The Realme Narzo 30A, launched on February 24th for Rs. 8,999, is a strong contender in the crowded budget smartphone market under Rs. 10,000. With a plethora of options boasting impressive battery life, capable cameras, and even stock Android experiences, finding a well-rounded device in this segment can be challenging. The Narzo 30A seeks to strike a balance between features and performance while staying budget-friendly. But is it a worthy investment? This comprehensive review delves deep into the Realme Narzo 30A, examining its design, specifications, performance, camera capabilities, and battery life to help you decide if this is the right phone for you.
Realme Narzo 30A Design
The Realme Narzo 30A, the most affordable model in the Narzo 30 series, boasts a fresh design that sets it apart from its predecessors. The back features a dual pattern, with diagonal lines covering the bottom two-thirds and a plain upper section, creating an attractive and easily grippable surface. The square-shaped camera module, reminiscent of the Realme Narzo 20, adds a modern touch. A well-positioned rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and conveniently placed side-mounted power and volume buttons enhance usability.
The Narzo 30A boasts a spacious 6.5-inch display sporting a tall 20:9 aspect ratio, though this may require stretching to reach the top of the screen for some users. The SIM tray, located on the left side of the frame, houses two Nano-SIM slots and a dedicated slot for storage expansion.
However, the Narzo 30A deviates from the norm with its noticeably heavy weight (207g), primarily due to the impressive 6,000mAh battery. Despite its bulk, Realme has cleverly implemented rounded sides to mask the thickness, improving the grip.
The phone’s bottom houses a USB Type-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and the loudspeaker. A bundled 18W charger is included in the box, a welcome addition at this price point. The Realme Narzo 30A is available in two vibrant color options: Lazer Black and Lazer Blue.
Realme Narzo 30A Specifications and Software
The Narzo 30A represents a significant upgrade from the Realme Narzo 20A. Under the hood lies a powerful MediaTek Helio G85 SoC, paired with either 3GB or 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 32GB or 64GB of storage respectively. The storage can be further expanded by up to 256GB via a microSD card. Realme has priced the phone competitively at Rs. 8,999 for the base variant and Rs. 9,999 for the higher variant.
The Narzo 30A features dual-band Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5, and support for three satellite navigation systems. It runs Realme UI v1.0, based on Android 10, with Realme promising an update to Realme UI v2.0 soon.
The older Android skin makes the interface remarkably user-friendly. While there are some preinstalled bloatware apps, most can be uninstalled without complications. Fortunately, I didn’t encounter any bothersome notifications from stock applications.
Realme Narzo 30A Performance
The Realme Narzo 30A excels in everyday tasks and handles occasional mobile gaming with ease. If your typical usage pattern aligns with this, the phone should meet your expectations.
The rear-mounted fingerprint scanner unlocks the phone promptly, and face recognition also requires just a single attempt for successful unlocking. The Narzo 30A sports an HD+ resolution display that is adequate for its price range. While the display is satisfactory indoors, it falls short outdoors, especially under direct sunlight.
To gauge its performance against competitors, I ran several benchmark tests. The Narzo 30A scored 2,04,869 points in AnTuTu and 8,712 points in PCMark’s Work 2.0 test suite. In Geekbench 5’s single-core and multi-core tests, it achieved 363 and 1299 points, respectively. In GFXBench, the phone managed 55fps in the T-Rex test and 18fps in the Car Chase test.
I put the Narzo 30A through its paces with Call of Duty Mobile, the game defaulted to Low graphics settings with a Medium framerate. The game was playable at these settings without any lag. After 20 minutes of gameplay, I observed a 3% drop in battery level, which is acceptable. The phone did warm up slightly, but not to an alarming degree.
The Narzo 30A’s battery life is outstanding, lasting two days on typical usage before needing to be recharged. In our HD video loop test, the phone ran for an incredible 27 hours and 11 minutes. If you’re a heavy video content consumer, the Narzo 30A is the ideal companion. The bundled 18W charger can charge the Narzo 30A to 15% in half an hour and 33% in an hour. However, a full charge still takes a substantial two and a half hours.
Realme Narzo 30A Cameras
The Realme Narzo 30A boasts a dual-camera setup with a 13-megapixel primary camera and a monochrome portrait camera with an unspecified resolution. An 8-megapixel camera is located on the front for selfies. The camera app remains unchanged, making it easy to navigate. Several shooting modes are available, along with camera AI that automatically adjusts color settings based on the scene or object.
In daylight, the Narzo 30A produces decent photos on the phone’s display. However, magnifying the images reveals a lack of fine details. Text with large fonts is legible at a distance, but overall sharpness is lacking. A ‘Chroma Boost’ toggle enhances contrast slightly and improves shadow details.
Close-ups captured in sufficient light are pleasing, with the phone managing a gentle bokeh effect on the background. Occasionally, the Narzo 30A struggles to focus on smaller objects. Portrait shots are impressive, displaying accurate edge detection. Furthermore, you can adjust the blur intensity before taking a shot.
Low-light camera performance falls below average. In standard Photo mode, the phone takes over two seconds to capture an image, resulting in blurry output due to the extended shutter speed. Shadow details are lacking, and the slow shutter speed introduces motion blur in the final image. The camera app offers a Night mode that takes over four seconds to capture an image. This mode compensates for handshakes and produces photos with improved color, but it does little to enhance shadow details.
Selfies taken with the Narzo 30A are generally good, delivering impressive results in both daylight and low light. Video recording maxes out at 1080p for the primary camera and lacks stabilization, leading to shaky footage. Daytime video quality is just average, further deteriorating at night or in low-light conditions.
Verdict
Realme has strategically positioned the Narzo 30A under Rs. 10,000, making it accessible to budget-conscious consumers seeking a decent smartphone. For its price, the Narzo 30A delivers impressive overall performance, more than enough for general use and occasional mobile gaming. A standout feature is its exceptional battery life.
While camera performance doesn’t rank among the best in this price segment, the phone does manage to produce good selfies. Despite this drawback, the Realme Narzo 30A remains a solid choice at its price. If software and camera capabilities are paramount to you, the Moto E7 Plus is an alternative to consider in this competitive category.
