Realme Narzo 30A: A buyers guide in 2021

Realme launched the latest addition to its series of flagship phones on February 24. The Realme Narzo 30A is a mid-range device for those consumers that want a premium flagship device on a tight budget. This device joins the plethora of mid-range devices under $137.74. 

Consumers will find smartphones with robust batteries, above-average cameras, and even some devices that run on Android in this price range. A device that has all of these features is quite hard to come by however some smartphones come close. The Realme Narzo 30A is one of those devices; it offers a perfect equilibrium of features and performance under a reasonable price.

Design

Realme Narzo 30A does not have a hefty price tag hence the design is not something out o this world but t is impressive. It has a vibrant look and looks quite different than its predecessors. The back of the device has some sort of pattern with the bottom two-thirds having diagonal lines, while the upper section is plain. The pattern aids in gripping the phone easily.

This time around Realme has opted for a square-shaped camera module which is similar to Realme Narzo 20. The device even has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner that is easy to access. The side-mounted power and volume buttons are conveniently placed as well. Whereas, the Realme Narzo 30A has a large 6.5-inch display with a 20.9 aspect ratio. The large display does make single-hand usage difficult. The SIM tray is on the left side of the frame and has two Nano-SIM slots and a devoted slot for storage expansion.

It is worth noting that this device is no lightweight, it weighs around 207g but Realme has rounded the sides to hide the thickness of the device and help in holding the phone. One pro of such a robust device is that it packs a 6,000mAh battery which provides amazing battery life. Additionally, the Realme Narzo 30A has a USB Type-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a loudspeaker at the bottom. It also comes with a bundled 18W charger in the box. This particular device is available in two color options: Lazer Black and Lazer Blue.

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Software and Specifications

The smartphone company has leveled up with this device. The Realme Narzo 30A gets major upgrades as compared to the Realme Narzo 20A. It has a more potent MediaTek Helio G85 SoC that’s paired with either 3GB or 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM, this depends on which variant you opt for.  The variants support 32GB and 64GB of storage respectively. The storage can be furthered expanded to 256GB by a microSD card.

If we look at the price tags, Realme has priced the normal variant quite harshly while the higher variant still has a reasonable price. The device supports dual-band Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5, and three satellite navigation systems. Moreover, the phone is shipped with UI v1.0, based on Android 10.  The company assures its, users, that the UI v2.0 update is coming soon. The interface is quite easy to use since the Realme Narzo30A runs on the older Android skin. There are a few preinstalled applications on the device but they can be easily uninstalled or disabled.

Performance

The Realme Narzo 30A‘s performance was quite impressive during our testing. It is an excellent device for daily usage such as getting rid of duplicate photos. It is capable of handling occasional gaming as well. The rear-mounted fingerprint scanner was quick at authentication, and face recognition too did not need more than a single attempt to unlock the smartphone. It even has an HD+ resolution display.

The display looks almost flawless indoors but once exposed under direct light it becomes extremely average. While the battery life is quite impressive, the phone lasted two days before needing charging. This is the ideal phone if you binge-watch videos on your device. The 18W charger in the box can charge the Narzo 30A to 15 percent in half an hour, and up to 33 percent in an hour. However, even with the fast charging, the device takes two and a half hours to fully charge the battery.

Cameras

The device sports a 13-megapixel primary camera and a monochrome portrait camera with an undetermined resolution. Whereas, there is an 8-megapixel camera at the front for selfies. The camera app was not that difficult to navigate through since it was more or less the same. There are multiple shooting modes available, along with a camera AI that can automatically tune the color settings based on the scene or object you’re pointing at.

During our testing we discovered, the photos taken in daylight looked good on the phone’s display but they are not that impressive upon closer investigation. Text in the photos from a long distance was visible bur the picture overall lost its sharpness. There is a ‘Chroma Boost’ toggle that increases the contrast slightly and improves details in the shadows. The close-ups were good as well but the camera struggled to focus on smaller objects.

Additionally, Portrait shots turned out quite well with good edge detection. Whereas the low-light camera performance is a bit underwhelming, there are delays between the shot and the result is quite blurry. There is even a Night Mode but it is not one of the standout features of the device but it does get the job done.

Video recording tops out at 1080p for the primary camera and lacks stabilization, resulting in unsteady footage. Overall, a major letdown in some aspects.

Verdict

The Realme Narzo 30A is an impressive mid-range device. The overall performance is good even with the occasional bit of gaming. The battery is a major selling point, however, the camera is a letdown. It is one of the better devices in this price range and is ideal for those who have a tight budget and have moderate usage.