Best Mobiles Phones Under Rs. 30,000: November 2019 Edition
Redmi K20 Pro is the flagship phone of Xiaomi's Redmi sub-brand
Realme X2 Pro is powered by Snapdragon 855+ SoC
Vivo V17 Pro and Oppo R17 Pro also feature in our best phone picks
Thanks largely to the Chinese smartphone makers, Indian consumers have more choices than ever for smartphones in pretty much every price segment. The under Rs. 30,000 segment is also filled with interesting and powerful phones that can easily offer flagship-level features and specifications for the consumers who either can't spend more than Rs. 30,000 or are not willing to do so. While this segment doesn't see as many launches as sub Rs. 15,000 or sub-Rs. 10,000, it does get some good phones every couple of months.
To make your next smartphone purchase decision easier, we have compiled a list of our top picks under Rs. 30,000. For the sake of simplicity, we have only listed the phones priced between Rs. 25,000 and Rs. 30,000. For phones priced below Rs. 25,000, check out our updated guide on best phones under Rs. 25,000. As always, every phone that we are recommending below has gone through our usual battery of tests and come out at the other end as a winner.
Best phones under 30000
| Phones under Rs. 30,000 | Gadgets 360 rating (out of 10) | Price in India (as recommended) |
|---|---|---|
| Redmi K20 Pro | 9 | Rs. 27,999 |
| Realme X2 Pro | 9 | Rs. 29,990 |
| Oppo Reno 2Z | 8 | Rs. 27,990 |
| Asus 6Z | 8 | Rs. 27,999 |
| Samsung Galaxy A70 | 8 | Rs. 26,990 |
| Oppo R17 Pro | 8 | Rs. 29,990 |
| Vivo V17 Pro | 8 | Rs. 27,990 |
Redmi K20 Pro
Xiaomi hasn't traditionally been very active in Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 30,000 price segment, mainly because, barring a couple of phones, the company hasn't traditionally released its flagship Mi-series phones in the country. However, after Poco F1 last year, and Redmi K20-series this year, Xiaomi is seriously upping its game in the segment. Redmi K20 Pro is a great smartphone if you are looking to buy a new phone under Rs. 30,000.
In our review, we found the Redmi K20 Pro to be capable of providing a lag free experience. The phone also packs notch-less AMOLED display that offers good viewing angles and is bright enough for outdoors. Battery life is another area where the Redmi K20 Pro really shines and can easily last through a day on a single charge. The phone ran for 19 hours and 26 minutes in our HD video loop test.
On the camera front, the photos taken from Redmi K20 Pro's primary camera in daylight conditions include good amount of detail. The images from the wide-angle shooter, however, appeared stretched at the edges. Lowlight shots also came out good but they did include fine grain.
Xiaomi offers two variant of the Redmi K20 Pro in the country, however only the 6GB + 128GB model is available in this price segment.
Realme X2 Pro
If you look at specifications alone, no smartphone can beat the Realme X2 Pro (Review) in the sub-Rs. 30,000 segment thanks to its Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ SoC and vivid 90Hz display. The base variant of this phone has ample RAM (8GB) and storage (128GB) too. We did notice a bit of heat while gaming and with heavy use of the cameras during our review, but the Realme X2 Pro's performance overall was pretty good.
Battery life is also good with the Realme X2 Pro — it lasted 14 hours and 49 minutes in our HD video loop test — but the star of the show is its charging speed. Realme X2 Pro ships with a 50W SuperVOOC fast charger in the box that charged the phone from 0 to 100 percent in just 31 minutes.
The smartphone's four rear cameras performed well in daylight, but low-light video quality could have been better. We weren't too impressed with the quality of selfies either. In spite of these minor flaws, the Realme X2 Pro's base variant is one of the best phones right now under Rs. 30,000.
Oppo Reno 2Z
Oppo Reno 2Z is another good option for anyone planning to shell out under Rs. 30,000 for their next smartphone purchase. We weren't the huge fans of Oppo Reno 2Z pricing when the phone was introduced earlier this year, however thanks to a recent price cut, Reno 2Z has become a much easier phone to recommend.
In our review, Oppo Reno 2Z excelled on the performance front and we didn't notice any lag or shuttering. Multitasking is also a breeze. Oppo Reno 2Z also provides good battery life and it ran for 16 hours and 20 minutes in our HD video loop test.
The onboard quad camera setup is one of the highlights of the phone. It takes good daylight photos with accurate colour and ample of detail. The phone is also quick to lock focus. Lowlight photos also come out decent and without noise, however there is a lack of detail.
Oppo only offers a single 8GB + 256GB model of the Reno 2Z in the country.
Asus 6Z
The Asus 6Z (Review) recently received a permanent price cut, bringing its base variant within the budget cut-off for this buying guide. The Asus 6Z's main highlight is a physically rotating camera module. The advantage here is that you get to use this phone's high-quality dual rear cameras for selfies as well as regular photos, but on the other hand it takes about half a second longer to shoot selfies compared with most other smartphones.
You get the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, and the base variant of has 6GB of RAM with 64GB of storage. The Asus 6Z allows you to expand storage using a microSD card, in case 64GB isn't enough for you. In our review we praised its notchless display, excellent performance, and the selfies it took. However, we weren't very impressed with the quality of low-light photos and the slow face recognition on this smartphone.
The Asus 6Z's 5,000mAh battery lasted 14 hours and 22 minutes in our HD video loop test, and the bundled 18W charger topped it up to 70 percent in an hour.
Samsung Galaxy A70
Samsung has released some good Galaxy A-series phones this year and the Galaxy A70 is no different. The smartphone comes with a crisp display that offers nice colours and deep blacks. The Samsung Galaxy A70 handles every talks without issues and is decent for gaming as well. The phone also performs well on the battery front and ran for 18 hours and 49 minutes in our HD video loop test.
In our review, we noted that the Samsung phone takes sharp photos with good dynamic range. The Samsung Galaxy M70, however, struggles with harsh sunlight and photos taken outdoor on bright sunny days appeared a little muted and washed out. Samsung Galaxy A70 also falters in poor lighting situations and the lowlight photos had a lot of noise.
Samsung offers a single 6GB + 128GB model of the Galaxy A70 in the country.
Oppo R17 Pro
Although Oppo R17 Pro (Review) is over-a-year old, it is still a good option. The phone sports a flashy design, however there is a plain version for people who don't like funky finish. Oppo R17 Pro offers good day-to-day performance without any lag or shuttering. The battery life is another strong point for the smartphone. It comes with two 1850mAh batteries that are capable to easily last through a day. The phone went on for 14 hours and 18 minutes in our HD video loop test.
On the camera front, the Oppo R17 Pro takes decent photos with good amount of detail in daylight. The photos also have good colour reproduction. The phone also captured good photos in low-light situations. While the lowlight photos have noise under control, they do include fine grain.
Oppo offers a single 8GB + 128GB model of the R17 Pro in the country.
Vivo V17 Pro
The Vivo V17 Pro (Review) uses the Snapdragon 675 SoC which is definitely not the most powerful processor in this price range. The software, Funtouch OS, also looks dated and is potentially confusing to use. However, the phone scored well in most areas in our review, and you get 8GB of RAM as well as 128GB of storage.
In our review, we praised Vivo V17 Pro's versatile selfie cameras — it has a pop-up module with two front-facing cameras including an ultra-wide-angle one that could be useful for group selfies. We also think some people will like how the camera app suggests various poses to capture better selfies. We found its rear cameras to be good enough for the price, with above-average performance in low light too.
The Vivo V17 Pro's 4,100mAh battery lasted 16 hours and 47 minutes in our HD video loop test, which is impressive. Its battery could be charged from zero to 74 percent in an hour, which is fairly good.
Is Realme X2 better than Redmi Note 8 Pro, Redmi K20? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
