Budget 25-30k Need a new phone for a friend

Rezep

Rezep

Adept
A friend of mine is buying herself a new phone sometime this month. Finds her current phone vivo Y17 a bit old and is disappointed with the camera performance now. Her main priorities are that it should have good battery life, a good/great camera, and good performance is expected (no gaming aside from simple ludo king :p ), she also wants the phone to have various color options but it is not a priority at all (told her she can just slap a case on). She is kinda leaning towards Oneplus but I wasn't too sure if Oneplus is worth it and I was hoping the community here might have a better Idea about it than me. Hope you can help me out!
Thanks in advance!

Questions:-
1. Budget?
A: INR 25k-30k (Not sure if she can push it to 35k but prefer to keep it to under 30K for now)

2. Preferred display size, type and resolution?
A: She's currently using a vivo Y17 which is around 6.3 inches, so somewhere around that. 6-6.5 inches. No preference in type and resolution

3. Preferred operating system? (Android (with version), iOS, Windows Phone etc).
A: Should be Android

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

5. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them.
A: No preference, but is leaning towards oneplus and likes phones that has a good look or design. Doesn't seem to like samsung design tho but doesn't mind if the camera performance and software and specs are good

6. What is your intended use for this phone (internet, camera, multimedia, mails etc.)?
A: Camera, social media, etc what any person uses his phone for in this day and age

7. Single SIM/ Dual SIM?
A: No preference

8. New or Used? Online or Offline?
A: New, online and offline

9. Any other requirements?
A: Good Battery, Good camera and Good lagless experience.

10. If you have already considered a phone, then please mention the model
A: Nord 2, Oneplus 10R, Samsung A52, Realme GT Neo 3
 
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Rezep said:
A friend of mine is buying herself a new phone sometime this month. Finds her current phone vivo Y17 a bit old and is disappointed with the camera performance now. Her main priorities are that it should have good battery life, a good/great camera, and good performance is expected (no gaming aside from simple ludo king :p ), she also wants the phone to have various color options but it is not a priority at all (told her she can just slap a case on). She is kinda leaning towards Oneplus but I wasn't too sure if Oneplus is worth it and I was hoping the community here might have a better Idea about it than me. Hope you can help me out!
Thanks in advance!

Questions:-
1. Budget?
A: INR 25k-30k (Not sure if she can push it to 35k but prefer to keep it to under 30K for now)

2. Preferred display size, type and resolution?
A: She's currently using a vivo Y17 which is around 6.3 inches, so somewhere around that. 6-6.5 inches. No preference in type and resolution

3. Preferred operating system? (Android (with version), iOS, Windows Phone etc).
A: Should be Android

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

5. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them.
A: No preference, but is leaning towards oneplus and likes phones that has a good look or design. Doesn't seem to like samsung design tho but doesn't mind if the camera performance and software and specs are good

6. What is your intended use for this phone (internet, camera, multimedia, mails etc.)?
A: Camera, social media, etc what any person uses his phone for in this day and age

7. Single SIM/ Dual SIM?
A: No preference

8. New or Used? Online or Offline?
A: New, online and offline

9. Any other requirements?
A: Good Battery, Good camera and Good lagless experience.

10. If you have already considered a phone, then please mention the model
A: Nord 2, Oneplus 10R, Samsung A52, Realme GT Neo 3
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iphone ? I think you can get an iPhone XR or something similar. Quote a solid phone which all the checks you need leaving 5G. I know you said android but if not oneplus then no idea from my side.
 
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princeoo7 said:
iphone ? I think you can get an iPhone XR or something similar. Quote a sold phone which all the checks you need leaving 5G. I know you said android but if not oneplus then no idea from my side.
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I think I must have made it a bit confusing lol. What I meant was that I kept on reading threads about how oneplus "isn't the same anymore" as well as various videos online etc etc so I had a presumption that oneplus wouldn't be upto the mark. But if at this budget Oneplus is the best that she can get, then without a doubt she will get it

I have suggested the Iphone SE 3 and Iphone 12 mini as well but she would much prefer android. She does have an older Ipad but for her personal phone, she rather stick to android.
 
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For camera as priority in Android ecosystem, I think Samsung seems to be the only decent option, apart from Pixel. M52 would be a good choice, though I would prefer opting for an A-series, despite being a bit pricey.
S20 FE 5G also seems like a decent buy based on what members have mentioned in TE. It does overshoot your budget by 5k.
 
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Kaleen Bhaiya said:
For camera as priority in Android ecosystem, I think Samsung seems to be the only decent option, apart from Pixel. M52 would be a good choice, though I would prefer opting for an A-series, despite being a bit pricey.
S20 FE 5G also seems like a decent buy based on what members have mentioned in TE. It does overshoot your budget by 5k.
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It was available for 27kish few days back https://techenclave.com/threads/amazon-india-lightning-deals.176126/post-2361971
 
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Thank you all for your replies, as of now she has shortlisted the oneplus nord, oneplus 10r, samsung a53 and motorola edge.
Kaleen Bhaiya said:
For camera as priority in Android ecosystem, I think Samsung seems to be the only decent option, apart from Pixel. M52 would be a good choice, though I would prefer opting for an A-series, despite being a bit pricey.
S20 FE 5G also seems like a decent buy based on what members have mentioned in TE. It does overshoot your budget by 5k.
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How does the S20 FE hold up today? Just from presumption, I guess it would still be very good and at the price that the the member purchased it for was really good, although I'm a bit skeptical since it seemed more like an error as he kept the phone in his cart after applying coupon and then got the coupon applied again which I doubt will happen twice. Hoping that the motorola Edge isn't too expensive though.
Thank you all for your help. I will continue to wait for more suggestions as she isn't buying it immediately (she has said that she would prefer buying offline if the price difference isn't substantial)
 
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rajanmehta said:
Motorola Edge 30 is launching on 12th May.

Online Shopping India | Buy Mobiles, Electronics, Appliances, Clothing and More Online at Flipkart.com

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Just look at the specs. Moto has crammed this phone with everything. Should be between 25 to 30K.
Except in keeping it world's thinnest 5g phone and india's lightest, battery might have been reduced to 4000 mAh.
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She is used to a 5,000mah battery so this one because they want to be lightest phone shaves 1,000 mah off the battery will not meet expectations.

In fact no phone with a battery less than 4,500 mah qualifies

Also she can handle a 190gm weight phone which the Y17 is. No mention she wants it to be lighter.

The Edge 30 pro has a bigger battery but its price is ~50k
 
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blr_p said:
She is used to a 5,000mah battery so this one because they want to be lightest phone shaves 1,000 mah off the battery will not meet expectations.

In fact no phone with a battery less than 4,500 mah qualifies

The Edge 30 pro has a bigger battery but its price is ~50k
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That's a good point actually, completely forgot that the current phone she is using is 5000mah itself. Thanks for the input. I don't think a difference of 500mah will hurt, but 1000 sounds like it would be noticable in daily use. Have crossed motorola edge out (she herself said so :p)
Currently these are the phones that I have somewhat listed down
Oneplus Nord 2
Samsung A53/A52s (A52s has a better snapdragon processor compared to the newer exynos?)
Samsung M52
Samsung S20 FE (if that deal comes back, seems to be the best camera available on this list)

Just curious but in all the youtube videos and articles, where have most of the redmi/xiaomi, vivo oppo phones gone off? Are they not that good/ competitive anymore? I've never really followed the smartphone market that well and searching for phones reminded me why again o_O
 
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bssunilreddy said:
Limited-time deal: Samsung Galaxy M52 5G (ICY Blue, 8GB RAM, 128GB Storage) Latest Snapdragon 778G 5G | sAMOLED 120Hz Display https://www.amazon.in/dp/B09CV7BGWP/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_dl_0813FV0E7QG0PW2TZW60
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Good price and matches a 5,000mah battery with a mid range CPU. It will have good battery life. Similar to or better than what she is used to.

Question is how good is the camera ? Primary camera F1.8 compared to Y17's F2.2 means better low light performance but the M52 has no OIS.

Should have OIS and F1.8 to feel like an upgrade I think.
Rezep said:
That's a good point actually, completely forgot that the current phone she is using is 5000mah itself. Thanks for the input. I don't think a difference of 500mah will hurt, but 1000 sounds like it would be noticable in daily use
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How particular is she about the selfie camera ?

That will queer everything. There are phones that do well with selfie but not other things and vice versa
 
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blr_p said:
Good price and matches a 5,000mah battery with a mid range CPU. It will have good battery life. Similar to or better than what she is used to.

Question is how good is the camera ? Primary camera F1.8 compared to Y17's F2.2 means better low light performance but the M52 has no OIS.

Should have OIS and F1.8 to feel like an upgrade I think.

How particular is she about the selfie camera ?

That will queer everything. There are phones that do well with selfie but not other things and vice versa
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I didn't even know that cameras had names to them like f1.8 and f2.2 even :hilarious:
Just asked her, she's not too happy with the vivo y17's selfie camera. I'm honestly so clueless with phones
edit :- I just realised the f1.8 and f2.2 is in regards to aperture :banghead:
 
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Rezep said:
Just asked her, she's not too happy with the vivo y17's selfie camera. I'm honestly so clueless with phones
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Well, this selfie business is tricky. How important is selfie for her ?

The S20FE is a great phone but selfie isn't its strong point.
Rezep said:
I didn't even know that cameras had names to them like f1.8 and f2.2 even :hilarious: edit :- I just realised the f1.8 and f2.2 is in regards to aperture :banghead:
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Right, how much light the camera allows in means you can get lower light shots with less noise in the photo

F1.4 allows twice as much light as F2.0 which allows twice more light compared to F2.8

There is a two f-stop difference between F1.4 and F2.8 which is what cameras back in 2014 were offering for the primary camera.

So the difference between F2.2 & F1.8 is the latter allows ~70% more light.
 
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Rezep said:
Thank you all for your replies, as of now she has shortlisted the oneplus nord, oneplus 10r, samsung a53 and motorola edge.

How does the S20 FE hold up today? Just from presumption, I guess it would still be very good and at the price that the the member purchased it for was really good, although I'm a bit skeptical since it seemed more like an error as he kept the phone in his cart after applying coupon and then got the coupon applied again which I doubt will happen twice. Hoping that the motorola Edge isn't too expensive though.
Thank you all for your help. I will continue to wait for more suggestions as she isn't buying it immediately (she has said that she would prefer buying offline if the price difference isn't substantial)
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If camera is your priority(you already mentioned), then I would not consider Moto, atleast not yet. Their phones provide an overall good experience, except for their camera.
As to how FE holds up today, I won't be the right person since I don't own the device. Maybe @blr_p may help you with this. Samsung gives you best of both worlds, albeit at a premium.
 
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Samsung A52s white or violet with 8GB (don't go with the 6GB)


That is without exchange. If she trades in the Y17 there may be a further discount depending on its condition

Ideal would be if she went to a Samsung store and played with the suggested phones, took a few shots and then made up her mind. Is that possible ?

Then you have a direct comparision right there with the Y17.


Was looking for A53 as that is the latest and will benefit from one more year of updates but does not seem to be released. It will be slightly more than the A52s

S20FE is also an option but as i said selfie isn't the best on that one.

Otherwsie the S20FE (make sure its snapdragon and not Exynos 4G) would be the best of the three here
 
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blr_p said:
Samsung A52s white or violet with 8GB (don't go with the 6GB)


That is without exchange. If she trades in the Y17 there may be a further discount depending on its condition

Ideal would be if she went to a Samsung store and played with the suggested phones, took a few shots and then made up her mind. Is that possible ?

Then you have a direct comparision right there with the Y17.


Was looking for A53 as that is the latest and will benefit from one more year of updates but does not seem to be released. It will be slightly more than the A52s

S20FE is also an option but as i said selfie isn't the best on that one.

Otherwsie the S20FE (make sure its snapdragon and not Exynos 4G) would be the best of the three here
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Thank you very much for the informative replies

Yes I think she will be mainly visiting the offline store herself first and seeing the phones herself physically, most likely will purchase it offline itself

If I'm not wrong isn't this the A53? https://www.flipkart.com/samsung-ga...28-gb/p/itmf91e6ba872690?pid=MOBGCFVYKWEB3TEH A review I saw said that the a52s snapdragon 5g is a better deal than this one but I'm not entirely sure how that will apply to a normal user who doesn't game

Her needs are a bit here and there tbh, she's not going to be clicking only selfies the entire time she uses her phone :p but just wants it to be better than her current vivo one and I think any of these phones should do the trick.

The S20 in terms of longevity is the best of the three as you said so I'll suggest that to her as well, thank you

What is your opinion on the oneplus nord though? The main reason she's inclined towards oneplus is honestly just the brand name of it, her other friends and family suggested it to her mainly because of it's reputation.
 
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Rezep said:
If I'm not wrong isn't this the A53? https://www.flipkart.com/samsung-ga...28-gb/p/itmf91e6ba872690?pid=MOBGCFVYKWEB3TEH A review I saw said that the a52s snapdragon 5g is a better deal than this one but I'm not entirely sure how that will apply to a normal user who doesn't game
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You're right. I'd go with the snapdragon in the A52s over the exynos in the A53. mainly because snapdragons tend to heat up less.

Note how A53 comes with 5,000mah battery to compensate for this over 4.500mah on the A52s

No FM radio on the sammy's if that matters. Depressingly not even on the snapdragon variants which LG always provided.

She has a headphone jack on the Y17, its there on the A52S but not on the S20FE. Deal breaker ?

The Y17 had the fingerprint sensor on the rear which is a great location. The Sammy's have them under the screen or on the front.

Not bad but the phone is unlocked by the time you bring it up when FPS is on the rear and now you have to press on the front. These fps ain't the fastest in the industry either. they are ok but might not be as fast to unlock as what she presently has.
Rezep said:
Her needs are a bit here and there tbh, she's not going to be clicking only selfies the entire time she uses her phone :p but just wants it to be better than her current vivo one and I think any of these phones should do the trick.
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In theory, yes
Rezep said:
The S20 in terms of longevity is the best of the three as you said so I'll suggest that to her as well, thank you
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S20FE. The S20 isn't being sold anymore and is the flagship model when it came out in 2020. Make sure you don't pickup the 4G S20FE which is still kicking around.
Rezep said:
What is your opinion on the oneplus nord though? The main reason she's inclined towards oneplus is honestly just the brand name of it, her other friends and family suggested it to her mainly because of it's reputation.
Click to expand...

Check the comparison

Is that the one, that is the Nord 2 btw, Does she need MicroSD card slot ? Nord 2 does not have it.

The Nord 2's selfie camer is a F2.5, her Y17 is a F2.0 ie. better low light than this Nord 2 as well as the S20FE. Could very well be neither of these are any better at selfies than what she has and isn't impressed to begin with. Told you this selfie thing gets us into trouble. Guys don't care, women can be more discriminating.

The S20FE is a more capable CPU than on the Nord 2

I can't say more as i've not looked into Nord much.
 
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Rezep said:
What is your opinion on the oneplus nord though? The main reason she's inclined towards oneplus is honestly just the brand name of it, her other friends and family suggested it to her mainly because of it's reputation.
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One plus right now is a brand which symbolises what a brand should do for its downfall. After firing Carl Pei, they never got anything right. Migration from OxygenOS to ColorOS and again switching to other OS is one amongst others that has got them a lot of flak. 1+ was a brand in its earlier days. Not anymore.
As for Nord, it screams of cost-cutting. Substandard amoled panel, average speakers, camera, non-satisfactory UX. I am sure here Vivo phone would be 10x better than the Nord.
 
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blr_p said:
She has a headphone jack on the Y17, its there on the A52S but not on the S20FE. Deal breaker ?
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Not really, it just gives her a good excuse to buy those wireless earbuds lol
blr_p said:
You're right. I'd go with the snapdragon in the A52s over the exynos in the A53. mainly because snapdragons tend to heat up less.
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Ok I shall keep this in mind thank you
blr_p said:
they are ok but might not be as fast to unlock as what she presently has.
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She uses face unlock. Yes, quite rare to see someone using that
blr_p said:
Does she need MicroSD card slot ?
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I don't think so, as far as I know she uses only the internal storage so 128gb should be more than enough
blr_p said:
Guys don't care, women can be more discriminating.
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It really is hilarious, although after some discussion we took off the motorola edge due to lower battery size and camera issues as you @blr_p and @Kaleen Bhaiya said, the main reason she removed it from her list in the first place is because the brand name isn't well known :banghead: It's just women
Kaleen Bhaiya said:
As for Nord, it screams of cost-cutting. Substandard amoled panel, average speakers, camera, non-satisfactory UX. I am sure here Vivo phone would be 10x better than the Nord.
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Thank you I shall keep that in mind, currently I guess we have basically landed on samsung more or less
It's either the samsung m52 5g, Samsung A52s, or if that deal comes back, Samsung S20 FE 5G (is it better than the rest even without the deal? It's currently at 35k)

And if it's not too much to ask, are none of the other chinese brands competitive anymore? Only name I saw popup in the under 30k list was an Mi 11 which was on no one's list and the realme gt neo 3 which is basically the OP 10r but a little bit better with more bloatware?
 
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