40K+ Android phone needed, priority - camera, updates.

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john1911

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Hi all.

I currently daily drive a OnePlus 7 Pro. I have had this phone for more than 3 years and absolutely love everything about it, specially the screen but lately it has started showing signs of aging. Battery backup has significantly reduced. There is some sluggishness overall and Camera & Gallery apps have started lagging a lot. Nothing a battery swap & factory reset won't fix though.

I was lowkey looking for a phone but nothing could satisfy all my requirements. Today I read here that Samsung S21 FE is going for 32k (very VFM according to me) after ICICI discount and I'm tempted to say the least. Hence I'm making this therad to clear some of my doubts.


1. Budget?
A: Upto ₹50k but should be VFM and should last long.

2. Preferred display size, type and resolution?
A: 6" or more OLED (preferred) bright panel (~800nits), Refresh rate and Resolution are adequate on almost all the phones these days.

3. Preferred operating system? (Android (with version), iOS, etc).
A: Android 12/13 with atleast 3/2 OS updates (Company should have a good past record of timely updates.)

4. Preferred connectivity options?
A: 4G, 5G would be an added advantage but IDC about 5G.

5. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them.
Likes: Stock or near stock Android with useful features added. (Like old OnePlus, Motorola, etc.)
Dislike: Any brand that displays Ads in the interface, has bloats installed, has not so useful UI or heavy UI elements, doesn't release timely updates.

6. What is your intended use for this phone (internet, camera, multimedia, mails etc.)?
A: Camera, Messaging. No gaming or any kind of CPU-GPU taxing apps at all.

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

8. New or Used? Online or Offline?
A: New. Online.

9. Any other requirements?
A: First requirement is camera, after that bettery life.

10. If you have already considered a phone, then please mention the model
A: Not really. Maybe Samsung Galaxy S21 FE. Motorola Edge 30 Fusion/Ultra.

A little extra-
I have used OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 7 Pro in the past. I prefer to stay close to stock android with some additional useful features (like three finger screenshot, etc.). Since OnePlus has gone to s*** in the recent times, I'm not looking to buy from them. The other option for me is Motorola which I'm not much confident about althought the Edge 30 Fusion looks promosing on paper. Recently I saw the price reduction in Samsung Galaxy S21 FE and I'm thinking of buying it, I have never used OneUI but it can't be that bad, right? What are my other options?

The budget is very variable, I can go upto 50k provided the device lasts me long and there is a guarantee of Android OS updates. If all my requirements are satisfied at 30k, then well and good. I understand that the the returns diminishes as we move up the price bracket, hence I'm looking for a phone with good value for money, something that justifies its price.

Thanks in advance.
 
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john1911 said:
It was lag free. It used to be lag free. My OnePlus 5 is still lag free. The massive lag started with Android 11.


Clearly the implementation of OnePlus Android 11 OS. It was lag free till before that udpate.


"I shouldn't have to wait still 4 seconds while the camera app loads, then for 2 seconds while the camera is clicking the picture. Then 5 more seconds till the phone is processing the file. I'm perfectly satisfied with the "quality" of pictures my phone takes, but I'm not able to see past these problems."

Thanks for all the help, I appreciate the time you have put in this thread. I feel that you do not have anything else to offer. Thanks again.

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Thanks for the links, I will go through them momentarily.
This is very reassuring. A major plus point for the Samsung phones, but we are still to see it. Very often that not, we have seen manufacturers promise years of updates and then fail to deliver. Yet this is great news, thanks for updating me.






Yes, the insane value of S21 FE in the Big Billion Days is the primary reason why I created this thread. I was looking at the options in the market for a while but couldn't find anything worth but this 32k deal made me create this thread.

I don't mind waiting an extra second or two in special conditions but having to wait all the time, even in the perfect lighting conditions is what's buggin me.
I'm sorry I missed your post earlier.




I tried Samsung Galaxy Emulator thingy on Samsung Website but it was Skin Emulator, like the phones outer body shape emulator. Wasted 30 mins there.
This is the only remaining option, it seems. Will find some videos and try to get an overview of OneUI.
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Since you're fed up already and looking for change, you might as well try to use a good gcam port on your 7 pro and see if that makes a big difference for you. Using a gcam port on my mi 11x photos are pretty much instant in basically all conditions. Finding a gcam port with a good XML specifically tuned for your phone will do wonders.
 
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YogiDaGr8 said:
Since you're fed up already and looking for change, you might as well try to use a good gcam port on your 7 pro and see if that makes a big difference for you. Using a gcam port on my mi 11x photos are pretty much instant in basically all conditions. Finding a gcam port with a good XML specifically tuned for your phone will do wonders.
Click to expand...
Great advice.

I remember spending a lot of time finding the best GCam port, trying different XMLs and configuration it to perfection while I was on Android 10.

I'll try it again.
 
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john1911 said:
It was lag free. It used to be lag free. My OnePlus 5 is still lag free. The massive lag started with Android 11.

Clearly the implementation of OnePlus Android 11 OS. It was lag free till before that udpate.
Click to expand...
Roll back to 10. The reddit discussion on how to do that is over a year old. I'm surprised you put up with 11 this long.

www.androidauthority.com

Android 11 update for the OnePlus 7, 7T series is a disaster for users

Users of the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7T series are reporting several problems with their phones after the Android 11 update.
www.androidauthority.com www.androidauthority.com

If that works, replace the battery and get another two years.

I find in this game the longer you put off a replacement cost the better. I don't look forward to a new phone because each one seems to have less than what I had earlier.

They are faster and have the latest OS, some nice features yeah. But that mad excitement about the next phone has just gone for me.

3. ColourOS with Android 12 will be arriving soon which will take away the near stock android experience (I know I can choose not to upgrade but khujli).
Click to expand...
There isn't even a stable 12 out yet almost a year later. That's quite a lag for the second OS upgrade.

Thanks for all the help, I appreciate the time you have put in this thread. I feel that you do not have anything else to offer. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
A lot of one plus users are Korean haters. I think one UI is great. I've always liked the Koreans.

Tread carefully.
 
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Update: S21 FE is available for 21k 31k on Samsung's App with HDFC Bank Card.
I'll ask around and hope that one of my friends have it.

What I have realised that these days, it is all about the software, be it the overall phone experience, the camera experience, the lag (or absence of it). Hardware doesn't matter much to the average person after a point.

I saw several videos about Samsung's OneUI and found it well within my tolerance, will need a month or two to adjust properly but it is what it is. Other than that, I feel that Samsung is at the number one spot these days on the software support front. That's what affects the longevity of a device.

So, I have decided to go with Samsung Galaxy S21 FE.

Thanks a lot for all your help.
 
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dissel said:
Only issue with this phone is battery life, though power bank can help.

how is the mobile data - any heat ?
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From what I have read, there were some heating issues with Exynos 2100 but Samsung released some Exynos 2100 ver2 which addresses the heating issues to some extent (source:GeekyRanjit video).

Going by the plenty of reviews I have read/watched, the phone gives almost a day of battery life with 5 to 5.5 hours of SOT.
 
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I ordered one S21FE myself today.

If you use the Samsung shop app you can get an additional discount using a coupon.

You can consider using my coupon: Samsung shop app referral code : REFXBVB6D39G

I got ~1780 extra discount using this. Unlimited usage.
 
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singenaadam said:
I ordered one S21FE myself today.

If you use the Samsung shop app you can get an additional discount using a coupon.

You can consider using my coupon: Samsung shop app referral code : REFXBVB6D39G

I got ~1780 extra discount using this. Unlimited usage.
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot for the coupon code.

Will check it out first thing in the morning. Where did you get this coupon code from?
 
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dazzwilliams said:
What was the final price after all discounts
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30,249

The referral coupon code gives more discount than the 1st time user app code (1789 vs 1000)
john1911 said:
Thanks a lot for the coupon code.

Will check it out first thing in the morning. Where did you get this coupon code from?
Click to expand...
I got the code last month when I bought an S8 tab (offline) and registered the device.

I created a new account with another name (as the app ad said the discount would be 2k) and then came the fineprint; when I actually applied that app code, it showed only 1k, it was 2k only for phones >40k.

So, I tried my other code (that I posted) and got 1.7k, no brainer for me to choose this over the app code. Why give up 800Rs just like that?!
 
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singenaadam said:
30,249

The referral coupon code gives more discount than the 1st time user app code (1789 vs 1000)

I got the code last month when I bought an S8 tab (offline) and registered the device.

I created a new account with another name (as the app ad said the discount would be 2k) and then came the fineprint; when I actually applied that app code, it showed only 1k, it was 2k only for phones >40k.

So, I tried my other code (that I posted) and got 1.7k, no brainer for me to choose this over the app code. Why give up 800Rs just like that?!
Click to expand...
That's amazing price. Congratulations on your purchase.

I purchased it with a friends HDFC Credit Card for ₹30999 lumpsum. (The ₹1.7k coupon did not apply for some reason).
 
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