Mid-range

Feels like a 700 phone for 400, but reports of exploding units make him hold off recommending it.

Crowned ugliest phone of the year for its chaotic alphabet-covered design.

Has Google services back, but lags and has weaker cameras than the identical Huawei Nova 9, so it does not make sense either.

Smooth and polished with slightly better cameras than the Honor 50, but he cannot recommend it without Google services.

Joint best affordable phone, with a smooth 90Hz display and more care put in than rivals.

Pleasant but overpriced for what it is, when £500 nearly buys a real flagship.

A better 4a, but not as good value; a solid option.

Sponsored unboxing in which he praises the Nord CE as a well-rounded mid-range phone with a good screen, camera and battery for €299, thoug…

Second place with stupid levels of value: 108MP camera, 120Hz display and big battery for $279.

Ranked last: admirable sustainability message but far less capable than cheaper Xiaomi phones.

Mentioned only as an example of a phone Xiaomi sent early, which he did not review in full because he had been paid for related Twitter tea…

Nicest name LG has given a phone, but it launched at $600 and would have sold better at $400.

He uses the Redmi Note 9S as an example of Xiaomi's confusing naming, since the S means higher end here but not on other models.

Featured in a fake camera comparison posted before the phone existed.

Great audio with a DAC and two headphone jacks, but weak chipset and cameras made it little more than an MP3 player; 4/10 fail.

Samsung's advert used a DSLR photo and a fake background to show off its camera; 7/10 fail.

Advertised on camera quality without a single photo in the ad actually taken on the phone.

Lazy, confusingly named reskinned Oppo phone that loses too much versus the normal Nord to save £50; part of a 3/10 fail.

A 2019 mid-ranger running Sailfish OS, which he calls his favourite Linux software so far.

Impressive camera and powerful, but hard to justify over £700 given how good the alternatives are.

Looks suave as the Bond film phone, but it doesn't feel like a $700 phone once turned on.

A brilliant spec sheet, held back by a strange LCD choice.

Basically a Pixel 5 with a few features cut, and good value at $499.

HTC's attempted comeback phone had OnePlus Nord specs at around $600 instead of $400, and he thinks the company can't catch up (6/10 fail).