25-30k Looking for a camera phone with good battery life

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ByteBabe

Beginner
Hi everyone,

I'm looking for a phone in the ₹20–30k range. Lower is better, but I’m open to extending a little if it’s really worth it. Open to both new and used options.

Primary use: WhatsApp, YouTube, email. Looking for a good camera as I am travelling soon and would like to take good photos and videos. I don’t game, but I’d prefer something that can last at least 3–4 years.

Must-haves:
  • Good battery life
  • NFC

Nice-to-haves:
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • No notch/punch-hole (I like fullscreen displays)
  • Expandable storage

Phones I’ve already considered:
  • Xiaomi 14 CIVI (new)
  • Pixel 7 Pro (refurb, Ovantica)
  • Xperia 1 IV (refurb, Ovantica)
  • Samsung S23 (used, local)

Thanks in advance!
Also wanted to ask if Ovantica is a trusted site?
 
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captivating said:
Poco f7
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Thanks for the suggestion, the battery sounds amazing, but it lacks in its camera performance.
kuduku said:
Change the battery every 2 years for 3500/ from Samsung service centre if thats the only concern and you still have the phone in the 5th year
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I do plan on using it for as long as I can. My current phone is 5-6 years old.
Saaz said:
Very average camera. UW isnt even usable.

I have seen some youtubers use it, but no personal experience so can guarantee
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I have also seen YouTubers use it; that's why I am considering it.

And of course, thank you all for the suggestions.
 
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If I had to buy a new phone under 30k, I would go for Either Nothing 3a pro or 3a. Depending on whether you need the 3x lems or fine with 2x.

They have good optimised software. Smooth performance and good battery life. It has nothing flagship level, like some other phones which either give flagship processors with other compromises.
Everything is adequate for the price.

The phone will last, and since they allow to easily unlock the bootloader, you can easily install custom roms, lengthening the lifespan of your software (well, if google doesn't kill custom rom development)
 
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Saaz said:
Battery life isn't good, and I've heard that it has network and overheating issues
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Someone I know is using it, and it was fine for them.. Maybe visit a physical store and check if it overheats in person? @ByteBabe Plus I forgot to mention, if you plan to get this device, it doesn't come with a charger. You will have to spend extra for that, while idk if the refurb device will come with one (or good quality one), do consider the price of the charger as well when making a decision.
 
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GauravSaini said:
Someone I know is using it, and it was fine for them.. Maybe visit a physical store and check if it overheats in person? @ByteBabe Plus I forgot to mention, if you plan to get this device, it doesn't come with a charger. You will have to spend extra for that, while idk if the refurb device will come with one (or good quality one), do consider the price of the charger as well when making a decision.
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My cousin bought it when it launched. Sold after 3 months due to these issues. Maybe it was fixed with updates later, can't say for that
 
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Saaz said:
If I had to buy a new phone under 30k, I would go for Either Nothing 3a pro or 3a. Depending on whether you need the 3x lems or fine with 2x.

They have good optimised software. Smooth performance and good battery life. It has nothing flagship level, like some other phones which either give flagship processors with other compromises.
Everything is adequate for the price.

The phone will last, and since they allow to easily unlock the bootloader, you can easily install custom roms, lengthening the lifespan of your software (well, if google doesn't kill custom rom development)
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Nothing phone provides mediocre specs at best, which I don't think will age well, especially the UFS 2.2 (I think?) storage.
GauravSaini said:
Someone I know is using it, and it was fine for them.. Maybe visit a physical store and check if it overheats in person? @ByteBabe Plus I forgot to mention, if you plan to get this device, it doesn't come with a charger. You will have to spend extra for that, while idk if the refurb device will come with one (or good quality one), do consider the price of the charger as well when making a decision.
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Thanks for the suggestion, Pixel 7 is a good choice, but I am not sure if it is the best value.
nRiTeCh said:
Recent Pixel phone are garbage except for the os.
I will bet on Redmi, Oppo, Nothing and Realme.
These days its tad difficult to fit every aspects in a single phone so decide closely base don the specifications and reviews.
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Have you used Xiaomi phones recently? I am also considering Xiaomi 14 CIVI
 
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ByteBabe said:
Nothing phone provides mediocre specs at best, which I don't think will age well, especially the UFS 2.2 (I think?) storage.
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The specs are enough to support you for 4-5 years, as you said you wont be gaming. In all other aspects, the software optimization and the UI matters a lot, which nothing has done really good. UFS 2.2 doesn't really matter, you wont be moving 50-60GB files on your phone will you?
I can speak from experience. My 6 year old budget phone Realme 3 Pro, still runs fine for day to day tasks, due to the custom rom support. So software matters a lot.

If it was earlier I would have suggested you 14 Civi, but Xiaomi has made it really hard to unlock bootloaders now, and 14 Civi in particular has very poor development community on telegram. HyperOS isnt well optimized, and I wouldnt want to be stuck with it for the long run
 
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