Best Non-Chinese Phones to buy over Rs. 30,000...
|By Prasham Pratap|
Since the article about the best Chinese phones to buy under Rs.30,000 went live on our website, the tensions and the debates of India v/s China have only escalated further. And, as we have put up various articles on this issue, you might know that we fully endorse the idea of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' and 'Vocal for Local'.
So, as promised at the end of the < Rs.30,000 article, here is the article where I will recommend the best Non-Chinese phones over the price-point of Rs. 30,000.
Now the one major thing to keep in mind. Rs. 30,000 onwards is the price bracket where we leave behind the term 'mid-range phones' and enter the upper mid-range market and further ahead, we enter the flagship market of mobile phones in India.
The brands still remain the same. So, if you want a list of that, just have a look at the previous article by following this link: https://www.taketwoindia.com/post/best-non-chinese-phone-under-rs-30-000
Let's start with the recommendations:
1. Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 40,000:
If the camera is your top priority and it doesn't matter if the battery is mediocre then, you can blindly go for either the Pixel 3a or the Pixel 3a XL. These are the younger, less powerful versions of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL respectively, but with the same cameras. Now, it is an established fact that within the Android-powered mobile handsets, Pixels have the strongest and the best cameras to offer. These phones come with the snapdragon 670 onboard. The Pixel 3a is priced at Rs. 30,999 and Pixel 3a XL is priced at Rs. 34,999.
But the downside to these Pixel phones doesn't have the strongest battery life on offer. The smaller 5.6-inch pixel 3a has a 3000 mAh battery while the larger 6-inch Pixel 3a XL has a 3700 mAh battery. Another bummer is that these phones have a plastic build, which seems a bit low on quality when compared to the competition.
Talking of the competition, we have the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 lite and the Nokia 9 Pureview. Both these phones are powered by 2-year old flagship chipsets. The Note 10 Lite has the same chip as the Samsung Galaxy S9 (Exynos 9810) and the Nokia 9 Pureview has the Snapdragon 845. Now, you cannot necessarily choose a winner here because though the Nokia lags a bit in the general specs like battery and RAM, it gains points with its Penta-camera setup at the rear.
To add to that, the Galaxy Note 10 Lite is priced at Rs. 39,999 whereas the Nokia is priced at Rs. 36,899. You are free to choose either one, as per your liking.
2. Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 50,000
Here again, you get a phone where the battery is the weak part, but the phone in itself is a pretty good one. Yes, you guessed it right, the Apple iPhone SE 2020. It has the latest processor from Apple, the A13 Bionic and the cameras are also quite good. It starts at Rs. 42,500 for the 64GB variant and goes up to Rs. 47,800 and Rs. 58,300 for 128GB and 256GB respectively.
However, the battery is just 1800 mAh, which is even lower than a Nokia phone worth just Rs. 5,000. So, if the battery is the least important thing and you need an iPhone in your hand like many other Indians, get this one.
The Android counterpart that is recommendable in this price bracket is Samsung's year-old flagship, the Galaxy S10 which retails for Rs. 49,999 on Amazon. It is still a very good phone with Exynos 9820 chipset, triple rear cameras, 8GB of RAM, 128 GB storage and 3400mAh battery.
3. Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 70,000
The top tier of phones starts from here. The proper iPhones and the top tier LG flagships enter in this price segment. There are two major phones I would like to mention here before one consolation pick.
The first one is for those who want something very unique, gimmicky and very modern in their hands. It is the LG G8x Dual Screen. It has dual 6.4 Inch OLED displays with excellent viewing angles. It runs on the Snapdragon 855 processor with 6GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. It, though not a proper foldable phone but the cheapest of its kind on offer right now.
Now for the unique additions, it has one screen which can turn into a gaming joystick or gaming controller. It also has an in-display fingerprint sensor, IP 68 water and dust resistance, stereo speakers and 32-bit Quad-DAC. With all these features, this phone costs Rs. 54,990 and it is a pretty good deal, according to me.
The second pick has to be an iPhone. The iPhone 11 from 2019, which has the latest Apple's A13 Bionic chipset and dual cameras start at Rs. 68,300. This variant has just 64GB of RAM. It is an iPhone that has sold in huge numbers. If you have this budget, it is highly recommended because of its hardware reliability and future proof software. There is also the advantage of an iPhone's camera and privacy security.
The consolation pick would be the iPhone XR, which was launched in 2018. Another model that sold a lot, it is currently priced at Rs. 52,500 for 64GB variant and the Rs.57,800 for 128GB variant. Though a year old chip, the camera and the security of getting regular updates for at least another 2 years are what makes it still a very recommendable phone.
4. Over Rs. 70,000
Once past the Rs.70,000 mark, there is only one question that you need to ask yourself and that is: 'Do I want an Android phone or an iPhone?' And considering your choice, here are the phones that are on offer. This is because, once over the Rs.70,000 mark, there are hardly any Chinese phones on offer and all the phones here are worth recommending for their own reasons.
But, before we get to the devices, just in case you are confused between Android and iOS, then you might want to consider this: If you want to use a phone for a longer period (> 2.5 years) then go for an iPhone as it will give you better software experience when you are over the 2-year mark. On the other hand, if you can change the phone within the next two years then you could go for an Android.
For a budget between Rs.70,000 to Rs. 85,000, you could go for the 512GB variant of the iPhone Xs, or the 128 GB variant of the iPhone 11. The Xs is a phone from 2018, while the iPhone 11 is a 2019 phone from Apple. Both these phones are good enough to accompany you for at least 3 years from today.
In Android, you could buy the Samsung Galaxy S20+ or the Samsung Galaxy Note 10. However, Note 10 is only recommended if you want the S-Pen, because it is a year-old flagship, whereas the S20+ is a 2020 flagship. While the Note 10's 8GB RAM, 256GB storage option retails for Rs.73,600, the S20+ with 8GB RAM 128GB storage retails for Rs.77,999. It is your choice to pick whichever you want!
Once over the Rs. 85,000, you literally get very few things different from a segment below. In the case of iPhones, it is all like the iPhone 11, just with a better resolution and bigger screen, and an extra camera. So, you can choose the storage option you want and go for it. In terms of Android, there is the S20 ultra, which is again, an extra camera, a better battery, and that's pretty much it. So, it is then up to the consumer whatever he/she likes. If you have that extravagant budget, you might want to go for a foldable phone like the Samsung Galaxy Z flip or the Samsung Galaxy Fold 5G priced at Rs.1,15,998 and Rs. 1,62,990 respectively.
For the Apple iPhone 11 pro and Pro Max, you can click here.
For the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, you can click here.
Let us know if you agree or disagree with these phone recommendations in the comments below.
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