The segment of phones under Rs 30,000 often offers the best price-to-performance ratio, and things are no different this month. As one expects in this segment, we have phones with excellent high refresh rate displays, powerful processors, impressive cameras with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and 5G compliance. However, there are a couple of surprise additions this month that have never been selling for this low to date. Let’s cut to the chase and take a look at the best half a dozen smartphones under Rs 30,000 in India this month.
Best phones to buy under Rs 30,000 in India
OnePlus 11R 5G
We may have given away the spoiler in the title of the article itself but we absolutely didn’t see this coming. The OnePlus 11R 5G under 30K is an exceptional deal and one can go for it without a second thought if its feature set meets your requirements. This phone looks a lot like the more premium OnePlus 11 5G, and the similarities don’t end there. It is powered by Qualcomm’s previous flagship Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, and you can get its 8GB RAM and 128GB UFS 3.1 storage variant in this budget at the moment.
This stylish phone has a 6.74-inch curved Fluid AMOLED display with a higher than Full HD resolution of 2772 x 1240 pixels. The HDR10+ compliant screen supports 10-bit colour depth, 120Hz refresh rate and can get up to 1450 nits bright. The 50MP primary camera with OIS does a very good job, and is supported by an 8MP ultrawide camera and a 2MP macro camera. There’s a 16MP front camera for selfies and video calls.
Its 5000 mAh battery lasts for a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 100W charger promises to juice it up fully in just 25 minutes. The OnePlus 11R 5G debuted with OxygenOS 13 based on Android 13 and is upgradeable to Android 14. One can expect more OS and security updates going ahead.
OnePlus 11R 5G price in India: Rs 29,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage
iQOO Neo 7 Pro 5G
The iQOO Neo 7 Pro 5G is another powerful phone that hasn’t been spotted under 30K before. This phone too is powered by Qualcomm’s former flagship Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, and you can get its 8GB RAM and 128GB UFS 3.1 internal storage variant in our budget. Its impressive 6.78-inch HDR10+ compliant Full HD+ AMOLED display has 120Hz refresh rate, 1300 nits peak brightness and can display a billion colour shades. The phone runs Android 13 with FunTouch OS 13.
The camera department on this phone is similar to that of the OnePlus 11R with a 50MP primary camera with OIS, accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide shooter and a 2MP macro camera. The 16MP front camera is more than decent for selfies and video calls. The iQOO Neo 7 Pro 5G has a 5000 mAh battery that can last close to a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 120W fast charger claims to charge half of it in just 8 minutes and fully in well under 30 minutes.
iQOO Neo 7 Pro 5G price in India: Rs 29,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage
Poco X6 Pro 5G
The Poco X6 Pro 5G is the most generous in terms of internal storage offering a whopping 512GB of fast UFS 4.0 storage. It is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Ultra SoC, which is fairly powerful too, and is coupled with 12GB RAM. 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. It runs Android 14 with Xiaomi’s new HyperOS.
Other than processing power and ample storage, the Poco X6 Pro 5G has a vibrant 6.67-inch AMOLED screen with a higher than Full HD resolution and support for 12-bit colour, 120Hz refresh rate, 1800 nits peak brightness and HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compliance. The display is protected against scratches by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Its 5000 mAh battery can last over a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 67W fast charger can recharge it fully in a little over 45 minutes.
Poco X6 Pro 5G price in India: Rs 25,999 for 12GB RAM/512GB storage
Nothing Phone (2a)
The Nothing Phone (2a) is another solid option under Rs 30,000. It sports the company’s trademark design with a transparent back and LEDs. The Glyph lights at the back provide a handful of functionality and customisation in addition to the aesthetics. The processing power is decent with a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro chip accompanied by 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage.
The Nothing Phone (2a) has a 6.7-inch Full HD+ 10-bit AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 1300 nits, HDR10+ compliance and 120Hz refresh rate. The photography department comprises a 50MP primary camera with OIS and a 50MP ultra-wide shooter. Its 32 MP front camera will appeal to the selfie enthusiasts. The phone runs Android 14 with Nothing OS 2.5.x, and the company promises more software updates.
A 5000 mAh battery keeps the phone powered for a day and a half of moderate use. It supports 45W fast charging, however, no charger has been provided with the phone and needs to be purchased separately. A good 45W USB-PD/PPS charger can juice it up fully in about an hour.
Nothing Phone (2a) price in India: Rs 25,999 for 8GB RAM/256GB storage
Realme 12 Pro+ 5G
The Realme 12 Pro+ 5G is one of the most aesthetically pleasing phones in this budget courtesy of its curved display and elegant faux leather back. It is also the only phone in this list to offer a dedicated telephoto lens. The 64MP periscope telephoto camera with OIS provides you with 3X optical zoom. It is accompanied by a 50MP primary camera with OIS and an 8MP ultra-wide camera. Its 32MP front camera is bound to impress the selfie crowd.
The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC, which is decent enough, but nowhere as powerful as the Dimensity 8300 Ultra or the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chips that power some of the phones in this list. But this phone is more about style and photography than raw power. You get 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage to go with it. With certain payment methods, you should be able to squeeze in its 256GB variant in this budget.
The Realme 12 Pro+ has a 6.7-inch curved Full HD+ Super AMOLED ProXDR display with 120Hz refresh rate and can display over a billion colour shades. Its 5000 mAh battery lasts over a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 67W SuperVOOC charger manages to take it from empty to full in under 45 minutes. This Realme phone runs Android 14 with Realme UI 5.0, and one can expect a few more OS and security updates in the future.
Realme 12 Pro+ 5G price in India: Rs 29,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage
Motorola Edge 40
If you are looking for something stylish and even sleeker, and also prefer near-stock Android UI, you should strongly consider the Motorola Edge 40. The phone measures just 7.6 mm in thickness and weighs close to 170 grams despite its aluminium frame. You can choose between a plastic and eco-leather back panel. This phone has a curved 10-bit 6.55-inch P-OLED display, with a higher 144Hz refresh rate, 1200 nits peak brightness and HDR10+ compliance.
This phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8020 SoC, with 8GB RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 internal storage. This phone has just two cameras at the back but they cover a lot of bases. It has a 50MP primary camera with OIS and a 13MP ultra-wide camera with auto-focus, which doubles up as a quality macro camera too. And let’s not forget the 32MP front camera.
A 4400 mAh battery can keep the phone powered for over a day of moderate use and the bundled 68W fast charger can juice it up 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 26,999 for 8GB RAM/256GB storage
