Smartphone with Good Overall User Experience Around 15K

[Realme]

Hi,
I am looking for a smartphone with good overall user experience around 15K

Hard Limit:17K
Phone Life Expectancy : 3 yrs.

What do I mean by good overall user experience?
I'm going for Pixel like user experience, with good software support ,security updates for 1-2 yr.
Fluid UI transitions, no hanging(as low as possible UI latency), minimum bloatWare , reliable.( Latest and Greatest Android Version is not required)
If these are not present then reliably FLASHABLE with good mainstream ROMs support both software and hardware wise.
There are certain strict requirements like:
1.) No Ads (I've recently heard that Xiaomi offerings in this range have Ads)
2.) Build Quality- Phone must be durable and comfortable to use(shouldn't be too much heavy)

What do I expect in hardware/specs?
This phone will be mostly used for Calling, Social Media, Internet eXploring, Reading.
So not a strong or say 'over the top' specs are required.
I do not believe that you can deliver a buffet of hardware specs at this price, without comprising on quality and I feel companies do bundle on a lot of low quality hardware to allure 'specs-focused' Indian customers. So give me just good enough reliable HW not the latest and greatest.

A good enough camera for document scanning is enough.

What are top 3 things you expect in hardware?
1.) Build Quality
2.) Processor with good thermals
3.) RAM

ENDING NOTE: The phone doesn't have to be the best. It should be just good enough.

 

[JB701]

You can get a Poco X3, debloat it fairly easily or maybe install a custom ROM, it has tons of ROMs available, very active phone.

Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC

The Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC is a 6.67" phone with a 1080x2400p resolution display. The Qualcomm SM7150-AC Snapdragon 732G (8 nm) chipset is paired with 6GB of RAM and 68/128GB of storage. The main camera is 64+13+2+2MP and the selfie camera is 20MP. The battery has a 5160mAh capacity.

forum.xda-developers.com

Other than there is OnePlus 6 which yes is old now and youll have to find refurb or used but also has a very active community and good build quality other than back glass.

I know my suggestions are a bit unconventional but others on the forums should also help you out.

 

[shashankb]

Maybe you should check out this review on Micromax


NOTE:- Micromax is still new and you can expect hardware failure in their phones . They havent said anything about the after sales support too

 

[igloo]

M31s

 

[horz]

M31s

Avoid Samsungs offerings if they are giving ancient processors, They will surely start to lag once the phone gets old. Xiaomi provides good performance and build quality for the price and best ROMs support. Go for xiaomi and check which model has good support on XDA.
Poco X3 has good support (codename: karna). Even the stock MIUI that comes with it is adfree (Poco phones have adfree MIUI)

PS: I am currently rocking Poco F1 with custom ROM. Overall very satisfied.

 

[Tejas01]

Using poco X3, damn surprised how good miui has come along. Actually, starting to like it.
As @JB701 mentioned, get a poco phone, debloat it if you want to use existing stock rom or unlock bootloader to get custom roms.
I was impressed with poco brand when I first got Poco M2 for my aunt. It's still decent with good battery and suits her needs With No ADS.
I would have suggested M2 Pro but it has some charging port issue so No.
Camera is amazing for its price... Overall, a very good deal.
If you want to avoid Chinese brands, extend your budget and get Samsung M51 with SD Soc for future proofing. Exynos proccy are very much outdated as mentioned.
Another option would be Realme but, I myself sold XT to get poco X3. Realui is crappy, and after 6 months you are delegated to 3rd class category. They keep pushing bugs and unwanted features while no resolutions to existing bugs. Made a good decision to dump it.

 

[Realme]

Thank you guys for taking out your time, as when it comes to Phones I'm pretty much out of loop.
@JB701 : What should be good asking price for OnePlus 6 Refurb/used?

One thing I'm concerned about is OP's featured Lightning Charge which takes a toll on battery life, I don't know what to expect when it comes to battery degradation after a year?

Lastly finding a reliable refurb is hard.

Looks like consensus here is POCO X3, here are some of my questions:

@horz :
Source
-- This guys says POCO X3 has ads or am I misreading your post?
Also given they have stashed price so much at this hardware conf. with strategy of using ADs to makeup for the margin.
I doubt they must have made it hard to flash them?

Do I have to debloat or change ROMS to remove ads?

Again you guys are expert here and I'm not aware of the latest developments in the field.

@Tejas01 : Hello Mr.Archer, nice choice for an Indian alibi name. I've heard that Samsung makes Snapdragon chipset phones for America only . They serve Asia with their in-house Exynos product-line?

 

[Realme]

Btw if going for samsung m51, then wouldn't it be better to add 2K more and get a Pixel 4a in istelf?

Or is there a devil in detail I'm missing?

 

[Realme]

Or I just found out iPhone SE 2020 cost 26K, I could get that?

 

[JB701]

If you are fine with iOS go for it.

Pixel 4A is great however stock is hard to find. I have been considering one myself.

Disabling ads is very easy on Poco X3 though on MIUI. Xiaomi bets on most people not disabling ads.

[Guide] Remove Ads

Because i live in the EU ads only show up limited. But don't worry, here is a way to disable all ads on MiU no matter where you live. Ads never should be integrated in a system software, that's up to the consumer and not a decision from the...

forum.xda-developers.com

Custom ROM will make it just like stock Android, so all the Ads will be gone too.

For refurbs, I'm not sure. I have brought two phones a OnePlus 2 and OnePlus 3 from 2Gud for 5k and 6k respectively and both of them are still working fine. However, there are many people who have had terrible experiences so I cannot recommend it.

Also, you don't have to use Dash Charge or whatever OP calls it now, I personally charge with a regular 2A charger overnight. Only using dash charger when I forget to charge.