There are a lot of Smartphones in 30000-40000 and therefore this might be the hardest list to compile. I have included some smartphones from last year too which are still available in the market.
The smartphones mentioned in this are the best smartphones you could buy right now in 30K to 40K PKR range.
Every person has different needs and demands and, therefore, each smartphone would be good or bad according to you.
I would suggest you look at the pros and cons of each smartphone to decide which smartphone would fulfill your needs.
Also, check the list of the
Best Smartphones Under 30000 PKR
Best Smartphones Under 50000 PKR
Note: A good software experience (OS or Android Skin), Camera quality, Display Calibration are really important for a good smartphone. Good Chipset or Processor is not everything.
So, please do not think that a smartphone with a powerful chipset would be better than one with an inferior chipset.
Smartphones a number 1 will be most balanced overall and is not better than other smartphones in every category.
9) Samsung Galaxy A30s
Samsung A30s is a smartphone full of compromises and I was really hesitant to put this smartphone on the list. But there are still some people who can not move on from Samsung Brand or UI (Software Skin). Still, I would rank this smartphone according to what it’s worth in each category.
The performance of the chipset Exynos 7904 is relatively lower than a Snapdragon 636 but 7904 performs better in gaming.
| Specifications | |
| Chipset | Exynos 7904 (14 nm) Mali-G71 MP2 |
| RAM/ROM | 4GB/128GB |
| Camera | Rear: 25 MP(wide) PDAF, 8 MP (ultrawide), 5 MP (depth) Front: 16 MP |
| Display | 6.4″ Super Amoled, 720 x 1560 pixels (268 PPI) |
| Battery | 4000mAh, 15W Fast Charging |
| Price | 28000 PKR for 4GB/128GB version |
For Full Specifications, use this GSMArena Link.
| Strong Points or Pros | Weak Points or Cons |
| Super Amoled | Exynos 7904 is outdated |
| One UI is good | No 4K Video |
| Under Display Fingerprint | 720p Display |
Rating:
8) Oppo A52
Oppo A50 is a newly released with outdated specs and an updated design according to 2020. This smartphone is not bad, but it is not good either. The display is not bad and the same could be said about the camera of Oppo A52.
Still, there is enough good stuff about this phone to put it on this list considering its price.
| Specifications | |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 665 (11nm) Adreno 610 |
| RAM/ROM | 4GB/128GB |
| Camera | Rear: 12 MP PDAF, 8 MP (ultrawide), 2 MP (macro) 2 MP (depth) Front: 16 MP |
| Display | 6.5 inches, LTPS IPS LCD, 1080 x 2400 pixels (405 PPI) |
| Battery | 5000 mAh, Fast Charging 18W |
| Price | 35000 PKR for 4GB/128GB version |
For full specifications, click on GSMArena link.
| Strong Points or Pros | Weak Points or Cons |
| Stereo Speakers | No Gyro Sensor |
| UFS 2.1 Storage | Outdated Chipset SD 665 |
| low price/performance ratio |
Rating:
7) Xiaomi Redmi Note 9
Redmi Note 9 is another smartphone from Redmi Note 9 series and is just as impressive as the rest. The helio G85 chipset is almost on par with Snapdragon 665 in performance and is better than SD 665 in gaming.
There is not a lot of competition in the price range of 33 thousand rupees, this is why this smartphone is unique in its own way.
| Specifications | |
| Chipset | Helio G85 (12nm) Mali-G52 MC2 |
| RAM/ROM | 4GB/128Gb |
| Camera | Rear: 48 MP (wide) PDAF 8 MP 118Ëš (ultrawide) 2 MP (macro), AF 2 MP (depth) Front: 13 MP |
| Display | 6.53 inches, IPS LCD, 1080 x 2340 pixels (395 PPI) |
| Battery | 5020mAh, 18W Fast Charging |
| Price | 33000 PKR |
For full specifications, check the GSMArena link.
| Strong Points or Pros | Weak Points or Cons |
| Macro lens with Auto Focus | No 4K Video |
| Reverse Charging 9W | Camera need improvement |
| Exceptional Battery Life | Bad external speaker |
| Infrared sensor is welcome |
Rating:
6) Vivo S1
Vivo S1 is a popular smartphone by now. It is a pretty balanced smartphone in my opinion and it hits most of the right boxes. Therefore, even in 2020, it is not a bad option to consider this smartphone.
Vivo S1 (also Vivo S1 Pro) is also the only phone that has a 1080p OLED screen in this range. I did not include S1 Pro because the S1 is better than S1 Pro in the camera. The only thing Vivo S1 Pro has over Vivo S1 is the 8GB Ram.
A lot of smartphones are still using Snapdragon 665 even in 2020 and Helio P65 found in Vivo is almost equivalent to that. There are some weird issues in Vivo S1 camera for portraits and human faces but other than that it is a good camera.
| Specifications | |
| Chipset | Mediatek Helio P65 (12 nm) Mali-G52 MC2 |
| RAM/ROM | 4GB/128GB |
| Camera | Rear: 16 MP (wide) PDAF 8 MP (ultrawide), 2 MP, (depth) Front: 32 MP |
| Display | 6.38 inches, Super AMOLED, 1080 x 2340 pixels, (~404 ppi density) |
| Battery | 4500 mAh, Fast Charging 18W |
| Price | 34000-36000 PKR |
For full specifications, click on GSMArena link.
| Strong Points or Pros | Weak Points or Cons |
| Under Display FingerPrint | Micro USB instead of USB-C |
| FULL HD Super Amoled | No 4K video |
| Always on Display | Portraits are Bad |
Rating:
5) Realme 5 Pro
Realme 5 Pro is a smartphone from last year. But even in 2020, it can hold its ground against the new smartphones, which is why it is included in this list.
Realme 5 Pro has very respectable performance in day to day use and in gaming. It is another all-rounder in this list. Although the camera does seem to put extra colors in every picture, especially in chroma boost mode.
Realme 3 Pro is a good alternative to Realme 5 Pro, if for some reason you can’t find Realme 5 Pro in the market. Realme 3 Pro is almost the same.
Realme 5 Pro price range is also from 33k to 39k of the 4GB and 8GB ram respectively.
| Specifications | |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 712 (10 nm) Adreno 616 |
| RAM/ROM | 4GB/128GB, 8GB/128GB |
| Camera | Rear: 48 MP (wide) PDAF 8 MP (ultrawide) 2 MP (macro) 2 MP (depth) Front: 16 MP |
| Display | 6.3 inches, IPS LCD, 1080 x 2340 pixels (~409 PPI) |
| Battery | 4035 mAh, 20W Fast Charging |
| Price | 33000-39000 PKR |
For full specifications, click on GSMArena link.
| Strong Points or Pros | Weak Points or Cons |
| 960fps slow-mo and 4K Video | Display could be brighter |
| Impressive Fast Charging | Macro camera is not good |
| Great Price/Performance | Might not get Android 11 |
Rating:
4) Honor 9X
Honor 9X is still holding on the Kirin 710F as this chipset still runs all of the Google services. The chipset is not bad but it suffers a lot in Gaming performing even worse than a Snapdragon 665.
The same chipset, camera, and most of the features are available in Honor 9X Lite which costs 30000 Pkr.
The only features that make this smartphone standout are Pop Up Camera, 6GB Ram with 128GB internal Storage.
Huawei Y9s is the exact carbon copy of this smartphone. So if you are in the market and find the design of the Huawei Y9S better, pick that one. There isn’t any difference that I could between the two smartphones.
| Specifications | |
| Chipset | Kirin 710F (12 nm) Mali-G51 MP4 |
| RAM/ROM | 6GB/128GB |
| Camera | Rear: 48 MP (wide) PDAF 8 MP (ultrawide) 2 MP (depth) Front: 16 MP, 1080p 60fps |
| Display | 6.59 inches, 1080 x 2340 pixels (~391 ppi density) |
| Battery | 4000 mAh |
| Price | 39000 PKR |
For full specifications, click on GSMArena link.
| Strong Points or Pros | Weak Points or Cons |
| Full Display, Pop Up Camera | no 4K video |
| 6GB Ram | Outdated Chipset |
| No Fast Charger (10W) |
Rating:
3) Mi A3
I know it is a little strange to put this smartphone here. But hear me out first. Mi A3 has the best camera on this list if we are only talking about the main camera because there is no macro camera in Mi A3, So it is not the most versatile combination.
A good HD+ Super Amoled Screen. I thought at first too that the 720p display would not look good. But after looking at the screen, and using my LG V30 at 720p resolution. I can say for sure that the 720p display is reasonable.
On top of all of this stuff, Mi A3 has Android One which is bloatware free and gets fast updates.
The only thing that bugs me about this smartphone is its availability in Pakistan. If you can find one, I think this is the best value for money device in this whole list.
| Specifications | |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 665 (11 nm) Adreno 610 |
| RAM/ROM | 4GB/64GB |
| Camera | Rear: 48 MP (wide), PDAF 8 MP(Ultrawide), 2 MP (depth) Front: 32 MP |
| Display | 6.09 inches, 720 x 1560 pixels (~282 ppi density) |
| Battery | 4030 mAh, 18W Fast Charging |
| Price | 34000 PKR |
For full specifications, click on GSMArena link.
| Strong Points or Pros | Weak Points or Cons |
| G80 chip is a beast | No Dual Band Wifi |
| Realme UI has matured a lot | 720p display but it is bright |
| Build quality is good |
Rating:
2) Xiaomi Redmi Note 9s
Redmi Note 9S is a great phone that also ticks most of the right boxes for users. There are some display problems like LCD burn-in (LCD manufacturer: Tianma), this causes the screen content of the previous frame or frames to be visible in the current frame.
But this is only for a few seconds, this should not concern most users. Look at the picture below to see what it does.
This smartphone is really big and heavy, so make sure to take that into consideration.
Other than that, this smartphone has great battery, great performance due to SD 720G which is insane in this price range. This chipset is mostly available in smartphones like Realme 6 Pro which costs above 50k.
| Specifications | |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 720G (8 nm) Adreno 618 |
| RAM/ROM | 6GB/128GB |
| Camera | Rear: 48 MP (wide), PDAF 8 MP (ultrawide), 5 MP, (macro), AF 2 MP (depth) Front: 16 MP, 1080p 30/120 fps |
| Display | 6.67 inches, 1080 x 2400 pixels (~395 ppi density) |
| Battery | 5020 mAh, 18W Fast Charging |
| Price | 40000 PKR |
For full specifications, click on GSMArena link.
| Strong Points or Pros | Weak Points or Cons |
| Best for long session Gaming | Screen Burn is an issue but not a deal breaker |
| 5MP Macro with Autofocus | Really Bulky |
| Snapdragon 720G is a beast | Camera is great but still needs some improvement |
| Perfect Price/Performance | |
| Extraordinary Battery Life |
Rating:
1) Realme 6 (The King)
Realme made a really smart move by using the last year’s chipset Helio G90T which is still more than capable to beat SD 720G in the Gaming but lags behind in processor performance to only SD 720G.
Using this chipset G90T allowed them to put a freaking 90 Hz in Realme 6, which a lot of people are impressed with.
The only thing that I do not like about Realme 6 is that it gets hot while gaming. So if you are someone who is going to play games in a hot environment (temperature more than 30 degrees Celcius), please do not buy this phone for extremely demanding games like PUBG, Call of duty, etc.
Interested in a cheaper Smartphone? Check out our list of
BEST SMARTPHONES UNDER 30K PKR
BEST SMARTPHONES UNDER 50K PKR
The performance of the games on Helio G90T is great but you can not use it for hours in hot environments. But if you are going to game in air conditioned rooms or cooler ambient temperatures, you should have no problem gaming on the Realme 6.
You are better off buying a MI Redmi Note 9S for long sessions of gaming.
If you are someone who does not want to look and search for your smartphone purchase. Just pick Realme 6 and you would not be disappointed.
| Specifications | |
| Chipset | Helio G90T (12 nm) Mali-G76 MC4 |
| RAM/ROM | 4GB/128GB |
| Camera | Rear: 64 MP wide) PDAF 8 MP (ultrawide) 2 MP (macro) 2 MP B/W (depth) Front: 16 MP |
| Display | 6.4 inches, 1080 x 2400 pixels (~405 ppi density) |
| Battery | 4300 mAh, 30W Fast Charging |
| Price | 38000-40000 PKR |
For full specifications, click on GSMArena link.
| Strong Points or Pros | Weak Points or Cons |
| Charges in under 60 minutes | 4GB Ram (not a deal breaker) |
| 90 Hz Display | 2MP Macro Lens with no Auto Focus |
| Realme UI is a lot cleaner now | Camera Video Quality could be better |
| Gets warm after half hour of gaming |
Rating:
Rating System:
The rating system we used was relative. So the best camera smartphone in this list would get a 9.5 or 10 compared to other smartphones on the list.
It does not mean it has a 9.5 score compared to every other smartphone out there. The same is the case with Performance, Gaming, Software UI, and Display Ratings.
Pricing:
The prices we used were from online websites. This means, if you get any smartphone on this list from a local market, the prices could vary and they would most probably be 1000-3000 less than online stores.
Smartphones That Didn’t Made The List:
These are the smartphones that didn’t make the list because of some bad features, outdated specs, bad cameras, or low price-performance ratios.
- Vivo S1 Pro (underrated specs for the price and bad camera)
- Vivo V15 (underrated specs for 40k PKR price)
- Huawei Y9s (It is same as Honor 9X, so find the need to add this)
- Redmi Note 8 Pro (It’s a great phone even in 2020, but Redmi Note 9s or Realme 6 are better and newer. You can still buy for the design though.)
- Oppo A9 2020 (Overpriced, outdated specs, nothing special)
Conclusion:
The price range from 30000-40000 Pkr is the most competitive price range. But still every smartphone has something better than the others. So make sure to look at the pros and cons list given for each smartphone.
These are the smartphones we recommend for different categories:
| BEST Smartphones by Categories | |
| Best Gaming Smartphones | Realme 6 or Redmi Note 9s |
| Best Camera Smartphones | Mi A3, Realme 6 or Redmi Note 9s |
| Best Battery Smartphones | Redmi Note 9 or Redmi Note 9s |
| Best Software UI | Mi A3 or Realme 6 |
| Best Display | Vivo S1 or Realme 6 |
| Best All Rounders | Realme 6, Redmi Note 9S or Realme 5 Pro |
