Budget 30-40k Under 40k phone with good camera and battery

M

mallik

Adept
Questions:-
1. Budget?
A: INR 40k and below

2. Preferred display size, type and resolution?
A: Around 6 inch, OLED

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

4. Preferred connectivity options?
A: 5g with wireless calling

5. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them.
A: No preference. Phone should be good for at least 2-3 years

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

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

8. New or Used? Online or Offline?
A: New. Don’t mind buying online

9. Any other requirements?
A: Need good battery backup, wireless calling

10. If you have already considered a phone, then please mention the model
A: Asus Zenfone 8z

Need to help a friend buy a phone who will be using it mainly for calls WhatsApp, and routine functions. Not much gaming, if any. The camera should be good (I love pixel, but battery sucks), and so should the battery life. Wi-Fi calling and 5G also needed

Thanks for the help folks!
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
S20FE vs. iPhone13 Pro


The only place where the iP13 has the edge is the selfie camera (selfie camera on the s20fe isn't the best) and video in low light.

The processor on the iPhone13 is more powerful so it will be more fluid.

Some photos were clearer on the S20FE, some were more pleasing on the iPhone13 Pro

Almost no difference in terms of details with stills in good to middling light even with telephoto.

When it comes to differences with the way photos look between iphone and sammy, the primary difference is the default metering used.

Apple has always defaulted to matrix or evaluative and the sammy's defaulted to centre weighted.

Once you set the sammy to matrix the look of the photos becomes similar. Otherwise you will see noticeable colour differences.

You will see this if you examine the image data.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
blr_p said:
S20FE vs. iPhone13 Pro


The only place where the iP13 has the edge is the selfie camera (selfie camera on the s20fe isn't the best) and video in low light.

The processor on the iPhone13 is more powerful so it will be more fluid.

Some photos were clearer on the S20FE, some were more pleasing on the iPhone13 Pro

Almost no difference in terms of details with stills in good to middling light even with telephoto.

When it comes to differences with the way photos look between iphone and sammy, the primary difference is the default metering used.

Apple has always defaulted to matrix or evaluative and the sammy's defaulted to centre weighted.

Once you set the sammy to matrix the look of the photos becomes similar. Otherwise you will see noticeable colour differences.

You will see this if you examine the image data.
Click to expand...
I have the ip12 and s20fe.

All theoretical discussions aside, the cameras are just not in the same league. Especially in difficult lighting conditions. And I'm talking ip12 let alone 13 pro

Other than the 3x lens on s20fe (which inhave had the need to use once or twice), I'll always reach out for the ip12.

While the s20fe camera is not bad per se, i really doubt it's anywhere close to the regular s20 (which i admittedly haven't used)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
superczar said:
I have the ip12 and s20fe.

All theoretical discussions aside, the cameras are just not in the same league. Especially in difficult lighting conditions. And I'm talking ip12 let alone 13 pro

Other than the 3x lens on s20fe (which inhave had the need to use once or twice), I'll always reach out for the ip12.

While the s20fe camera is not bad per se, i really doubt it's anywhere close to the regular s20 (which i admittedly haven't used)
Click to expand...
Check this out

Experience ? very few reviewers mention what it is like to use the camera and this can make all the difference between using it or not regardless of picture quality

knowing whether you took the shot or not. Haptics aren't good enough and you can see the lag in the viewfinder in low light.

I'm used to going into manual with low light. There is no phone out there that can do a decent job with low light in auto. Maybe cameras with mult-exposure. Blend several images together. Though these can cause harder to fix problems in some situations. Single exposure is easier that way.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
blr_p said:
Check this out

Experience ? very few reviewers mention what it is like to use the camera and this can make all the difference between using it or not regardless of picture quality

knowing whether you took the shot or not. Haptics aren't good enough and you can see the lag in the viewfinder in low light.

I'm used to going into manual with low light. There is no phone out there that can do a decent job with low light in auto. Maybe cameras with mult-exposure. Blend several images together. Though these can cause harder to fix problems in some situations. Single exposure is easier that way.
Click to expand...
Catch is that if I am using a phone to shoot a pic, its almost always going to be a simple point & shoot.
It's very well possible that the s20fe offers additional tweaking options or manual controls that may transform its camera into something awesome.
But for me (and probably most phone cam users), a phone camera module is meant primarily to take P&S shots.

TBH, I did not go through the YT link you shared - reason for it being that

a) I have used both these phones daily for several months now and no YT review can convince me that the s20fe takes excellent shots in P&S.
Acceptable, sure.. But the side by side difference between this and shots from other well regarded phones is quite large

b) If extracting the best out of S20FE means spending time on manual adjustments, I would almost always prefer using a traditional camera for that

Again, I do not mean to say in any way that the S20FE is a bad phone. It is in fact a really good device for the price. But that low price tag does come at a cost.

I am not sure if you already have this device or if you intend to purchase one on the basis of good camera reviews.
However if it helps, would be happy to share side by side shots (but taken without spending effort on adjustments/tweaking)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
VaaN said:
Found samsung S20 FE 5G on amazon it fills your requirement
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G (Cloud Navy, 8GB RAM, 128GB Storage) without offers https://www.amazon.in/dp/B08VB3CSKZ/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_GQB7PC0XF0G5MEVXV81X?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Click to expand...
My first seller preference in that list would be Appario. But Appario only sells 'with offer'.

No details as to what this 'offer' contains and to top that the seller does not even allow to ask questions about 'item for sale' only for 'order placed'. No thanks.

The sellers under 'without offer' or 5k less all have complaints in their seller feedback for either used items sent instead of new or incorrect item delivered. Does not exactly inspire confidence. So if its 5k cheaper it means something isn't quite right. Sample review
1. The box did not have a plastic sealed covering 2. The covering on the phone was loose and not like the original and has a weird numbered sticker attached. 3. Many scratches on the top and bottom side of the phone 4. Definitely not a new phone
Click to expand...
The phone was supplied with EXYNOS 990 processor. The order was for Snapdragon 865+ and the price was paid accordingly. The seller is not responding to the complaint.
Click to expand...
I will just go to the samsung store and buy the damn phone there. I will be able to see the manufacture date, verify the correct colour and KNOW i'm getting brand new. No need to wait for the delivery, in and out and i have a new phone for presumably a little more than online.

My last experience buying the V20 on amazon, which i got at 30k, a good price of 5k less involved a box that was sealed but had been obviously tampered with. The phone nearly five years old today has been fine but the first few days i was disgusted.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
blr_p said:
My first seller preference in that list would be Appario. But Appario only sells 'with offer'.

No details as to what this 'offer' contains and to top that the seller does not even allow to ask questions about 'item for sale' only for 'order placed'. No thanks.

The sellers under 'without offer' or 5k less all have complaints in their seller feedback for either used items sent instead of new or incorrect item delivered. Does not exactly inspire confidence. So if its 5k cheaper it means something isn't quite right. Sample review


I will just go to the samsung store and buy the damn phone there. I will be able to see the manufacture date, verify the correct colour and KNOW i'm getting brand new. No need to wait for the delivery, in and out and i have a new phone for presumably a little more than online.

My last experience buying the V20 on amazon, which i got at 30k, a good price of 5k less involved a box that was sealed but had been obviously tampered with. The phone nearly five years old today has been fine but the first few days i was disgusted.
Click to expand...
buy from Samsung Corporate , cheaper than store and websites
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
superczar said:
I have the ip12 and s20fe.

All theoretical discussions aside, the cameras are just not in the same league. Especially in difficult lighting conditions. And I'm talking ip12 let alone 13 pro

Other than the 3x lens on s20fe (which inhave had the need to use once or twice), I'll always reach out for the ip12.

While the s20fe camera is not bad per se, i really doubt it's anywhere close to the regular s20 (which i admittedly haven't used)
Click to expand...

superczar said:
Catch is that if I am using a phone to shoot a pic, its almost always going to be a simple point & shoot.
It's very well possible that the s20fe offers additional tweaking options or manual controls that may transform its camera into something awesome.
But for me (and probably most phone cam users), a phone camera module is meant primarily to take P&S shots.

TBH, I did not go through the YT link you shared - reason for it being that

a) I have used both these phones daily for several months now and no YT review can convince me that the s20fe takes excellent shots in P&S.
Acceptable, sure.. But the side by side difference between this and shots from other well regarded phones is quite large

b) If extracting the best out of S20FE means spending time on manual adjustments, I would almost always prefer using a traditional camera for that

Again, I do not mean to say in any way that the S20FE is a bad phone. It is in fact a really good device for the price. But that low price tag does come at a cost.

I am not sure if you already have this device or if you intend to purchase one on the basis of good camera reviews.
However if it helps, would be happy to share side by side shots (but taken without spending effort on adjustments/tweaking)
Click to expand...

Those manual controls are not exclusive for S20 Fe, they are present on almost all Samsung phones after a particular price range. Even A52S has similar controls. So nothing special here.
Though they are present, that doesn't mean we get better quality pictures always on manual.
Companies try hard to get the best pic quality on the default auto mode itself, bcz that's what most people use and that's how people give feedback.

I totally agree with your a) & b) points and was just going to type similar comments but refrained after seeing yours.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
This reviewer says he found dust in the boxes of the S21FE and S20FE. That was in the seller feedback as well.

Ssreek said:
Those manual controls are not exclusive for S20 Fe, they are present on almost all Samsung phones after a particular price range. Even A52S has similar controls. So nothing special here. Though they are present, that doesn't mean we get better quality pictures always on manual.
Click to expand...
They will get you better pictures when auto fails. I use them 5% of the time on the V20, G4 and even earlier on the K zoom, That 5% is the difference between living with a less than optimal shot or getting exactly what you want.

Back then i would not look at a phone if it did not offer them.

I remember back in 2015 these reviewers were saying manual controls will never catch on because most people would not use them. Android's API's would not support them so unless the vendor did the extra legwork it did not happen. But few did. LG was a pioneer here. The controls the S20FE has were available four years earlier in the V20. That's how long it took to catch up.

These reviewers quickly changed their tune when camera2API allowed companies to go exactly in that direction :)
Ssreek said:
Companies try hard to get the best pic quality on the default auto mode itself, bcz that's what most people use and that's how people give feedback.
Click to expand...
In good lighting conditions yes. You don't need manual in those conditions.

In low light the ISO is boosted up. In manual you can lower it and get a better quality shot if you can hand hold for the time required. Or if you want to get a sharp shot you need to increase shutter speed over what auto will give you in the light you have. The photo will be more grainy but it will be sharp.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
I too am looking to upgrade from V20, which served me dearly. Torn in the current marketplace to find a suitable upgrade since LG stopped making such good phones with hifi dacs, headphone jack etc. Have eyes on the S20FE and some similar phones which do justice to the V20.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
superczar said:
I have the ip12 and s20fe.

All theoretical discussions aside, the cameras are just not in the same league. Especially in difficult lighting conditions. And I'm talking ip12 let alone 13 pro

Other than the 3x lens on s20fe (which inhave had the need to use once or twice), I'll always reach out for the ip12.

While the s20fe camera is not bad per se, i really doubt it's anywhere close to the regular s20 (which i admittedly haven't used)
Click to expand...
Actually s20FE has the same main lens as the s20 and s20 plus while the ultrawide and zoom lens are different. So you get the same old flagship level pictures from the main cam.
SpaceRim said:
I too am looking to upgrade from V20, which served me dearly. Torn in the current marketplace to find a suitable upgrade since LG stopped making such good phones with hifi dacs, headphone jack etc. Have eyes on the S20FE and some similar phones which do justice to the V20.
Click to expand...
Buy E1da 9038D and you'll forget about the headphone jack. I have the 9038S and I've never used my LG g8x headphone Jack after buying that.


@mallik If you still haven't bought anything consider OnePlus 9/RT with SBI cc discounts, they're the best in your budget followed by s20 FE
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Been testing out standby with the new S20FE and its looking good.

0.3%/h is the baseline. This means it will last 30 days if left on its own.

No sim card and only a few apps installed. This is still on 12 and One UI 4.0

To be seen how much drain increases when in regular use.
 

Attachments

  • standby s20fe.png
    standby s20fe.png
    427.4 KB · Views: 71
Upvote 0 Downvote
rockstah said:
Actually s20FE has the same main lens as the s20 and s20 plus while the ultrawide and zoom lens are different. So you get the same old flagship level pictures from the main cam.

Buy E1da 9038D and you'll forget about the headphone jack. I have the 9038S and I've never used my LG g8x headphone Jack after buying that.


@mallik If you still haven't bought anything consider OnePlus 9/RT with SBI cc discounts, they're the best in your budget followed by s20 FE
Click to expand...
Already purchased, and my friend is quite happy with the performance and the Camera
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
If you're on 12 there are some improvements to the gallery app that allow to remove objects, shadows and reflections from photos. I find its 50-50 depending on the photo but when it works its 100%. The way to get those improvements is a bit roundabout involving another module called photo editor so watch the video


If you upgrade to one UI 4.1 there is a further improvement that allows to turn any photo into portrait mode.

The S20FE does not allow portrait with telephoto only the main camera.

What i find amazing is portrait video (!) How do they manage that :oops:
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
blr_p said:
If you're on 12 there are some improvements to the gallery app that allow to remove objects, shadows and reflections from photos. I find its 50-50 depending on the photo but when it works its 100%. The way to get those improvements is a bit roundabout involving another module called photo editor so watch the video


If you upgrade to one UI 4.1 there is a further improvement that allows to turn any photo into portrait mode.

The S20FE does not allow portrait with telephoto only the main camera. What i find amazing is portrait video (!)

How do they manage that :oops:
Click to expand...
Samsung is killing it in software, really like their take on one handed usage with one UI. There was a time when their old TouchWiz UI was just shit.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
There's one irritating thing with this phone and that is there is no setting to remove the shutter sound. Apparently this is the case with all phones sold in Asia.

The way to turn down the shutter sound is to go into the sounds menu and turn system sounds down. Now there is no shutter sound. But nobody is going to manually do that.

So there is a way to automate it. Use Bixby routines :)

Its quite straight forward to adapt that to 12.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Back
Top