About Budget Smartphone for Filmmaking:
Which smartphone should i buy to get start my filmmaking career? One question, lots to consider. Staying in touch with family, loved ones – and staying on top of work and creative people has never been so important, but neither’s sensible spending. Today, you can spend less than $400 (Rs.29816 Almost in indian money) and still get a feature-packed smartphone with a HD quality camera, Easy using interface and good battery life. Major Advantage, Easy to carry anywhere and share with your filmmaking team also very simple via WhatsApp or Telegram.
If you’re looking for a cost-effective upgrade, we’ve pulled together a list of some of the best smartphones money can buy that won’t destroy your funds.
Sponsored Hindi short film from Shortfundly OTT:
Below you can find our full rundown of the best budget smartphone & camera phones for 2021.
- Google Pixel 4A
- OnePlus Nord
- iPhone SE
- Samsung Galaxy A51
- Xiaomi Mi A3
- Redmi Note 9 Pro
- Huawei P40 Pro
- Sony Xperia 1 II
- Vivo V19
- Oppo F15
Google Pixel 4A
It is one of the most awaited smart phones in India 2020. It has flagship level specs and cost half the price of a flagship phone.
PIXEL 4A runs on snapdragon 720G processor which many will say is a bit slow in comparison with other processors but actually there are many videos which shows that Pixel 4a is much more faster than IPHONE SE and we all know that IPHONE SE has the latest bionic chipset which is considered as the fastest chipset in smartphone market.
There are mainly two reasons why a person would choose a Pixel device instead of any other Android device: Cameras, and software experience. And thankfully, Pixel 4a does not disappoint. The cameras are arguably some of the best in the market at this price. I can even go on to say this: It’s at par with flagship devices like the S20 Ultra and iPhone 11 Pro! There isn’t anything special about the hardware; it has a 12.2 megapixels rear camera, and an 8 megapixels front camera. Sounds average, doesn’t it? The thing is, Google relies on computational photography and AI processing more than hardware to get great photos. And you know what? It works!
Battery Life
The Google Pixel 4a offers a 3140 mAh battery cell, which is larger than the Pixel 4. Thanks to the clean software, and 8 nm fabrication of the chipset, the phone is capable enough to provide you decent battery life, but don’t expect anything stellar. The phone usually lasts for 4–5 hours, which is more than enough for a lot of people.
Conclusion
The Google Pixel aims for two things, photography and software experience, and more or less nails them. Even in other categories, the Google Pixel 4a does not disappoint. It has got a nice design, a nice display, average performance, decent battery life, and passable speakers. This is one of the best budget smartphone for filmmaking.
OnePlus Nord
This is the first OnePlus smartphone to feature a dual front camera setup. The device features a pill-shaped cut out to accommodate the front camera located on the top left corner of the display. It sports a 32MP primary sensor paired with an 8MP ultra wide angle lens for taking selfies. It is the cheapest 5G smartphone currently available in the market. At Rs 24,999, it is the cheapest 5G smartphone you can currently get in India.
Specifications: Dual Sim, 3G, 4G, 5G, VoLTE, Wi-Fi, NFC with Snapdragon 765G, Octa Core, 2.4 GHz Processor and a 4115 mAh Battery with Fast Charging. 6.44 inches, 1080 x 2400 px Display with Dual Punch Hole. And camera’s are 48 MP Quad Rear & 32 MP + 8 MP Dual Front Camera and working on Android v10.
Camera : Nord’s camera is not so extra-ordinary as well as its the most complicated part of it. They over hyped it saying it is exactly the OnePlus 8 camera which isn’t the case. They used Sony IMX 586 sensor which is a old sensor but pretty good. Nord has EIS and OIS in its camera. It will give you a pretty stable photos and videos.
Battery Life:
The OnePlus Nord is backed by a 4115 mAh with WarpCharge 30T fast charging (5V/6A). The device easily lasts a day on mixed usage which includes casual gaming. The device takes a little more than an hour to get fully charged. The WarpCharge 30T is a delight as you can get around 50% battery time by charging the battery for 30 minutes.
Conclusion
Some smartphone enthusiasts were not too happy with the prices of some of the recent launches from OnePlus. The Nord is a reminder that the company hasn’t abandoned the value-for-money segment just yet. While it may appear like a big deal for OnePlus to launch a new phone in the Rs 25,000-Rs 30,000 segment, there is no denying that there are phones like Samsung Galaxy A51, Realme X3 and Redmi K20 Pro, which are still strong contenders in this range.This is one of the best budget smartphone for filmmaking.
iPhone SE
If you have been looking for an upgrade form your older version of iPhone or any other device, for that matter, the iPhone SE (2020) is a fine choice amidst many others. Let’s take a look into a few features of the phone in detail to grasp a better understanding.
iPhone SE (2020) is equipped with Apple’s latest A13 bionic chip with a third-generation Neural Engine. It is water-resistant up to one meter for 30 minutes. It supports wireless charging and fast charging with an 18-watt plug. iPhone SE has some essential updates including support for dual-SIM. Storage options featured starts at 64GB and double to 128GB. It comes in three color variants- White, Product Red and Black.
Camara:
You will get a rear camara with 12 megapixel and a front camara with 7 megapixel. You will miss two rear camara as compared to 11 pro. But the advanced camara system with A13 Bionic will bring you HDR portrait mode which artfully blurs the background to put focus on your subject. Even the front camara will blurs the background and focus on your selfie one. You are getting 4K video with 1080p video recording on front camara. The underwhelming front camera aside, the iPhone SE is the complete package, and the overall experience is everything you’d expect from an Apple product. In most ways that we use our iPhone everyday, the iPhone SE is just as good as the iPhone 6s, provided you can live with a smaller screen – and that’s something that will ultimately boil down to personal preference.
Battery Life
It takes around 2 hours to completely charge it’s battery. It charges from 0–80 at a very fast rate but then the charging procedure slows. So if you are in a hurry you can get it half charged (50%) in less than half an hour.
Now coming to battery performance it lasts around 12–13 hours if you keep using it constantly for watching videos, calling etc. Gaming might drain the battery faster but otherwise it lasts this much. If you use it less frequently like just for chatting for an hour or two, a few hours of calling in total etc then it may last longer.
Conclusion
iPhone SE 2020 loaded with so many good features, to a point where your jaw might drop but at the end of the day you gave to decide if this is a screen size you want, or is this the battery you are ok with. Remember, iPhone will give you an average usage of 3–4 good years, the phone will definitely be feeded with recent updates too. So yeah!. This is one of the best budget smartphone for filmmaking.
Samsung Galaxy A51
Samsung Galaxy A51–The Amazing 16.40 cm (6.5′′) Infinity-O AMOLED display 2 enjoys immersive viewing experience. UI is simple at t9. 6 GB RAM + 128 GB Storage Reasons To Purchase Samsung Galaxy A51 –Save more, uninstall less by using Amazing 6 GB RAM+ 128 GB storage to easily handle every task and reduce overload. The new design is innovative and open and designed to help you concentrate on what really matters. One UI experience is clear for everyone and inclusive.
Camera
Did anybody say 48mp? Yes, sir, this phone has a whopping back camera of 48 megapixels that is pretty amazing to take pictures. Also the front-facing camera is quite high at 32mp. For all of you selfie takers, that is good news. Video recording with this phone can be done at 120fps in 1080p, and at 30fps in 2160p. Samsung phones were always known for having nice camera’s and it’s pretty clear they’re trying to raise the bar on the A51.
Battery life
4000 mAh Lithium-ion battery you need a phone that can last when you’re out doing what you do. It gives you the power to download, upload, and play on. And if you start running low, a plugin with 15W Fast Charging, and power up.
Conclusion
In Samsung A51, you’re getting a really great screen, decent build quality, some okay cameras, and even a headphone jack. It’s also offering three years of guaranteed software updates which guarantees support until at least Android 12. This is one of the best budget smartphone for filmmaking.
Xiaomi Mi A3
MI A3 have 6.1 inch super AMOLED HD+ display which is not bad but Xiaomi should have gone with the FHD+ Display. Viewing angles are good and colors are punchy. I’m not happy that Xiaomi is using HD+ display in this price and this should be considered as MI A3 lite.
Camera.
Xiaomi MI A3 have triple rear camera 48MP f/1.8 + 8MP(ULTRAWIDE)f/2.2 + 2MP (DEPTH SENSOR). The camera perform good but details level are soft but captures good pictures and also have night mode which is okay but details are not good. Portrait mode edge detection is good because of depth sensor. 32 MP Selfie camera clicks good pictures, detail level are good and produces natural skin but yes it sharpens the face. You can use gcam in MIA3 it clicks great photos than stock camera. Videos does support upto 4K 30fps from rear camera and 1080 at 30fps from rear camera. Videos looks quite good and stable and audio quality of video is fine.
Battery life
MI A3 comes with 4030 mah battery with USB TYPE C which is great because we have seen MI A1 and A2 had smaller battery. It support 18W fast charger but not included in the box. The charger is given in box is normal 10W charger if you want fast charger you have to buy. Battery performance is good in one charge it stays upto one and half days if you’re heavy user then it lasts upto 1 day.
Conclusion
Mi A3 is good phone if you want stock Android, bigger battery, good camera and compact handy phone. It’s not deal breaker but yes it’s good phone. 4gb+64gb base variant price starts at 12,999. This is one of the best budget smartphone for filmmaking.
Redmi Note 9 Pro
It’s a 6.67-inch Display screen, with a 2400 x 1080 FHD+ resolution, and Corning Gorilla 5 protective screen. It offers a 90Hz refresh rate, which is the highest among other competing models in the mid-range segment. The smartphone is powered by the Snapdragon 720G SoC, and comes in two variants: 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage, and 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage.
Camera
This phones camera is so perfect, Clarity is best. Have so many different options to click pictures.These phone have 48 MP back camera, And the option is to click picture of 48MP is perfect to click best picture.Look upper picture, that clicked in simple option.
Battery life
Phones battery are great! Never switch off my phone because of battery low.I used phone so much but battery still 60% to 70%.And the phones charger are so quick for charged, In 10 minute the battery is 0 to 13%. Battery is 5020 mAh which is great and can last upto 1.5–2 days if used moderately. This large battery has 33W fast charging support. In other words, it can make a full charge from 0 to 100 in approximately 1 hour with fast charging.
Conclusion
The smartphone does an amazing job in case of keeping your regular usage under check without affecting your using experience. It’s capable of handling moderate to high multitasking along with average HD gaming capability. Handling CPU-intensive tasks shouldn’t be an addressable issue as long as the task isn’t way too heavy for the CPU. The camera setup is also okay so far and the main camera does an excellent job in case of taking decent photos both in case of low lighting as well as sufficient lighting conditions. If you prefer a smartphone that offers the best bang for the buck, then Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro should be a good choice to go with. This is one of the best budget smartphone for filmmaking.
Huawei P40 Pro
P40 Pro looks and feels whimsical with a first-class design and curvilinear screen carrying an authentic touch of elegance! This quad-curve “Overflow Display” bends graciously around the boundaries of the case meaning you get an outstanding finish but likewise a device that’s unbelievably comfortable to grip. Whirl the P40 around, you’ll find a huge quad Leica-branded back camera. It comes in a sleek black color which means you get a prominent gleaming finish. This is one of the best budget smartphone for filmmaking.
Camera
The Huawei p40 pro camera result can merely be labeled as extraordinary. With four rear lenses and some ingenious software, you’ll get a classic shot of nearly anything you shoot. Huawei has crammed a giant 50-megapixel sensor in conjunction with a wide-angle and depth-sensing camera into its modern device and above there’s also a remarkable 12-megapixel telephoto camera which presents 5X optical and 50X digital zoom.
Battery life
Huawei P40 will innovatively apply graphene materials to the positive and negative electrodes and electrolytes of mobile phone batteries. This makes the battery capacity of Huawei P40 reach 5500mAh, but its volume is only 70% of that of lithium batteries. It will also use Huawei’s newly developed 50W flash charge, which only takes 45 minutes to fully charge this graphene-based battery.
Conclusion
The P40 Pro is an impressive tool with a few class-main hardware, however, we can not endorse it.
Without guide for Google apps and services, it’s almost unusable in the West, not to say unavailable for purchase within the US. If Huawei can deliver on its promises of a useful maps app and an actual Play Store alternative, the P40 Pro turns into a chunk more appealing. But for now, it’s in large part just a generation showcase. This is one of the best budget smartphone for filmmaking.
Sony Xperia 1 II
The Xperia 1 II is an exciting example of what smartphones are capable of as video cameras. In many ways, this phone takes inspiration from Sony’s Alpha line of mirrorless cameras. This smartphone is capable of shooting video at 4K resolution at either 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps. Plus it supports HDR, resulting in stunning colour contrast. Additionally, you can opt to shoot at 1080p at either 30, 60, and 120 fps. Sony’s current flagship smartphone, the Xperia 1 II, began shipping in mid-2020. It has a Qualcomm 865 5G chipset, providing speedy performance and fast connectivity where supported.
Camera
As far as the cameras are concerned, the Sony Xperia 1 II on the rear packs a 12-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.7 aperture and a pixel size of 1/1.7-micron; a 12-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture and a pixel size of 1/3.4-micron, and a 12-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a pixel size of 1/2.55-micron. The rear camera setup has phase detection autofocus. It sports an 8-megapixel camera on the front for selfies with an f/2.0 aperture and a pixel size of 1/4-micron.
Battery life
When they see that you don’t need power bank and your Sony Xperia battery last longer than iPhone.
Conclusion
Thankfully, almost everything else about this phone is excellent too, with a striking 21:9, 4K HDR screen, a clean UI and a snappy chipset ensuring plenty of power under the hood. There are a number of welcome improvements over the original there’s no wireless charging. If want the ultimate cinema experience, both from a content creation and consumption point of view, the Xperia 1 II is it. This is one of the best budget smartphone for filmmaking.
Vivo V19
Vivo stands for their best camera and picture quality and today we are talking about the Vivo V19 which is obviously the best quality products in today’s market. Because at this price range you can really buy a good product. In this Smartphone you will get 6.4 inch full HD E3 display which gives you the best video Experience rather than its competitors like Samsung and One Plus which is also an awesome products. If you talk about the Snapdragon 712 chipset in it, it is no doubt a good option. However, it is surely not something which you would want in a smartphone that costs you as much as 28k in India. In fact, the max cost of this smartphone should have been 15k, or Vivo V19 should have had something like MediaTek Helio P90 or Snapdragon 730 as its processor.
Camera
Vivo V19 comes with quadrilateral camera setup where it get 48 megapixel primary camera + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP, means you will definitely get the good picture quality and front camera is of 32 megapixel and it’s really feel you some worth buying and it has space a huge space, So you don’t need worry about it..Just take selfies as much you want !
Battery life
The smartphone houses 4500mAh long lasting battery. Thus, V19 can easily last around a day and a half if used rather sparingly. Even if runs out of charge, with the support of 33W fast charging you will have no trouble filling it up real fast. It flash charging fills the device to about 50 per cent in 30 minutes.
Conclusion
Vivo V19 sports a 6.44-inch AMOLED panel running at Full-HD+ LIV (E3) resolution its panel is quite crisp. The display being equipped with E3 means that it filters 42% more harmful blue light compared to other smartphones. Also, the display is TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light Content certified which filters out 42% harmful blue light and provides safe view to your eyes. This is one of the best budget smartphone for filmmaking.
Oppo F15
Oppo F15 has been one fine rollout by the brand that now completes over a month after its launch and its still going strong in the market. Oppo has rightly put its trust in MediaTek Helio P70 processor. There is no doubt that being the heart of the gadget, the processor must be in a way that can handle everything smoothly and makes the users feel great about it and so far, in my consideration, the device has fulfilled all the parameters it should have.
Camera
Next up is the camera of the smartphone which is again very powerful indeed. You get a 48MP quad rear camera with some amazing photo editing features and a 16MP front camera as well.
Battery life
F15 has a 4000 mAh battery that assures the users for a great backup. The importance of battery can never be neglected particularly, these days when people use hundreds of applications for various jobs from dawn to dusk. It has a solid and strong battery life and also supports 20W VOOC 3.0 flash charge which gives around 2 hours of talk time with 5 minutes of charge.
Conclusion
Oppo F15 is good for the users who want good camera and who play light games. But, those would play heavy games then, I would suggest to consider other smartphones with better processor. It is the thinnest and lightest smartphone under INR 20K. This is one of the best budget smartphone for filmmaking.
Smartphone for filmmaking FAQ
Here’s the list of 7 Mobile Phones with best filmmaking feature. Mostly short filmmakers and beginners in filmmaking can definitely take this option.
- Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
- Huawei Mate 40 Pro.
- iPhone 12 Pro Max.
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
- OnePlus 9 Pro.
- Google Pixel 5 & Google Pixel 4A.
- Apple iPhone SE.
Here’s the list of 5 Mobile Phones with 4K Video Recording feature.
- Samsung Galaxy F62
- Poco X3
- Samsung Galaxy F41
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 9
- iPhone SE (It’s equipped with a 12-megapixel iSight camera with 4K recording capabilities at 24 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps.)
Here’s the top 12 Apps available for short film Making on Mobile Devices
- Filmic Pro (Android and iOS)
- Cinema FV-5 (Android)
- LumaFusion (iOS)
- Power Director (Android)
- iMovie (iOS)
- Vlogit (iOS and Android)
- Kinemaster (iOS and Android) – Watermark will be there in your video. So optional.
- iMotion HD (iOS: Free, Upgrade Available)
- PicPlayPost (iOS: $1.99)
- Magisto Video Editor & Maker (Android: Free)
- iMovie (iOS: $4.99)
- Andromedia Video Editor (Android: Free)
Here’s the list of 5 Mobile Phones with DSLR quality Video Recording feature.
- OnePlus 8 Pro. (Beginners)
- Apple iPhone 12. (Premium Users)
- Huawei P40 Pro.
- LG Wing 5G.
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra.
- Realme 7 Pro.
- Vivo V20 Pro. (Regular and beginners)
Also read latest filmmaking tips & tools post from shortfundly
- The Magic of Animation: Exploring Diverse Animation Techniques
- 10 Success Tips For First-Time Short Filmmakers
- Behind the Scenes: Making of a Short Film
- How much does Amazon pay for independent films?
- TOP 30 short film sharing platforms
- Top 20 short film distribution platforms
- Top 9 Tips to Market Your Short Film On Instagram
- Top 5 Must-Follow YouTube Channels For Indie Filmmakers
- Best Budget Smartphone for Filmmaking 2021
- How to Promote Your Short Film
About Shortfundly
Shortfundly is an online technology and design-focused, data-driven OTT platform company that curates and shares the best short films and stories through our global multi-platform network. Our video and editorial platform enables a global audience to easily discover, watch, and share unique stories anywhere on their desktop and mobile devices.
Our vision is to continually grow the community of short film audiences to enable a wide and accessible market reach for short films and become the leading micro-cinema/short film platform.
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