Budget 25-30k Looking for a good 5g phone within 30k.

B

baembs

Novice
1. Budget?
A: <INR30k

2. Preferred display size, type and resolution?
A: Any

3. Preferred operating system? (Android (with version), iOS, etc).
A: Android 10+/iOS

4. Preferred connectivity options? (4G, 3G, 2G etc).
A: 5G is compulsory

5. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them.
A: Nothing against people who use them but I'd like to just avoid all the chinese brands because tech savvy folx can go around the bloat, and unlock its true potential. Just that the phone user here is my Dad.

6. What is your intended use for this phone (internet, camera, multimedia, mails etc.)?
A: Daily Driver, Lot of camera use.

7. Single SIM/ Dual SIM?
A: Dual SIM

8. New or Used? Online or Offline?
A: New or Pre-Owned

9. Any other requirements?
A: Great Battery Backup, Excellent Display Quality, Custom Rom Support

10. If you have already considered a phone, then please mention the model
A: Samsung S20 FE, Pixel 6A, Nothing Phone 1, Moto Edge 40

Summary:
I'm looking for a phone that has 5g, and a great camera (or makes great photos), and can be used for the next 3 years atleast by a not so tech savvy person
 
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No, not the 6a. Weak modem. Samsung the safest bet in that budget. You have to tolerate their software though. Otherwise go for Motorola. Neither have great cameras anyway. For camera Pixel is the only option 7a or 7
 
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I am using the 6a as my secondary phone and much like the Pixel software simply because it is quite optimised in terms of performance. I have it rooted and use various AOSP customization modules over the stock firmware which makes it the best Android platform for me.

Haven't had much issues with 5G usage across Mumbai but the battery drain is significant. It is a great device if you are using it over 4G.

For your Dad and for 5G, would recommend sticking with a Samsung Snapdragon device as OneUI is far more intuitive and has much longer support than any of the other OEMs.
 
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Sadly Poco F5, Moto Edge 40 & OP Nord CE3 are the good options under 30k, all Chinese. Samsung F54 is overpriced for its specs but 4 OS updates is definitely nice. I don't trust Exynos SoC with S778 level performance to do well thermally though, check A54 review on GSMArena.

My cousin wanted a new phone, we ended up buying M34 5G for cheaper as that would suffice. S20FE is good hardware wise but Android 13 was its last update, also not so good selfie cam for its price of 25k. Avoid S21FE, not so good battery life because of inefficient SoC. A friend has it, using it at 60Hz with power saving mode to make it last the entire day, like 12-14 hrs.

Pixel 6a has average battery life, 60Hz panel helps it vs 7a though. Camera is great though.

So that leaves Nothing Phone 1, which is a good allrounder IMO. Not sure why you want custom ROM support.
 
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OMEGA44-XT said:
Sadly Poco F5, Moto Edge 40 & OP Nord CE3 are the good options under 30k, all Chinese. Samsung F54 is overpriced for its specs but 4 OS updates is definitely nice. I don't trust Exynos SoC with S778 level performance to do well thermally though, check A54 review on GSMArena.

My cousin wanted a new phone, we ended up buying M34 5G for cheaper as that would suffice. S20FE is good hardware wise but Android 13 was its last update, also not so good selfie cam for its price of 25k. Avoid S21FE, not so good battery life because of inefficient SoC. A friend has it, using it at 60Hz with power saving mode to make it last the entire day, like 12-14 hrs.

Pixel 6a has average battery life, 60Hz panel helps it vs 7a though. Camera is great though.

So that leaves Nothing Phone 1, which is a good allrounder IMO. Not sure why you want custom ROM support.
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Poco F5 with its cheap build quality and IP53 only rating is definitely not a good everyday phone for elderly people. It has only one reason to exist, which is the SoC for gaming aimed at youngsters, as otherwise it has no other redeeming quality.

Nothing Phone 1's gimmicks are not aimed for everyday users. Nothing OS hasn't done too well until now, support will be a problem for a company without that much credence and its custom ROMs have mostly been abandoned or poorly developed. If it was 20k, then probably it could have been recommended but the pricing is ridiculous.

I have the 6a and complaining about performance on Exynos in general is moot for most users (On the 6a, 2 x Cortex X1 cores and the Mali G78 MP20 have enough performance to last a device's lifetime). The problem is the Exynos 5123b modem and that too if you are using 5G exclusively.

I would also question the need for 5G presently if 4G provides 50+ Mbps with better battery life and reception, which is enough to stream 4K content without issues. You might get good speeds in your area but that will not last. This is the situation at my place in the middle of Mumbai with Jio.

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t3chg33k said:
Poco F5 with its cheap build quality and IP53 only rating is definitely not a good everyday phone for elderly people. It has only one reason to exist, which is the SoC for gaming aimed at youngsters, as otherwise it has no other redeeming quality.

Nothing Phone 1's gimmicks are not aimed for everyday users. Nothing OS hasn't done too well until now, support will be a problem for a company without that much credence and its custom ROMs have mostly been abandoned or poorly developed. If it was 20k, then probably it could have been recommended but the pricing is ridiculous.

I have the 6a and complaining about performance on Exynos in general is moot for most users (On the 6a, 2 x Cortex X1 cores and the Mali G78 MP20 have enough performance to last a device's lifetime). The problem is the Exynos 5123b modem and that too if you are using 5G exclusively.

I would also question the need for 5G presently if 4G provides 50+ Mbps with better battery life and reception, which is enough to stream 4K content without issues. You might get good speeds in your area but that will not last. This is the situation at my place in the middle of Mumbai with Jio.

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There are no perfect phones even if you have no budget restrictions, sadly.

IMO NP1 is good overall IMO. OS issues have been sorted long back with the roll out of the android 13 update. Before that, it was a hard sell, no one knowledgeable enough recommended it. After-sales can still be an issue, but otherwise, its reviews are good. You don't have to use the gimmicky backlights. Treat it like any other glass sandwich smartphone.

I will personally like to stick to 4G as well because of power draw & heating when you use 5G vs 4G, but in many areas with 5G, I have observed that 4G is very slow, like 1-2Mbps or lower. Can be intentional or just too much congestion. Even before 5G roll out, I used to get 1-2Mbps in certain areas of Bengaluru on 4G in airtel.
 
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Wow, thanks everyone for the replies
sauravghosh said:
No, not the 6a. Weak modem.
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Ok noted, I had no idea, that's what most folx are saying
t3chg33k said:
For your Dad and for 5G, would recommend sticking with a Samsung Snapdragon device as OneUI is far more intuitive and has much longer support than any of the other OEMs.
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Yesss, I think I'm going to wait for the BBD and see if we can snag him a samsung with snapdragon
OMEGA44-XT said:
Avoid S21FE, not so good battery life because of inefficient SoC.
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Yeah thank you, so I've heard, if I do go for it I'd probably go for the snapdragon version
OMEGA44-XT said:
Not sure why you want custom ROM support.
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Oops, sorry, I just copied the questionnaire and forgot editing that one.
OMEGA44-XT said:
IMO NP1 is good overall IMO.
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I would have blindly recommended it to anyone apart from my Dad, because he loves his phone camera photography, and I've seen how NP1 cant be used for boasting about it's camera.
 
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baembs said:
Wow, thanks everyone for the replies

Ok noted, I had no idea, that's what most folx are saying

Yesss, I think I'm going to wait for the BBD and see if we can snag him a samsung with snapdragon

Yeah thank you, so I've heard, if I do go for it I'd probably go for the snapdragon version

Oops, sorry, I just copied the questionnaire and forgot editing that one.

I would have blindly recommended it to anyone apart from my Dad, because he loves his phone camera photography, and I've seen how NP1 cant be used for boasting about it's camera.
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NP1's cam is fine for under 30k, check some new YT videos. Surely it is inferior to 6a, S20FE 5G or S21FE, but NP1 seems like a more balanced phone to me. Among those 3, S20FE will get my vote if fine with its cons.

My S20FE is 2 years old now, Samsung is still selling it under 25k on sales. Its selfie cam isn't good, no OS updates & battery life is good enough (might feel short for someone jumping from a mid-range phone, as my uncle bought it a year ago for 26k, upgraded from some old Samsung 25k phone which lasted longer acc. to him). On 5G, the phone heats up more than normal, and battery life is noticeably lower as well (~3hr SOT vs 4+hrs SOT on WiFi, 4G didn't affect battery life or temps this much). No OS updates might be fine for some people.
 
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OMEGA44-XT said:
My S20FE is 2 years old now, Samsung is still selling it under 25k on sales. Its selfie cam isn't good, no OS updates & battery life is good enough
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No OS updates is the biggest no go from the get go, and the new 2023 S21 FE with snapdragon has the infamous 888, I'm almost convinced about buying the NP1 after researching a bit more, let's see. There are no good phones at 35k either, like i thought I could push the budget a bit to get something good, but nah.
 
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baembs said:
No OS updates is the biggest no go from the get go, and the new 2023 S21 FE with snapdragon has the infamous 888, I'm almost convinced about buying the NP1 after researching a bit more, let's see. There are no good phones at 35k either, like i thought I could push the budget a bit to get something good, but nah.
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Beyond 35k, you get OP 11R. Balanced phone overall, cheaper than NP2. Both should get price cuts in the sale happening next month, if you can wait.

S21FE Exynos & S888 both suffer the same fate because Samsung fab made them. S23FE is rumoured to have Exynos or SD 8 Gen 1, again both made by Samsung fab. I doubt we will get gems like S20FE 5G or A52s 5G again from Samsung anytime soon. Late 2021 had good Samsung options for those with a 35k & under 30k budget because of those 2 phones, which were competitive against the Chinese options as well. I seriously wish that Nothing could take the place of OP of 2019-20 & Samsung feels threatened.
 
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OMEGA44-XT said:
Beyond 35k, you get OP 11R. Balanced phone overall, cheaper than NP2. Both should get price cuts in the sale happening next month, if you can wait.

S21FE Exynos & S888 both suffer the same fate because Samsung fab made them. S23FE is rumoured to have Exynos or SD 8 Gen 1, again both made by Samsung fab. I doubt we will get gems like S20FE 5G or A52s 5G again from Samsung anytime soon. Late 2021 had good Samsung options for those with a 35k & under 30k budget because of those 2 phones, which were competitive against the Chinese options as well. I seriously wish that Nothing could take the place of OP of 2019-20 & Samsung feels threatened.
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Is there any issue with S21FE Snapdragon version? I was thinking of suggesting it to my cousin who's looking in same budget.
 
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Ssreek said:
Is there any issue with S21FE Snapdragon version? I was thinking of suggesting it to my cousin who's looking in same budget.
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It's better than S21 FE exynos anytime. But the price at which Samsung is selling SD 888 is more by 5k. If you can get that phone 5k less or more in sales, then go for it. It doesn't throttle as much as exynos does, also in camera due to change in ISP you will not get that frame drops which are present in exynos when it heats up. In my opinion the only issue is pricing now wait for sales & you will not be disappointed with snapdragon variant.
 
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Ssreek said:
Is there any issue with S21FE Snapdragon version? I was thinking of suggesting it to my cousin who's looking in same budget.
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S888, 888+ & 8 Gen 1 all are made by Samsung fab, so lower energy & thermal efficiency vs TSMC made products like S870 or 8 Gen 1+.

This is the best comparison you can get, same phones with different chips:

Compare Xiaomi 12X vs. Xiaomi 12 - GSMArena.com

www.gsmarena.com www.gsmarena.com
Check CPU stress test inside review for each as well, S870 is better in performance vs S888 in prolonged load conditions.

So, I won't recommend exynos or Samsung made SD chips even if you aren't a gamer. OP11R & NP2 are worth checking.
 
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