30-40k Good budget android phones for long-term use

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hemant1729

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Have been using one plus 6 for the past 4 years. I started freezing and crashing. Tried a full reset, and installing custom ROMs but nothing worked. Please suggest a good android phone under 40k. Looking for one with a clean, reliable UI experience and good battery backup.
 
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Since you've already tried OnePlus, mind giving it another shot? Could go for a 10R or Nord 2T if you want to save some money.

Another great option would be a Pixel 6A, clean, reliable and stock UI experience makes it a pretty good package.

Would suggest going through some review videos of both to get a better idea as per your requirements.
 
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Motorola G series are indeed good phones barring camera output. I used G3 for 3 years before it became very slow. App opening is still quick but the memory access became slow due to usage.
Around that time, some of my family members bought G4 play and G5 models. They used for 4+ years without any issue. All in all, Moto has its cons wrt camera and software updates. If your usage is calling, youtube, WhatsApp, browsing stuff, then go for Moto. G62 is around 15k and 5G phone, Should serve you well
 
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i would suggest the poco f4 . It has solid hardware, its just MIUI that lets it down. since you have indicated you have used cutom roms in the past, I think it wont be an issue since Poco F4 has a pretty active custom rom community around it and most of the custom roms are very stable with little to no bugs.
 
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hemant1729 said:
My friend had a terrible experience with Nord. Also read that 6A has its own issues. Does Motorola make good phones?
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I just got the 6a 2 weeks back and I love it. Some QoL life features are missing, which you can find on similarly priced phones from other brands. If you want all those extra juicy features, then yeah, the 6a wouldn't be a great buy.
 
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agentmilo said:
I just got the 6a 2 weeks back and I love it. Some QoL life features are missing, which you can find on similarly priced phones from other brands. If you want all those extra juicy features, then yeah, the 6a wouldn't be a great buy.
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Have our standards have slipped so much that we are branding essential features in a phone as 'QoL features' or 'extra juicy features'? Or is it because its Pixel and bias?

The 6A has a terrible fingerprint scanner, 60HZ display, heats and throttles because of crappy Exynos chipset which also leads to sub-par battery life, have no headphone jack, comes with a lousy 128GB storage with no 256GB option, lower quality AMOLED display and average WIFI connectivity.
 
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AINDRASIS_GUPTA said:
Have our standards have slipped so much that we are branding essential features in a phone as 'QoL features' or 'extra juicy features'? Or is it because its Pixel and bias?

The 6A has a terrible fingerprint scanner, 60HZ display, heats and throttles because of crappy Exynos chipset which also leads to sub-par battery life, have no headphone jack, comes with a lousy 128GB storage with no 256GB option, lower quality AMOLED display and average WIFI connectivity.
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Do you own a 6a? Tbh you make it sound like a really pathetic phone, when it is not. Or I may have "lower standards" than you- which makes me happy that I'm not ultra picky. I'm just a regular user who uses the phone for work, doesn't play games and don't watch movies on it.

My primary requirement was getting a compact phone with a great camera and decent battery life. The only real options at the time of purchase were Iphone 13, Samsung S22, Pixel 6a and Zenphone 9. If one has similar criteria to mine, and can live with some of the compromises, the 6a is a really nice phone.

Yeah, you are made to pay extra for the Pixel brand- but if you don't want to, you don't have to. Its just another option in the market that you can go for if it interests you.

And about what you said-
  1. Fingerprint scanner works just fine. Its fast and works 9/10 times. I think the one con would be it lighting up the whole room at night. Its too friggin' bright.
  2. 90hz plus is always nicer. But after a few weeks you really stop paying attention to 120 or 60hz (unless one buy gadgets to, well, buy gadgets for the sake of it instead of using it to get things done). If you play games, it makes a difference.
  3. After the 13 update, not once has it heated up, even with a 70w charger.
  4. About the Exynos processor, I really don't get what you're on about. I find it to be ultra fluid and perfect for my day to day usage, and not a second's lag when switching between 8-10 apps. You don't buy a phone to sit around and benchmark it.
  5. SOT is about 6-7hours, which is not terrible. In most cases I get a day and a half of solid usage. It could be better, but most midrange / flagships are around the 5-6hr mark anyway.
  6. Lack of 3.5 is a huge, HUGE, bummer, but most viable options in the market don't have it as well. Living without it is not fun at all.
  7. Again, 128gb gb without SD card slot is the scene with many competitors.
  8. I thought the display is really good- coming from someone who has iPhones and Samsungs among others, in the house.
  9. 0 Issues with Wifi.
It is all based on what one needs and wants, what you can and cannot compromise, and what you're willing to personally pay for it. But your wants and usage don't make your opinion the absolute truth. I'm not a Google fanboy, the imperfect 6a just happened to suit me really well- didn't plan on it. For sure there are cheaper phones with more features.
 
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hemant1729 said:
Have been using one plus 6 for the past 4 years. I started freezing and crashing. Tried a full reset, and installing custom ROMs but nothing worked. Please suggest a good android phone under 40k. Looking for one with a clean, reliable UI experience and good battery backup.
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I have been using OnePlus 7 Pro for the last 3+ years and was facing similar problems.

Last month I upgraded to Samsung Galaxy S21FE and then I realised what I had been missing on, mainly the Camera + Gallery experience.

The phone is fluid af, there is no shutter lag, the photos are brilliant & flagship level.

I couldn't find anything wrong with the phone, kinda exactly what I had been looking for.

See if it is still selling for 30k on Samsung App.
 
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AINDRASIS_GUPTA said:
Have our standards have slipped so much that we are branding essential features in a phone as 'QoL features' or 'extra juicy features'? Or is it because its Pixel and bias?

The 6A has a terrible fingerprint scanner, 60HZ display, heats and throttles because of crappy Exynos chipset which also leads to sub-par battery life, have no headphone jack, comes with a lousy 128GB storage with no 256GB option, lower quality AMOLED display and average WIFI connectivity.
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Upgraded to Pixel 6a from my Redmi K20 Pro. Yes, the fingerprint reader/sensor is not the greatest and usually gives up after two attempts. I DO use a tempered glass so it may cause some issue. I really do miss the headphone jack :cry:. I have a pair of OnePlus TWS and the right earbud barley lasts for 30 mins.

After the Android 13 update, the heating/throttling issues have mostly been solved but it sometimes does get hot when using Mobile data. Battery life is decent. Zero issues with Wi-Fi connectivity.

As for the software, it is miles better than MIUI 13. Animations are smooth and the haptic feedback is just something else. I love how they've implemented it with the caller tune. There are minor inconveniences such as the recents menu bugging out (for me) and issues with enabling USB Tethering.
 
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hemant1729 said:
Have been using one plus 6 for the past 4 years. I started freezing and crashing. Tried a full reset, and installing custom ROMs but nothing worked. Please suggest a good android phone under 40k. Looking for one with a clean, reliable UI experience and good battery backup.
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You can go for s21 fe. It went around 32k during the sale.
 
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There is the option of pixel 6a but 60hz might bother you in the long run.
Motorola edge 30 fusion is a good option imo if you want something new.
Else you can look for a last year flagship second hand clean condition like the s21 plus.
 
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Gryph0n said:
I think this 'guarantee' is only for the flagship 'S' series and the 'A' series. The mid-range 'M' series etc. do not have this assurance.
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Have 14 months old M series (2021) Samsung device in family and last month or earlier got Android 12 Update + Regular Security Updates and it's 14 month old device.
I have A50s, using since last 25 months, but model released 3 yrs ago, so Android Update stops after Android 11 but security patch still updating on Quarterly Basis.
Click Here to check which Samsung Mobile will get what update and for how many years.
 
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Emperor said:
Have 14 months old M series (2021) Samsung device in family and last month or earlier got Android 12 Update + Regular Security Updates and it's 14 month old device.
I have A50s, using since last 25 months, but model released 3 yrs ago, so Android Update stops after Android 11 but security patch still updating on Quarterly Basis.
Click Here to check which Samsung Mobile will get what update and for how many years.
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I'm not denying the excellent support that Samsung is providing for their phones, but they are making 'guarantees' only for the high-range mobiles.
Their low and mid-range phones are not guaranteed software upgrade support, but may get upgrades if feasible.

Please see below post where they are making the OS upgrade guarantees only for the high-range mobiles. None of the mid-range or low-range phones are in the list.
news.samsung.com

Samsung Sets the New Standard With Four Generations of OS Upgrades To Ensure the Most Up-to-Date and More Secure Galaxy Experience

Select Galaxy users will now enjoy the latest mobile experience for longer with four generations of One UI and Android OS upgrades
news.samsung.com news.samsung.com
 
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cattynip said:
Upgraded to Pixel 6a from my Redmi K20 Pro. Yes, the fingerprint reader/sensor is not the greatest and usually gives up after two attempts. I DO use a tempered glass so it may cause some issue. I really do miss the headphone jack :cry:. I have a pair of OnePlus TWS and the right earbud barley lasts for 30 mins.

After the Android 13 update, the heating/throttling issues have mostly been solved but it sometimes does get hot when using Mobile data. Battery life is decent. Zero issues with Wi-Fi connectivity.

As for the software, it is miles better than MIUI 13. Animations are smooth and the haptic feedback is just something else. I love how they've implemented it with the caller tune. There are minor inconveniences such as the recents menu bugging out (for me) and issues with enabling USB Tethering.
Click to expand...
Interesting how different Pixel users have different issues. For me, sometimes lift to wake randomly stops working. Like once every fortnight. But otherwise the phone is lovely.

...still hate the lack of 3.5mm.. What a serious bummer.
 
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