Our latest additions for sub-Rs. Oppo Reno 8 5G, Poco F4 5G and OnePlus Nord 2T 5G are 30,000 guides. Samsung Galaxy A53 5G launched at Rs. 34,499, and is now available for Rs. 30,499 and offers incredible value in this price segment.
If you pay approx Rs. 30,000, you can now choose between very capable smartphones with premium features, modern hardware and versatile cameras. Thanks to the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G price cut, one can now get a smartphone with an official IP67 rating for Rs. 30,499. There are also gaming-ready smartphones like Poco F4 5G and Poco F3 GT that offer excellent performance.
Here are Gadgets 360’s picks of top phones under Rs. 30,000 in India, in no particular order. We’ve reviewed and tested all the phones on this list in depth, including their raw performance, camera capability, software and ease of use, physical design, battery life, and charging speed.
Best phone under Rs. 30,000 to buy in India
| phones under 30,000 | Gadgets 360 Rating (out of 10) | Price in India (as recommended) |
|---|---|---|
| Oppo Reno 8 5G | 8 | Rupee. 29,999 |
| Poco F4 5G | 8 | Rupee. 27,999 |
| Samsung Galaxy A53 5G | 8 | Rupee. 30,499 |
| Samsung Galaxy M53 5G | 8 | Rupee. 26,499 |
| Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge 5G | 8 | Rupee. 26,999 |
| realme gt master edition | 8 | Rupee. 25,999 |
| Poco F3 GT | 8 | Rupee. 28,999 |
| OnePlus Nord 2T 5G | 8 | Rupee. 28,999 |
| iQoo Neo 6 5G | 8 | Rupee. 29,990 |
Oppo Reno 8 5G
Oppo Reno 8 5G is a slim and stylish smartphone that also delivers good performance. Its slim and lightweight (179g) form factor makes it great for one-handed use and it also looks unique in its shimmer gold finish. The 6.43-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display delivers deep blacks and also offers a 90Hz refresh rate. Camera performance is good enough for daylight photography, but fine in low light. For a fashion-forward smartphone that focuses on design, the Oppo Reno 8 5G stunned us in its review with good battery life that can easily last for two days on a single charge. Charging is also quite fast as Oppo bundles an 80W charger in the box.
Poco F4 5G
The Poco F4 5G is another solid contender that combines design and raw performance to deliver incredible value. It offers a 120Hz AMOLED display (with Dolby Vision support), IP53 rating for dust and water resistance, and a monstrous Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC that’s good for gaming. The phone is powered by a 4,500mAh battery and offers 67W wired charging. Did we mention that it also looks great with its glass back and slim frame? In fact, the only drawback of the Poco F4 5G is its software which is littered with third-party apps and bloatware, even though software performance was not an issue.
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G replaces the Galaxy A52s 5G and shares a lot of its specifications, but looks sleeker with design elements borrowed from the top-end Galaxy S22 series. The new Exynos 1280 SoC delivers budget-level performance, so those looking for a good gaming phone will have to look elsewhere. There’s an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, which is a value-add. Camera performance for stills and videos is good in daylight but average in low light. The 5,000mAh battery of this phone lasts for two days in casual use. Samsung doesn’t include a charger in the box, but the phone supports 25W fast charging.
Samsung Galaxy M53 5G
The Galaxy M53 5G now sits at the top of Samsung’s M series, which now spans a wider range of prices. Samsung’s latest smartphone boasts of some interesting hardware such as a 120Hz Super AMOLED display, MediaTek Dimensity 900 SoC with vapor cooling, and a 108-megapixel primary camera. One of the main things that works in favor of the Galaxy M53 5G is the guarantee of Android OS and security updates, which should keep it relevant for much longer than some of its direct competitors. In our opinion, the 6GB RAM variant offers much better value for money than the 8GB variant, and gets the same.
Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge 5G
Xiaomi certainly knows how to stand up – the 11i HyperCharge 5G lives up to its name with 120W fast charging, which means its 4500mAh battery can get from zero to 100 percent in about 20 minutes. Of course you’ll have to carry the bulky charger with you instead if you need that quick charge. Furthermore, the Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge 5G looks smart with its matte glass rear panel, but is relatively heavy at 204g.
You get the MediaTek Dimensity 920 SoC and either 6GB or 8GB of RAM, depending on which variant you opt for. There’s 128GB storage, a 6.67-inch full-HD+ 120Hz AMOLED display, stereo speakers, and an IR emitter. You get MIUI 12.5 running on top of Android 11. The Xiaomi 11i without 120W charging costs a bit less and is otherwise almost the same, so you’ll pay a premium for the feature if you think it’s important enough.
realme gt master edition
The GT Master Edition from Realme comes at a competitive price with a unique suitcase-like design. This Master Edition model in the first GT series packs a punch, even if it isn’t quite an all-rounder. The high quality 120Hz refresh rate Super AMOLED display is good for gaming and watching movies. You don’t get stereo speakers but this phone has a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Powering the gaming experience on the Realme GT Master Edition is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G processor, a worthy upgrade over the 768G and on par with MediaTek’s Dimensity 1200. Camera performance is quite good in daylight but low light performance is only saved by Night mode. Battery life is pretty good for a slim mid-range smartphone, and it charges pretty quickly, from zero to 100 percent in about 35 minutes.
Poco F3 GT
Poco F3 GT has been designed according to gaming features and performance. This new model has a premium body with a metal frame and glass back. There are “maglev” trigger buttons that can be engaged using the sliders on the side. In Game Turbo mode, you get a 6.67-inch HDR10+ AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and touch sampling rate of up to 480Hz. Poco has opted for the Dimensity 1200 SoC to power the F3 GT and you can get this phone with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM.
The Poco F3 GT packs a triple camera setup consisting of a 64-megapixel main, 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle and a 2-megapixel macro camera. It captured average quality pictures in both daylight as well as low light. On the plus side, the Poco F3 GT delivered a great gaming experience for the price.
OnePlus Nord 2T 5G
The OnePlus Nord 2T 5G is the first ‘T’ model in the Nord series of devices. There has been no major change in its design as it is just a ‘T’ refresh. Most of the changes have happened under the hood. There is an upgraded MediaTek Dimensity 1300 SoC, which is an upgrade over the Dimension 1200-AI SoC in the Nord 2. While its battery capacity remains unchanged, OnePlus has bumped up the charging to 80W. Unlike some other competing smartphones, the software experience with Android 12 is also fluid and free of bloatware. Overall, the new Nord 2T 5G isn’t a major upgrade over the Nord 2, but it remains distinctly the ‘OnePlus’ in terms of performance.
iQoo Neo 6 5G
iQoo Neo 6 5G offers the best value as compared to other phones in this segment. It’s not focused on looks, but more about raw performance, and it all comes from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC, which is gaming-grade stuff. There’s an E4 AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and 360Hz touch sampling rate which works well while playing games. There is no IP rating but you do get stereo speakers. Battery life is also pretty decent, thanks to the 4,700mAh battery, and it’s also fairly quick to charge using the 80W bundled charger. While it looks like this phone is just about gaming, it has a very capable 64-megapixel primary camera (with OIS) that is a capable shooter whether it is day or night.
