This year, the mid-range smartphone segment has been as competitive as it can get, with many devices offering flagship-like performance, build, and cameras at a fraction of the price. However, finding a good phone that can capture good photos and videos and excel at multitasking and gaming can be hard to find.
If you are in the market for a camera-centric phone but don’t want to spend a ton of money, here are some of the best smartphones from the likes of Realme, Samsung and others under Rs 30,000 you can buy right now.
Motorola Edge 50 Neo has a faux leather back. (Image Source: Motorola)realme 12 pro plus i
Motorola Edge 50 Neo
If you are looking for a smartphone under Rs 25,000, the Motorola Edge 50 Neo is one of the best phones that money can buy. Featuring the Dimensity 7300 chipset, which also powers the Reno 12 Pro and CMF Phone (1), it has a 6.4-inch LTPO p-OLED screen and offers MIL-STD-810H protection and IP68 dust and water resistance.
It also happens to be one of the few camera phones in the lower mid-range segment that packs a telephoto lens. The Edge 50 Neo has a triple camera setup that consists of a 50MP primary camera along with a 13MP ultrawide sensor and a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. While the image and video quality may not be on par with its more expensive counterparts, it is good enough for most users.
While Motorola has a poor track record when it comes to releasing Android updates on time and discontinuing certain devices, the company has promised that the Edge 50 Neo will get 5 years of OS updates. However, one note to that here is that the phone has a 4,310mAh battery, which may not last for a whole day if you are a heavy user. But the flip side is that the phone can charge at up to 68W using wire and even supports 15W wireless charging, which is something usually reserved for premium devices.
Available in a multitude of colours, the Motorola Edge 50 Neo with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage can be purchased from Flipkart for Rs 23,999. If you don’t mind extended software support and the slightly smaller battery, the Motorola Edge 50 Neo is an easy recommendation for its price.
The faux leather gives it a premium look and feel. (Express Photo)
Realme 12 Pro Plus
Realme’s most expensive mid-range device, the Realme 12 Pro Plus (review) is a good option for those looking for a phone that looks and feels premium and packs a good camera setup.
Powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset, the phone offers a lag-free multitasking experience and decent gaming performance. It has a 120Hz 6.7-inch curved AMOLED screen and comes with RealmeUI 5.0 based on Android 14.
It has a thick faux leather back that makes the phone easy to hold with a huge circular camera island in the middle, which houses three lenses. The 50MP primary shooter takes decent photos and videos in all lighting conditions, but the 64MP periscope telephoto lens that offers 3x optical zoom is really capable of taking excellent images. Like most mid-range phones, the 8MP ultrawide shooter is average at best.
The base version of the Realme 12 Pro Plus comes with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage and can be purchased for Rs 26,950 from Amazon, but if you can spend a bit more, we recommend going with the 256GB storage variant.
Honor 200 has a 50MP telephoto shooter. (Express Photo)
Honor 200
Honor’s latest mid-range device, the Honor 200 features an all-curved design that makes it easy to hold and gives it a premium feel. Under the hood, the device packs the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset and has a 6.7-inch 120Hz OLED screen.
The back of the phone has a frosted look with a glass back and an elliptical camera island. The Honor 200 has a 50MP primary camera, a 12MP ultrawide shooter along with a 50MP telephoto lens with 2.5x optical zoom, making it one of the few phones in the under Rs 30,000 segment with a high-resolution telephoto sensor.
Both the primary and telephoto lenses take good shots during both day and night time, but as is the case with the majority of mid-range devices, the 12MP ultrawide sensor is decent at best.
If you are someone who liked the user interface on Huawei phones, the Honor 200 with its MagicOS 8 based on Android 14 may feel familiar and easy to use. It has a 5,200mAh battery with 100W fast charging support and similar to OnePlus, Google and Samsung, offers some AI-powered features. The 8GB RAM and 256GB version of the Honor 200 is available on Amazon for Rs 26,998.
OnePlus Nord 4 has a dual tone finish with an aluminium back. (Express Photo)
OnePlus Nord 4
OnePlus recently launched the Nord 4 (review) in Milan, Italy. The latest in the company’s mid-range series features an eye-catching dual-tone design and an aluminium frame and back that makes the phone look and feel premium.
Featuring the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 chipset, the phone runs on OxygenOS 14.1 based on Android 14 out of the box with Oneplus promising 4 years of OS updates. It has a 6.74-inch AMOLED panel that can get really bright outside.
The rear of the phone has two vertically floating camera lenses similar to Samsung’s Galaxy S24 lineup. While the phone does not feature a telephoto lens, the primary 50MP shooter is pretty capable and can take good shots during day and night. However, the accompanying 8MP ultrawide is average when the light is low. If you are someone who mainly relies on the primary shooter and don’t use the telephoto lens a lot, the OnePlus Nord 4 might appeal to your needs.
The OnePlus Nord 4 features a 5,500mAh battery that supports 100W fast charging, which the company claims can fully charge the phone in around 28 minutes. At the time of writing, the 8GB RAM and 128GB variant of the phone is available on Flipkart for Rs 29,999, but you can get discounts with select bank cards.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE will get 4 years of Android updates. (Express Photo)
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE
The Fan Edition phone from Samsung was launched for around Rs 55,000 last year, but in just one year the price has been slashed by almost 50 per cent, making it one of the best value-for-money phones right now.
Featuring the Exynos 2200 chipset, the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE features a 6.4-inch 120Hz AMOLED screen protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. While the phone comes with One UI 5 based on Android 13 out of the box, Samsung has already rolled out Galaxy AI features for the phone and will be updated till Android 17.
On the back, you get a 50MP primary shooter accompanied by a 12MP ultrawide sensor and an 8MP telephoto lens that offers 3x optical zoom. While the primary sensor takes really good photos during day and night time, the 8MP telephoto camera and the 12MP ultrawide are not as good as flagship phones. However, they are one of the best for both photos and videos compared to other phones in the price bracket.
Another downside is that the phone packs a 4,500mAh battery that supports 25W charging, so if you are a heavy user, you might need to find a power outlet in the evening. Also, Samsung’s Exynos series chipsets are known to run hot during summer, so if live in a hot area like Delhi, it is important to note that the device may get uncomfortably hot outside or under direct sunlight.
The base variant of the Galaxy S23 FE with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage is currently selling on Flipkart for Rs 29,999. Click here to read the complete review of the phone and see camera samples.
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