Today, OnePlus announced the Nord N10 5G, its second 5G mid-range phone this year. The phone will go on sale first in the UK and Europe at a price tag of £329 and €329 respectively before landing in North America.
While the OnePlus Nord N10 5G does pack decent specs, the category and price range it belongs to is packed full with several options. This post is a list of five alternative budget 5G phones you can purchase. Do note that this list of devices is in no particular order.
Mi 10T Lite 5G
The Mi 10T Lite 5G is a new phone that launched this month. It is the least powerful model of the Mi 10T series but is also the cheapest. Nevertheless, this budget 5G phone has a lot going for it.
The Mi 10T Lite has a 6.67-inch display with a centered punch hole in the middle. This is an LCD display like you have on the OnePlus Nord N10 5G but Xiaomi’s phone has a higher 120Hz refresh rate and AdaptiveSync that automatically switches between refresh rates based on the content on your screen. The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 750G and comes with 6GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of storage with a dedicated MicroSD card slot.
There is a 64MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP quad-camera setup on the back while a 16MP camera is in front for taking selfies. It also has a bigger 4820mAh battery and supports 33W fast charging. There is NFC, a 360° ambient light sensor, IR blaster, stereo speakers, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.
The Mi 10 Lite packs better specs than OnePlus’s new phone and is also cheaper in the UK, selling for £229 for the 64GB version and £249 for the 128GB version. You can even grab the base model for £199.00 today. Hurry, there are only a few hours left. In other parts of Europe such as Germany, the phone sells for €279.90 for the base model and €349.90 for the 128GB version. That sure is more expensive than the OnePlus Nord N10 5G but it offers more in terms of features.
Mi 10 Lite 5G
Before the Mi 10T Lite 5G, there was the Mi 10 Lite 5G. If you prefer an OLED display, then this should do it for you, however, its 6.57-inch FHD+ HDR10+ screen has a waterdrop notch and it only has a 60Hz refresh rate.
The Mi 10 Lite 5G also has a 48MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP quad-camera setup but its selfie camera is a 16MP sensor. You do get the Snapdragon 765G processor with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. There is no storage expansion support but it has an in-display fingerprint scanner, NFC, stereo speakers, and an IR blaster. Its battery is slightly smaller than that of the Nord N10 5G at 4160mAh and it supports a much slower 20W fast charge.
The Mi 10 Lite is £349/€349 for the 6+128GB version and £299/€309 for the 6+64GB version.
Moto G 5G Plus
Motorola’s Moto G 5G Plus is the first Moto G 5G phone and it keeps the affordable price tag the series is known for. Starting at €349, the phone has a 6.7-inch FHD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate and two separate holes in the screen for front-facing cameras.
It is powered by the Snapdragon 765 processor and has up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Just like the Nord N10 5G, and the other two phones mentioned above, the Moto G 5G Plus has quad rear cameras – a 48MP primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide angle camera, a 5MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth camera. Its primary front camera is a 16MP sensor paired with an 8MP ultrawide angle camera.
Other features are a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, NFC, a dedicated Google Assistant button, and a 5000mAh battery with support for 20W fast charging. The base model with 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage is €349 while the 6+128GB version is €399.
OPPO Reno4 Z 5G
The Reno4 Z 5G is another affordable 5G phone that launched earlier this month in Europe. Unlike the other devices on this list that are powered by Qualcomm processor, the Reno4 Z 5G has MediaTek’s Dimensity 800 chipset inside it.
The screen is a 6.57-inch FHD+ LCD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and a pill-shaped punch-hole for dual front-facing cameras. The processor is paired with 8GB of RAM, more than the Nord N10 5G has but you get 128GB of non-expandable storage.
You also get a 48MP quad-camera setup on the back which includes an 8MP ultrawide angle camera and two 2MP sensors. The front cameras are a 16MP + 2MP combo with an ultrawide angle lens. You get a smaller 4000mAh battery and a much slower 18W fast charging. There is also NFC, an audio jack, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.
The phone is available for purchase for £329.99 and if you order between now and November 13, you get a free pair of OPPO Enco W31 TWS earbuds that are priced at £89.
Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
The Galaxy A42 5G will arrive in Europe next month but it is still worthy of being on this list. The mid-range 5G phone will sell for £349/€369 when it goes on sale on November 6, and for that price, you get a phone powered by the Snapdragon 750G processor.
The phone also has a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display albeit HD+. The variant that will be sold in the UK has 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It also has a 48MP quad-camera setup that includes an 8MP ultrawide angle camera, a 5MP macro camera, and a 5MP depth of field camera. A 20MP selfie camera sits in the notch in the display. There is also a 5000mAh battery that charges at a disappointing 15W.
The Galaxy A42 5G also has an in-display fingerprint scanner, support for MicroSD card, and NFC.
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