When did you first get your own smartphone? Most of you would probably say it was after you completed the SEE (or SLC) exams. In that regard, this year’s SEE is also over, and many students who have crossed this milestone might be now on the lookout for a new smartphone. Having a decent smartphone is essential these days as it can greatly aid in the learning process. That’s why in this article, we have compiled a list of the best smartphones for SEE students in 2023.
To make it easier for you, we have categorized the phones based on their price range. The list starts with phones priced under Rs. 20,000 and goes all the way up to Rs. 50,000, giving you a variety of options to choose from.
Best Smartphones For SEE Passed Students (Summary)
Best Under Rs. 20,000
| Smartphone Model | Price in Nepal |
| Redmi 12C | Rs. 14,499 (4/64GB) |
| Poco M5 | Rs. 20,499 (4/64GB) |
Best Under Rs. 30,000
| Smartphone Model | Price in Nepal |
| Redmi Note 12 | Rs. 24,999 (6/128GB) |
| Realme 10 | Rs. 29,999 (8/128GB) |
| Samsung Galaxy A14 5G | Rs. 29,999 (8/128GB) |
Best Under Rs. 40,000
| Smartphone Model | Price in Nepal |
| Redmi Note 12 Pro | Rs. 38,999 (6/128GB) |
| Vivo V25e | Rs. 39,999 (8/128GB) |
Best Under Rs. 50,000
| Smartphone Model | Price in Nepal |
| Realme 10 Pro+ | Rs. 45,999 (8/128GB) |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 | Rs. 45,999 (8/128GB) |
#1. Best Under Rs. 20,000
If you’re in search of a decent starter phone for yourself or for younger ones who have recently taken their SEE exams, then the Rs. 20,000 price range might be the perfect segment to consider. With the increasing competition in the smartphone industry, you can get great smartphones in this price range. Here, we have curated a list of what we believe are the best phones under Rs. 20,000 for SEE students in Nepal.
1. Redmi 12C
Kicking off our list is the Redmi 12C. What makes this smartphone impressive for its price is its powerful MediaTek Helio G85, paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. With all this, you can expect a pretty decent gaming experience. Young one’s can easily enjoy popular titles like PUBG: Mobile and Call of Duty in medium settings with ease.
Apart from its gaming capabilities, the Redmi 12C also boasts an attractive design. It comes in a bunch of eye-catching color options—purple, green, blue, and black. And Xiaomi has also added fancy stripes on the back, giving it a unique look of its own. Additionally, the phone has an IP52 dust and splash resistance, ensuring you don’t have to worry if it gets slightly wet.
As for the display, the phone has a big 6.71-inch LCD panel with HD+ resolution. It is powered by a big enough 5000mAh battery, so you can expect an all-day battery life in light to medium usage.
2. Poco M5
Like most Poco smartphones, the M5 is geared toward power users. Under the hood, this smartphone packs a MediaTek Helio G99 chip which not only offers a reliable gaming experience; but is also energy-efficient as it’s manufactured on a 6nm process. The display also supports a 90Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate, ensuring swift touch responses for your gaming moves.
Now, this is a 6.58-inch Full HD+ IPS panel covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for protection against accidental damage. Poco has also made efforts to make the phone feel and look premium. Unlike most smartphones with a plain back finish, the M5 has a leather-like texture on the back, giving the phone a unique and tactile feel. You can choose it in three different colors – yellow, green, and black – depending on your preference.
Moving on, the Poco M5 features a triple camera setup at the back, with a 50MP primary lens as its centerpiece. Accompanying it are two 2MP sensors for portrait and macro shots. For selfies, there’s a 5MP lens nestled in a teardrop notch. The device is powered by a 5000mAh battery with 18W charging support, though the company ships a 22.5W charger in the box.
#2. Under Rs. 30,000
The phones in this price range offer great value for money. And especially for SEE-passed students, smartphones under Rs. 30,000 are the safest bet for most parents.
1. Redmi Note 12 4G
For our first phone under Rs. 30,000, we have the Redmi Note 12. It’s the latest smartphone in the Redmi Note series in Nepal and Xiaomi has priced it quite aggressively too. And for the price, the phone has some impressive features that make it an excellent value for money.
First things first, the Redmi Note 12 comes with a 6.67” FHD+ AMOLED panel which supports 120Hz refresh rate, and 180Hz touch sampling rate. It can get plenty bright too at 1200 nits of peak brightness, making it easy to use in bright sunlight.
Powering the phone is a Snapdragon 685, which is not specifically a chipset for gaming, but it can handle your everyday chores without any hiccups. Xiaomi has paired it with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. We suggest going with the 6GB RAM option as apps these days have become memory-hungry, so the base 4GB variant may be insufficient. On the other hand, 8GB may be more than necessary.
The phone also comes with the latest MIUI 14 based on Android 13, and Xiaomi promises to offer 2 years of OS and 4 years of security updates. The Redmi Note 12 also has a decent camera setup on the back, featuring a primary 50MP sensor with the Samsung ISOCELL JN1 sensor, an 8MP ultrawide lens, and a 2MP macro sensor. For selfies, there’s a 13MP lens.
2. Realme 10
If you’re looking for a reliable phone that can handle both your everyday and gaming needs in this price bracket, then the Realme 10 is your safest bet. Like the Redmi Note 12 4G, it comes with an AMOLED panel. But the Realme 10 has an advantage in terms of performance with its MediaTek Helio G99 chipset. The SoC can deliver up to 40 fps on PUBG Mobile and smooth 60 fps gameplay on Call of Duty Mobile. But the thing to keep in mind is it has a 90Hz refresh rate only.
Realme 10’s design is equally impressive too. With a boxy-form factor and a gradient finish on the back, it is sure to turn some eyes. Its back has two camera rings that house a 50MP primary lens and a 2MP depth lens.
However, instead of the 2MP camera, Realme could have included an ultrawide sensor. But it is what it is. The phone gets its juice from a 5000mAh battery that supports 33W charging.
3. Samsung Galaxy A14 5G
Samsung’s first entry in this list of the best smartphones for SEE students is the Galaxy A14 5G. Samsung’s design choice for its 2023 smartphones has been pretty consistent so far, and this device shares the same aesthetic. That is, it’s got a boxy design with flat frames and camera rings protruding from the back. So, if you’re looking for an attractive budget phone, this is one of the best options available.
The Galaxy A14 5G is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 1330 (5nm) chip, which has an octa-core CPU with 2x Cortex-A78 (@2.4 GHz) and 6x Cortex-A55 (@2.0 GHz) cores. Although this is a powerful core architecture, the Exynos 1330 hasn’t been well-optimized yet. Samsung is expected to gradually improve its performance with future updates.
In fact, the phone is promised to get 2 major OS and 4 years of security updates. Its camera is fairly good too—with 50MP primary, 2MP depth, and 2MP macro lens. Like the Realme 10, this one doesn’t have an ultrawide lens.
But the major downside of Galaxy A14 5G is in terms of display. While Redmi and Realme are easily offering an AMOLED panel, Samsung has gone with a 6.6″ FHD LCD panel here. And there’s no 120Hz refresh rate either. However, this is a 5G-enabled phone, the only one in this price bracket. So if you require a bit of future-proofing and don’t want to miss the taste of 5G when it arrives in Nepal, the A14 5G is still a good option.
#3. Under Rs. 40,000
This range offers further refined smartphones with fewer compromises. So, from a use case standpoint, smartphones under Rs. 40,000 will serve best for the SEE students.
1. Redmi Note 12 Pro
The Redmi Note 12 Pro is launched alongside the Note 12 in Nepal. And Xiaomi has priced it competitively here compared to the international market. So it shouldn’t be surprising to say that it ranks on the No.1 spot on our list of best smartphones under Rs. 40,000 in Nepal.
Anyways, for a mid-range smartphone, the Note 12 Pro brings a glass-sandwich build. The front screen is even protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5, and Xiaomi hasn’t missed IP53 dust/water resistance either. Even its screen is quite impressive. Not only because it’s an AMOLED panel but it also has a 10-bit color depth and Dolby Vision support. That means you can also enjoy Dolby Vision content on streaming platforms like Netflix.
Xiaomi has also ensured the phone performs well in your day-to-day tasks as well as gaming. Here, you are getting a MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chip, with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. As for the cameras, it has three of them at back—a 50MP primary lens with OIS, an 8MP ultrawide, and a 2MP macro. You get a 16MP camera for selfies and video calls.
2. Vivo V25e
Moving on we have the Vivo V25e. The phone recently received a price cut in Nepal and is now available for under Rs. 40,000. Similar to many other Vivo smartphones, the V25e’s main selling point is its design.
The phone features a one-of-a-kind color-changing back that changes color when exposed to UV lights or the sun. But this feature is only available in the Sunrise Gold option. Additionally, it’s available in a Diamond Black color.
On the back of the phone, you’ll also find a triple camera setup consisting of a 64MP primary camera, and a couple of 2MP sensors for bokeh and macro shots. While for selfies, the phone relies on a 32MP camera. Now, things are a bit debatable when it comes to performance.
It’s because, although the V25e costs Rs. 40,000, it ships with a MediaTek Helio G99, which is the same as the Realme 10 and Poco M5 which are significantly cheaper. While the Helio G99 is good for your everyday tasks, it doesn’t perform as well as the Dimensity 1080 in the Redmi Note 12 Pro. So if the design is your top priority, then you can consider the Vivo V25e.
#4. Under Rs. 50,000
For around 50,000, you can get a premium midrange phone with cameras and performance on par with flagships from a year or two ago. While they won’t be as good as the current flagships, these phones leave little room for complaint.
1. Realme 10 Pro+
Last year’s Realme 9 Pro+ was among the most balanced premium mid-range smartphone. This year, Realme has taken things up a notch with the Realme 10 Pro+. The smartphone builds on the strengths of its predecessor, boasting improved design, performance, and display capabilities.
Here, this is the first Realme smartphone to feature a stunning OLED curved screen with a thin bezel of only 2.33mm. The display measures 6.7 inches and boasts a refresh rate of 120Hz, providing a smooth and seamless viewing experience. Realme has also incorporated support for 2160Hz PWM Dimming that reduces screen flickering and offers a more comfortable viewing experience at night. Additionally, the panel has support for 10-bit color depth and HDR 10+.
Likewise, the phone’s design is equally impressive too. Realme says it has taken inspiration from a hyperspace tunnel to craft this look. Although it’s not a glass back, the rear has a three-dimensional effect that gives it a really attractive look. It’s also home to a triple camera setup consisting of a 108MP main, 8MP ultrawide, and a 2MP macro lens. All of this is packed into a slim profile of just 7.78mm and weighs only 173 grams.
Under the hood, the Realme 10 Pro+ is powered by a Dimensity 1080 chip that ensures impressive performance. And fueling the device is a 5000mAh battery that supports 67W charging.
2. Samsung Galaxy A34
Finally, tying off the list of the best smartphones for SEE students is Samsung’s latest launch in the Nepali market, the Galaxy A34. Samsung has taken a universal design approach with its smartphones this year. So, the Galaxy A34 looks similar to the A14 5G listed above. But it still has a premium look and comes in exciting color options, such as Lime, Graphite, Violet, and Silver.
What sets the Galaxy A34 apart from other phones in its price range is its IP67 dust and water resistance rating. It’s the only phone on this list that has this feature, so you can take it out in the rain without worrying about it getting damaged.
In terms of display, the phone has a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED panel with a refresh rate of 120Hz. As expected from a Samsung-made panel, you get excellent color, contrast, and sharpness. All of this is powered by a Dimensity 1080 silicon paired with 8GB of RAM, and it runs on the latest Android 13 OS.
Samsung is also offering the best-in-class software updates for the A34. it’s set to receive four major Android upgrades and five years of security patches, ensuring that the phone is good for up to Android 17. The A34 is also a reliable smartphone for regular photography. And its battery life is quite good too, averaging at about 6 hours of screen-on-time in our usage.
So, there you have it guys. This is our list of the best smartphone for SEE appeared students. You can consider one of the options above according to your budget and requirement. And Gadgetbyte team wishes you the best of luck with your results!
