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Old 28th October 2022, 00:02   #16
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Re: Best cameras in affordable smartphones (20 - 40k range)

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Originally Posted by SmartCat View Post
Picked up the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G for my wife yesterday for Rs. 30k.
Congratulations on your purchase. However I feel you grossly overpaid for this phone. I purchased Galaxy S20+ way back in 2020 for 47K, and S20FE is two steps lower (S20Ultra -> S20+ -> S20 -> S20FE)

2 yrs back I had a confusion whether to pick up the ROG phone 3 or this for almost same cash. ROG was the fastest phone back in the days and I am always a gamer so it obviously attracted me. But I finally chose S20+ for its camera & display. However there was a major drawback, Indian model had came with Exynos and not Snapdragon, which had a bit lower performance & battery life along with no 5G.

However the worst issue was yet to come few months after the warranty got over. The display bugged up and phone became unusable. The cost to repair the display was more than what it will cost to sell the phone. Finally after many Youtubers brought this issue to light, Samsung offered a one time free replacement which saved my day. However all users were not that lucky, and replacement was denied on petty grounds to them. I have linked the video and my updates below.



Quote:
S20 Plus become very popular when Flipkart offered this phone at 47K during 2020 Big Billion day sale. I too joined the bandwagon and got a Watch Active 2 as well and entered the ecosystem.

Just few months after warranty got over, screen started acting up and going dark. This continued off and on for months before the permanent green line appeared. It's a hardware issue as it is present during boot as well and not something caused by updates.

Service center said this is due to physical impact and will cost 15.5K to replace. My phone never had big impact and always covered with case. Normal day to day wear and tear including putting it inside pocket and mounting it on car. If Samsungs words are correct, the display is very fragile and even if i replace the unit, the chances of getting this problem again are high given it is happening to so many people with normal day to day usage. I wish Samsung address this issue and thank you C4etech for bringing this up ����

Update: #2

Went to service center. After waiting for over an hr. in Q on Saturday noon, i finally talked with the service advisor about the replacement offered by Samsung. First thing the service person asked me is how did you know this information ? �� I told through Samsung care helpline. He then told me that this is possible only if there are no cracks or dents or phone or water damage. My phone is in pristine condition, thanks to case + screen guard. Only other issue I had was back was coming off a little due to glue gone weak. They opened the back earlier as well when I went to query about paid replacement a month back.

He finally deposited my phone and asked me to wait 30 mins to check water damage. For some reason they asked me to remove pin or give them PIN. I had to do this but I fear they have unrestricted access to all my data and can be misused. Also they asked me to backup phone data which i already did as they can update software and reset. No idea why these are necessary as well as my phone already has latest version of software installed and why you need to reset phone for screen replacement. Basically after submitting the phone they did nothing inside (I was keeping track of them through my connected Galaxy watch where i can see my phone camera) Then they asked me to leave and told will get updates through mail / call.

After few hrs. i got a sms that part have been ordered. I tracked the repair status on samsung account as well and its showing the same status
https://www.samsung.com/in/support/y...e/track-repair

Lets see what happens. I have a feeling that if you do not claim free repair, the service can get the free parts from Samsung and charge you full. I may be wrong but make sure everyone applies for free repair even if your device is having minor cracks or dents.


Final Update: #3

Got my S20+ Display + Battery replaced free of cost, phone was repaired within 7 days, however they didn't get approval to hand it over to me which took 3 more days = total 10 days. They didn't format or do anything with the phone, unlike they mentioned while submitting for repair. Feels great to get the display fixed and get a new battery at the same time. Only thing which is bothering me is if this problem reappears after 1 year then what happens.

Thanks to the whole community for the info and support !
Free of cost display + battery replacement
Best cameras in affordable smartphones (20 - 40k range)-img_6282.jpg

I really want to replace this phone now before the next display issue appears. Wanted to go for S22, but the Samsung have omitted 2 important features in new phones:

1: No SD card slot (Already invested in a 512GB Card)
2: Remove MST from Samsung pay which prevents digital swipe transactions and restricts to NFC only.

I hope no Samsung users face this ordeal after buying a flagship phone.

Last edited by Samfromindia : 28th October 2022 at 00:04.
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Old 28th October 2022, 00:12   #17
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Re: Best cameras in affordable smartphones (20 - 40k range)

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Originally Posted by Funny View Post
On the other hand S21 FE 5G being the newer model will even receive Android 14 along with Security updates till 2025 at-least. Hence it is a better buy at this time compared to S20 FE 5G especially at the reduced price of ~33K.
From https://www.androidauthority.com/sam...21-fe-1211655/

Quote:
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE will receive four years of Android upgrades and five years of security updates. Out of the box, it comes with One UI 4, which is based on Android 12. That means the Galaxy S21 FE will see Android 13 later this year, Android 14 in 2023, Android 15 in 2024, and finally Android 16 in 2025. It will then get security patches throughout 2026, after which it will reach an end-of-life status.
As long as the phone survives, S21 FE is covered for next 4 major android updates all the way till Android 16.
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Old 28th October 2022, 00:31   #18
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Re: Best cameras in affordable smartphones (20 - 40k range)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Samfromindia View Post
I really want to replace this phone now before the next display issue appears. Wanted to go for S22, but the Samsung have omitted 2 important features in new phones:

1: No SD card slot (Already invested in a 512GB Card)
2: Remove MST from Samsung pay which prevents digital swipe transactions and restricts to NFC only.

I hope no Samsung users face this ordeal after buying a flagship phone.
As I mentioned above, the back glass coming away is not because of poor application of glue, it is because your battery was probably defective which is why they probably replaced that for free as well. Please steer clear of Samsung devices until they can provide some public statement about these glaring issues.
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Old 28th October 2022, 00:43   #19
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Re: Best cameras in affordable smartphones (20 - 40k range)

Quote:
Originally Posted by ani_meher View Post
From https://www.androidauthority.com/sam...21-fe-1211655/

As long as the phone survives, S21 FE is covered for next 4 major android updates all the way till Android 16.
Here is the Android 13 release schedule

https://www.sammobile.com/news/samsu...ease-schedule/

Quote:

October 2022

Galaxy S22
Galaxy S22+
Galaxy S22 Ultra


November 2022

Galaxy Z Fold 4
Galaxy Z Flip 4
Galaxy Z Fold 3
Galaxy Z Flip 3
Galaxy S21
Galaxy S21+
Galaxy S21 Ultra
Galaxy Note 20
Galaxy S20
Galaxy S20+
Galaxy S20 Ultra
Galaxy Tab S8
Galaxy Tab S8+
Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
Galaxy Tab S7
Galaxy Tab S7+
Galaxy Quantum 3
Galaxy A53 5G
Galaxy A33 5G


December 2022

Galaxy Z Fold 2
Galaxy Z Flip 5G
Galaxy Z Flip
Galaxy S20 FE
Galaxy Tab S7 FE/S7 FE 5G
Galaxy Tab S6 Lite
Galaxy A Quantum
Galaxy A Quantum 2
Galaxy A52s 5G
Galaxy A51
Galaxy A51 5G
Galaxy A42 5G
Galaxy A32
Galaxy Jump
Galaxy Jump 2


January 2023

Galaxy Tab A8
Galaxy Tab A7 Lite
Galaxy Tab Active 3
Galaxy Buddy 2
Galaxy Wide 6
Galaxy Wide 5
Galaxy Buddy
Galaxy A23
Galaxy A13
Galaxy M12
Galaxy XCover 5


February 2022

Galaxy Tab Active 4 Pro
Quote:
Originally Posted by IshaanIan View Post
As I mentioned above, the back glass coming away is not because of poor application of glue, it is because your battery was probably defective which is why they probably replaced that for free as well. Please steer clear of Samsung devices until they can provide some public statement about these glaring issues.
Yes true, the battery probably got a bit swollen which caused the back cover to come off easily. The worst part is Samsung service center rejected claims for users in this scenario saying water damage due to back cover coming off. As for me I told them they only removed the back cover during inspection when I came for paid service weeks back and they bought that

Last edited by Samfromindia : 28th October 2022 at 00:46.
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Old 28th October 2022, 08:36   #20
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Re: Best cameras in affordable smartphones (20 - 40k range)

I have a Pixel 4a i bought from the US and a refurb 3 I bought from india . Both take stunningly good pictures, especially night. Battery life is atrocious, and the service in India is pretty spotty too ( not relevant to me, neither of my phones had any Indian warranty).

The benefit is a handy size phone and a UI that is, hard to explain, but just a joy to use.

If you just want great night pictures, refurb pixels start out at 8.5k
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Old 28th October 2022, 09:35   #21
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Re: Best cameras in affordable smartphones (20 - 40k range)

S20 fe is definitely a good buy, specially for 27k along with something that you can exchange. Other good camera phones are, pixel 6a <30k and s21fe<35k for overall balanced look. Iphone 11 would be my pick for selfies(this is same selfie cam as in iPhone 13 ) and daytime videos.
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Old 28th October 2022, 11:43   #22
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Re: Best cameras in affordable smartphones (20 - 40k range)

Samsung cameras (S and Note series) are really good. Few pics of the moon captured by my Note 20 at 30x zoom.

The night sky is also captured surprisingly well with auto exposure.
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Old 28th October 2022, 11:53   #23
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Re: Best cameras in affordable smartphones (20 - 40k range)

I own a Samsung S20 FE and it is a decent phone. I've decided never to buy Samsung phones again after they pushed an incompatible update on my mid-range M31s phone. The phone is now unusable and restarts after every 2 minutes. They asked me to pay 8k to repair a phone that cost me 18k. I refused. They have the worst customer service. My case is not an exception - Samsung has never cared for its mid-range sets and I'm always scared to update the phone now. It is unbelievable that they knowingly render their phones unusable.
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Old 28th October 2022, 12:25   #24
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Re: Best cameras in affordable smartphones (20 - 40k range)

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Originally Posted by SmartCat View Post
Picked up the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G for my wife yesterday for Rs. 30k. Amazon.in delivered the phone in 4 hours flat! FE edition of Samsung is equivalent to SE editions of Apple or Nord editions of OnePlus. You basically get internals of last year's flagship phone at 50% lower price.
Guess what I'm reading this thread on S20 FE. I upgraded to this phone after using Galaxy J7 Prime exactly for 5 years. I got my hands on this phone less than 10 hours ago. I got a relative studying in India to buy this phone for 30K INR who carried this all the way to Nepal during his holidays. So far, the phone looks good but it appears to me that the battery isn't strong enough. Another point is: this has not got a separate SD card slot. Either use two SIMs or one SIM and one memory card. Had I known this previously, I'd have considered some other phone. Over next few weeks of usage, I'll get to know more about this phone and will then post another review. Is there a way to use both SIMs and SD card together?
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Old 28th October 2022, 12:53   #25
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Re: Best cameras in affordable smartphones (20 - 40k range)

I have always been a fan of value for money products and phones are no exceptions. Got a Realme 9 Pro Plus in Big Billion Sale for 18k and I am amazed by its camera considering the price tag into consideration. Low light shots are just at another level even without night mode. Videos are optically stabilised and I can definitely see a marked improvement due to it. Even day light shots are very crisp with plenty of details. The only grouse I have with it is that sometimes images are too vibrant and green color is overly boosted. But I can definitely live with it as color can be tweaked easily in Snapseed.

Very satisfied with my purchase and would highly recommend it to anybody looking for a good camera phone in this price range.
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Old 28th October 2022, 14:11   #26
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Re: Best cameras in affordable smartphones (20 - 40k range)

I recently bought Nothing Phone 1, so far so good. Cameras are good enough and with GCam mod, it can take some good shots. Both cameras are 50MP sensors so there are no blurred edges on ultra-wide shots.

There are some bugs in Nothing OS, but nothing deal-breaker.
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Old 28th October 2022, 16:18   #27
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Re: Best cameras in affordable smartphones (20 - 40k range)

I am a kind of guy who loves to maximize the value I get for bucks spent.

I do some fun video shoots on our trip with my Oneplus nord ce2. The videos are nearly perfect and i dont have any complaints for the price i have paid for. Mostly these videos are uploaded on youtube for private consumption and watched on a android 55 inch tv.

Now while I am quite happy with what I have currently, it always keeps me puzzled as to how I am further improve the quality, without spending fortunes on it.
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Old 28th October 2022, 19:09   #28
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Re: Best cameras in affordable smartphones (20 - 40k range)

I was recently in the market for a compact android flagship to compliment my iPhone 12 mini - after a lot of deliberation I picked up the S22 for 49,999 with 18 months No cost EMI.

I had heard about terrible battery issues and thermal throttling with the snapdragon 8 gen 1.

However to nobody’s surprise in “normal” non testing conditions - the device is blazing fast and since I don’t play mobile games other than 8 ball pool, it never heats and the battery life is above average : 5 hours of screen time while being off the charger for 30 hours.

All in all, extremely happy with my purchase.
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Old 28th October 2022, 19:22   #29
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Re: Best cameras in affordable smartphones (20 - 40k range)

I have been using the samsung s20 FE 5G for 5 months now. Had got it for 33K using cash back offers. With a spigen case it looks and punches atleast 2 levels above it's weight. I frankly cannot find justifications for using one lakh+ rupee phones, unless you are really into the 'in' thing. Even the comparable one plus phones are getting good reviews.

Attaching a night mode shot taken in pro mode on my samsung s20 FE in the recent Nubra valley roadtrip. The milky way was just barely visible to naked eye, but the phone managed to capture it nevertheless.

P.S. The battery will warm up a bit for the first day, when the software updates and apps get auto installed. After that, it's been cool during daily usage with great battery life.
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Last edited by TheCatalyst : 28th October 2022 at 19:27. Reason: Content
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Old 28th October 2022, 19:50   #30
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Re: Best cameras in affordable smartphones (20 - 40k range)

Just bought S20 FE 5g from Amazon and I am pretty happy with the purchase. As everyone is saying the camera quality is good. And yeah I did get concerned for first couple of days as it felt hot but after that all good.

I had OnePlus 7T before and it just went kaput the other day with Qualcom crash dump mode message. The service center said changing motherboard is only option! Somehow the 3 year old OnePlus 7T still feels and looks more premium than S20 FE.
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