Despite galloping inflation and rising electronics prices, Rs. 60,000 is the amount for which we can buy a decent smartphone. What should we pay attention to when choosing it?
Black Friday and pre-Christmas promotions can be a good opportunity to hunt down a smartphone at an attractive price. Unfortunately, choosing an efficient device that will not turn into a “brick” after a few months of use is not an easy task.
In the face of rising electronics prices and galloping inflation, can you still buy a smartphone for about Rs. 60,000 that will serve us for at least 2-3 years? Yes, but before making a purchase decision, it is worth paying attention to several key factors.
Smartphones up to Rs. 60,000. What to look for?
Screen – in the budget of up toRs. 60,000, we are looking for a smartphone with an IPS screen with FullHD + resolution, although in some devices from this shelf you can already find much better AMOLED displays. When it comes to the screen refresh rate, it’s hard to count on anything more than 60 Hz, but there are nice surprises that also made it to our list.
Processor – we are looking for a mid-range Snapdragon chip (e.g. 860 or 690) that will offer us decent performance. A good alternative to Snapdragons can also be MediaTek systems, which usually offer a very good ratio of performance to the final price of the device.
When it comes to RAM, the rule is simple: the more, the better. For Android smartphones, 4GB is the bare minimum, but it’s worth aiming for 6 GB. We will pay attention to the speed of RAM and the amount of internal memory (128 GB seems to be the optimal solution).
Camera – Manufacturers are increasingly flooding us with cameras with 3 or even 4 lenses. Remember that the number of “meshes” does not necessarily translate into the quality of the photos. The main lens and the matrix used in it play a key role. So let’s focus on quality, not quantity.
Battery – We are looking for a smartphone with a battery capacity of 4000 – 5000 mAh. At the same time, it is worth noting that the battery of the battery is uneven. Therefore, before deciding to buy, it is worth looking at the tests to see how the battery performs in practice. Let’s look for smartphones with the function of fast charging and wireless charging – these are extremely useful “add-ons”.
A good mid-range smartphone should also have an NFC module, a Dual SIM connector, and – at least partial – water resistance. Support for 5G networks will be a nice addition, but it should not be the deciding factor. The adaptation of 5G in Pakistan is still quite slow. The Chinese brands are good but the new A57 is a bargain considering OPPO’s latest price in Pakistan.
Let’s also pay attention to the quality of the device itself. Although this shelf is dominated by smartphones made of plastic, you can also find pearls with backs made of glass or with an aluminum frame that strengthens the entire structure.
What smartphone to go for below 60,000? Our recommendations
Realme 8
Realme 8 is not one of the youngest smartphones, as it had its premiere in the spring of last year. However, it is still a very efficient model that also offers an eye-pleasing design.
The “eight” has a MediaTek Helio G95 system with Mali-G73 graphics. We have 4 or 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB or 128 GB of data memory at our disposal. The manufacturer used a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED screen here, which – as I mentioned earlier – rarely appears in smartphones from the lower price range.
The advantage of this model is also the presence of the NFC module, a fast fingerprint reader, and a 5000 mAh battery that allows for fast charging with a power of 30W.
POCO M4 Pro 5G
Another proposal with the Mediatek system. This time it’s the Dimensity 810 model, which is more efficient than even the Snapdragon 720G installed in many cheap smartphones. We also have 4 or 6 GB of RAM and 64/128 GB of data memory.
As for the screen, we find a 6.6-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1080 × 2400 pixels with a higher refresh rate of 90 Hz. There is also a 50 MP + 8 MP dual camera, a 5000 mAh battery with 33W fast charging, NFC, and support for the 5G standard.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S
This is probably the best smartphone below Rs. 60,000 that you can buy at the moment. Though Vivo smartphones are fairly cheap, none of the handsets made it to the list, for various undeclared reasons. To see the updated retail prices, head over to the WhatMobile section that reads “Vivo all mobile price in Pakistan”.
Coming back to the Note 11S, we find an excellent AMOLED screen with a refresh rate of 90 Hz and a maximum brightness of 1,000 nits, as well as quite an efficient Mediatek Helio G96 chip.
The big advantage of this model is the fact that already in the basic version it has as much as 6 GB of RAM. When it comes to memory for data, we can choose between 64 and 128 GB. The quad camera with the main lens with a resolution of 108 megapixels also looks good.
The whole is complemented by the Dual SIM function, NFC module, and a 5000 mAh battery with 33W charging.
Motorola Moto G52
Motorola Moto G52 is one of the latest smartphones on our list. Like Redmi Note 11S, the device is equipped with an AMOLED display. It has a diagonal of 6.6 inches, a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, and offers a refresh rate of 90 Hz.
The heart of the device is the Snapdragon 680 chip, which is inferior to the Helio G96 processor in terms of performance, but still offers satisfactory performance. We also have 4 or 6 GB of RAM and 128 or 256 GB of data memory.
The advantage of this smartphone is undoubtedly its extraordinary design (especially in the Metallic White version), as well as a 5000 mAh battery. It is also worth appreciating the presence of “clean” Android version 12.
Samsung Galaxy A32
The undoubted advantage of this model is the phenomenal 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display (1080 x 2400), which offers a refresh rate of 90 Hz. The screen is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Samsung mobile A32’s price is also a considerable factor in its purchase, offering the bang for your buck.
The Galaxy A32 is also equipped with the MediaTek Helio G80 system, which is supported by 4 or 6 GB of RAM and 64 or 12 GB of memory for user data. We will also find a 64 MP + 8 MP + 5 MP + 5 MP quad camera here.
As for the battery, it has a capacity of 5000 mAh, but unfortunately, it does not offer fast charging (only 15 W). There was also a useful NFC module.
Andrea Parker is a reporter for Zobuz. She previously worked at Huffington Post and Vanity Fair. Andrea is based in NYC and covers issues affecting her city. In addition to her severe coffee addiction, she’s a Netflix enthusiast, a red wine drinker, and a voracious reader.
