The Rs 30,000 price point separates the premium mid-segment from the budget flagship segment on the smartphone ladder. It is the category in which people look for phones with a number of premium features that, while not breaking benchmarks, are rock-solid performers with less-than-premium price tags. It is a segment where the seemingly incompatible premium and value-for-money segments overlap before splitting up. If you want to buy a smartphone and have a budget of around Rs 30,000, you will be inundated with phone pizzas with value-for-money bases and premium toppings, with options that hint at both flagships as well as mid-segment and even some budget devices (the 3.5mm audio jack is still alive and well).
So, if you’re looking for a phone and have around Rs 30,000 to spend, here are five options in this premium-mid-segment Middle Earth:
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Poco F5
Poco has dominated the budget and mid-segment markets with devices that have excellent specs but are reasonably priced. The Poco F5 is a prime example. The phone includes the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 chip, which is possibly the most powerful chip in this segment, and when combined with a very good 6.67 inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate, very good stereo speakers, and a 3.5 mm audio jack, it is as close to a gaming beast as you can get in this segment.
Its 64-megapixel main camera with OIS takes good photos, and the 8-megapixel ultrawide shooter is useful for landscapes, but the 2-megapixel macro camera is useless. The phone has a 5,000mAh battery that easily lasts a day and a half of heavy use and charges quickly thanks to the included 67W charger. It has a simple design with a plastic frame and back, but it is the most powerful device in the segment in terms of performance.
Easily the best phone for gamers on a tight budget.
iQoo Neo 7
The iQoo Neo 7 checks a lot of premium feature boxes, including a brilliant 6.78-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution and a refresh rate of 120Hz, a very good 64-megapixel main camera with OIS, and a 5,000mAh battery with 120W fast charging support and a charger included. It is powered by the powerful MediaTek Dimensity 8200 chip, which can run even high-end games at high settings.
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Despite the absence of a 3.5mm audio jack, it has excellent stereo speakers and Vivo’s feature-rich FunTouch OS on top of Android 13. Add to that a very sleek design with a distinct square camera unit, and you have a phone that excels in both appearance and performance.
Some may be put off by the plastic frame and back (which look good), and we believe that the dual 2-megapixel cameras on the back accompanying that very good main sensor are of little value, but at under Rs 30,000, this is a steal.
Nothing Phone (1)
It may be more than a year old, but if you want a phone that stands out from the crowd without making major spec sacrifices, the first Nothing Phone is the (1) to go for. The pun was intended. The transparent back of the Phone (1), along with LEDs that light up in different patterns depending on notifications and alerts, distinguishes it from any other device in this segment.
It has a glass front and back, as well as a metal frame (rare even in this price range), and it continues to be a rock-solid performer, running on the still-capable Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ chip and featuring a very good 6.55-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate.
The dual 50-megapixel cameras on the back have improved with time and timely updates, and the device’s clean NothingOS interface will please those who prefer clean and uncluttered Android. The phone has excellent stereo speakers but no 3.5mm audio jack, and it supports 15W wireless charging and even 5W reverse wireless charging (you can charge devices by placing them on its back).
Its 4,500mAh battery is the smallest on this list, as is the 33W wired charging speed, and the lack of a charger in the box may surprise some, but this is a very differently crafted phone that works differently. It will not be liked by everyone, but almost everyone will look at it!
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Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus
If you’re looking for great photography under Rs 30,000, the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus is hard to beat. The phone has a massive 200-megapixel main sensor with OIS, which gives the Pixel 7a a run for its money, especially in terms of details in still photographs.
The 8-megapixel ultrawide and 2-megapixel cameras that come with it are nowhere near the same class, but they aren’t even necessary given how good that main sensor is — you can zoom and crop shots to suit yourself, and the phone also comes with a variety of shooting options, allowing you to do more.
The rest of the phone is excellent as well: the 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate is bright and colorful, the phone has excellent stereo speakers and a 3.5 mm audio jack, and its large 5000 mAh battery not only lasts well past a day of heavy use but charges quickly thanks to the 120W charger included. Yes, despite having a glass front and back, its design is a little plain, and the MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chip that powers it is not as powerful as the others on this list (though the phone works smoothly enough),
OnePlus Nord CE 3
OnePlus’ flagships and flagship killers may get more attention, but the Nord series has done exceptionally well in the mid-segment in recent years. And if you want a typical OnePlus experience for less than Rs 30,000, the Nord CE3 is the phone for you. The letter ‘CE’ is supposed to stand for ‘core experience,’ and the Nord CE3 delivers in spades. You get the typical OnePlus design, as well as a clean OxygenOS under the hood.
The phone has a very good 6.7-inch FHD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate, as well as a flagship-level Sony IMX890 50-megapixel main sensor with OIS and a decent 8-megapixel ultrawide sensor (though the 2-megapixel macro sensor is not very useful).
The phone is powered by a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 782G chip and comes with a large 5000 mAh battery and an 80W charger. The OnePlus Nord CE3 does not have the best processor or camera on the market, but it does everything well. Another device will be disqualified.
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