Smartphones these days have largely replaced digital cameras, offering a powerful primary camera and multiple secondary lenses for added versatility. While most mid-range smartphones feature an ultrawide lens and either a portrait or macro shooter, they often miss out on one crucial component—a telephoto lens. This type of lens isn’t just for zoom; it delivers noticeably higher clarity when capturing distant subjects, better detail in close-up shots, and a pleasing depth-of-field effect that makes portrait photos stand out. If this kind of camera versatility is what you’re after, then this list is right up your alley.
We’ve reviewed thousands of smartphones over the past year, and based on that hands-on exposure, we’ve shortlisted the best options under ₹30,000 that include a telephoto lens. We chose this price point because it offers the perfect middle ground, where premium camera features become more accessible. While ultrawide and macro lenses are now common, a telephoto lens remains rare in this segment—and makes a real difference in zoom quality, portrait depth, and overall image clarity. To help you see the difference for yourself, we’ve also included real-world camera samples from each phone.
CMF Phone 2 Pro
The CMF Phone 2 Pro was launched as the successor to the CMF Phone 1 with a design refresh and an evolved camera system. It’s one of the very few smartphones under Rs 20,000 to offer a 50-megapixel telephoto camera with f/1.85, 2x optical zoom (EIS).
The CMF Phone 2 Pro telephoto lens offers great quality shots on par with the primary camera. The images are detailed with excellent HDR management and image clarity. We were also impressed by the colour science, which is close to the primary camera as well. If you are looking for an affordable smartphone with a stellar telephoto lens, then you can pick the CMF Phone 2 Pro for a starting price of Rs 18,999.
Nothing Phone (3a)
The Nothing Phone (3a) is the latest mid-range offering from the Carl Pei-led brand. It retains the brand’s signature transparent design language with the Glyph interface. However, that’s not the only highlight of its back panel, as it features a triple-camera system with a powerful 50-megapixel Samsung telephoto camera.
The telephoto camera does an excellent job of capturing distant objects. The sensor offers 4x in-sensor or optical zoom, retaining the exact colour science as the primary camera. This is commendable for a device that costs Rs 24,999 for the base variant. It can be purchased from Flipkart.
Realme 14 Pro+
The Realme 14 Pro+ is the latest top-of-the-line offering from the brand in its number series. It features a 50MP telephoto camera with AI Ultra Clarity technology. The latter is designed to enhance the quality of images shot using the telephoto camera by using on-device AI models to improve clarity and preserve details.
This is another affordable smartphone with a telephoto camera that’s on par with the primary sensor in terms of colour science. Moreover, during the review period, we used the telephoto sensor more often than the other two cameras due to the fantastic results. The Realme 14 Pro+ can be purchased on Flipkart, Realme.com, and partner stores starting at Rs 29,999.
Lava Agni 3 5G
The Lava Agni 3 5G became one of the best-selling devices in India thanks to its telephoto lens under Rs 25,000, an Action Key inspired by the iPhone, a back-cover display, segment-first MediaTek Dimensity 7300X Processor, and more. With the Agni 3 5G, Lava seems to have cherry-picked some of the best innovative hits in the smartphone industry for this phone.
The phone takes great shots with both the primary and telephoto lenses. The latter misses out slightly on details because of the lower-resolution sensor (8MP), but overall, the quality of the pictures is good. The device is ideal for those who take a lot of zoom shots, portraits, and close-ups. It can be purchased for Rs 20,999 from Amazon.
Motorola Edge 60 Pro
The Motorola Edge 60 Pro is a smartphone from the brand that embraces the AI bandwagon with features like Next Move, Playlist Studio, Image Studio, Smart Connect, and more. It also comes with a powerful triple camera system at the back, featuring a 10-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x Optical Zoom and f/2.0 aperture.
Motorola has improved the entire camera system on the Edge 60 Pro and further refined the experience through features such as software tuning and AI algorithms. The smartphone’s base variant is selling for Rs 29,999 in India and can be purchased from Flipkart.
If you’re working with a different budget, stay tuned—we’ll be rolling out more such curated lists across various price segments soon.
