These phones offer an impressive zoom range at an accessible price
Vivo’s V70 Elite offer impressive zoom capability with its AI-enhanced 10X zoom mode
With rising memory prices, finding a great camera smartphone has become a challenge. You may find a great camera smartphone, but it may cost too much. And if you need strong zoom, you will have to pay a premium. It's hard to find a device with great zoom cameras at a price that makes sense. Cameras with capable zoom hardware are useful not only for snapping birds or objects at a distance (often using digital zoom) but also for shooting close-ups in Portrait mode (using optical zoom). So, here is a short list of phones that offer good zoom capability under Rs. 70,000 in no particular order.
The Vivo V70 Elite offers capable zoom in a fairly compact IP69-rated design. The phone isn't as compact as Samsung's Galaxy S26, but it looks slim and isn't too heavy (194g), especially for its hardware. The phone has a large 6.59-inch AMOLED display, which is HDR10+ certified and so makes for great outdoor viewing when snapping photos. The highlight is its 50-megapixel OIS-stabilised 3X zoom telephoto camera. The phone also comes with a unique 10X zoom preset that uses AI to enhance digitally zoomed images with surprisingly good results.
The Vivo V70 Elite starts at Rs. 66,999 in India for the base model with 256GB of storage.
The Oppo Reno 16 is a stylish device that also delivers good image quality with capable rear cameras. The phone's design mixes metal and glass and is IP69-rated for dust and water resistance. It has a 6.32-inch AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 3600 nits, which works well outdoors. All cameras use 50-megapixel sensors, including the selfie camera. The telephoto camera also has a 50-megapixel sensor, which is optically stabilised and offers 3.5X optical zoom. The phone also has a colour spectrum sensor, which should ensure good camera colour accuracy in all lighting conditions.
The Oppo Reno 16 is priced at Rs. 66,999 in India for the base 256GB storage variant.
The Motorola Signature is easily the most capable and premium device on this list. The phone launched in India at an attractive price for the 256GB variant and offers premium features like a slim design. LTPO display and fast wireless charging. It's also one of the few phones on this list that offers a clean and stable software experience. Performance is also strong, thanks to a capable Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset. It has a 50-megapixel rear camera setup and a 50-megapixel selfie camera. The phone has a periscope telephoto camera with a capable 3X optical zoom.
The Motorola Signature starts at Rs. 59999 for the base 256GB storage variant.
The Vivo X200T is easily one of the most capable devices for its Rs. 59,999 asking price. Its premium glass-and-metal design offers an IP69 rating for dust and water resistance. The phone has a large 6.67-inch AMOLED display, which is great for viewing content using the camera. The phone runs Vivo's OriginOS 6, which also includes a host of AI features. Its camera also offers an interesting AI Four Seasons feature that can change the surroundings in your photograph to match a season. Like most of the other smartphones on this list, the Vivo X200T also has three 50-megapixel rear-facing cameras. This includes a capable 50-megapixel periscope telephoto shooter that is optically stabilised and offers 3X zoom.
The Motorola Signature starts at Rs. 59,999 for the base 256GB storage variant.
The Nothing Phone 4a Pro made the list because it is the only device at this price point to offer a telephoto camera. Beyond its capable telephoto camera, the phone has a unique metal unibody design, which is rare these days. A dot matrix Glance display sits on the back, embedded in the camera plateau to make notifications more interesting. The phone's 3.5X optical zoom periscope telephoto camera can also capture clean photos at 7X.
The Nothing Phone 4a Pro starts at Rs. 49,999 for the base 256GB storage variant.
No. Most phones can capture 4K video at 60 fps, with some even managing Dolby Vision and HDR10+ recordings.
The Motorola Signature is the thinnest (7mm) and lightest (186g) device in this list
No. None of the devices in this list offers a 200-megapixel camera.
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