With 5G expected to be available in India by end of 2022, smartphone manufacturers these days are busy making the market — in the budget segment — more confusing for consumers by launching new models in both 4G and 5G options. This has made it difficult for customers to understand whether they should opt for a 5G phone (future-proofing it) or go for a 4G model (since 5G is still months away, if not longer, for those who don’t live in major cities). This confusion has been coupled with companies selectively offering features like multiple cameras and high refresh rate displays even on the same phone.
To break all this down and make it easier for you, Orbital host Akhil Arora speaks with in-house experts Roydon Cerejo and Sheldon Pinto on this week’s episode of the Gadgets 360 podcast.
Xiaomi, Samsung, Oppo, and Realme have both 4G and 5G phones in their budget segments. However, one common practice has been noticed that while 4G phones have better features, their 5G counterparts are only being launched to support the next-gen mobile network that is yet to be rolled out in the country.
The Oppo F21 Pro series is a recent example of this difference. The series has the Oppo F21 Pro 5G with a standard 60Hz display and a 16-megapixel selfie camera, while the vanilla (4G) Oppo F21 Pro offers a 90Hz display and a 32-megapixel selfie camera. Further, the 4G model is priced at Rs. 4,000 lower at Rs. 22,999 than the 5G variant that is priced at Rs. 26,999 — this price is for the identical 8GB RAM + 128GB storage configuration.
First impressions of the Oppo F21 Pro: a handsome smartphone
This gives you a reason to be a little cautious and skeptical when choosing a new budget phone. You have to decide whether you want 5G connectivity at the expense of other key features, which could be more useful than network support that hasn’t rolled out yet.
We also talk about a few options that you can look at if you’re on a budget or don’t want to spend more than Rs. 20,000. There are models like the Moto G71 5G and Moto G51 that offer a decent combination of hardware and software for their price. You can also check out phones like the iQoo Z3 or the Redmi Note 11 series — if you’re okay with running a custom skin on Android.
During the conversation we also give buying tips that you should take into account with budget phones. For example, we explain why the basic model is not the best option, even though it is the most affordable.
Moto G71 5G review: Nearly perfect for Android purists
You can listen to all this and more by clicking the play button on the Spotify player above.
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