Best phones under Rs 40,000 (Nov-Dec 2022): Motorola Edge 30 Fusion, OnePlus 10R to Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G

This is a segment of flagship killers. While you get certain flagship features in smartphones under 30K, you can expect far more when you increase the budget by a few thousand Rupees. Powerful processors, very good cameras, excellent displays, all of them together… ask and you shall receive. So let’s take a look at what our lineup of smartphones under Rs 40,000 looks like this month. Best phones to buy under Rs 40,000 in India Motorola Edge 30 Fusion I may have forgotten to add ‘stylish design’ to the intro, but Motorola hasn’t when it comes to the Edge 30 Fusion. It is easily the best-looking phone in this list courtesy of its curved display (around the edges) and just 7.5 mm thick aluminium frame. You get a 10-bit 6.55-inch P-OLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ compliance. There is Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection against scratches at the front and back. Despite its sleek exterior, it has ample muscle thanks to a flagship-grade Snapdragon 888+ chip which is accompanied by 8 GB RAM and 128 GB UFS 3.1 internal storage.

The camera spread on the Motorola Edge 30 Fusion may not seem elaborate but is quite effective. It is helmed by a 50MP primary camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS). The 13MP ultra-wide camera with auto-focus is quite versatile and also doubles up as a quality macro camera. A 2MP depth sensor completes the pack at the back. The 32MP front camera is bound to impress the selfie crowd. Its 4400 mAh battery can go on for over a day of moderate use and a 68W fast charger is bundled along. This phone runs Android 12, and like most Motorola phones, you get a clean and near-stock user interface. Motorola Edge 30 Fusion price in India: Rs 39,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage iQOO 9 SE 5G With enough going for it, the iQOO 9 SE 5G from the Vivo sub-brand retains its place in this list. It is powered by Qualcomm’s previous flagship Snapdragon 888 chip, which is still highly relevant and extremely powerful for any task you plan to perform on the phone. You can get the phone’s top variant with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage easily in this budget. It has a 6.62-inch HDR10+ compliant Full HD+ AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 1300 nits and 120 Hz refresh rate.

The rear camera department comprises a 48MP primary camera with OIS, along with a 13MP ultra-wide camera and a 2MP depth sensor. The 16MP front camera does a good job with selfies and video calls. The iQOO 9 SE 5G has a 4500 mAh battery that lasts over a day of moderate use, and the bundled 66W fast charger promises to charge it fully in under 40 minutes. The phone runs Android 12 with FunTouch OS 12. Expect more OS updates in the future. iQOO 9 SE 5G price in India: Rs 37,990 for 12GB RAM/256GB storage Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G has received a price cut and is comfortably available in this budget now with a few bucks to spare. It is another loaded smartphone you can get your hands on under Rs 40,000. This too is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC, and you can choose between its 8 GB RAM /128 GB storage variant or the one with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage. The 108MP camera at the back captures some impressive shots in different modes and lighting, and is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide snapper and a 5MP macro camera. A 16MP front camera handles selfies and video calls quite well.  

Its sharp display is one of its standout features. You get a 6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1000 nits. The 10-bit display is compliant with HDR10+ as well as Dolby Vision. The screen is protected against scratches by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. A 5000 mAh battery keeps it running for a day and a half of moderate use, and even better, the company bundles a 120W super-fast charger that claims to charge it fully in just 17 minutes! Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G launched with Android 11 with MIUI 12.5, and an Android 12 update with MIUI 13 is available for this device. Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G price in India: Rs 34,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage; Rs 38,999 for 12GB RAM/256GB storage Realme GT Neo 3/ OnePlus 10R We have two phones from different brands with the exact hardware and design. We are talking about the Realme GT Neo 3 and the OnePlus 10R. They are powered by Mediatek’s flagship Dimensity 8100 chip, which is comparable in performance to a Snapdragon 888. The 256 GB internal storage variants of both phones are available in this budget, but the 10R offers 12 GB RAM as opposed to 8 GB on the Neo 3. You get a 6.7-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display that supports 10-bit colour depth, flaunts HDR10+ compliance and 120 Hz refresh rate.

The camera department has a 50MP primary camera with OIS that captures some impressive shots in different modes. It is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide snapper and a 2MP macro camera. The 16MP front camera is decent enough for selfies and video calls. Both phones have 5000 mAh batteries that keep them going for over a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 80W fast chargers juice them up fully in a little over half an hour. The Realme GT Neo 3 and the OnePlus 10R run Android 12 with Realme UI 3.0 and Oxygen OS 12 respectively. Well, that’s not too different either now, is it?

Realme GT Neo 3 price in India: Rs 38,999 for 8GB RAM/256GB storage OnePlus 10R price in India: Rs 38,999 for 12GB RAM/256GB storage Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G has been around for a while but remains a good option in this budget. You get a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED HDR10+ compliant display with a 120 Hz refresh rate. It also has an IP68 rating for dust and fluid resistance. It is powered by Qualcomm’s older flagship chip, Snapdragon 865. You get 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage that can be expanded further with a microSD card; an extremely rare feature in premium phones these days. The phone now runs Android 12 with Samsung’s One UI 4.0.  

The photography department has a combination of a 12MP primary camera with dual-pixel PDAF and OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide camera and an 8MP telephoto camera with OIS for up to 3X optical zoom. The camera quality is excellent across different modes and lighting. There’s also a 32MP front camera to cater to selfie enthusiasts. Its 4500 mAh battery lasts for well over a day of moderate use. It supports regular fast charging as well as fast wireless charging. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE price in India: Rs 32,990 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage