The top 5 smartphones that you can buy under 30,000 PKR

In our last editions of the TechJuice Smartphone buying guide, we covered the best smartphones that you can get under the 10K and 20K range in Pakistan. In this edition, we move towards the mid-range smartphones where the little things start to matter. We see more attention being given to the design and build qualities of smartphones in this area and details such as display quality and storage configuration make all the difference in this budget. You can check out latest  mobile prices in Pakistan here.

1. Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML:

Price: PKR 29,000/-

Experience the beauty of Zen with this appealing and powerful Zenfone. The Zenfone 2 aeries was announced back in January 2015 and the Zenfone 2 ZE551ML was the mid-range smartphone for the series. The phone features a fantastic design with a metallic body that feels sublime in the hands. The Zenfone 2 also comes with the powerful yet rare Intel Atom chipset and a Quad-Core processor. What really stands out among the specifications though is the 4 GB RAM that the Zenfone 2 ZE551ML comes with. This is the same amount of primary storage that most high-end flagships have nowadays. Another feature of the phone that really stands out is the display – it’s bright, brilliant, and flawless. Lastly, the simple and interactive ZenUI with additional features such as the Quick Charge technology (60% in 40 minutes) make this a wonderful choice for the under 30K range.

Specifications:

• Display: IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen – 16M colors
• Screen Size: 5.5 inches
• Screen Protection: Yes – Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• Dimensions: 152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9 mm
• Weight: 170 g
• Screen Resolution: 1080 x 1920 (401 pixels per inch)
• Chipset: Intel Atom Z3580
• CPU: Quad Core 2.3 GHz
• GPU: PowerVR G6430
• OS: Android Lollipop (v5.0)
• User Interface: Asus ZenUI
• Internal Storage: 32 GB
• RAM: 4 GB
• Card slot: Yes – up to 128 GB
• Camera (Back): 13 MP – LED Flash, autofocus
• Camera (Front): 5 MP
• Fingerprint sensor: No
• NFC: Yes
• Colors: Black, White, Gold, Red, Gray
• Battery: Non-removable, 3000 mAh

Reasons to buy:

• Beautiful slim design that stands out in the crowd.
• The 4 GB RAM accompanied by the Intel Atom Z3580 makes this one of the most efficient phones in this price range.
• ZenUI is a minimalistic user interface that gives priority to speed and accessibility above all.
• Supports quick charge – the phone charges from zero to 60% in just 40 minutes!

Reasons not to buy:

• The phone is heavy and a bit large for the screen size.

2. LG G3:

Price: PKR 29,000/-

Two years ago, the LG G3 astonished everyone with its immaculate display, powerful performance, and amazing capabilities. Two years later, still, the smartphone remains one of the best available in the market. Just that the price tag on the G3 has had a drastic cut down which officially makes it a mid-range phone for the 2016. The LG G3 is a powerful device that features a wonderful QHD display at a resolution of a smashing 1440 x 2560 pixels. Along with this, the G3 also features a Quad Core Krait 400 processor that is capable of handling even the most extreme tasks with ease. The curved body of the LG G3 looks appealing and feels elegant in the hands.

Specifications:

• Display: Quad HD IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen – 16M colors
• Screen Size: 5.5 inches
• Screen Protection: Yes – Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• Dimensions: 146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9 mm
• Weight: 149 g
• Screen Resolution: 1440 x 2560 (538 pixels per inch)
• Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8974AC Snapdragon 801
• CPU: Quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 400
• GPU: Adreno 330
• OS: Android Lollipop (v5.0.2)
• User Interface: Optimus UI
• Internal Storage: 16 GB
• RAM: 2 GB
• Card slot: Yes – up to 128 GB
• Camera (Back): 13 MP – dual-LED Flash, laser autofocus
• Camera (Front): 2.1 MP
• Fingerprint sensor: No
• NFC: Yes
• Colors: Black, White, Gold
• Battery: Removable, 3000 mAh

Reasons to buy:

• Brilliant QHD display – still one of the brightest displays around.
• The phone is lightweight, slim, and easy to handle despite the 5.5” display.
• The 13 MP camera performs greatly even in low light conditions (thanks to the dual-LED flash and laser autofocus).
• Supports wireless charging.

Reasons not to buy:

• The phone’s performance is not as high as some other phones in this range (as illustrated by the benchmarks).
• The Adreno 330 GPU is outdated and slow.

3. Huawei Honor 5x:

Price: PKR 27,500/-

The Honor 5x succeeds the popular Honor 4x that was released in 2014. The Honor 5x combines an ergonomic design with a fingerprint sensor, the latest version of the Emotion UI, and an Octa Core 64-bit Cortex-A53 to give us one of the best mid-range phones in the market today. The full metal body is made up of aluminum alloy that gives the Honor 5x exclusive looks with a premium feel. One of the most remarkable features of the phone though is thee impressive fingerprint sensor in this price range. The fingerprint sensor is located on the back of the phone just below the camera – it is ideal for use with the index finger or thumb. The Honor 5x comes packed with the latest EMUI 3.1 and Android Lollipop (v 5.1.1) with further support to up to Android Marshmallow confirmed.

Specifications:

• Display: IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen – 16M colors
• Screen Size: 5.5 inches
• Screen Protection: No
• Dimensions: 151.3 x 76.3 x 8.2 mm
• Weight: 158 g
• Screen Resolution: 1080 x 1920 (401 pixels per inch)
• Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8939v2 Snapdragon 616
• CPU: Quad Core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A53 & Quad Core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53
• GPU: Adreno 405
• OS: Android Lollipop (v5.1.1)
• User Interface: Emotion UI 3.1
• Internal Storage: 16 GB
• RAM: 2 GB
• Card slot: Yes – up to 128 GB
• Camera (Back): 13 MP– Dual LED Flash, autofocus
• Camera (Front): 5 MP
• Fingerprint sensor: Yes
• NFC: No
• Colors: Black, White, Gold
• Battery: Non-removable, 3000 mAh

Reasons to buy:

• Wonderful metallic body that feels luxurious in the hands.
• A quick and accurate fingerprint sensor that takes security up one notch.
• The audio output from the phone is loud and clear.

Reasons not to buy:

• No NFC or quick charge support.
• The camera quality is below par especially in low-light conditions.
• No screen protection out of the box.

4. QMobile Noir Z12:

Price: PKR 24,000/-

The QMobile Noir Z12 is the latest addition to the Noir Z series. It was released in January 2016. The Noir Z12 is the successor of the QMobile Noir Z10 and we see quite a few improvements in this edition of the Z series. Overall, the Noir Z12 is an ultra-slim light-weight phone that has been polished with gold to give the extra bit of attractiveness to the phone. The phone features a power-efficient and bright Super AMOLED 5.3” display with a resolution 1080 x 1920 pixels which is a great improvement over is a Noir Z10’s IPS LCD. The QMobile Noir Z12 is a powerful device that comes packed with a Mediatek MT6753 Octa Core 64 bit processor, 3 GBs of RAM, and an internal storage of 32 GB. With these spectacular specifications, the flagship of QMobile, the Noir Z12, solidifies its place in the mid-range arena.

Specifications:

• Display: Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen – 16M colors
• Screen Size: 5.3 inches
• Screen protection: Yes – Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• Dimensions: 151.9 x 74.6 x 6.9 mm
• Weight: 147 g
• Screen Resolution: 1080 x 1920 (415 pixels per inch)
• Chipset: Mediatek MT6753
• CPU: Octa Core 1.3 GHz
• GPU: Mali-T720MP3
• OS: Android Lollipop (v5.1)
• Internal Storage: 32 GB
• RAM: 3 GB
• Card slot: Yes – up to 128 GB
• Camera (Back): 13 MP – LED Flash, autofocus
• Camera (Front): 5 MP
• Fingerprint sensor: No
• NFC: No
• Colors: Black, Gold
• Battery: Non-removable, 3150 mAh

Reasons to buy:

• Remarkable battery time – it gives up to a day with moderate to high use.
• A stunning Super AMOLED display that is vibrant and bright.
• The memory configuration on the handset is quite good with a RAM of 3 GB and an internal storage of 32 GB with expandable memory as well.
• Despite the large screen size, the user-friendly design allows single-handed use.

Reasons not to buy:

• Does not support quick charge technology or NFC.
• The interface has much room for improvement – suggestions would be more simplicity, less bloatware (QApps), and higher accessibility.

5. Huawei P8lite:

Price: PKR 21,600/-

The mini version of Huawei’s flagship last year, the P8 that was announced in April, 2015. The P8lite is a smaller, more economical version of the powerful Huawei P8. The P8lite sports a 5” IPS LCD display with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. The smartphone is one of the lightest phones around in this price range weighing only 131 grams! Unlike the P8, the P8lite is made up of a plastic body which, despite compromising on the looks, allows the phone to be so light-weighted. The processor on the P8lite is the HiSilicon Kirin 620 Octa Core Cortex-A53. However, despite the fact that this is the mini version of the P8, the 2200 mAh battery is simply not enough for a screen this big.

Specifications:

• Display: IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen – 16M colors
• Screen Size: 5.0 inches
• Screen Protection: Yes – Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• Dimensions: 143 x 70.6 x 7.7 mm
• Weight: 131 g
• Screen Resolution: 720 x 1280 (294 pixels per inch)
• Chipset: HiSilicon Kirin 620
• CPU: Octa-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A53
• GPU: Mali-450MP4
• OS: Android Lollipop (v5.0.2)
• User Interface: Emotion UI 3.1
• Internal Storage: 16 GB
• RAM: 2 GB
• Card slot: Yes – up to 128 GB
• Camera (Back): 13 MP – LED Flash, autofocus
• Camera (Front): 5 MP
• Fingerprint sensor: No
• NFC: Yes
• Colors: Black, White, Gold
• Battery: Non-removable, 2200 mAh

Reasons to buy:

• Thin, ultra-light, and user-friendly.
• The performance of the HiSilicon Kirin 620 processor stands out among the others.
• The camera results for both the 13 MP and the 5 MP shooter are superb.

Reasons not to buy:

• Very poor battery time.
• No NFC, no quick charge technology, no USB On-The-Go support.
• Below average sound output.

Benchmark Scores (Antutu):

Given below are the Antutu benchmark scores for assessing the performance of each of the devices above:

• Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML (Antutu 5): 48361
• LG G3 (Antutu 4): 32780
• Huawei Honor 5x (Antutu 5): 36908
• QMobile Noir Z12 (Antutu 5): 38281
• Huaweri P8lite (Antutu 5): 35205

The benchmark scores above show that the Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML wins, by quite a margin, in terms of the Antutu speed and performance test.