Unlike our list of phones under 25K that saw a major overhaul, there have been very few changes in the budget range of 25K to 30K. However, there has been a significant drop in prices of most phones in this list, thanks to the festive sales. As one can expect in this segment, we have phones with high refresh rate AMOLED displays, powerful processors, impressive cameras with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and of course, 5G compliance. Here are the best smartphones you can get your hands on under Rs 30,000 in India currently.
Poco F5 5G
The Poco F5 5G is a great option in this budget too for its excellent all-round capabilities. Rarely has a phone headlined two of our lists in the same quarter. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 SoC, which is comparable to the Snapdragon 888+ chip, and one can choose between 8GB or 12GB RAM along with 256GB internal storage; we prefer the former given the Rs 3,000 price difference.
The Poco F5 5G has an attractive design, with its Snowstorm White variant featuring a holographic design at the back which radiates different patterns from different angles. The phone is quite slim measuring just 7.9 mm in thickness and fairly light for this age, weighing close to 180 grams. One striking feature of this device is its vibrant 6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED screen with support for 12-bit colour, 120 Hz refresh rate, 1000 nits peak brightness and HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compliance.
The display is protected against scratches by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Photography is handled by a 64MP primary camera with OIS, an 8MP ultra-wide shooter and a 2MP macro camera. You get a 16MP front camera for selfies and video calls. Its 5000 mAh battery can last over a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 67W fast charger can recharge it fully in a little over 45 minutes. The Poco F5 5G runs Android 13 with MIUI 14, and is one of the rare phones to offer a 2-year warranty.
Poco F5 5G price in India: Rs 23,999 for 8GB RAM/256GB storage; Rs 26,999 for 12GB RAM/256GB storage
OnePlus 10R
The OnePlus 10R may be a generation-old phone but is still quite powerful, and more importantly, a very good deal at its current selling price. It is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8100 chip, which is also comparable to a Snapdragon 888 in performance. You get the 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage variant comfortably under 30K at the moment on Amazon India. It has a 6.7-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display that supports 10-bit colour depth, flaunts HDR10+ compliance and 120 Hz refresh rate.
The camera department has a 50MP primary camera with OIS that captures some impressive shots, and is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide snapper and a 2MP macro camera. The 16MP front camera is good enough for selfies and video calls. Its 5000 mAh battery keeps it going for over a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 80W fast charger juices it up fully in a little over half an hour. The OnePlus 10R launched with Android 12 with OxygenOS 12, and can be updated to Android 13 with OxygenOS 13.
OnePlus 10R price in India: Rs 27,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage
Realme 11 Pro+ 5G
The Realme 11 Pro+ 5G is packed with some impressive features starting with a 200MP primary camera with OIS that captures some great images across varied lighting. It is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 2MP macro camera. The 32MP front camera will please the selfie enthusiasts. The phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7050 SoC, which is decent enough for the segment though not as powerful as the phones above. You get 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage to go with it.
The Realme 11 Pro+ 5G has a 6.7-inch curved Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate. It is HDR10+ compliant and can display over a billion colour shades. The curved display adds to the style quotient of this device. Speaking of which, this phone looks and feels great courtesy of a vegan leather back. Thanks to some neat power management, its 5000 mAh battery lasts close to two days of moderate use. The company bundles a 100W SuperVOOC charger that manages to take it from empty to full in under half an hour. The 11 Pro+ 5G runs the latest Android 13 with Realme UI 4.0.
Realme 11 Pro+ 5G price in India: Rs 25,999 for 8GB RAM/256GB storage
Motorola Edge 40
The Motorola Edge 40 is another stylish phone you can opt for in this budget, and is fairly compact too for today’s standards. The phone measures just 7.6 mm in thickness and weighs close to 170 grams despite its aluminium frame. You can choose between a plastic and eco leather back panel. This phone too has a curved 10-bit 6.55-inch P-OLED display, but with a higher 144 Hz refresh rate, 1200 nits peak brightness and HDR10+ compliance.
This phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8020 SoC, and you get 8GB RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 internal storage here. The camera department on this phone believes in quality over quantity with just two cameras at the back. It has a 50MP primary camera with OIS and a 13MP ultra-wide camera with auto-focus, which doubles up as a quality macro camera too. The 32MP front camera is bound to impress the selfie crowd.
Its 4400 mAh battery can go on for over a day of moderate use and the bundled 68W fast charger can recharge it fully in under 45 minutes. The Motorola Edge 40 runs Android 13, and like most Motorola phones, you get a clean and near-stock user interface. It is a good option for those who prefer stock Android UI but cannot afford a Google Pixel phone.
Motorola Edge 40 price in India: Rs 26,999 for 8GB RAM/256GB storage
Tecno Camon 20 Premier 5G
The Tecno Camon 20 Premier 5G is a very interesting device that is packed with some neat features. To begin with, it offers 512GB storage – something incredibly rare in this budget. The camera department is loaded too, starting with a 50MP primary camera with sensor-shift OIS. Then you have a 108MP ultra-wide camera (another rarity) with auto-focus. It can capture some excellent macro shots too. And there’s a 2MP depth sensor to assist in portrait shots; nothing rare about that.
You also have a 32MP front camera for selfies and video calls. This phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8050 chip and is accompanied by 8GB RAM. The Tecno Camon 20 Premier 5G has a 6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling. A 5000 mAh battery keeps it powered for a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 45W fast charger promises to charge two-thirds of the battery in 30 minutes. The phone runs Android 13 with HIOS 13 UI.
Tecno Camon 20 Premier 5G price in India: Rs 28,999 for 8GB RAM/512GB storage
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