Suggest a Phone in 30-35K Budget

centinal

Broken In
1. Budget? : Rs.40000 (MAX)

2. Display type and size? - prefer a good display like Samsung.

3. Dual sim? : not mandatory

4. Preferred choice of brand? -currently using Samsung note 9 and very happy with the brand, any good reliable brand works

5. What camera option you want (flash, front facing camera)? Need a Good Camera, Good Front Facing Camera.

6. Preferred operating system? Android

7. Preferred connectivity options : 4/5G

8. Primary use of handset : daily driver

9. Any specific mobile phones in consideration? : s20FE 5G

10. Any other info that you want to share : planning to use it for a while so looking for good battery, good camera, performance and reliability
 

TigerKing

Wise Old Owl
1. Budget? : Rs.40000 (MAX)

2. Display type and size? - prefer a good display like Samsung.

3. Dual sim? : not mandatory

4. Preferred choice of brand? -currently using Samsung note 9 and very happy with the brand, any good reliable brand works

5. What camera option you want (flash, front facing camera)? Need a Good Camera, Good Front Facing Camera.

6. Preferred operating system? Android

7. Preferred connectivity options : 4/5G

8. Primary use of handset : daily driver

9. Any specific mobile phones in consideration? : s20FE 5G

10. Any other info that you want to share : planning to use it for a while so looking for good battery, good camera, performance and reliability
Avoid buying S20FE and S21FE
I personally used S21FE SD888 256GB for 2 months.
It usually heats 40°-43°C on normal usage. Like using WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube with 5G (Jio).

During 5G+ and hotspot, heating is more compared to games.
I tried many games. No lags but the heating is above 45°.
With flip case you won't feel any heat.
With a normal back silicon or rubber case you may feel heat.

*youtu.be/cShvCF3f6KY
For the camera, I agree with this guy, but I think he reviewed an old s21 FE.
Best Camera Smartphones Under ₹30,000
*youtube.com/watch?v=ExthQr6nreo

This device is only for the camera.
Type c Usb 3.1 for dex
(In future Android release this will be available to all Android.)
Gaming can be done with case, no problem with it.
The battery is the worst, consider buying a pocket power bank or wireless qi power bank.
More heat more battery life loss. I don't know how Samsung managed this thing.
For 5g, you will get 5g+.
no 5G++ in this
No VoNR. OneUI 6 may have it.
1 or 2 os upgrades remaining, if you care about Android os updates, then 2 years updates only. Confirmed by service center.

Type c to type c cable is there but no adapter.
Old or any other adapter will work just fine.


For me, it was 1st time I used OneUI with s21 FE 1st Samsung device.
I liked device software smoothness features.
It lacked many features compared to MIUI.
All others os funtouch, color os and OneUI lacks something compared to MIUI.
But with apps, root you can add many features.

OneUI in this is the same as the flagship device, not the core OneUI in budget, mid range device.
All features are great. OneUI will keep learning your usage pattern and accordingly set your device.
You will need power bank at the end of the day.
Screen on time varies from 3-7 hrs. Depending on usage.

There is an inbuilt automation feature, where you can simply automate tasks for better battery usage.
Eg.
Like turning on gps and full brightness when opened camera and maps.
Turn on Auto rotate when gallery is opened
Turn on Always on display on while charging
And many more Etc etc

Overall with 5G, don't buy a device below 5000 mAh.
And newer SoC are efficient with 5G. Old chipsets aren't good enough for 5G battery usage.
 
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S20FE 5G is better than S21FE for basics like less heating & better battery life. S21FE gets latest android update though, as android 13 was the last one for S20FE. Camera is great, but it is old now & at end of life.

IMO get OP 11R or Nothing Phone 2, should be good. Check reviews & compare pros & cons.

From Samsung, beyond M34 5G, the next phone I recommend is S23 because of poor SoC in rest of them. A23 is a fine phone as it lacks exynos but is overpriced.

Btw I compared cameras of OP 11R & my S20FE 5G side by side, selfie is superior in OP, rear cams are similar enough with OP lacking telephoto. These are for photos, not videos.
 
OP
C

centinal

Broken In
@omega44-xt
Any other suggestions from samsung considering older versions also?

I like the clean one ui experience 4m samsung, have not used any other Android in last 5yrs.
 
@omega44-xt
Any other suggestions from samsung considering older versions also?

I like the clean one ui experience 4m samsung, have not used any other Android in last 5yrs.
No

Used S20FE 5G & A52s 5G should be good for a few years but not 5 years. M34 will get 4 OS updates but I really doubt it will be a good exp in 3rd or 4th year because of the bad SoC.

If S24 releases with exynos, I plan to buy S23 next Diwali, else will buy S24 in 2025 Diwali. I don't like big sized phones & I'm dropping my S20FE a lot vs previous phones which were all compact for their time.

IMO Nothing is the spiritual successor of Oneplus, at least closest to old OP with focus on software. Sure it will lack some features that One UI has but I will anyday buy NP2 over S21FE/S23FE & suffer from heating or poor battery life, esp on mobile data.
 
OP
C

centinal

Broken In
@omega44-xt
I have been using galaxy note 9 for last 5yrs and I am very happy with the UI and Cameras, happy to an extent with battery, heating and performance I have exynos version.

currently I broke it's screen and back panel which would cost around 18-19K to get it replaced from authorized service center.

hence was thinking to buy one, and due to budget constraints couldn't go with s23 line up [ultra] thinking to go with a used or new, good phone for a while around a year. and make budget and get a good one like s23 or s24,

found S20 FE 5G for around 18k in amazon [used]. any suggestions please?
 
@omega44-xt
I have been using galaxy note 9 for last 5yrs and I am very happy with the UI and Cameras, happy to an extent with battery, heating and performance I have exynos version.

currently I broke it's screen and back panel which would cost around 18-19K to get it replaced from authorized service center.

hence was thinking to buy one, and due to budget constraints couldn't go with s23 line up [ultra] thinking to go with a used or new, good phone for a while around a year. and make budget and get a good one like s23 or s24,

found S20 FE 5G for around 18k in amazon [used]. any suggestions please?
I bought my S20FE 5G for 35k more than 2 years ago. My uncle bought it at 25k more than a year ago. So, 18k for used is a bit high.

If I had to buy a phone today that is not S23, my next choice would be Nothing Phone 2.

For a cheaper phone, Poco F5 was good in all aspects except camera at close to 20k during Durga Puja. Moto Edge 40 neo & OP Nord CE3 are decent choices as well. Each of them has their pro & con. At current prices, my choice will be Edge 40 neo at 25k.

Beyond that, honestly do your research & take your call.
 
@omega44-xt
Could you recommend any under 30k in this or upcoming sale please?
Realme GT 6T or Moto Edge 50 pro or OP Nord 4

Ordered GT 6T for a friend recently, 26k for 8/256GB. It will also get 3 OS updates, which is good for a phone at this price. IMO this is kind of a great phone with no major compromises.

Nord 4 8/256GB is 28k, gets you 1 extra OS update, flat display & Aluminium back, so can be considered as well.
 
OP
C

centinal

Broken In
Thanks @omega44-xt

On an another case one my friend was looking at nothing 2a for 20k for 8/256GB.
Would you suggest any other options under max 25k?
 
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Thanks @omega44-xt

On an another case one my friend was looking at nothing 2a for 20k for 8/256GB.
Would you suggest any other options under max 25k?
NP 2a is a safe choice. Sure you can get something faster, like Poco X6 pro for gaming, but for most NP 2a is the better choice because of battery life & UI (Xiaomi's UI is likely the culprit for battery life as well).

If you can increase budget, Realme GT 6T was 26k

View attachment 1728093584790.png
 

TigerKing

Wise Old Owl
Realme GT 6T or Moto Edge 50 pro or OP Nord 4

Ordered GT 6T for a friend recently, 26k for 8/256GB. It will also get 3 OS updates, which is good for a phone at this price. IMO this is kind of a great phone with no major compromises.

Nord 4 8/256GB is 28k, gets you 1 extra OS update, flat display & Aluminium back, so can be considered as well.
I get mixed reviews for realme gt 6t camera..
Can it be considered as a camera centric phone?
 
I get mixed reviews for realme gt 6t camera..
Can it be considered as a camera centric phone?
No. It is ok for the price considering the competition has not tried to improve much.

S23FE has the best camera under 30k or Pixel, both have bad SoCs making it impractical. Moto Edge 50 pro has good camera reviews as well but I think at best it will be slightly inferior to S23FE.

My S20FE's cameras hold up really well even now, so hard to beat Samsung flagship grade cameras. OP11R's main camera matches my S20FE's main rear cam. But my S20FE has good 2nd & 3rd rear cams whereas OP11R had a better selfie cam (I kind of did a detailed side by side comparison with a friend's phone).
 
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