Budget 15-20K Best Android Camera Phone at 20k

satyanjoy

Skilled
Hello guys, I am using Moto G (8gb) and looking for an upgrade. My main issue my Moto G 1st gen is bad indoor photo and lack of expandable storage. I will prefer a phone with good enough indoor photo and which can last 2-3 years. My main focus will be camera quality at indoor or artificial light. I have following phones are in my mind -

1. Moto g 3rd gen - cheaper, familiar, much better camera than my current moto g 1st gen,regular os update and water resistance (I was a motorola defy user !!)
2. One Plus One - beast of a phone, way much value, I am bit worried about the Oxygen OS, is it too old to get further future update ? how is the after sales support in Bangalore ?
3. Asus Zenphone 2 - another beast, I read that camera is not as good as one plus one
4. Mi 4 - wild card entry in my list, is it worth without 4g and infamous heating issues, how is after sale support?

A common question to all above phones - which one take best indoor pics at artificial and low light and videos (pics has higher value in compare to video). We have a new born and all I want is to capture the beautiful moments at best possible & affordoable way.I already have sony DSC-WX300 camera home but sometimes moments are so fast that phone camera is the quickest to get that, also bit hassle free to share those pics among my family. suggestions please
 
+1 to the S4. If a good camera is a priority, the S4 is far better than the both the 1+1 & 2.

I bought the S4 a few months ago when it cost 18k, and the 1+1 was cheaper. now it makes no sense at all why folks are recommending it!

at the snapdeal price, there arent many reasons to say no
 
I would suggest mi4 as it has HD recording. You can capture those baby moments and watch in your HD tv.

mi4i and mi4 to me are what I can strongly recommend above the rests

Best camera's are in s4 @14k on snapdeal and s5 @22k on Flipkart .

+1 to the S4. If a good camera is a priority, the S4 is far better than the both the 1+1 & 2.

I bought the S4 a few months ago when it cost 18k, and the 1+1 was cheaper. now it makes no sense at all why folks are recommending it!

at the snapdeal price, there arent many reasons to say no

or Samsung galaxy zoom series from ebay, if want to carry a camera with phone..

thank you all for your suggestions..How is Xperia Z1 at 17k range? Its camera sensor seems to be amazing at paper, old flagship but up-gradable to Lollypop?

As for Samsung s4, many people say that touchwiz make the phone lag even after lollypop upgrade? also what is the exact model number? I am seeing multiple Samsung Galaxy S4 listing at snapdeal -

Samsung Galaxy S4 GT I9500 16GB deep Black
Rs 13999

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini I9192 Deep Black
Rs 18456

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini I9192 8GB White
Rs 13700

Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom SM C1010 8GB Blue
Rs 22500

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini I9192 8GB
Rs 17165

Samsung Galaxy S4 GT I9500 16GB
Rs 14000

which one to pick?
 
S4 >S4 mini .
S4 mini is not full HD screen , nor is S4 zoom .
But the S4 zoom is a better camera .
Xperia z1 is a great camera and full HD screen . Also it has a more premium feel .
I own a S3 and S4 .
Samsung flagships do not feel as premium as Sony flagships , up to s5. S6 is surely a premium feel phone.
If you are into rooting and flashing of the phones , look up xda for support .
BTW the S4 black has a more premium leather type plastic back , unlike the plain shiny back in the white S4 that I own .
 
We have a small baby at home like you and we love taking her pictures.
I have an iPhone 5. I also have a Dslr with a decent prime collection. I am not exactly a professional but yes I have competent skills (getting self congratulatory here )
I gifted my father a mi4 1 yr ago and before that he had a moto g 1st gen like you.
Believe me , the photos out of mi4 are very very good.
Not taking the larger Slr benefits ( bokeh, snr) , the dynamic range of mi4 betters my iPhone 5c and 5s comfortably. I was frankly surprised at the photos out of mi4.
The main advantage of iPhones in general is that they keep shutter speeds high, and ISO low. This helps in getting a photo which is free of motion lag (esp imp for newborns) but darker photos.
Android phones generally use a leisurely shutter time and higher ISO by default, but do manage to tAke a better photo in the end.
Although a good photo not all about the IQ, but if seeing IQ:price ratio nothing comes near mi4/mi4i.
both the older galaxies have a good camera but again not as good as mi4.
So among your listed choices mi4. Mind you it is a very average as a phone.

Personally I will not suggest camera phone as a dedicated imaging machine for newborns. But if you must , try to plump up for an iPhone 6.
0months - 6 months easy peesy japaneesy ( can do even with the slowest camera phone )
6-11 month - can do with fast phones with fast buffers like an iPhone /Galaxy s5
> 11 months : get a fast dslr with a faster lens. Or better yet get one of those new fangled mirrorless from sony/Samsung.[DOUBLEPOST=1441997419][/DOUBLEPOST]Oh and one plus one and mi4 have almost the same camera sensor. Just that the lens is slightly wider in mi4 1.8 vs 2.0 I think.
It's just that one plus (both cm / oxygen ) completely bungled up the camera drivers/UI and made it into a slow frustrating camera. I sold off my opo because I could not get the same camera quality as a 3 year old isheep device.
 
S4 >S4 mini .
S4 mini is not full HD screen , nor is S4 zoom .
But the S4 zoom is a better camera .
Xperia z1 is a great camera and full HD screen . Also it has a more premium feel .
I own a S3 and S4 .
Samsung flagships do not feel as premium as Sony flagships , up to s5. S6 is surely a premium feel phone.
If you are into rooting and flashing of the phones , look up xda for support .
BTW the S4 black has a more premium leather type plastic back , unlike the plain shiny back in the white S4 that I own .

Thanks mate..

We have a small baby at home like you and we love taking her pictures.
I have an iPhone 5. I also have a Dslr with a decent prime collection. I am not exactly a professional but yes I have competent skills (getting self congratulatory here )
I gifted my father a mi4 1 yr ago and before that he had a moto g 1st gen like you.
Believe me , the photos out of mi4 are very very good.
Not taking the larger Slr benefits ( bokeh, snr) , the dynamic range of mi4 betters my iPhone 5c and 5s comfortably. I was frankly surprised at the photos out of mi4.
The main advantage of iPhones in general is that they keep shutter speeds high, and ISO low. This helps in getting a photo which is free of motion lag (esp imp for newborns) but darker photos.
Android phones generally use a leisurely shutter time and higher ISO by default, but do manage to tAke a better photo in the end.
Although a good photo not all about the IQ, but if seeing IQ:price ratio nothing comes near mi4/mi4i.
both the older galaxies have a good camera but again not as good as mi4.
So among your listed choices mi4. Mind you it is a very average as a phone.

Personally I will not suggest camera phone as a dedicated imaging machine for newborns. But if you must , try to plump up for an iPhone 6.
0months - 6 months easy peesy japaneesy ( can do even with the slowest camera phone )
6-11 month - can do with fast phones with fast buffers like an iPhone /Galaxy s5
> 11 months : get a fast dslr with a faster lens. Or better yet get one of those new fangled mirrorless from sony/Samsung.[DOUBLEPOST=1441997419][/DOUBLEPOST]Oh and one plus one and mi4 have almost the same camera sensor. Just that the lens is slightly wider in mi4 1.8 vs 2.0 I think.
It's just that one plus (both cm / oxygen ) completely bungled up the camera drivers/UI and made it into a slow frustrating camera. I sold off my opo because I could not get the same camera quality as a 3 year old isheep device.

you hit the bulleye !! my phone will not be the primary shooter, Its just I no longer deal with my poor image and lack of memory problems of my Moto G (or else its a fine daily driver for me - I am content and happy)..I am bit confused whether to pick Mi4 64gb or Mi4i 32gb
 
Mi4 >Mi4i
But Mi4i no 4G in India .
I have the first gen moto g 16 gb .
And the camera of my moto g is exceptionally bad . None of the other phones mentioned in this thread will even be half as bad as the moto g first gen .
 
Go for the lowest priced mi4 if you need the better camera.
if you also need 4G / dual sim then you have to go for mi4i

Mi4 >Mi4i
But Mi4i no 4G in India .
I have the first gen moto g 16 gb .
And the camera of my moto g is exceptionally bad . None of the other phones mentioned in this thread will even be half as bad as the moto g first gen .

I think Mi4 is less heating issues in compare to Mi4i but heating issue will be there specially for people who play games a lot.[DOUBLEPOST=1442002850][/DOUBLEPOST]As of now, I am almost locked on the Mi4 64gb version from flipkart for 17k..I will wait for Motorola X Play to launch on 14 september and will see the user response.
 
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1+1 low light performance is bad . wait for moto x 2015 it seems its going to be good can phone

Moto x play , may be good , but as the op title suggests , I guess the phone may not come within 20 k . Although I surely hope it does .

I hope Moto X play will come at near 18k price point. Mi5 is coming by end of this year. But I can't wait that long. I heard that Vivo X Shot has a killer camera with optical image stabilization
 
There has been a wide disparity recently regarding the chipsets/specifications and the prices at which the phones are actually sold.
For example for 410 we have Redmi 2 prime @7k , moto g @ 13k and Galaxy A5 @ 20k are all based on similar set of specifications.
Similarly for 615 we have yureka @9k , Nubia @17k , m4 aqua@ 20k and so on.

I am not implying that the Galaxy A5 or M4aqua are bad phones. On the contrary they are excellent. But just because moto play has a 615 chipset, It would not be fair to expect a lower pricing.
But I will be the happiest if moto and Flipkart surprise us with an early dusshera gift.
 
Moto x play is based on snapdragon 615 so should be priced under 20k .

There has been a wide disparity recently regarding the chipsets/specifications and the prices at which the phones are actually sold.
For example for 410 we have Redmi 2 prime @7k , moto g @ 13k and Galaxy A5 @ 20k are all based on similar set of specifications.
Similarly for 615 we have yureka @9k , Nubia @17k , m4 aqua@ 20k and so on.

I am not implying that the Galaxy A5 or M4aqua are bad phones. On the contrary they are excellent. But just because moto play has a 615 chipset, It would not be fair to expect a lower pricing.
But I will be the happiest if moto and Flipkart surprise us with an early dusshera gift.

Moto X play launched at Rs. 18499 (16gb), sales will start at midnight tonight.

Hardware does not equal to performance always, although hardware defiantly sets the ground work. Phones like Moto G prove that. Its all about optimization and target audience. Moto G is a perfect phone as a daily runner, my cousin got the new moto g3 recently and I checked the in my hand and compare with my moto g1 and g2. The camera is marginally better than moto g2 in indoor shots. I will wait a while for some review on the moto x play.
 
According to YouTube reviews MotoX plays camera is not something special ,its just OK kind of camera . May be a good one in comparison with sub 25k camera phones . Many review say stuttering is seen some times . any way we can't expect flagship performance from something under 20k .
 
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