Budget-ish phone with decent camera, battery life that isn't gigantic

[Roseweave]

Basically I'm looking to upgrade my Redmi Note 5 - it's done me well since I got it(albeit with the battery and screen replaced once or twice) but am looking to get something new if possible. One of the things that lets me down the most with it is the camera.

I was looking at the latest iterations of the Note, which would be the easiest to transfer over - I can get a decent price on the Note 10 Pro, but the sheer size of the phone is offputting. Ideally I'd like a phone that's no bigger than my current one. The regular Note 10(and 11) come close, but have had a harder time finding one and I'm not sure the lower models have as good cameras.

My ideal phone would probably have a 6" screen, weigh less than 190 grams and have a camera that can at least vaguely take pictures in lower light conditions, and a 5000mah battery. I have been looking at older phones for that reason - some of the Google Pixels could work, but the lack of MicroSD expansion puts me entirely off.

Is there anything else I should look at?

 

[B. Diddy]

What's your price range? The ASUS Zenfone 9 might be what you're looking for. It's that most uncommon of devices, a relatively compact phone with flagship specs, but it goes for about $700. No microSD slot either.

How about a Poco phone?

 

[Roseweave]

I'm looking at €200ish. Proco M4 Pro is a consideration.

Really the only "Premium" feature I need is a decent camera, but it doesn't seem like lower spec phones ever come with decent cameras.

 

[Roseweave]

The sort of quality the M4 Pro seems to have in low light conditions is definitely sufficient, though disappointing daytime ones are less vibrant and there's no dedicated night mode.

https://www.gsmarena.com/poco_m4_pro-review-2397p5.php#image43

DO the Pocos just universally just have better cameras than the regular Xaoimis?

 

[B. Diddy]

The Pixel "a" series would be great for you, except for the lack of SD card slot.

I have the Galaxy A32 5G, which is quite good given its budget price. But it's still a little above your price point, as well as pushing your size limit.

 

[B. Diddy]

How about the TCL 30 SE? <$200 in the US, decent camera per this review, 5000 mAh battery, SD card slot. https://www.techadvisor.com/article/792445/tcl-30-se-review.html

 

[J Dubbs]

The sort of quality the M4 Pro seems to have in low light conditions is definitely sufficient, though disappointing daytime ones are less vibrant and there's no dedicated night mode.

https://www.gsmarena.com/poco_m4_pro-review-2397p5.php#image43

DO the Pocos just universally just have better cameras than the regular Xaoimis?

I know you aren't really considering pixels, but you can pick up a 6a on sale for $299 US... That's $150 off retail, and they have a camera and battery life that punches WAY above their price class. The best budget phone hand's down, especially at the sale price. And the base model comes with 128gb of storage, and the best spam blocking phone app available. Plus it's a 6 inch screen phone, my wife loves the size.