10-15K Buying a phone during festive sale

[kartikoli]

As we all know both Amazon and Flipkart have started there sales so was thinking to retire my almost 3yrs old Redmi Note 7 Pro which is showing signs of slowness, I would like to try some other brands other than Mi this time but not restricting it. The phone will be used for Whataspp, email notifications, some random videos for pass-time, hardly make calls so battery is not my concern, would like a good screen with less clutters. Already have Samsung F51 so thats not an option.
Budget around 15k+/-

P.S. Indisplay fingerprint scanner is a deal breaker for me

 

[kartikoli]

After seeing how slow it performed in video I decided to leave even my 3yr old RN7 Pro perform better also there was slowness while using fingerprint (I hope it was the review for the phone and I am not mixing it with others). Did anyone noticed?
What about Redmi Note 10 lite thats been launched just this sale?

 

[Kaleen Bhaiya]

What about Redmi Note 10 lite thats been launched just this sale?

It has only 4gb ram. If you are going for custom rom then probably it should hold good, not with Miui.

 

[kartikoli]

It has only 4gb ram. If you are going for custom rom then probably it should hold good, not with Miui.

If it works without any issues then i don't mind using Miui but you are right considering future updates and clutters over the period of time 4gb will lag

 

[Emperor]

with latest android.... 50% people have complaint about *SPEED* no matter what brand/RAM they have..
.. is something relates with Security/privacy features of Android/UI?

 

[Kaleen Bhaiya]

It is both hardware and software. Chinese brands like Redmi, Mi, Realme will give you good hardware but the OS, software optimisation to fully utilise the hardware is missing. If you analyse it, you will see most of the budget phones upto 20k will have this issue.

Most of the culprit are those custom skins like MemeUI, ColorOS etc. There is a reason Google with Pixel can get the max performance even from a mediocre hardware. These custom skin developers never pay too much attention to sub-20k devices. Hence you will hear lot of complaints about phone performance degrading rather than improving with updates on these devices. Nothing wrong with Android per se.

Samsung is an exception and you would get decent performance with high spec'ed phone like SD SoC, ufs 2 and above, 6 gb ram. For budget spec'ed phone, I really cannot comment but reviews are not positive.

I have Nokia 7+ and it still buttery smooth for 3.8 gb ram on stock Android. I can never imagine this performance on my Poco X3 even with 6 gb ram.

 

[Emperor]

Clean Android / Stock Android also perform role in SPEED (yes H/W to requires to match ) ...

Micromax In Note 1
Micromax 2b
Motorola Fusion 30/40/60/Edge
Nokia is with Stock Android but due to mid-core hardware type... lags in performance (reviews)

About Samsung I can't blame for little slow as it's due HEAVY but Good UI, Good Display, Good Camera & Durability (Not for Gamers)
Also, Samsung promise that after Decemebr 2021 no more ads in their mobile ... so lets wait & watch

 

[kartikoli]

How is realme 8i?

 

[Emperor]

How is realme 8i?

1. Realme 8 Pro
2. Realme 8
3. Poco M2 Pro

Realme 8i reltively new, no EXTENSIVE user review available... I preferably stay away from latest released always... except for SAMSUNG

 

[kartikoli]

Going for RN10 Pro, wanted to try something else but I always end with note series
Redmi Note 1, Note 4 Pro, Lenovo something, Note 7 Pro....

 

[gokul.ece22]

Thats what I've planned this time, get a new device and install custom rom before switching to the device completely

Thats what i did after buying my poco f1. installed havoc os custom rom.

Currently running the final version of havoc os V4.9 (Android 11).

my other device redmi note 3 runs on havos os pie.

 

[Ramadhir Singh]

About Samsung I can't blame for little slow as it's due HEAVY but Good UI, Good Display, Good Camera & Durability (Not for Gamers)

@Emperor how does Samsung m21 2021 stacks against moto g40 fusion (considering price range upto 15k, will get 6gb version of either),
I was about to get m21 but then came across this video

@Kaleen Bhaiya what would be your thought in this.

if moto , moto g60 worth 2k more compared to g40 ?
if i get Samsung, i might flash it with custom ROM immediately, as i dont use any google services.

 

[Kaleen Bhaiya]

if i get Samsung, i might flash it with custom ROM immediately, as i dont use any google services.

Not possible with any Exynos Soc, nor MTK Soc. You need to have Snapdgragon Soc to flash custom roms.

if moto , moto g60 worth 2k more compared to g40 ?

IIRC, the only difference between the two is the camera/megapixels. G60 has 108mp while G40 has 64MP or 48MP. So if camera is not that much of a concern then go with g40. I did see some reviews on camera samples of the two and there was not much of a difference between the two. You can also consider gcam as an option.
My only qualms against both is their gigantic size and weight. Both are 6.67 and weigh nearly 225gms. If your palms are avg sized, you will experience pain if using for extended periods. I have poco x3 and it weighs similar to this, I can totally vouch for this. I don't think it would be an issue for those with big palms or used to lifting heavy weights.
Another thing is software update policy. iPwnz has had bad experience with his moto g5. There is just no clarity with their software, however, this can be get ridden off with custom roms as both has SD732g.

Regarding video, will update later.

 

[Ramadhir Singh]

Not possible with any Exynos Soc, nor MTK Soc. You need to have Snapdgragon Soc to flash custom roms.

i just learnt that .. was reading something here https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/samsung-galaxy-m21-2021-edition-sm-m215g-ds.4322425/page-2

weigh nearly 225gms.

that might be a small concern ...
not at all into video/photo - the only time camera would be used is during video calls.

Mostly used for mails and video. and planing to play some games, pokemon, anticipating fallguys, etc looking for something which could be used for long term.

 

[Kaleen Bhaiya]

which could be used for long term.

Check XDA if there are good custom roms available. If yes, then the issue of updates from Moto will not be a deal breaker. Stock/near stock performs good on 732g anyday over Exynos 9611. But yeah, it has IPS viz-a-viz Amoled in Samsung.
Regarding the video- this was also confirmed by @CapriAnupam when he got 4/64 variant for his friend. Again, this phone is for very casual use. You should expect some bugs and performance issues here and there as the Soc seems dated. Performance might be slightly better with 6/64.
Also one thing in Samsung is you cannot remove bloatware, only disable them. I haven't tried it on Samsung phones but since apps are based on Java, they should be easily uninstalled using debloater tool.

 

[CapriAnupam]

Performance of Samsung M21 2021 4/64 version will depend on the usage of the phone I think. The phone might not give good performance for a heavy user, who likes to install lots of apps, and plays games and uses Facebook, Instagram... memory hogging apps, etc.

For general usage, like one who likes to use Whatsapp, YouTube and such basic apps, I think the phone is a decent option. I did feel a very slight lag when more apps were installed on the phone, and while updating the apps on Play Store. But, that was noticeable to me, because I notice such things. A general user won't notice. It has been some days while my friend has been using the phone and he is satisfied and happy so far.

I will be keeping an eye on its performance whenever I get to see that phone. Considering the weight of Moto phones in that range, and also the irregularity of updates with Moto, Samsung phone does seem like a decent option to consider.

But yea, with further updates, don't know how the phone will behave. Will have to keep an eye on that.

Regarding bloatware, it is a mix. I was able to uninstall several apps, including those from Samsung, but some I were unable to uninstall and just had to disable them. But yea, bloatware is a big problem on Samsung phones, and one of the reasons for it being slow. I particularly hate the Samsung Store app, which is useless when already there is Google Play Store with everything you need.

 

[frozenscotch]

Lot of phones to choose from, but, it all depends on your taste.
I personally prefer vanilla android phones, so, did a search on gsmarena with phones from year 2020 having max cost as $290,
Got below list from Moto, Nokia and Oneplus. Pixels didnt make it due to higher price.
(This is not full list, there are 57 in total, this list is top popular)

You wont go wrong with pure android phones in terms of performance, no hassle of custom ROMS, and you get regular updates mostly.
Just need to select a phone having good screen and camera and that covers more than 90% use cases for most of the folks

 

[Ramadhir Singh]

(This is not full list, there are 57 in total, this list is top popular)

this is the problem, we have too many option - not not a single one ticking all boxes... i wonder why we dont have wifi6 in all phones in 2021 ? where as my last android phone was nexus 5, probably 2012 - it had ac (wifi5) network.

i started to look for this secondary phone with a budget of 10k and now im checking out M51 .. which is also disappointment as poco x3 seems to be better in terms of price vs performance.

 

[frozenscotch]

this is the problem, we have too many option - not not a single one ticking all boxes... i wonder why we dont have wifi6 in all phones in 2021 ? where as my last android phone was nexus 5, probably 2012 - it had ac (wifi5) network.

Yes, I had Nexus 4, and this Nexus lineup really showed how android has to perform with high end H/w specs at less cost (22k to 25k), but sadly they were killed and Google one program was born.
In 10K range, you can prolly look at Moto G series, they have very smooth performance but updates can be tricky. Also, nokia too, but can be couple of thousands more

Edit -This is a bit OT,but continuation to above conversation
I just had a look at latest nokia lineup, they had this line up .

OS	Android 11
Chipset	Qualcomm SM4350 Snapdragon 480 5G (8 nm)
CPU	Octa-core (2x2.0 GHz Kryo 460 & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 460)
GPU	Adreno 619

Is this chipset inferior to current SD7xx or even SD6xx ? I dont understand this numbering

 

[Kaleen Bhaiya]

poco x3

Don't consider it. It's performance only degrades with subsequent updates. If you want any MIUi-based phone, go for either Xiaomi or Redmi higher end devices like Note series. Poco is like an orphan child.. abandoned by Redmi!!
Source- Using it personally.
It's a different story of you are thinking about custom roms on this device.

 

[Ramadhir Singh]

It's a different story of you are thinking about custom roms on this device.

custom roms is last resort to debloat and is pain for sure.

I'm kind of leaning towards g40 fusion. I hope i wont regret later.
6gb is now 15k on flipkart. We wil get android 12 update -- Im sure we will have Lineage/etc available in 2-3 years for this.
the only complain i'm seeing online is the size and weight. Given i wont carry this phone outside ... i think i should go with it.

where as for Samsung m21 - lots of negative reviews about performance, lag and overheating.
M51 i liked, but its around 20k - my ideal budget was 10-12k, i seriously dont want to put more even 1 rupees more than 15K -- its already too much for for my use-case.