Budget 15-20K Suggestions for an android phone

6pack

6pack

ex-Mod
I'm out of touch with tech from +10 years so please help me.

Currently have a 6+ years old redmi phone which has a dying battery. I end up charging it 3-4 times a day now.

I'm looking for a phone with these features under 20k max if possible. Open to phones costing 22-25k if there are coupons or cash back offers on ICICI Bank credit card. I don't have HDFC or SBI card so not interested in those offers.

I filled up the form to make searching harder.

1. Budget?
A: INR 15k-20k

2. Preferred display size, type and resolution?
A: IPS LCD/AMOLED, FHD and above

3. Preferred operating system? (Android (with version), iOS, etc).
A: Android 11/12/13

4. Preferred connectivity options? (4G, 3G, 2G etc).
A: 4G & 5G that works with Jio. I have only Jio sim.

5. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them.
A: Samsung or Motorola only. Only considering these two because the Chinese don't update their phones. Most of them are sell and forget types.

6. What is your intended use for this phone (internet, camera, multimedia, mails etc.)?
A: phone calls, lots of photos, messaging, internet etc.

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

8. New or Used? Online or Offline?
A: New.

9. Any other requirements?
A: Need good battery backup, 3.5mm jack, NFC. Type c port.

10. If you have already considered a phone, then please mention the model
A: (๑•﹏•)' Samsung M 32 5g or was it M52 5g & Motorola edge fusion i think. Dont know the model numbers because these companies keep putting out a new model every week/month.

I'm seeing upto 3k discount on the Samsung app on ICICI cc for some phones along with adapter at 299 so i don't mind even 22k phones. I think moto g62 or 82 or whatever it was was for 17.7k on Flipkart. I won't buy from Flipkart but will go to a mall near me and buy the Moto phone if it's cheaper than the Samsung.

Should I wait for the sale coming now?
 
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The only downside of G71 is that it lacks electronic compass and relies on gyrometer for navigation. While it gets the job done, it could be a deal breaker if more accuracy is a requirement.
Else, this device checks all the boxes. I wonder what was Moto thinking while skipping the compass :dead:
 
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Motorola G71 5G 6GB 128 GB at Rs 15,999 - Rs 1,000 Card Discount
www.flipkart.com

MOTOROLA G71 5G ( 128 GB Storage, 6 GB RAM ) Online at Best Price On Flipkart.com

Buy MOTOROLA G71 5G online at best price with offers in India. Moto G71 5G (Arctic Blue, 128 GB) features and specifications include 6 GB RAM, 128 GB ROM, 5000 mAh battery, 50 MP back camera and 16 MP front camera. Compare G71 5G by price and performance to shop at Flipkart
www.flipkart.com www.flipkart.com
 
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Compare Samsung Galaxy M51 vs. Samsung Galaxy M52 5G vs. Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G - GSMArena.com

www.gsmarena.com www.gsmarena.com

If you were looking a few months ago you could have lucked out with a massive battery and 3.5mm with the m51

The m52 has a smaller battery and no headphone jack. Course neither of the M series has OIS so photos won't be great.

So, you will have to look at the A52s that has OIS and a headphone jack. You don't mention SD card slot but the A52 has it.

A52s will only get android 12. The A53 might get 13 but has no headphone jack.
 
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Yup. Should have bought in August. There were lots of deals in August. ICICI card instant cash back, independence day offers etc.
Even the Samsung app toned down on the cash back offers and coupons now.

Looks like I'll have to wait for Diwali offers now.
I saw an iPhone 13 deal yesterday but that phone emi was ~14k for 6 months. (⁠⊙⁠_⁠◎⁠) Like buying a new Android phone every month.
 
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That Motorola looks like a good deal. I've been using a g52 since launch and satisfied with the stock Android experience. Screen quality is excellent too. Only issue is minor hiccups while multitasking
 
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blr_p said:
Which phone is it? Is there any chance to just replace the battery?
Click to expand...
Redmi 5 plus. SD625. 4gb+64gb. Android 8.1.
I thought of replacing the battery but i don't have another phone as backup. Plus something is wrong with the screen. It's become too responsive to touch. I barely touch any spot on the screen and links get clicked, calls get dialled etc. Just trying to scroll is a bother. I'll use it as a remote after i get another phone.

Why is FK charging ₹29 for security when they are using their own courier service? Is this flat a new scam to take a money from people or even they're not confident in their own courier guys?

Ediit: should i drop NFC requirement? UPI is used everywhere and even the cards have tap to pay built in.
 
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Hey.. firstly, welcome back. It's been a while(2+ years) when you were last active here. Hope everything's good at your side.

6pack said:
Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them.
A: Samsung or Motorola only. Only considering these two because the Chinese don't update their phones. Most of them are sell and forget types.
Click to expand...
Add Moto to this list as well. I have Moto Edge 20 Fusion. We were promised A12 update by Feb, still waiting. Updates and camera are Moto's Achilles heels. But I still love my device because I believe in quality of updates rather than quantity. If either camera, security patches are important, I would advise you to stay away from Moto. While Moto does get security updates once every 2 months so that's good. Updates in other Chinese brands mostly end up degrading the UX than upgrading in the name of updates.

Your best bet would be to go for Samsung' A series phones. I think A52 seems like a good deal, maybe others could guide(I don't like Samsung).

If you are fine with slow updates, decent camera then do have a look at Moto G82 too. I think it has OIS, seems the only brand to give OIS at that price.
 
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Thanks for the concern! Everything is fine at my end. Got busy with work etc.

If Moto is like that then, this is a really sad state imo. That leaves Samsung as the only option. Is moto still bad at updates with flagship phones? If i increase my budget to say ₹30k max will it make a difference or I'll only have to look at Samsung phones?

I remembered something wrt these low budget phones. Manufacturers do cost cutting on small things that we don't notice. Like wifi bands and speeds. My redmi phone does not connect to my gigabit router on 2.4 or even 5ghz at more than 72Mbps. I use wifi to transfer photos and videos and the speed does not go beyond 2 to 2.3Mbps. So i end up using usb cable where i get 22Mbps speeds. Add to this their skin is buggy and most of them have some kind of app killer installed as default in their security app. Plus bloatware. I think even Samsung has lot of bloatware in their phones.

I thought of buying a second hand pixel from Amazon but dropped the idea. 6a looks like a lemon. 7 would be priced like iPhone so i won't bother looking at it.
 
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6pack said:
If i increase my budget to say ₹30k max will it make a difference or I'll only have to look at Samsung phones?
Click to expand...
The thing is once you cross 20k, then you start looking at other brands with good features, primarily Samsung, 1+ etc. Very few go for Moto devices beyond 25k. I think @vishalrao has recently got Moto Edge 30 or the pro model but still he needs time to give his opinion on how costly Moto devices holds up with time.
I can say from my device that the camera hardware is definitely there as shots from Gcam do come out great. It shows that Moto needs to work on post-processing of images. Also, my camera was terrible (as mentioned by those who got it early October 2021),but Moto regularly pushed camera updates via Play Store so it did improve but there is still scope for improvement.
If you are stretching your budget to 30k, then go for Samsung' A series which has Snapdragon SoC instead of Exynos chipset, and good camera with OIS. Samsung M series is a mixed bag, reviews fluctuating , but more on the negative side.



6pack said:
emembered something wrt these low budget phones. Manufacturers do cost cutting on small things that we don't notice. Like wifi bands and speeds. My redmi phone does not connect
Click to expand...
True. But if you are getting any Mi or Redmi device in the range of 20k, you should definitely get a good hardware. Software has always been pathetic, even for their flagship devices(personal opinion, not flaming here).
6pack said:
I think even Samsung has lot of bloatware in their phones
Click to expand...
In M series phones, not the A series. The latter is international series below Galaxy series, so they won't do anything stupid to tarnish their reputation.

6pack said:
6a looks like a lemon.
Click to expand...
Sure it's pricey and Google now trails behind Sammy when it comes to OS updates and longevity. But I still think Google will sort out its issues with Tensor after 2-3 generations.
 
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What's wrong with Exynos chips? Even the pixel 6a is an Exynos right? Samsung phone with sd chips are hard to find. Everywhere in listings the companies are just mentioning 6 core or 8 core chip. I'm seeing the same modus operandi with laptops where they only mention i5 11th gen or 12th gen. We have to dig a lot to find the tech specs now. Even audio earbuds. No tech specs given. Just marketing buzz words throughout in every ad and listing.
 
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Exynos chip heat up and are relatively inefficient when it comes to power consumption compared to Snapdragon(SD). This will come into picture when you have less than 5000mah battery. An SD SoC will last you an entire day, with Exynos you might have to power it more than once.
While Samsung have improved their lineup compared to what it was earlier, it is still not there yet.

6pack said:
Even the pixel 6a is an Exynos right?
Click to expand...
Tensor. It's a custom chip made by Samsung to power Google phones. Sought of same tech used by Sammy for Exynos.
 
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rajanmehta said:
Motorola G71 5G 6GB 128 GB at Rs 15,999 - Rs 1,000 Card Discount
www.flipkart.com

MOTOROLA G71 5G ( 128 GB Storage, 6 GB RAM ) Online at Best Price On Flipkart.com

Buy MOTOROLA G71 5G online at best price with offers in India. Moto G71 5G (Arctic Blue, 128 GB) features and specifications include 6 GB RAM, 128 GB ROM, 5000 mAh battery, 50 MP back camera and 16 MP front camera. Compare G71 5G by price and performance to shop at Flipkart
www.flipkart.com www.flipkart.com
Click to expand...
my cousin has this phone and its quite decent for hin
 
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If OS updates aren't a huge priority, then it's a good phone. Moto is slow with OS updates, security patches come once in two months, so not that much of an issue.
You can expect 2+3 years of OS+security updates.

Good phone at 25k. with offers, the price should drop even further. Would still be a good buy.
 
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Moto edge 30 selfie camera is crap. Front camera is okay. Seems to have some red tint in pics and overblown highlights.
Plan dropped to buy this phone. Probably will look at something else.

I feel like buying the iPhone 13 after seeing this video.

 
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