Best phones under Rs 30,000: If you are looking to invest in a smartphone under Rs 30,000, you should know that there are some great options available in the smartphone market in this price segment that offer great performance, great design and great features, at a price that is not as expensive as a flagship phone. Whether you are looking for a reliable phone for mobile photography, gaming or everyday use, there are many great options available under Rs 30,000.
The best smartphones to buy under Rs 30,000 in India include brands like OnePlus Nord, Realme, Nothing, and Poco. Leading the list is the OnePlus Nord CE 4, which has a Snapdragon 780G processor and a stunning 120Hz AMOLED display. Another strong contender is the Samsung Galaxy M54, which has a versatile quad-camera setup and a powerful 6000mAh battery. For vanilla Android fans, the Nothing Phone 2a offers a great software experience. The Realme 12 Pro Plus is also a good option, offering a stunning design and faux leather back and 65W fast charging. The Poco X5 Pro stands out with its flagship-grade camera and vibrant FHD+ display.
Realme 12 Pro+ (Price: ₹ 27,190)
Apart from its attractive design, the Realme 12 Pro+ shines with its impressive camera system. The primary camera performs well in various lighting conditions, but the most striking feature is the telephoto lens, which promises great performance at the native focal length regardless of the lighting. The phone also has excellent battery life, easily lasting a day and a half with regular use, and it supports extremely fast charging speeds.
The Realme 12 Pro+ has a vegan-leather back and a distinctive fluted metal ring around its camera module, reminiscent of a watch. Apart from its stylish looks, the phone comes with an IP65 rating, which offers effective protection against dust and water.
The Realme 12 Pro+ is powered by a chipset that easily manages everyday tasks and multitasking, while also delivering good gaming performance. It runs on Android 14, but it also comes with pre-installed bloatware. However, this doesn't affect the overall experience.
OnePlus Nord CE 4 (Price: Rs 24,999)
The Nord CE4 runs OxygenOS 14, built on Android 14, which is highly customisable and includes useful new features like Fluid Cloud, some of these enhancements are powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The phone offers solid performance for everyday use, though it is not the best choice for gaming. Its display is plenty bright for outdoor use and comes with HDR10 certification. Although it has a very high refresh rate, its touch sampling rate is low, especially while playing FPS games.
Overall, the camera performance is average for this segment and the video recording quality is not great either. However, the phone has great battery life and supports very fast wired charging.
The OnePlus Nord CE4 also comes with an IP54 rating, offering protection against dust and water. The frame of the device is made of durable polycarbonate, designed to stay safe even when dropped, while the rear panel is also made of polycarbonate for added flexibility.
Poco X6 Pro (Price: Rs 23,899)
In terms of imaging, the Poco X6 Pro is equipped with a triple rear camera system, which includes a 64-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2-megapixel macro lens. For selfies, it has a single front camera with a 16-megapixel sensor. Launched earlier this year, the Poco X6 Pro comes with a 6.67-inch touchscreen display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 1220×2712 pixels. Available in 8GB and 12GB RAM storage variants, the Poco X6 Pro runs on Android 14 and is powered by a 5000mAh non-removable battery that supports proprietary fast charging.
Additionally, it also features an IP54 rating, which ensures protection against dust and water.
The Poco X6 Pro comes with a number of connectivity options including GPS, NFC, USB Type-C, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, 3G, 4G (with Band 40 support for some LTE networks in India), and 5G with active 4G on both SIM cards. The device is equipped with a number of sensors such as an accelerometer, compass/ magnetometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, and an in-display fingerprint sensor.
The Poco X6 Pro comes with Xiaomi's own HyperOS, which is built on Android 14. It offers storage options in two variants: 256GB and 512GB of internal storage, which can be expanded via microSD card. This phone was introduced in three colors: Poco Yellow, Racing Gray, and Specter Black.
Nothing Phone 2a (Price: ₹23,999)
The Nothing Phone 2a comes with a number of connectivity features, including Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS, and USB Type-C as well as active 4G on both SIM cards. The Nothing Phone 2a supports face unlock as well as fingerprint unlock. The Nothing Phone 2a runs on Nothing OS 2.5, which is built on Android 14 OS and offers storage options of 128GB and 256GB. The phone was released in Black and White color variants.
Talking about the camera setup, the Nothing Phone 2a has a dual rear camera system that includes a 50-megapixel primary camera and a 50-megapixel second camera. For selfies, it includes a single front camera equipped with a 32-megapixel sensor.
The Nothing Phone 2a features a 6.70-inch touchscreen display with a 120Hz refresh rate, offering a resolution of 1080×2412 pixels (FHD+) and a pixel density of 394 pixels per inch (ppi). Available with 8GB or 12GB RAM options, the Nothing Phone 2a packs a 5000mAh battery that supports proprietary fast charging technology.
Oppo F27 Pro+ 5G
Price: Rs 27,999
The newly launched Oppo F27 Pro+ 5G comes with connectivity options such as Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, GPS, Bluetooth v5.30, and USB Type-C. It is equipped with multiple sensors including an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, compass/ magnetometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, and an in-display fingerprint sensor.
The Oppo F27 Pro+ 5G runs on the company's proprietary ColorOS 14.0, which is built on Android 14, and offers storage options of 128GB and 256GB. Available in two colours: Dusk Pink and Midnight Navy, the device comes with an IP69 rating for dust and water resistance. It is India's first IP69 rated smartphone.
For photography, Oppo F27 Pro + 5G has a dual rear camera setup, which has a 64-megapixel primary camera and a 2-megapixel secondary camera. For selfies, it has a single 8-megapixel front camera.
The F27 Pro+ 5G features a 6.70-inch touchscreen display with a high refresh rate of 120 Hz, offering a resolution of 1080×2412 pixels (FHD+) and a pixel density of 394 pixels per inch (ppi). It is powered by a 5000mAh battery and supports 67W Turbo Charge fast charging technology.