Best phones under Rs 50,000 (Dec 2022): Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G, Realme GT 2 Pro to iQOO 9 5G

Time to move on to former and certain current flagship phones from top brands. As usual the price of certain aspirational smartphones have dropped under 50K now. And we also have some newer handsets that can give the glorious oldies a run for their money. All things considered, here are your best options under Rs 50,000 this month. Best phones to buy under Rs 50,000 in India Apple iPhone 12 Mini Three generations old iPhone is still buyable if available at a good price. And the smallest of Apple’s iPhone 12 series phones is currently going well under Rs 50,000. In fact, one can get its 128 GB storage variant under 45K. The Apple iPhone 12 Mini is great for single-handed operation, and despite the smaller size, it does not skip any key feature of its larger sibling. It is powered by the A14 Bionic chip that powers the entire iPhone 12 series, and is still more than a handful when it comes to processing power.

The Apple iPhone 12 Mini is pretty much the iPhone 12 in a smaller body, and flaunts an IP68 rated ingress protection. Its display is even sharper than the 12 in terms of pixel density, thanks to its compact Full HD+ 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen. Two 12MP cameras (primary with OIS and an ultrawide shooter) at the back deliver impressive performance in different lighting, and can shoot some excellent videos too. It launched with iOS 14, and is easily upgradeable to the latest iOS 16. Apple iPhone 12 Mini price in India: Rs 42,999 for 128GB storage Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G This was a pleasant surprise to find the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G in this budget. This too has an IP68 rating for dust and fluid resistance. It has a larger 6.4-inch Full HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with HDR10+ compliance, 120 Hz refresh rate and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection. It is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 2100 chip which can be found in several high-end phones from the company. You can get the 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage variant easily under 45K. The phone runs Android 12 with Samsung’s One UI 4.

Photography department on the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G comprises three cameras at the back starting with a 12MP primary camera with OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide camera with 123 degrees FOV and an 8MP telephoto camera with OIS that provides 3X optical zoom. The camera performance is impressive with excellent detail and wide dynamic range, and that includes its low light performance too. A 4500 mAh battery keeps the phone running for close to a day and a half of moderate use and supports wireless charging as well. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G price in India: Rs 41,799 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage OnePlus 9 Pro OnePlus 9 Pro remains a great buy under 50K and is still head and shoulders above most OnePlus 10 series phones. This stylish phone sports a metal frame and glass body protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 at the front and back. It has a 6.7-inch LTPO Fluid AMOLED display that can get up to 1300 nits bright and display a billion colours. The HDR10+ compliant screen has a QHD resolution of 3216 x 1440 pixels and 120 Hz refresh rate.   The photography department offers a good spread, starting with a 48MP primary camera with OIS, a 50MP ultrawide shooter with auto-focus, 8MP telephoto camera with OIS for 3.3X optical zoom and a 2MP mono camera. Hasselblad’s colour tuning helps in keeping the colours more natural. The cameras manage to capture impressive shots in different lighting and modes. The 16MP front camera takes care of selfies and video calls.  

The 5G ready OnePlus 9 Pro is powered by Qualcomm’s previous generation flagship Snapdragon 888 chip, and you get the 8 GB RAM and 128 GB UFS 3.1 storage variant in this budget. Its 4500 mAh battery lasts well over a day of moderate use, and the bundled 65W charger can juice it up in just about half an hour. The phone also supports fast wireless charging and has IP68 rated ingress protection. Android 13 update with OxygenOS 13 is available for this phone. OnePlus 9 Pro price in India: Rs 49,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage Motorola Edge 30 Pro 5G The Motorola Edge 30 Pro 5G is another highly impressive phone that has just received a major price cut and the phone is currently selling for a Rupee under 40K. This phone is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip and comes with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage. Its 6.7-inch Full HD+ OLED display flaunts a 144 Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ compliance and can display over a billion colour shades too. You get Corning Gorilla Glass protection against scratches at the front and back.

The photography department on the Motorola Edge 30 Pro is impressive, starting with a 50MP primary camera with OIS and another 50MP camera for ultra-wide photography; a 2MP depth sensor is present too. The selfie enthusiasts are in for a treat courtesy of the 60MP front camera. Its 4800 mAh battery comfortably lasts close to a day and a half of moderate use and supports 68W fast charging as well as 15W fast wireless charging. This phone runs Android 12, and like most Motorola phones, you get a clean and near-stock user interface.   Motorola Edge 30 Pro 5G price in India: Rs 39,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage Realme GT 2 Pro The Realme GT 2 Pro offers features comparable to the more expensive OnePlus 10 Pro and sells for the price of the 9 Pro, which spells great value for money. Like the Edge 30 Pro, this too is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC and is accompanied by 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage. The design is quite soothing too, thanks to its paper-like biopolymer back.  

The rear camera department here too has two 50MP cameras – the primary with OIS and an ultra-wide camera that do an excellent job in different modes and lighting. A 3MP micro camera is quite unique though and provides 20X to 40X magnification. The 32MP front camera handles selfies and video calls quite well. The Realme GT 2 Pro launched with Android 12 with Realme UI 3.0, and an Android 13 update is now available. Another striking feature of this phone is its 6.7-inch QHD 10-bit LTPO 2.0 AMOLED display with an adaptive refresh rate ranging between 1 to 120 Hz and up to 1400 nits brightness. The HDR10+ compliant display is protected against scratches and cracks by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. The Realme GT 2 Pro has a 5000 mAh battery that keeps the phone running for a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 65W SuperDart charger juices it fully in just 37 minutes. Realme GT 2 Pro price in India: Rs 49,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage iQOO 9 5G The iQOO 9 5G is for those looking for a powerful phone with ample storage space. It is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888+ chip, and you get its top variant with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage comfortably in this budget. Its 6.56-inch HDR10+ compliant Full HD+ AMOLED display has 120 Hz refresh rate and can display a billion colour shades, like some of the phones above. The phone runs Android 12 with FunTouch OS 12.

The rear camera department here is quite loaded. You get a 48MP primary camera with Gimbal stabilisation, accompanied by a 13MP ultra-wide camera and a 13MP 50 mm professional portrait camera for great portrait shots. The 16MP front camera is more than handy for selfies and video calls. The iQOO 9 5G has a 4350 mAh battery that can last for a day of moderate use, and the bundled 120W fast charger claims to charge it fully in just 18 minutes flat.   iQOO 9 5G price in India: Rs 46,990 for 12GB RAM/256GB storage