accelerometer and Ambient light sensor.

The Samsung Galaxy A8 Star is a dual SIM (GSM + CDMA and GSM + CDMA) smartphone. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth. Sensors on the phone include Fingerprint sensor, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer and Ambient light sensor.

 Conclusion: Pricing and Value

	HUAWEI nova 3i	OPPO R15	SAMSUNG Galaxy A8 Star
Retail Price	S$398	S$749	S$748

All smartphones are below $800 and HUAWEI nova 3i is the cheapest with only S$398 (Almost half the price of the other competition).

Samsung’s Galaxy A8 Star is a star performer when it comes to graphics-heavy gaming, with its Super AMOLED Infinity display. Battery life is pretty impressive thanks to a large 3,700mAh battery.

OPPO R15 continues to create beautiful photos with capable camera with numerous AI scene modes. that can identify 120 different scenarios for the best shots. Strong, seamless performance thanks to the Octa-core processor and 6GB RAM, so you’ll experience smooth multitasking and seamless switching between apps.

HUAWEI nova 3i's application performance is solid and camera is excellent for its price range. The Nova 3i features 24MP + 2MP dual front cameras and can recognise 200 scenarios across 8 categories such as Blue Sky, Flower, Beach and room. The rear cameras can recognise over 500 scenarios in 22 categories. Other cool features include 3D Qmoji, Huawei's version of augmented reality emoji and some AI features for the gallery app.

It's well worth considering if you're shopping for smartphone on a budget.