Midrange smartphones have gotten so good, especially in the under 30K range in the country. If you’re looking for a camera smartphone in this price category, then you’re in the right place.
OPPO A77s – Ksh 29,200
OPPO A77s is the company’s latest device in the country and starts off this list. It has a dual main camera setup that is 50MP wide and a 2MP depth sensor for portrait shots. It also has an 8MP selfie camera.
Video recording is capped at 1080p at 30fps for both front and main cameras.
Other features include:
- 6.56″ LCD screen with 90Hz refresh rate
- Android 12 and ColorOS 12.1
- Snapdragon 680 4G chipset with 8GB RAM and128GB storage
- Side-mounted fingerprint reader
- 5000mAh battery with 33W fats Type-C charging
- It comes in Starry black and Sunset Orange
OPPO A57 4G – Ksh 22,500
Another OPPO smartphone that joins its sibling is the OPPO A57 4G. You can check out its full review here.
It comes with a 13MP wide and a 2MP depth plus an 8MP selfie camera. You can check out how the cameras perform here.
Other features include:
- 6.56″ LCD screen
- Android 12 and ColorOS 12.1
- MediaTek Helio G35 chipset
- 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage. OPPO also includes RAM Expansion to up to 4GB.
- 5000mAh battery and 33W fast Type-C charging
Samsung Galaxy A23 – Ksh 22,463
Samsung Galaxy A23 4G brings with it a quad camera setup which includes a 50MP main camera with OIS and a 5MP ultrawide camera, a 2MP macro and a 2MP depth camera. For selfies, we have an 8MP front facing camera.
Video recording is capped at 1080p at 30fps for both front and main cameras. Check out how the cameras perform here.
Other features include:
- 6.6-inch LCD screen with 1080 by 2408 pixel resolution at 400ppi and 90Hz refresh rate
- Snapdragon 680 chipset paired with Adreno 610 GPU.
- 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage.
- With Samsung’s RAM Plus feature, you get an additional 4GB of virtual RAM
- Android 12 and One UI 4.1
- 5000mAh battery with 25W Type-C charging
Samsung Galaxy M23 5G – Ksh 28,500
I had to include a 5G phone in this list from Samsung and that is the Galaxy M23 5G. It brings with it a triple main camera setup that has a 50MP main camera and 8MP ultrawide and 2MP macro and an 8MP selfie camera.
Video recording is capped at 4K 30fps for the main camera which is a good thing. Selfie video recording is capped at 1080p 30fps.
Other features include:
- 6.6″ 120Hz LCD screen
- Android 12 and OneUI 4.1
- Snapdragon 750 5G chip
- 4GB RAM and 128GB storage
- 5000mAh battery and 25W fast charging
- side-mounted fingerprint reader.
Other choices include the Galaxy M33 5G(Ksh 24,500) which has a quad camera setup that is a 50MP wide, 5MP ultrawide, 2MP depth and 2MP macro and an 8MP selfie camera. Video recording is capped at 4K 30fps. It is powered by Exynos 1280 chipset and Android 12. It has 6.6″ 120Hz LCD screen. We also get a 6000mAh battery and 25W wired and 4.5W reverse wired charging.
Another option is the Galaxy F22(Ksh 21,500) that has four cameras which includes a 48MP wide, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro and 2MP depth plus a 13MP selfie camera. Video recording is capped at 1080p at 30fps for both front and main cameras.
Galaxy F22 is powered by a Helio G80 chipset and Android 11. It has a 6.4″ 720p 90Hz LCD screen. It comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. It has a 6000mAh battery and 15W wired charging.
These three phones are available at Phone Place Kenya.
Infinix Note 12(G96) – Ksh 27,999
Infinix Note 12(G96) is one of the company’s Note 12 series smartphones launched this year. The Note 12 series share camera systems at least for the mid and base models and rocks a 50MP triple camera setup that includes a 2MP depth sensor and an additional VGA camera. A 16MP front-facing camera is housed in the centre punch-hole for selfies.
We haven’t tested its cameras but it should theoretically share the same performance as its siblings we’ve checked out inluidng the Note 12i and Note 12 Pro 5G.
Other features include:
- 6.7″ FHD+ AMOLED screens
- Helio G96 with 10 layers of graphene cooling
- Android 12 and XOS 10.6
- 8GB of RAM and 5GB of virtual RAM. Included is UFS 2.2 storage
- 5000mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging
Redmi Note 11S – Ksh 27,999
Redmi Note 11S was launched early this year in the country. It ships with an 108Mp main camera with three more cameras including an 8MP ultra-wide camera, a 2MP macro camera and an 2MP depth camera. For selfies we have a 16MP in-display front camera.
You can read our full review here but let me summarise its photography features:
- The camera app does not have any gimmicks because it is as straightforward as they come
- You can add or remove camera mode on the bottom strip
- Zoom levels can go from 2x all the way to 10x.
- A capable pro mode is included to adjust shooting parameters.
- There is a night mode too.
- The camera shoots 12 MP images as default. The images are well detailed and offer a lot of detail for the price. White balance is terrific, and colours are represented well.
- Dynamic range is above average, and contrast is also just about right.
- The images have low noise especially during daytime.
- In some cases, you will notice, however, that the snaps are oversharpened.
- The 108 MP mode can be used here too. It allows images to have more details, and is a better solution than images that are upscaled using software.
- You can manually resize images from 108 MP to 12 MP. This can go a long way in saving you some space
- Ultrawide images are terrific
- Portrait shots are straight-up gorgeous. You can also get them using the selfie camera
Other features include a 90Hz 6.43” FHD+ AMOLED screen, Helio G96 processor, 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, 5000mAh battery and 33W fast charging.
Pricing starts at Ksh 29,999 for the 8GB/128GB version, Ksh 27,999 for the 6GB/128GB version and Ksh 22,999 for the 6GB/64GB version.
Another option is the base Redmi Note 11 that has the same setup as it bigger sibling but switches the 108MP main for a 50MP main. It also picks a 13MP in-display front camera instead of a 16MP. It comes powered by Snapdragon 680 chipset with RAM option starting at 4GB to 6GB and storage from 64GB to 128GB.
Pricing starts at Ksh 23,999 for the 6GB/128GB version, Ksh 22,499 for the 4GB/128GB version and Ksh 19,999 for the 4GB/64GB version.
TECNO Camon 19 – Ksh 23,499
TECNO Camon 19 is the base model in the new Camon 19 series and it’s a fantastic camera smartphone like its Pro version.
Both Camon 19 and the Pro version ship with 64MP main rear cameras in the dual ring setup. The Pro has a 50MP portrait camera with 2X optical zoom and 2MP bokeh lens while the non-pro version has a 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP AI camera.
Housed in the punch-hole cutout is the 16MP selfie camera.
Apart from the usual modes such as beauty, Portrait and super night – you also get a new fun Sky Shop mode that lets you change the sky in the background of a photo and you can choose between sunny, rainbow, azure sky, starry, galaxy and more.
NOW READ: TECNO Camon 19 Camera Review: Competent Performer
The TECNO Camon 19 is not far off from its Pro version when it comes to how its cameras perform and is just as capable.
TECNO Camon 19 comes in three colours including Eco Black, Sea Salt White, and Digital Green.
Camon 19 rocks type-C charging port, headphone jack, and dual microphones at the top and bottom.
The front sports a 6.8-inch 1080p High Gamut brilliant and sharp LCD display that dazzles. The vanilla version sadly comes with a 60Hz refresh rate while the pro has a 120Hz refresh rate.
TECNO Camon 19 Full Review: Value-Packed Performer
The Camon 19 is a snappy performer. It comes wielding MediaTek’s Helio G85 processor and Mali-G52 GPU paired with 4G of RAM and 128GB of storage. With MemFusion tech, you also get up to 3GB of virtual RAM.
You are getting Android 12 and HiOS 8 .6 straight out of the box.
TECNO Camon 19 has a 5000mAh battery and supports 18W fast type-C charging.
TECNO Spark 9 Pro Sports Edition – Ksh 21,500
TECNO Spark 9 Pro Sports Edition is not only good looking phone but also a great pick for photography. It was launched in late October.
For cameras, we get a 50MP triple array that includes a 2MP depth sensor and VGA camera. The main star of the show is the 32MP front-facing camera.
The photos are pretty good in terms of the sharpness, detail, colour and dynamic range of the shots as you’ll see in our full review below.
TECNO Spark 9 Pro Sports Edition Review: The One to Buy
TECNO Spark 9 Pro Sports Edition comes with a 6.6″ full HD display at 1080p resolution and though lacking a high refresh rate, is still a delightful screen to use for consuming multimedia content – watching movies, scrolling social media and browsing the web.
TECNO Spark 9 Pro Sports Edition comes with a Helio G85 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of board storage. You also get up to 3GB of virtual RAM thanks to HiOS Memory fusion feature.
Android 12 and HiOS 8.6 come baked in. TECNO ships the Spark 9 Pro Sport Edition is powered by a 5000mAh battery with support for 18W fast Type-C charging.
Huawei Nova Y70 – Ksh 22,200
Huawei makes this list with the Nova Y70 which ships with a triple camera array that includes a 48MP main, a 5MP ultrawide and a 2MP depth camera. We have an 8MP selfie camera.
It has a 6.75″ screen, 4GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage. It is powered by a 6000mAh battery that supports 22.5W fast charging and runs on EMUI 12.
Realme C35 – Ksh 20,199
Realme C35 comes packing four cameras which include an 8MP selfie camera housed in the waterdrop notch and a triple camera setup. We get a 50MP main and two 2MP monochrome lens and macro sensors. The 50MP sensor is the same one as the flagship Realme GT2.
The 50MP camera is among the highlights of this phone and for good reason. It’s a capable lens for most shots – daylight and in those less-than-ideal lighting scenarios.
You get sharp and detailed pictures especially if you shoot with the dedicated 50MP mode.
Realme C35 Review: More Than Just Looks
Realme C35 comes in two colours – glowing black and glowing green.
We get a 6.6” 1080p LCD screen featuring 600 nits peak brightness. Realme C35 is the first phone in the C series to feature an FHD screen.
Realme C35 is powered by a unisoc tiger 616 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM and 128GB UFS 2.2 storage. This is a lesser-known processor but holds its own and I was kinda surprised by its performance.
Realme C35 comes running on Android 11 and realme UI R edition.
Realme C35 has a 5000mAh battery that supports 18W fast type-c charging.
Nokia G21 – Ksh 21,999
Nokia G21, the company’s midrange device rocks a 50MP module accompanied by two 2MP shooters, one for macro shots and another one for depth details. We also get an 8 MP snapper at the front.
It comes powered by a Unisoc T606 chipset paired with 4GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage. Nokia G21 has a 6.5″ with 90Hz refresh rate and runs on Android 11.
Nokia G21 comes powered by a 5050mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging.
