25-30k What Phone around 30k

[farrukjavid]

Hi guys, im looking for a phone under 30k for my father who is upgrading from realme 3 pro. Current considerations are s21fe, iqoo neo 7 pro, oneplus 11r, moto edge 50 pro,pixel 6a. Good to have : water resistance, telephoto lens. Need something long lasting as he doesn't change phones frequently.Compact under 6.5 would be prefe

 

[FXGalvatron]

I like the S21 FE (and own it) but have you considered the Nothing Phone 2a or 2? It got released recently so the odds of it receiving updates longer than most others should be good. Unsure about the rest though. Moto Edge 50 Pro might be an issue cause it has the curved display thing going on (Waterfall display? I am unsure of the name). Pixel 6a is a nice phone but heard the battery is quite bad.

Others may have a good idea than I do.

 

[NevermoreLove]

I like the S21 FE (and own it) but have you considered the Nothing Phone 2a or 2? It got released recently so the odds of it receiving updates longer than most others should be good. Unsure about the rest though. Moto Edge 50 Pro might be an issue cause it has the curved display thing going on (Waterfall display? I am unsure of the name). Pixel 6a is a nice phone but heard the battery is quite bad.

Others may have a good idea than I do.

I personally find samsung os better than nothing. I used nothing phone 1 for 2-3 days and went back to OP 7T because I was facing issues with the OS like flash light wasn't turning on and a few apps crashing while using. I would suggest OP to get a samsung s22 or s21FE or you can opt for honor 90 which released in India recently on amazon.

 

[farrukjavid]

I like the S21 FE (and own it) but have you considered the Nothing Phone 2a or 2? It got released recently so the odds of it receiving updates longer than most others should be good. Unsure about the rest though. Moto Edge 50 Pro might be an issue cause it has the curved display thing going on (Waterfall display? I am unsure of the name). Pixel 6a is a nice phone but heard the battery is quite bad.

Others may have a good idea than I do.

Haven't considered nothing, will check it out and moto software seems to be an issue. Will eliminate pixel.

I personally find samsung os better than nothing. I used nothing phone 1 for 2-3 days and went back to OP 7T because I was facing issues with the OS like flash light wasn't turning on and a few apps crashing while using. I would suggest OP to get a samsung s22 or s21FE or you can opt for honor 90 which released in India recently on amazon.

The size did made me eliminate the op11r, so s22 and s21fe,both seem valid choices. S22 has glass back will makes it more vulnerable I feel and smaller battery but the small screen is a plus.maybe have to check them out in person

 

[Anirudh Sanjeev]

You can never go wrong with a Google pixel, it's perfect for people who don't care about all the fancy gimmicks that phone have these days. The 6a will be perfect. It's a workhorse, camera rivals current flagships, easy to use and live with and everything on a google phone is intuitive.
I used to own a Pixel 4a and then got an iPhone 13. I felt like the experience is as good as it gets.

 

[m1tr]

Even the Nothing Phone 2 looks like a great deal if you're willing to stretch your budget a bit.

 

[BullettuPaandi]

Within the listed options, +1 for S21 FE.

Pixel is also know for connectivity issues other than the battery issue mentioned above.
Would suggest to avoid the Moto edge 50 pro as it seems to be running on UFS2.2! (I had to look it up on multiple sources to verify; UFS2.2 in 2024 is basically a joke) Their reputation for OS updates is already sinking and this'd only make it worse. In short, might not be long lasting.
Neo 7 pro is basically an undercut 11r, both of which don't have a telephoto. If you're considering this, meaning you're not-so-serious about having a telephoto, IP68 or under 6.5" size, consider the 12r instead. Comes with Android 14, promised updates till 17, 5500mAh battery and much better SOC than the S21 FE. So the extra money from the 30k spent is actually worth it here.

Under 30k smartphones come with a lot of compromises these days, so it's not really recommended for parents, as they can't be expected to deal with custom ROMs and such. The VFM under 40k smartphones is better for such users as opposed to smartphones under 30k.

 

[anmolbhard004]

Pixel is also know for connectivity issues other than the battery issue mentioned above.

Would agree with this have a pixel 7 and in general when my samsung would get full bars in network pixel will get 2 , even the wifi is weak in pixel and will heat a lot.

 

[AINDRASIS_GUPTA]

I don't think the features you mentioned (water resistance or telephoto lens) would matter even the slightest for your dad. I mean he is still still using a Realme 3 Pro for God's sake. You need to be realistic and observe (or even ask) what your dad needs the most.

Elderly parents wants functionality and convenience more than performance or gimmicky features. For instance, none of the models you mentioned come with a headphone jack, and for a elderly person (can relate to my dad), it is a must have feature because using wireless headphones or dongles can become cumbersome. Having an option is always a plus.

Similarly, you need to look at models that are lightweight, has a bright display, and have a very good battery life, because for them having a heavy paperweight or something that needs multiple cycles of charging will be an inconvenience.

I'd suggest looking at the Poco X6. It is a lightweight all-round device that comes with stellar performance for the price (7S Gen 2), pretty good camera, has a headphone jack, very good battery life, bright display, and fast charging. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

 

[gourav]

I agree with @AINDRASIS_GUPTA, if the phone is for your dad, then you should focus on what he wants rather than what you think are good to have.

You should consider Moto Edge 40 Neo. It's slightly lighter weight, has IP68 ratings, and Moto has good, no nonsense UI with little to no bloatware. At least, there are no adwares built-in.

 

[Arjun]

S21FE is too old now

 

[farrukjavid]

You can never go wrong with a Google pixel, it's perfect for people who don't care about all the fancy gimmicks that phone have these days. The 6a will be perfect. It's a workhorse, camera rivals current flagships, easy to use and live with and everything on a google phone is intuitive.
I used to own a Pixel 4a and then got an iPhone 13. I felt like the experience is as good as it gets.

Hows google service in india? i kinda have a bad feeling about google since they are inconsistent

Even the Nothing Phone 2 looks like a great deal if you're willing to stretch your budget a bit.

its too big

Within the listed options, +1 for S21 FE.

Pixel is also know for connectivity issues other than the battery issue mentioned above.
Would suggest to avoid the Moto edge 50 pro as it seems to be running on UFS2.2! (I had to look it up on multiple sources to verify; UFS2.2 in 2024 is basically a joke) Their reputation for OS updates is already sinking and this'd only make it worse. In short, might not be long lasting.
Neo 7 pro is basically an undercut 11r, both of which don't have a telephoto. If you're considering this, meaning you're not-so-serious about having a telephoto, IP68 or under 6.5" size, consider the 12r instead. Comes with Android 14, promised updates till 17, 5500mAh battery and much better SOC than the S21 FE. So the extra money from the 30k spent is actually worth it here.

Under 30k smartphones come with a lot of compromises these days, so it's not really recommended for parents, as they can't be expected to deal with custom ROMs and such. The VFM under 40k smartphones is better for such users as opposed to smartphones under 30k.

definitely need a compact phone, else would've got the 11r for 32k.

I don't think the features you mentioned (water resistance or telephoto lens) would matter even the slightest for your dad. I mean he is still still using a Realme 3 Pro for God's sake. You need to be realistic and observe (or even ask) what your dad needs the most.

Elderly parents wants functionality and convenience more than performance or gimmicky features. For instance, none of the models you mentioned come with a headphone jack, and for a elderly person (can relate to my dad), it is a must have feature because using wireless headphones or dongles can become cumbersome. Having an option is always a plus.

Similarly, you need to look at models that are lightweight, has a bright display, and have a very good battery life, because for them having a heavy paperweight or something that needs multiple cycles of charging will be an inconvenience.

I'd suggest looking at the Poco X6. It is a lightweight all-round device that comes with stellar performance for the price (7S Gen 2), pretty good camera, has a headphone jack, very good battery life, bright display, and fast charging. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

My father works with construction and real estate. He takes lots of pictures of buildings to send to clients and have seen him zoom only to get pixelated image (need for telephoto ). He travels a lot in bike and have to be in construction site , so being water resistant is also a bonus ( his current phone has held up without ip rating,but its always extra risky). So his usage is lots of calls, send and receive documents in whatsapp , taking pictures . Having a good soc makes sure it lasts a bit long. He definitely needs a phone that is easy to handle . My father doesn't use headphones, no headphone jack is not needed. The new the M55 seems like a good fit for him, but it's a bit big.

I agree with @AINDRASIS_GUPTA, if the phone is for your dad, then you should focus on what he wants rather than what you think are good to have.

You should consider Moto Edge 40 Neo. It's slightly lighter weight, has IP68 ratings, and Moto has good, no nonsense UI with little to no bloatware. At least, there are no adwares built-in.

Looks good, will look into it

S21FE is too old now

What other compact options do i have ?

 

[BullettuPaandi]

What other compact options do i have ?

S22, with two more years of OS updates left; but inefficient SoC & small battery.

definitely need a compact phone

Then no decent option in your budget.


Here's a list of smartphones under 6.5" with telephoto & with IP6x or IPx8 rating: [LINK]

 

[altair21]

Within the listed options, +1 for S21 FE.

Pixel is also know for connectivity issues other than the battery issue mentioned above.
Would suggest to avoid the Moto edge 50 pro as it seems to be running on UFS2.2! (I had to look it up on multiple sources to verify; UFS2.2 in 2024 is basically a joke) Their reputation for OS updates is already sinking and this'd only make it worse. In short, might not be long lasting.
Neo 7 pro is basically an undercut 11r, both of which don't have a telephoto. If you're considering this, meaning you're not-so-serious about having a telephoto, IP68 or under 6.5" size, consider the 12r instead. Comes with Android 14, promised updates till 17, 5500mAh battery and much better SOC than the S21 FE. So the extra money from the 30k spent is actually worth it here.

Under 30k smartphones come with a lot of compromises these days, so it's not really recommended for parents, as they can't be expected to deal with custom ROMs and such. The VFM under 40k smartphones is better for such users as opposed to smartphones under 30k.

if beebom's benchmarks are to be believed, the speed is on par with 3.1 if not outright better, they did show some benchmarks in their video, but its still got that shitty curved display so meh

Hows google service in india? i kinda have a bad feeling about google since they are inconsistent

crap to say the least

 

[BullettuPaandi]

if beebom's benchmarks are to be believed, the speed is on par with 3.1 if not outright better, they did show some benchmarks in their video

Just watched; they didn't specify whether it was with 12GB or 8GB RAM variant. CE4, which they'd compared with, only has 8GB of RAM. The RAM reads & writes were about double and only that has contributed to the higher score for the Moto. Storage read and write speeds are about 50-70% faster on the UFS 3.1 model; UFS 2.2 is clearly not on par. Also, efficiency is not even taken into account here.

Regardless, amount of RAM space required may depend on usage, but storage speed is crucial for long-term usability. Worst part is the SoC on Moto does seem to support UFS 3.1; questionable choice for cost-cutting.

 

[elan]

I'd suggest looking at the Poco X6.

Read somewhere that software security update is till 2028 and till Android 17. Any idea whether its true?

 

[singenaadam]

S21FE ticks all he boxes. Get the SD888 version.

 

[OMEGA44-XT]

For all its software prowess, Samsung lacks in SoC front. IMO avoid all Samsung fab made flagship SoCs, like Exynos, Tensor, S888/888+ & 8 Gen 1 (8+ Gen 1 is made at TSMC) because of poor efficiency.

I assume your father will have preference against Chinese, if that is the case, Samsung A34 will be a much more practical phone for him than S21FE because of the battery life & less heating. I know it is overpriced. Otherwise consider NP 2a or Nord CE 4 or Poco X6 pro, check their pros & cons. Moto Edge 50 pro can be considered as well, Moto is slow in updates but has promised 3 OS updates. Xiaomi & Moto are the slowest among big brands, with BBK, Samsung & Pixels being faster in that order.

 

[Emperor]

I you can opt for honor 90 which released in India recently on amazon.

Heating & Battery drain issue at AZ review by user + No Charger in Box

 

[farrukjavid]

S22, with two more years of OS updates left; but inefficient SoC & small battery.


Then no decent option in your budget.


Here's a list of smartphones under 6.5" with telephoto & with IP6x or IPx8 rating: [LINK]

And only s21 fe and s22 are available in my budget in india

if beebom's benchmarks are to be believed, the speed is on par with 3.1 if not outright better, they did show some benchmarks in their video, but its still got that shitty curved display so meh

crap to say the least

If not for the crap service, would've gone with the 7a

S21FE ticks all he boxes. Get the SD888 version.

Amazon reviews mention heating and battery issues but still the most vfm option and top of my list now

For all its software prowess, Samsung lacks in SoC front. IMO avoid all Samsung fab made flagship SoCs, like Exynos, Tensor, S888/888+ & 8 Gen 1 (8+ Gen 1 is made at TSMC) because of poor efficiency.

I assume your father will have preference against Chinese, if that is the case, Samsung A34 will be a much more practical phone for him than S21FE because of the battery life & less heating. I know it is overpriced. Otherwise consider NP 2a or Nord CE 4 or Poco X6 pro, check their pros & cons. Moto Edge 50 pro can be considered as well, Moto is slow in updates but has promised 3 OS updates. Xiaomi & Moto are the slowest among big brands, with BBK, Samsung & Pixels being faster in that order.

I don't want a big phone, that's the problem . Currently my choices are s22, s21fe, moto edge 40, edge 40 neo, edge 50. So samsung or moto guys?