Budget 10-15K 12-16k Decent mid-range for everyday use

calvin1719

Mostly harmless.
Adept
Please help out with some suggestions and recommendations. I'm not too experienced at buying phones so if there's anything I should check or be aware of please let me know.

1. Budget?
A: Upto 12K, can maybe stretch to 15-16k if it's really worth it

2. Preferred display size, type and resolution?
A: Has to be 1080p at least, a smaller display is better. Ideally <6in but that's doubtful so I'll settle for between 6 and 6.5, lower is better. Don't really care about the tech, as long as it has decent readability in the sun.

3. Preferred operating system? (Android (with version), iOS, etc).
A: Android, recent version, doesn't need to be the latest. Has to be mostly stock OR have custom ROM support.

4. Preferred connectivity options? (4G, 3G, 2G etc).
A: 4G minimum, 5G a plus but not required.

5. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them.
A: Leaning towards Motorola due to near vanilla AOSP ROMs. Was considering Nokia, but most of their phones don't have FHD displays.

6. What is your intended use for this phone (internet, camera, multimedia, mails etc.)?
A: Browsing, productivity tasks, YT, discord, etc. No heavy gaming, but does need to have good battery life. Don't care about camera quality, anything will be good enough for the occasional functional photo etc.

7. Single SIM/ Dual SIM?
A: No preference

8. New or Used? Online or Offline?
A: New. Prefer buying online.

9. Any other requirements?
A:
- Good battery backup
- Ideally at least 6 GB RAM (dedicated hardware, not the swap space marketing BS that's being called "RAM" nowadays).
- 3.5mm jack
- microSD slot
- Dual speakers are a plus but might give it a miss if it's not possible within budget.
- Don't want to buy anything with a Unisoc SOC.
- Type C charging port

10. If you have already considered a phone, then please mention the model
A: Moto g32, g52
 
Poco X5 pro 5G has a pixel experience build available and has started to show up on OLX for 16k /buy new for 20k.
X4 pro roms, particularly evolution X seems to have matured, I'm going to try it on mine as soon as I get some time
 
Have you finalised anything?

Did you check the new Moto G54? 1 OS update is a bummer. Expect no ROM support as well. Maybe only Redmi 12 might have some ROM support or some other old Xiaomi device.
No haven't finalized anything yet. the g54 is a strong contender.

Poco X5 pro 5G has a pixel experience build available and has started to show up on OLX for 16k /buy new for 20k.
X4 pro roms, particularly evolution X seems to have matured, I'm going to try it on mine as soon as I get some time
Thanks for that heads up. I've used LineageOS for years, not really familiar with the other ROMs, except maybe crDroid.
Typically I prefer ROMs that have a lot of customization options, for both UI and granularity in phone settings. For this, from what I know pixel experience is lacking, but I'll check it out anyway.
 
No haven't finalized anything yet. the g54 is a strong contender.


Thanks for that heads up. I've used LineageOS for years, not really familiar with the other ROMs, except maybe crDroid.
Typically I prefer ROMs that have a lot of customization options, for both UI and granularity in phone settings. For this, from what I know pixel experience is lacking, but I'll check it out anyway.
pixel experience does not provide any customization options, but evolutionX does provides plenty of them. But when it comes to custom rom stability matters for daily drive purpose. For my device evolutionX is evolved so much that it fulfils all my requirements. But it still device to device as rom maintainer changes. Except OS update bummer Moto G54 is the one phone i will for me if I'm in your place.
 
Thanks for that heads up. I've used LineageOS for years, not really familiar with the other ROMs, except maybe crDroid.
If you're from the lineageOS era (or like me, even older), something I learnt recently - xda developers is not what it used to be. All the action is happening on telegram groups and most devs post on xda only once in a blue moon. Also they (these telegram groups ) have some very aggressive and dumb moderator bots.
 
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I believe from what you have mentioned, G54 5G seems to be your best bet. The only issue I find is that it has a massive 6000mah battery pushing the weight to ~192 gms. If you are comfortable holding a weight that long, no phone comes close to it.
 
True, but I'm also looking into Note 11/11 Pro https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_redmi_note_11-11336.php
There are some stable custom ROMs of this but it isn't available anywhere easily.
I bought the note 11 and was quite underwhelmed by it. I bought an x4 pro 5g the very next week.
The note 11 pro is a mediatek. Not sure if has fw support
Note 11 pro 5g has options, but this is basically an expensive poco x4 pro 5g. It's been replaced by the identical spec poco x5 so will be hard to get. You'll get them cheap on olx tho
 
I bought the note 11 and was quite underwhelmed by it. I bought an x4 pro 5g the very next week.
The note 11 pro is a mediatek. Not sure if has fw support
Note 11 pro 5g has options, but this is basically an expensive poco x4 pro 5g. It's been replaced by the identical spec poco x5 so will be hard to get. You'll get them cheap on olx tho
What was your verdict on the x4 pro? I can see it for 15 on fk right now for the lower variant.
 
It's nice.. hardware is good. Screen is better, 3.5 mm out is better. UI is a bit snappier, haven't tried any roms on it yet. Will try evo x soon.
I feel 64gb not sufficient for daily use. Also why bothering buying new when you're going to void warranty anyway. Might as well save a bit and get the 6/128 variant for 11-12k on OLX. That's what I did
 
Is the idle battery drain too much on moto phones (yours and G54)?
As per many youtubers.
G54 and edge 40 Neo have idle drain.
15-25% due to 5G++ and VoNR.
It doesn't switch back to 4g when idle at night or may be a software optimisation problem.
Don't know much about g84 but GSMArena reviews suggest g84 has better battery endurance.
But the interface is buttery smooth.
The camera is inconsistent for all g54, g84, edge 40 neo, check Kunal Malhotra YouTuber channel.

Do check Perfect gadget, Gyan therapy, tech junkies, techwiser, geekyranjit and trakin tech reviews.
 
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