THE MID-RANGE ANOMALY.
The smartphone market in India has witnessed a lot of change in the mid range segment. Majority of the brands are bringing a lot to the table and hence the cheapest of the smartphones with the most premium features isn’t a surprise anymore. In this blog, we’ll have a look at what devices under a price bracket of Rs. 15,000–25,000 can suit you best and also discuss the compromises the brands are consistently making (or apparently forcing the customers to make).
The smartphone market in India used to top the charts as most of the brands used to come up with a decent phone in each price segment which allowed the customers to go for their favourite brand or the list of features without much of a hassle but with these smartphone companies indulging in all the wrong practices of marketing and promoting their outright crappy product as “Awesome”, the game is now more about quantifying the sales rather than increasing the quality of the product. Buying a decent smartphone in India has never been more difficult as it is now and all because of the Not-So-Healthy competition the brands have gotten themselves into. For instance, Samsung used to offer a glass + aluminium body in a price segment of around Rs.28k (2016’s Galaxy A series) but today, the smartphones have already normalized the use of plastic in even a phone as expensive as around Rs.70k(Galaxy S21). I am not denying the fact that it is of a greater quality or stuff but it’s never gonna feel as premium, moreover who wants to spend 70k and still make compromises.
With that being said, lets take a look at some of the best selling mid range smartphones, their highlights and the challenges that they come with.
1. OnePlus Nord CE 5G (Priced at 22,999)
HIGHLIGHTS
The OnePlus Nord Core Edition (CE)5G has recently been released in the Indian market and with every OnePlus device nowadays, a complimentary hype is a given. The device does decent on the specs sheet. As the name suggests, its 5G enabled and has the plastic built which I am definitely not a great fan of but it is what it is. Now, the use of plastic has only a few perks and what’s good is the fact that OnePlus manages to make an identification of those and the device is lighter than the OG Nord which in itself was an epitome of comfort and accessibility. The device weighs 170g making it one of the lightest smartphones corresponding to the screen size of 6.43 — inches and talking of display, 90hz refresh rate panel is definitely a plus. There are 3 variants — 128gb/6 Or 8gb RAM and a 256gb variant with 12 Gigs of RAM and the device sports a snapdragon 750G (8nm)which is a decent chipset in this price bracket. The camera is where the fun begins — It sports a 64MP Omnivision primary sensor with f/1.8 lens, an Ultrawide 8MP f/2.3 lens and a depth sensor which is mainly for making up the numbers. Among the good parts, the Oxygen OS has a decent amount of fan following and it deserves it. Its clean, user friendly, no unnecessary advertisements popping up every time and hence, no complains.
CHALLENGES
Now, as much as I admire the fact that OnePlus has kept the lovely 3.5mm jack intact, I can’t ignore the omission of OnePlus’ signature & iconic alert slider. I also want to make it clear that 5G in India is nothing more than a gimmick and if by any chance it wouldn’t have been so, the Nord CE “5G” comes with a single band of 5G in India(stating the country name was important as the same device comes with 8 5G bands in Europe). So if you have a 5G device on your buying list (though it shouldn’t be), you might want to never settle for this year’s Nord.
2. Samsung Galaxy F62 (Priced at 23,999)
HIGHLIGHTS
The Galaxy F62 is the new addition to the new F series and I must say, the device does a decent job in the specs sheet. It comes with the 2019’s flagship processor made by Samsung itself i.e. the Exynos 9825(7nm) and comes in 2 variants viz. the 128gb/6gb and a 128gb/8gb variant and both of them have a dedicated micro SD card support which is borderline rare these days. F62 comes with a 6.7 — inch Super AMOLED plus 1080p panel with a punch-hole camera however the refresh rate hasn’t been increased and still is at 60hz which is not at all reasonable at this price range anymore. The device comes with a plastic built so no surprises there as the Glass and Aluminium frame seems reserved for only the Ultra Flagship now — Classic Samsung. Now, unlike the Nord this device isn’t light by any means, as a matter of fact, it weighs a whopping 218g but comes with a good weight distribution and a reason as well — The device sports a 7000mAh battery which can easily get you through 2 days of optimum usage which is practically insane and makes it a Battery life Monster as per Samsung. The software experience with the One UI 3.1 is decent enough and delivers in all the necessary directions. Now, there was this ongoing confusion of whether it has the UFS 2.1 OR 3.0 as Samsung has not clarified it yet but based on the indications proffered by the benchmark results, its safe to state that it has the UFS 3.0. which is again a Plus. Talking of cameras, the F62 comes with the primary sensor of 64 MP, f/1.8, an ultrawide lens of 12 MP, f/2.2, and the rest of the 2 sensors are there to make up the numbers in the similar fashion of the classic Mid-Range devices.
CHALLENGES
Now, as you might have noticed by now the F62 is not a bad device by any means. It delivers on all the major fronts making it one of the best device in the segment. One recent development in the downward direction that I’ve noticed is that Samsung’s Mid Range devices are coming with atleast half a dozen of extra pre loaded apps. If history is any indication, bloatwares weren’t what the Samsung buyers were ever worried about. Apparently, that is changing for the worse. Now, if you remember a saying that goes like — “Your only competition is YOU.” Well, Samsung has taken it quite literally. Lately, Samsung’s been involved in making so many smartphones in the Mid-Range segment that the major chunk of competition for Samsung’s devices are their own devices which results into a state of perplexity and ultimately, the joke’s on the ultimate consumer who buys the wrong product.
3. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro Max (Priced at 19,999)
HIGHLIGHTS
Specs sheet has never been a problem for Redmi and this device is no different. No device in this segment can even come close to what the Chinese Giant has to offer, at least not on paper. The device comes with a best in class 6.67 — inches display featuring a super AMOLED 1080p 120hz panel with the protection of Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and has a punch hole camera adding more to the freshness it brings to the table. The built of this insane performer is also worth mentioning as it comes with an All-Glass body which is unfortunately rare these days. Performance wise, it offers the Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G (8nm) which shouldn’t be a problem at all and can easily run most of the heavy games and if anything, the 5020mAh battery with a 33W Fast Charging is there to save the day . The cameras on this device are in for an insane number game as it offers the primary sensor of 108 MP, f/1.9, an Ultrawide lens of 8 MP, f/2.2 and as you might have already guessed by now, one sensor for each — Macro and Depth to make up the numbers. One category in which this product leaves its mark is the sound quality as this is one of the few devices in the given segment that comes with stereo speakers.
CHALLENGES
Now, the obvious question here is that what could possibly be wrong with a device that good on paper? For starters, the internals and the built can’t help a product much if the system UI doesn’t support it well. The MIUI is known to have some jitters in its normal functioning which indirectly throws away the utility of a 120hz refresh rate panel right into oblivion. The advertisements and bloatware of the device also contributes to the list of cons as there are hell lot of unnecessary stuff going on in the respective UI which further hinders the privacy of the user and what’s even worse is that you can’t even turn them off, at least not completely.
4. VIVO IQOO Z3 5G (Priced at 19,990)
HIGHLIGHTS
The another Mid-Ranger we have here is the VIVO IQOO Z3 5G. Highlights for this device includes its powerful Snapdragon 768G 5G (7nm) processor which is far greater than what it should have been at this price point and leaves the majority of the competition in the dust. The cameras are where the embellishments continue as the primary sensor of 64 MP, f/1.8 and the ultrawide sensor of 8MP, f/2.2 offers great detail and the dynamic range seems promising too. Lets not talk about the macro camera now as we already know how things work out with these additional sensors at this price point. The device has 4 variants — 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM. The IQOO Z3 has an IPS LCD panel with a refresh rate of 120hz. So, if its the refresh rate you’re after, this makes your options a bit more narrow.
CHALLENGES
The IQOO was introduced in the market as a powerhouse yet affordable device and it has been doing decent when it comes to sales which suggests that people are liking this device, isn’t it ? Well, at least I wouldn’t approve. With so many devices in the market currently, its more of a confusion than approbation towards a brand like IQOO. The Z3 5G comes with a Tear-Drop notch, an LCD panel and more bezels than most of its competition. Adding to the misery, the FunTouch OS leaves even the infamous MIUI at the starting point of the race when it comes to bloatwares and throwing privacy stuff for a toss which is borderline evil. As I have already stated the non-significant nature of the suffix, “5G” earlier in this blog, further explanations aren’t necessary for a thing that’s not even there.
5. MOTOROLA MOTO G60 (Priced at 17,999)
HIGHLIGHTS
Another protagonist in the battle of the Mid-Rangers is the Moto G60 and this device brings a lot to the table given that its the cheapest device in this list. For starters, it has a huge 6.8 — inches IPS LCD “Max Vision” panel with a refresh rate of 120hz and a punch hole camera. The reason why I have not grilled this device for not having an OLED panel is obviously its price. The G60 comes with a triple camera setup — The Primary sensor of 108 MP, f/1.9, an Ultrawide sensor of 8 MP, f/2.2(and a Not-So-Noteworthy 2MP depth sensor)and has a flash for selfies which should get a point considering its rarity. The device has the Snapdragon 732G (8 nm)as its processor, the utility of which shall be observed during gaming and stuff alongside a colossal 6000mAh battery to save the longest of the days. Now, there is only 1 storage option for this device i.e. a 128GB 6GB RAM variant. The system UI is as clean as it gets with a decent amount of customizations which adds more to its bells and whistles.
CHALLENGES
Coming down to the things that I do not appreciate about this device is its built quality. The device has a plastic frame which at this price point is fine but the weight distribution could have been better here as it weighs a whopping 234 grams. The complains here won’t go as they did for the rest of the devices as it still offers an excellent value given that the effective price of this device could be around 16k after a discount.
That’s it for this blog. I hope this helps in making a rational decision about what device to get as per your individual set of priorities and requirements.
