This is the 4th edition of the TechJuice smartphone buying guide. Previously, we have covered the list of the top smartphones under the PKR 10K, 20K, and 30K range. In this edition, we move towards the higher mid-range budget where power-packed smartphones come together with former flagships to give us some of the best smartphones around.
1. Samsung Galaxy S5
Price: 38,250/- PKR
Disclaimer: Even though the Samsung Galaxy S5 was released back in 2014, it is still available in the market for the stated price.
The Galaxy S5 was a spectacular flagship for the smartphone giant Samsung in the year 2014. It was launched in April and even after two years, the phone stands out as one of the best in the high mid-range. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 powers the Galaxy S5, featuring a quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 400 and 2 GB of RAM with a vibrant Super AMOLED display. Not only this but premium features such as fingerprint sensor, wireless charging, and air gestures make this one of the ideal all-round phones.
Specifications:
- Display: Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen – 16M colors
- Screen Size: 5.1 inches
- Screen Protection: Yes – Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- Dimensions: 142 x 72.5 x 8.1 mm
- Weight: 145 g
- Screen Resolution: 1080 x 1920 (432 pixels per inch)
- Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8974AC Snapdragon 801
- CPU: Quad Core 2.5 GHz Krait 400
- GPU: Adreno 330
- OS: Android Lollipop (v5.0)
- User Interface: TouchWiz UI
- Internal Storage: 16 GB
- RAM: 2 GB
- Card slot: Yes – up to 128 GB
- Camera (Back): 16 MP – LED Flash, autofocus, face/smile detection
- Camera (Front): 2 MP
- Fingerprint sensor: Yes
- NFC: Yes
- Colors: Black, Gold, Blue, White
- Battery: Removable, 2800 mAh
- Additional Features: Wireless charging, ANT+, air gestures, IP67 certified
Reasons to buy:
- The premium flagship features of the Galaxy S series accompany this phone – these include ANT+ support, pulse rate monitor, air gestures, and IP67 certification (which makes the S5 water proof and dust proof).
- The Super AMOLED display stands out as one of the brightest and sharpest displays in this price range.
Reasons not to buy:
- Outdated chipset that is not up to the mark with the competition.
- 2 GB RAM is insufficient, especially with TouchWiz UI installed.
2. LG G4:
Price: 34,250/- PKR
We talked about the LG G3 in the previous edition of our smartphone series. The G4 is the successor of the G3 and it further improves on the G3’s two best features – display and design. It also features a more powerful chipset in the form of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808. The display on the G4 is a Quad HD 5.5” IPS LCD Quantum display. The body on the LG G4 features the G Flex Curve design that features a curved body (feels magnificent in the hands but it can be a little tricky to balance the phone on some surfaces). Overall, the LG G4 is a significant improvement over the LG G3 – the powerful CPU combined with the innovative design and the appealing looks makes the G4 a top contender in the upper mid-range.
Specifications:
- Display: IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen – 16M colors
- Screen Size: 5.5 inches
- Screen Protection: Yes – Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- Dimensions: 148.9 x 76.1 x 6.3 mm
- Weight: 155 g
- Screen Resolution:1440 x 2560 (538 pixels per inch)
- Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8992 Snapdragon 808
- CPU: Quad Core 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53 & Dual Core 1.82 GHz Cortex-A57
- GPU: Adreno 418
- OS: Android Lollipop (v5.1.1)
- User Interface: LG Optimus UX 4.0
- Internal Storage: 32 GB
- RAM: 3 GB
- Card slot: Yes – up to 128 GB
- Camera (Back): 16 MP – LED Flash, laser autofocus, OIS (3 axis), face/smile detection
- Camera (Front): 8 MP
- Fingerprint sensor: No
- NFC: Yes
- Colors: Grey, Gold, White, Leather Black
- Battery: Removable, 3000 mAh
- Additional Features: Fast charging (60% in 30 minutes), wireless charging
Reasons to buy:
- Fast charging and wireless charging support.
- Wonderfully bright and clear QHD display that is considered to be among the best in the smartphone arena.
- The CPU and GPU are one of the best performers in this
Reasons not to buy:
- No fingerprint sensor.
- Battery life is below average.
3. Sony Xperia Z3+:
Price: 37,000/- PKR
The Xperia Z series started way back in 2013. The Xperia Z3 was announced in May 2015 and it was the fifth member of the Xperia Z family. What marked the uniqueness of the Xperia Z3+ is the brilliant camera quality, the amazing audio output, and the IP68 certification (which means that the phone is both dust and water proof). The CPU-GPU duo of the Snapdragon 810 and the Adreno 430 also ensures that the Z3+ fares quite high in the performance arena.
Specifications:
- Display: IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen – 16M colors (triluminos display)
- Screen Size: 5.2 inches
- Screen Protection: Yes – scratch resistant glass with oleophobic coating
- Dimensions: 146 x 72 x 6.9 mm
- Weight: 144 g
- Screen Resolution:1080 x 1920 (428 pixels per inch)
- Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810
- CPU: Quad Core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 & Quad Core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A57
- GPU: Adreno 430
- OS: Android Lollipop (v5.0)
- User Interface: Xperia UI
- Internal Storage: 32 GB
- RAM: 3 GB
- Card slot: Yes – up to 128 GB
- Camera (Back): 20.7 MP – LED Flash, laser autofocus, face detection
- Camera (Front): 5.1 MP – HDR
- Fingerprint sensor: No
- NFC: Yes
- Colors: Black, Copper, White
- Battery: Non-removable, 2930 mAh
- Additional Features: Fast charging (60% in 30 minutes), ANT+, IP68 certified
Reasons to buy:
- Audio output is superb – loud, crisp, and clear.
- The camera (both the front and the back) performs amazingly in both good-light as well as low-light conditions. The image quality is exceptional.
- IP68 certified and scratch resistant.
- Support for ANT+ allows the phone to connect to a range of accessories.
Reasons not to buy:
- No fingerprint scanner.
- The Sony Xperia Z series has generally been poor with the Android OTA updates.
- The battery life is not as good as it should be.
4. Huawei Honor 7:
Price: 35,000/- PKR
The Honor 7 brings style and class to the higher mid-range. The beautiful smartphone is one of the most attractive around in the smartphone arena. The phone features a rectangular alloy unibody design with slightly curved edges – the phone feels luxurious in the hands and it has an excellent grip as well. Apart from the design, the other key features of the Honor 7 that stand out are its IPS NEO LCD 5.2” display set at 1080 x 1920 pixels, the powerful octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 935 chipset, and the 20 MP high quality camera.
Specifications:
- Display: IPS-NEO LCD capacitive touchscreen – 16M colors
- Screen Size: 5.2 inches
- Screen Protection: Yes – Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- Dimensions: 143.2 x 71.9 x 8.5 mm
- Weight: 157 g
- Screen Resolution: 1080 x 1920 (424 pixels per inch)
- Chipset: HiSilicon Kirin 935
- CPU: Quad Core 2.2 GHz Cortex-A53 & Quad Core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53
- GPU: Mali-T628 MP4
- OS: Android Lollipop (v5.0)
- User Interface: Emotion UI 3.1
- Internal Storage: 16 GB
- RAM: 3 GB
- Card slot: Yes – up to 128 GB
- Camera (Back): 20 MP – LED Flash, autofocus, face detection
- Camera (Front): 8 MP – LED Flash
- Fingerprint sensor: Yes
- NFC: Yes
- Colors: Gold, Silver, Gold
- Battery: Non-removable, 3100 mAh
Reasons to buy:
- Beautiful and stylish metal alloy body that stands out as one of the most attractive smartphones in this range and above.
- The back camera shooter produces amazing quality results.
- Good battery life.
Reasons not to buy:
- The GPU’s performance is not as high as other smartphones in this range.
- Despite being released in July 2015, the smartphone does not feature Fast Charging or Wireless Charging.
5. LG Nexus 5X:
Price: 34,000/- PKR
Anyone and everyone that has ever owned a Nexus knows that it deserves to be in the top lists. The natural taste and feel of Android coupled with the exclusivity of Google and Nexus has been Google’s trademark smartphone line that was first launched back in 2010. Ever since then, it has been manufactured and launched by different companies contracted by Google. The Nexus gives you the quickest updates, zero bloatware, and maximum performance. The LG Nexus 5x was 2015’s Nexus, launched with the latest version of Android – Android Marshmallow (v6.0). The smartphone features a 5.2” 1080 x 1920 pixel IPS LCD screen with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset. However, unfortunately, the drawback of the Nexus is that it has no memory card slot and only 16/32 GB of internal memory.
Specifications:
- Display: IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen – 16M colors
- Screen Size: 5.2 inches
- Screen Protection: Yes – Corning Gorilla Glass 3 with oleophobic coating
- Dimensions: 147 x 72.6 x 7.9 mm
- Weight: 136 g
- Screen Resolution: 1080 x 1920 (424 pixels per inch)
- Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8992 Snapdragon 808
- CPU: Quad Core 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53 & Dual Core 1.82 GHz Cortex-A57
- GPU: Adreno 418
- OS: Android Marshmallow (v6.0)
- Internal Storage: 16 GB
- RAM: 2 GB
- Card slot: No
- Camera (Back): 12.3 MP – dual LED Flash, laser autofocus, face detection
- Camera (Front): 5 MP – HDR
- Fingerprint sensor: Yes
- NFC: Yes
- Colors: Carbon, Ice, Quartz
- Battery: Non-removable, 2700 mAh
Reasons to buy:
- The natural feeling of the latest version of Android.
- Nexus devices are the first to get the latest OTA updates for Android.
- The highest performer (as shown by the benchmarks) in this price range.
- Brilliant sleek design.
Reasons not to buy:
- No expandable memory with only 16 internal storage option available (in this price range).
- A bit on the larger side for the screen size.
Benchmark Scores:
The results show that the LG Nexus 5x stands out as the best all-round performers in this price-range. It tops all three benchmarks to justify its place as the most powerful smartphone within the 40,000 PKR range.
The AnTuTu benchmark measures memory performance, CPU performance, graphic performance, I/O read/write speed.
The Geekbench 3 is a specialized benchmark that measures the single-core and multi-core performance of a smartphone.
The Basemark OS II benchmark assesses the overall performance of the smartphone and gives it a rating in the form of numbers.
Specification Credits – gsmarena
Image Sources – samsung, lg, hihonor, talkandroid, mobiles.co, pcadvisor
