The 2024 Wrap-Up: Top Budget Smartphones Of The Year

As 2024 comes to an end, we are on the brink of stepping into 2025. This year has been a whirlwind, with a wide range of exciting tech launches.

To celebrate, we present ‘The 2024 Wrap-Up: Top Tech Trends and Products of the Year.’ In this series, we highlight the best tech products of 2024 that made waves in the tech market with their debut.

In this article, we’ve curated a list of budget-friendly smartphones launched in 2024. These phones stand out with their appealing designs and impressive features, all without breaking the bank.

Motorola Edge 50 Fusion

It comes with a 6.7-inch P-OLED display, a 120Hz refresh rate for LATAM users, a 144Hz refresh rate for international users, and a peak brightness of 1600 nits.

It offers a dual camera setup, consisting of a 50 MP main camera and a 32 MP ultra-wide camera. The design features a smooth back with the camera module sticking out very little. Talking about the design, the back is made from vegan leather (silicone polymer), which offers a smoother and better feel than matte plastic backs.

Additionally, you don’t have to worry about wear and tear on the back. The back panel also provides a good grip. The smartphone comes with an IP68 rating, meaning you don’t have to stress about water damage in the rain. It ensures durability and offers protection against water and dust.

It is quite lightweight, so once you get used to this phone, other smartphones will feel heavier. It comes with a decent speaker, ensuring users can enjoy music and videos without any issues.

For optics, it captures vibrant photos, but sometimes the overly bright colors can ruin the image quality. It also has a fingerprint sensor but it has been reported to be slower than average, which might disappoint you. Overall, this is the best mid-range smartphone under budget, offering durability along with an eye-catching design.

Key Specifications:

Display: 6.7-inch P-OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz (LATAM), 144Hz (INT), 1600 nits (peak).
Camera: 50 MP, f/1.9, (wide), 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 13 MP, f/2.2, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.0″, 1.12µm, AF.
Front camera: 32 MP.
Battery: 5000 mAh, 68W wired, 50% in 15 min.
Operating System: Android 14, upgradable to Android 15, up to 3 major Android upgrades.
Chipset: Qualcomm SM7435-AB Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 (4 nm) – International. Qualcomm SM6450 Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 (4 nm) – LATAM.
Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM.
Color: Forest Blue, Marshmallow Blue, Hot Pink.
Price: Rs 22,999

Realme P2 Pro

It features a 6.7-inch OLED screen with a refresh rate of 120Hz, 600 nits of typical brightness, 1200 nits in high brightness mode, and 2000 nits at peak brightness.

For optics, it offers a dual camera setup, consisting of a 50 MP main camera and an 8 MP ultra-wide camera. The main camera captures vibrant pictures with details in daylight but, the ultra-wide lens tends to oversaturate colors, which affects the overall image quality. The phone is perfect for night photography as it offers clear images with less graininess compared to other mid-range smartphones. The selfies and video calls are handled by a 32 MP camera.

The back of the device is quite aesthetically pleasing. It features a polycarbonate back with a matte finish, which helps the users to maintain a clean appearance. The back has a unique pattern resembling brush strokes, enhancing its visual appeal. It also provides a good grip and comes with slightly curved edges, offering comfort. It is equipped with a 5200mAh battery and supports 80W wired charging, offering 50% charge in 19 minutes and 100% charge in 49 minutes.

Key Specifications:

Display: 6.7 inch OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 600 nits (typ), 1200 nits (HBM), 2000 nits (peak).
Camera: 50 MP, f/1.9, 26mm (wide), 1/1.95″, PDAF, OIS, 8 MP, f/2.2, 16mm, 112˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm.
Front camera: 32 MP.
Battery: 5200 mAh, 80W wired, 50% in 19 min, 100% in 49 min.
Operating System: Android 14, Realme UI 5.0.
Chipset: Qualcomm SM7435-AB Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 (4 nm).
Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM.
Color: Parrot Green, Eagle Grey.
Price: Rs 21,845

Poco X6 Pro

It features a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 129Hz, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 500 nits of typical brightness, 1200 nits in high brightness mode, and 1800 nits at peak brightness. It runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Ultra chipset. It offers smooth performance for multitasking and gaming.

It offers up to 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, ensuring enough storage space. It handles apps efficiently without slowing down. It comes with a 64 MP main camera, an 8 MP ultrawide, and a 2 MP macro lens.

In daylight, it offers a vibrant image but its camera performance in low-light conditions might disappoint the users. The selfies and video calls are handled by a 16 MP camera, which delivers good-quality images but struggles in low light, resulting in grainy photos.

It is equipped with a 5000 mAh battery and supports 67W wired charging, offering 100% charge in 45 minutes. It provides decent longevity, lasting about 1.5 days under typical usage. It offers a dual-speaker setup, ensuring good audio quality.

Key Specifications:

Display: 6.67 inch AMOLED, 68B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 500 nits (typ), 1200 nits (HBM), 1800 nits (peak).
Camera: 64 MP, f/1.7, 25mm (wide), 1/2.0″, 0.7µm, PDAF, OIS, 8 MP, f/2.2, 120˚ (ultrawide), 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro).
Front camera: 16MP.
Battery: 5000 mAh, 67W wired, QC2.0, PD3.0, 100% in 45 min.
Operating System: Android 14, up to 3 major Android upgrades, HyperOS.
Chipset: Mediatek Dimensity 8300 Ultra (4 nm).
Memory: 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM.
Color: Black, Yellow, Gray.
Price: Rs 20,999

Vivo T3

It comes with a 6.67-inch AMOLED display, 120Hz refresh rate, and 1800 nits of peak brightness. It comes with a plastic back with a matte finish which resists fingerprints and helps users maintain a clean appearance. It comes with an IP54 rating for water and dust resistance. It runs Android with Vivo’s Funtouch OS, has smooth animations, and has an easy-to-use interface. It comes with a triple camera setup with a 50MP main sensor. It offers good-quality images with details, however, low-light performance could be improved. It is packed with a 5000 mAh battery and supports 44W wired charging.

The battery optimization is excellent under this price range. It provides over a day of moderate use. It is equipped with dual speakers, offering decent sound quality. It is lightweight and offers strong performance for gaming and multitasking. It lacks an ultra-wide camera option and the design is not appealing.

Key Specifications:

Display: 6.67 inch AMOLED, 120Hz, 1800 nits (peak).
Camera: 50 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/1.95″, 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS, 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth).
Front camera: 16 MP.
Battery: 5000 mAh, 44W wired.
Operating System: Android 14, Funtouch 14.
Chipset: Mediatek Dimensity 7200 (4 nm).
Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM.
Color: Cosmic Blue, Crystal Flake.
Price: Rs 18,499

iQOO Z9s 5G

The device has a sleek design with a glass back and is available in multiple color options. The glass back gives a premium feel and it’s appealing as well. It offers a 6.77-inch AMOLED display with 1800 nits of peak brightness.

It comes with a dual-camera setup. It generally provides decent results in daylight conditions. It comes with up to 12 GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which is a decent offering in this price range. It comes in two color options: Titanium Matte, and Onyx Green. It is packed with a 5500 mAh battery and supports 44W FlashCharge for quick recharging.

Key Specifications:

Display: 6.77-inch AMOLED display, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1800 nits (peak).
Camera: 50 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/1.95″, 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS, 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth).
Front camera: 16 MP.
Battery: Li-Ion 5500 mAh, 44W wired.
Operating System: Android 14, up to 2 major Android upgrades, Funtouch 14.
Chipset: Mediatek Dimensity 7300 (4 nm).
Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM.
Color: Titanium Matte, Onyx Green.
Price: Rs 19,999