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Our list of smartphones under Rs 30,000 this month has some of the hot new releases as well as a couple of old warhorses read more
 "OnePlus Nord 4 5G, Poco F6 5G to Realme 12 Pro+ 5G")
Image Credit: Firstpost | Mehul Reuben Das
The segment of phones under Rs 30,000 introduces you to some flagship features, and at times you can get your hands on some previous generation flagship phones too. Needless to say you get phones with powerful processors, high refresh rate AMOLED displays, impressive cameras with optical image stabilisation (OIS), 5G compliance and more. Time to check out the best smartphones you can buy in India under Rs 30,000 this month.
Best phones to buy under Rs 30,000 in India
OnePlus Nord 4 5G
The newly launched OnePlus Nord 4 5G walks into this list courtesy of its strong performance. As for design, OnePlus has gone back to the days when phones had a metal back, and we welcome the move. The Nord 4 has an aluminium unibody that looks elegant and feels sturdy, yet keeping the thickness of the phone to 8 mm. It also sports an IP65 rating for dust and splash resistance. The phone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 chip, and you can get its 8GB RAM and 128GB UFS 3.1 storage variant in this budget.
It has a 6.74-inch Fluid AMOLED display with a higher than Full HD resolution of 2772 x 1240 pixels. The HDR10+ compliant screen supports 10-bit colour depth, 120Hz refresh rate and can get up to 2150 nits bright. In the photography department, the 50MP primary camera with OIS does a very good job, and is supported by an 8MP ultrawide camera with 112 degrees FOV and a 32MP front camera that should have the selfie enthusiasts interested.
Its 5500 mAh battery lasts for well over a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 100W charger promises to juice it up fully in under half an hour. The OnePlus Nord 4 5G runs OxygenOS 14 based on Android 14, and the company has promised 4 years of OS and 6 years of security updates going ahead for this phone.
OnePlus Nord 4 5G price in India: Rs 29,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage
Poco F6 5G
If you thought the Nord 4 was going to run away with the game, Poco had different ideas. The Poco F6 5G is an even more lucrative offering with a faster SoC and double the storage for less money. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC coupled with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB faster UFS 4.0 storage. Photography department is quite similar with a 50MP primary camera with OIS and an 8MP ultra-wide shooter manning the rear, with a 20MP front camera handling selfies and video calls.
The Poco F6 5G has a vibrant 6.67-inch AMOLED screen with a higher than Full HD resolution and support for 12-bit colour, 120Hz refresh rate, 2400 nits peak brightness and HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compliance. The display is protected against scratches by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. Its 5000 mAh battery can last over a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 90W turbo charger can recharge it fully in about 40 minutes. It runs Android 14 with Xiaomi’s HyperOS with a few more updates to follow.
Pro tip:
Flipkart is currently offering an instant Rs 2,000 off on all credit and debit card transactions on this phone, and one can score its 12GB RAM + 512GB storage variant under 30K at the moment.
Poco F6 5G price in India: Rs 27,999 for 8GB RAM/256GB storage
Realme 12 Pro+ 5G
The Realme 12 Pro+ 5G is another aesthetically pleasing phone in this budget, courtesy of its curved display and elegant faux leather back. While the processing power isn’t as high as the phones above, it more than makes up for it in the camera department. The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC, and you get 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage to go with it. It has a 10-bit 6.7-inch curved Full HD+ Super AMOLED ProXDR display with 120Hz refresh rate.
At the back, you get a 50MP primary camera with OIS along with an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 64MP periscope telephoto camera with OIS that facilitates 3X optical zoom. Its 32MP front camera is bound to impress the selfie crowd. The 5000 mAh battery lasts over a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 67W SuperVOOC charger manages to juice it up in under 45 minutes. The Realme 12 Pro+ 5G runs Android 14 with Realme UI 5.0, and one can expect a few more OS and security updates in the future.
Realme 12 Pro+ 5G price in India: Rs 27,999 for 8GB RAM/256GB storage
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
A blast from the past but still very relevant, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is a great option in this budget. This phone has a sleek design and also flaunts an IP68 rating for dust and fluid resistance. It has a 6.4-inch Full HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with HDR10+ compliance, 120Hz refresh rate and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection against scratches. It is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 2100 chip which is still fairly powerful for this segment.
You can get its 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage variant comfortably under 30K currently. The phone launched with Android 12, and is upgradeable to Android 14 with Samsung’s One UI 6, and one can expect another major OS update or two going ahead. A 4500 mAh battery keeps the phone running for close to a day and a half of moderate use and supports wireless charging as well.
Photography department on the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is handled by three cameras at the back starting with a 12MP primary camera with OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide snapper with 123 degrees FOV and an 8MP telephoto camera with OIS that provides 3X optical zoom. The camera performance is impressive with excellent detail, wide dynamic range and a commendable low light performance as well.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G price in India: Rs 27,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage
iQOO 9 5G
The iQOO 9 5G is another phone that may be a little old but yet a solid option under 30K. It is powered by Qualcomm’s former flagship Snapdragon 888+ chip, and you can get its 12GB RAM and 256GB internal storage variant in this budget. Its sharp 6.56-inch HDR10+ compliant Full HD+ AMOLED display has 120Hz refresh rate and can display a billion colour shades. The phone runs Android 13 with FunTouch OS 13 currently, and an Android 14 update is expected anytime now.
The rear camera department here is quite versatile. You get a 48MP primary camera with Gimbal stabilisation, accompanied by a 13MP ultra-wide camera and a 13MP 50 mm professional portrait camera for great portrait shots. The 16MP front camera handles selfies and video calls well. The iQOO 9 5G has a 4350 mAh battery that can easily last over a day of moderate use, and the bundled 120W fast charger claims to charge it fully in just 18 minutes.
iQOO 9 5G price in India: Rs 29,780 for 12GB RAM/256GB storage
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