Eid-ul-Fitr is the biggest phone-buying week of the year in Bangladesh, and Tk 20,000 is where most of the buying happens. In April 2022 that budget gets you a 5,000 mAh battery, a 50-megapixel camera and, on a couple of models, an AMOLED screen and genuinely fast charging. Here are five worth the money, and how to pick.
The five
- Realme 9i, 4 GB/64 GB, Tk 17,490. Snapdragon 680, 6.6-inch 90 Hz LCD, 50-megapixel main camera, 16-megapixel selfie, 5,000 mAh with 33 W charging (full in about 70 minutes). Best charging at the price.
- Vivo Y21T, 4 GB/128 GB, Tk 17,990. Snapdragon 680, 6.51-inch HD+ LCD, 50-megapixel triple camera, 8-megapixel selfie, 5,000 mAh with 18 W. The most storage for the money, but the lowest-resolution screen.
- Redmi Note 11, 6 GB/128 GB, Tk 18,999. Snapdragon 680, 6.43-inch 90 Hz AMOLED, 50 + 8 + 2 + 2 megapixel cameras, 13-megapixel selfie, 5,000 mAh with 33 W, stereo speakers. The best screen and the most balanced of the five; made in Bangladesh.
- Oppo A76, 6 GB/128 GB, Tk 19,990. Snapdragon 680, 6.56-inch 90 Hz LCD, 13 + 2 megapixel cameras, 8-megapixel selfie, 5,000 mAh with 33 W (55 per cent in 30 minutes), expandable RAM. Pay for the design and charging, not the camera.
- Samsung Galaxy A13, 4 GB/64 GB, about Tk 19,000. Exynos 850, 6.6-inch FHD+ LCD, 50-megapixel quad camera, 5,000 mAh with 15 W. Slower and slower-charging than the others, but four years of security updates and Samsung's service network, which is why it sells.
Three questions before you pay
- Screen or speed? Four of the five use the same Snapdragon 680, so performance is a wash; the AMOLED on the Redmi is the one real difference you will notice every day.
- How do you charge? If your phone lives on a power bank between classes or deliveries, 33 W (Realme, Redmi, Oppo) is worth more than any camera spec.
- Who fixes it? Check that the box says the phone is locally assembled or officially imported, that the IMEI is registered with BTRC, and where the nearest service centre is. A grey-market phone Tk 1,500 cheaper is not cheaper after one screen repair.
Prices are the official ones at launch; Eid discounts, gifts and bundles change them weekly, so compare across at least two brand outlets and one large retailer before deciding.
