3 phones under Rs 30,000 launched in India recently: OnePlus Nord 2T, POCO F4 5G, iQOO Neo 6

While India continues to be driven by strong value propositions when making their electronics purchases, the market clearly has a demand for increasing premium smartphones. Enter, the sub-Rs 30,000 price segment. This segment sees phones that offer flagship-grade specifications and features while being affordable for the masses. In the past few weeks, we have seen three interesting smartphones launch in the sub-Rs 30,000 segment – the OnePlus Nord 2T, POCO F4 5G and iQOO Neo 6.

On this note, we take a look at what each of the devices in this segment brings to the table.

OnePlus Nord 2T

The latest of the three to enter the Indian market, the OnePlus Nord 2T is the only one here to be powered by a MediaTek chipset. The device is the latest mid-range OnePlus phone and comes with a design language that is fairly typical to a OnePlus device. It is also the most compact device among the three here.

In terms of specifications, the OnePlus Nord 2T (review) comes with the MediaTek Dimensity 1300 SoC, which on performance terms is a sub-flagship chipset that is comparable with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC. While the latter is more powerful than the Dimensity 1300, MediaTek’s chip that is powering the Nord 2T is more efficient than the Snapdragon chip.

Other specifications include two variants of memory and storage combination – an 8GB, 128GB one, and a 12GB, 256GB one. To the front, the display has a 6.43-inch full HD+ AMOLED display with a front camera to the top-left in a drill hole slot. The display has HDR10+ certification and comes with a 90Hz refresh rate and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 as well.

The setup is powered by a 4,500mAh battery with an 80W SuperVOOC fast charging standard. In terms of cameras, the Nord 2T features a 50MP triple rear camera with 8MP ultra-wide unit and a 2MP monochrome unit, while to the front is a 32MP selfie camera.

With all of this at hand, the Nord 2T goes on sale via Amazon from July 5th, at Rs 28,999 for the 8GB variant and Rs 33,999 for the 12GB variant. If you’re interested, you can get either of the two variants in the phone’s Grey Shadow and Jade Fog colour options.

POCO F4 5G

The POCO F4 5G (review) is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC, along with three RAM and storage combinations – 6GB + 128GB, 8GB + 128GB and 12GB + 256GB. It has the largest display of the bunch, with a 6.67-inch E4 AMOLED full HD+ display with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision certification. The display is likely the best of the pack at least on paper since it also offers a 120Hz refresh rate with a 360Hz touch sampling rate.

The F4 5G also looks slightly different, since it comes with flat edges on all sides. It is also the slimmest among the three.

Other features include a 4,500mAh battery with 67W fast charging, which albeit being fast in its own right, is slower than the other two. In terms of the camera department, the POCO F4 5G features a 64MP triple rear camera setup, with 8MP ultra-wide and 2MP macro units. To the front, it has a 20MP selfie snapper.

All of this costs Rs 27,999 for the 6GB variant, Rs 29,999 for the 8GB variant and Rs 33,999 for the 12GB variant – with a flat introductory discount of Rs 1,000 during the initial sale days. The F4 gets three colour options – Moonlight Silver, Nebula Green and Night Black.

iQOO Neo 6 5G

The iQOO Neo 6 (review) gets the exact same processor as the POCO F4, with two RAM and storage variants – 8GB + 128GB and 12GB + 256GB. The display is a 6.62-inch panel, and has the same features as the POCO F4, barring Dolby Vision.

The Neo 6 gets the same battery spec as the Nord 2T, offering 80W SuperVOOC fast charging. In the imaging department, the Neo 6 features the same setup as the POCO F4 for its rear camera, and a 16MP front camera.

The Neo 6 costs Rs 29,999 for the 8GB variant, and Rs 33,999 for the 12GB variant. Both get Rs 1,000 flat discounts, apart from bank offers. Buyers can get the phone in two colour variants – Dark Nova and Cyber Rage.