 "Best phones under Rs 100,000 (Oct-Nov 2024): Apple iPhone 16, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra to Google Pixel 8 Pro")
We already published our list of phones you should consider buying under Rs 75,000 this festive season. However, if you have a few more bucks to spare and push your budget closer to a lakh Rupees, there are a few more options you can get your hands on, including the latest iPhones. Given that the festive sales are closer to winding up, let’s not waste any more time and look at the best smartphone options available for purchase under Rs 100,000 right now.
Best phones to buy under Rs 100,000 in India
Apple iPhone 16/iPhone 16 Plus
If you wouldn’t settle for anything but the latest, you can treat yourself to an Apple iPhone 16. You can choose between the 256GB variants of either the Apple iPhone 16 or the iPhone 16 Plus. Both phones have the exact specifications barring the display size and battery capacity. The iPhone 16 has a bright 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a resolution of 2556x1179 pixels, 2000 nits peak brightness and HDR10 and Dolby Vision compliance.
The Plus has a larger 6.7-inch screen with a higher resolution of 2796x1290 pixels. Other display features remain the same. Both phones sport the Dynamic Island (Apple’s fancy notch) that was first introduced in the iPhone 14 Pro series. The iPhone 16 has a better hand fee due to its compact size and lower weight.
As for battery capacity, the iPhone 16 Plus has a significantly larger 4674mAh battery that lasts a lot longer than the 16’s 3561mAh unit. Both phones have IP68-rated ingress protection and support wireless charging. These devices are powered by Apple’s latest A18 SoC and have a USB-C charging port. The Apple iPhone 16 and 16 Plus run the latest iOS 18 with more OS updates to follow over the years.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe camera department hasn’t seen a major change. You get a 48MP main camera that offers dual-pixel PDAF and optical image stabilisation (OIS). The secondary 12MP ultra-wide camera and the 12MP front camera have been around for a few generations now. But more importantly, the performance in photography and videography is excellent, as one expects from an iPhone.
Apple iPhone 16 price in India:
Rs 89,900 for 256GB storage
Apple iPhone 16 Plus price in India:
Rs 99,900 for 256GB storage
Apple iPhone 15/iPhone 15 Plus
By now, we all know that buying a generation-old iPhone makes a lot more sense financially than buying the latest one. The specifications and features aren’t drastically different, and you often score a higher-capacity variant for a lot less money. Putting that logic to good use, you can now buy the Apple iPhone 15 with 512GB storage or the iPhone 15 Plus with 256GB storage in this budget with ample to spare.
The iPhone 15 has a bright 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a resolution of 2556x1179 pixels, 2000 nits peak brightness and HDR10 and Dolby Vision compliance; similar to the iPhone 16. It has the Dynamic Island too along with a USB-C port for charging. The phone feels great in hand due to its compact size and low weight, and has IP68-rated ingress protection.
The camera department is pretty much the same as the 16 series with a 48MP primary camera with dual-pixel PDAF and OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide camera and a 12MP selfie camera. The performance in photography and videography is right up there with the best. The Apple iPhone 15 launched with iOS 17 and is upgradeable to iOS 18 with many more OS updates to follow over the years.
If you prefer a bigger screen and a higher battery capacity, you should consider the Apple iPhone 15 Plus. As you know by now, it has similar specs as the non-Plus model barring the screen and battery. The Plus sports a larger 6.7-inch display with a resolution of 2796x1290 pixels and a 4383mAh battery as opposed to 3349mAh on the 15. Both phones support wired and wireless charging and are powered by Apple’s A16 Bionic chip, which is sufficiently powerful for most tasks.
Apple iPhone 15 price in India:
Rs 86,999 for 512GB storage
Apple iPhone 15 Plus price in India:
Rs 74,999 for 256GB storage
Google Pixel 8 Pro
The price of the Google Pixel 8 Pro has finally dropped well under a Lakh for its 256GB variant. This phone is powered by Google’s previous flagship Tensor G3 processor and you get 12GB RAM to go with it. It sports an excellent 6.7-inch LTPO OLED HDR10+ display with a resolution of 2992x1344 pixels, 120 Hz refresh rate and 2400 nits peak brightness. The screen as well as its glass back are protected against scratches by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
This phone too sports an IP68 rating to keep it safe from dust and water. As you expect from Pixel phones, you get the purest version of Android 14 with the Material You design language. Google promises an incredible 7 years of OS and security updates for this phone, with the Android 15 update just around the corner. Other than speedy OS updates, Pixel phones are known for their camera capabilities, and the Pixel 8 Pro is still among the very best camera phones in the world.
You get a 50MP primary camera with laser auto-focus and OIS and a 48MP ultra-wide camera with 126-degree FOV and dual-pixel PDAF that lets you capture some excellent macro shots in addition to its primary functionality. And there’s more; its 48MP telephoto camera with dual-pixel PDAF and OIS is one of the best in the business and provides you with 5X optical zoom. The cameras do a spectacular job across different lighting and modes.
Google Pixel 8 Pro price in India: Rs 91,999 for 12GB RAM/256GB storage
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 5G
While the Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24+ are readily available in this budget, we opted for the S23 Ultra 5G. It may be a generation old but is still a force to reckon with and is available for a great price on Amazon India. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 5G offers everything from raw performance to a varied and mighty impressive camera department, along with a vibrant display, elegant design, powerful processor and last but by no means the least, the iconic S Pen.
The photography department here boasts a 200MP primary camera with multi-directional PDAF, laser auto-focus and OIS. Giving it company is a pair of 10MP telephoto cameras with OIS, one with 3X optical zoom and the other with a periscope telephoto lens for 10X optical zoom; still among the best around. There’s also a 12MP ultra-wide camera with dual-pixel PDAF. The cameras do a stellar job across the board in photography and videography both.
The S23 Ultra has a large 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with HDR10+ compliance and 120 Hz refresh rate. It is powered by a custom Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip that has been overclocked and tuned specifically for this device. You get a generous 12GB RAM and 256GB internal storage. The phone debuted with OneUI 5.1 based on Android 13 and is upgradeable to Android 14 with OneUI 6.x. Samsung has promised several updates going ahead to keep this device relevant for long.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra price in India: Rs 73,999 for 12GB RAM/256GB storage
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