Best phones under Rs 30,000 (Aug 2023): Poco F5 5G, Realme 11 Pro+ 5G to Motorola Edge 40

Our list of phones under Rs 30,000 has undergone a major transformation since last quarter. You can easily call most of these phones Flagship Killers; in fact, one of them used to be a flagship phone not long ago. We have phones with high-quality AMOLED displays with high refresh rate, powerful processors, impressive cameras with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and more. 5G compliance is a given, and all handsets are ready for that network. Time to meet the best phones you can buy under Rs 30,000 in India at the moment.

Best phones to buy under Rs 30,000 in India

Poco F5 5G
Let’s start with a phone that deserves to be more popular than it is. Poco F5 5G has a couple of features that I haven’t seen in phones in this segment. For starters, it is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 SoC, which is a huge improvement over its Gen 1 variant, and performs better than even the Snapdragon 888+ chip. You get a choice between 8 GB or 12 GB RAM, which is accompanied by 256 GB internal storage.

The second standout feature of this device is its vibrant and mighty impressive 6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED screen with support for 12-bit colour, 120 Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compliance. The display has 1000 nits peak brightness and is protected against scratches by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Thirdly, the Poco F5 5G has an attractive design, especially its Snowstorm White variant which has a holographic design at the back which radiates different patterns from different angles as you can see from the image below.

The phone is quite slim measuring just 7.9 mm in thickness and one of the lightest in the segment at a shade over 180 grams. Photography is handled by a 64MP primary camera with OIS, an 8MP ultra-wide shooter and a 2MP macro camera. You get a 16MP front camera for selfies and video calls. Its 5000 mAh battery lasts over a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 67W fast charger can juice it up fully in a little over 45 minutes. The Poco F5 5G runs Android 13 with MIUI 14 and is one of the rare phones to offer a 2-year warranty.

Poco F5 5G price in India: Rs 27,999 for 8GB RAM/256GB storage; Rs 29,999 for 12GB RAM/256GB storage

Realme GT 2
The top variant of the former Realme flagship is now available under 30K. The Realme GT 2 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC, which is still potent enough for the segment. You get the 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage variant here. Other than an elegant design, it has a 6.62-inch AMOLED display that supports 10-bit colour depth. The screen is HDR10+ compliant and flaunts a 120 Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass 5 protection.

The camera department has a 50MP primary camera with OIS that captures some impressive shots in different modes and lighting. Giving it company is an 8MP ultra-wide snapper and a 2MP macro camera. The 16MP front camera handles selfies and video calls quite well. The Realme GT 2 has a 5000 mAh battery that keeps it going for over a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled fast charger can juice it up fully in just over half an hour. The phone launched with Android 12, and an Android 13 update is available with Realme UI 4.0.

Realme GT 2 price in India: Rs 28,999 for 12GB RAM/256GB storage

Realme 11 Pro+ 5G
We have another Realme phone on the list that offers a very different set of features. While the company dropped OIS from the Realme 10 Pro+ 5G’s primary camera, it is back here in the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G. And what’s more, you now get a 200MP primary camera that captures some great images across varied lighting. It is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 2MP macro camera. The 32MP front camera will have selfie enthusiasts interested.

The Realme 11 Pro+ 5G has a 6.7-inch curved Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate. It is HDR10+ compliant and can display over a billion colour shades. The curved display adds to the style quotient of this device. Speaking of style, this phone has a vegan leather back that looks and feels great. The phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7050 SoC, which is decent enough for the segment though not as powerful as the phones above.

You get its 8 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage variant comfortably in this budget. The battery life of this phone is quite impressive too. Thanks to some neat power management and an efficient SoC, its 5000 mAh battery lasts a little under two days of moderate use. The company bundles a 100W SuperVOOC charger that manages to juice it up fully in under half an hour. The Realme 11 Pro+ 5G runs the latest Android 13 with Realme UI 4.0.

Realme 11 Pro+ 5G price in India: Rs 27,999 for 8GB RAM/256GB storage

Motorola Edge 40
The Motorola Edge 40 is another stylish phone you can buy at this budget, and is fairly compact too for today’s standards. The phone measures just 7.6 mm in thickness and weighs close to 170 grams despite its aluminium frame. You get a choice of plastic or eco-leather back panel. This phone too has a curved display and you get a 10-bit 6.55-inch P-OLED screen with 144 Hz refresh rate, 1200 nits peak brightness and HDR10+ compliance.

This phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8020 chip and accompanied by 8 GB RAM and 256 GB UFS 3.1 internal storage. The camera spread on the Motorola Edge 40 may not seem elaborate but is quite effective. It is helmed by a 50MP primary camera with OIS and a 13MP ultra-wide camera with auto-focus, which doubles up as a quality macro camera too. Its 32MP front camera is bound to impress the selfie crowd.

Its 4400 mAh battery can go on for over a day of moderate use and the bundled 68W fast charger can recharge it fully in under 45 minutes. The Motorola Edge 40 runs Android 13, and like most Motorola phones, you get a clean and near-stock user interface.

Motorola Edge 40 price in India: Rs 29,999 for 8GB RAM/256GB storage

Tecno Camon 20 Premier 5G
The recently launched Tecno Camon 20 Premier 5G is quite an interesting device that is packed with impressive features. For starters, it offers 512 GB storage – something incredibly rare in this budget. The camera department is stacked, starting with a 50MP primary camera with sensor-shift OIS. Then you have a 108MP ultra-wide camera (something I haven’t seen before in this segment) with auto-focus. It can capture some excellent macro shots too. There’s a 2MP depth sensor to assist in portrait shots.

You also have a 32MP front camera for selfies and video calls. This phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8050 chip and you get 8 GB RAM to go with it. The Tecno Camon 20 Premier 5G has a 6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate for flicker-free scrolling. A 5000 mAh battery keeps it powered for a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 45W fast charger promises to juice up two-thirds of the battery in half an hour. The phone runs Android 13 with HIOS 13 UI.

Tecno Camon 20 Premier 5G price in India: Rs 29,998 for 8GB RAM/512GB storage