The year 2020 is expected to pack a lot of high-end hardware and specifications when it comes to smartphones.
We have already had a glimpse of the things to come with smartphones like the Realme X50 Pro and the iQOO 3 offering flagship-level specifications in the mid-level category.
But apart from the uber spec-heavy smartphone experience, manufacturers are also looking to offer a lot of utility which you find mostly in flagships.
We picked out the top 5 phones that offer you the flagship experience within a budget. Let’s take a look.
iQOO 3 (8GB+128GB)
Rs 36,990
The iQOO 3 is the latest entrant in this list. iQOO operates under the umbrella of Vivo where the Chinese company borrows a lot of Vivo’s expertise on offer.
The iQOO 3 comes packed with the latest Snapdragon 865 processor with 8GB of RAM in the 4G variant. The phone also comes in a 12GB 5G variant, but that’s priced at Rs 45,000.
It comes with an impressive camera setup and packs a 4,400mAh battery that supports super-fast charging.
The company has also added gaming triggers on the phone for avid gamers. The cherry on the cake is the 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display that’s HDR 10+ compliant.
It doesn’t come with any water or dust resistance nor any expandable storage. For under Rs 40,000 this is a good option especially if you have been bitten by the gaming bug.
Realme X50 Pro (8GB+128GB)
Rs 39,999
It was a race at the beginning of 2020 to be the first smartphone in India to support 5G and when everyone was expecting iQOO to take the wraps off its phones, Realme sneakily launched the X50 Pro.
Starting at Rs 37,999 for the 6GB RAM variant it comes with a Snapdragon 865 processor inside. Despite having a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display it renders pixels at 90Hz which is lower than what its competition offers.
It also comes with a quad-camera setup at the back with support from a dual front camera for selfies.
A 4,200mAh battery is running the show here which supports fast-charging up to 65W.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite (4GB+128GB)
Rs 38,999
If you were getting a smartphone bundled with a stylus under Rs 40,000, would you consider it?
South Korean smartphone maker Samsung wanted to find the answer to that question for which it launched the Galaxy Note 10 Lite.
The Note 10 Lite brings with it most of the Note 10’s S-Pen functionalities, however, it doesn’t pack the same processing prowess as its flagship counterparts.
It is a 6.7-inch smartphone which means you get ample screen space. It’s not a powerhouse in terms of performance, but it isn’t underwhelming either.
Camera performance is decent. Plus the 4,500mAh battery pack gives you more than enough backup.
OnePlus 7T (8GB+256GB)
Rs 39,999
A company that advertised its phones as flagship killers has evolved and entered a more premium space in the Indian smartphone market. The OnePlus 7T boasts of an impressive feature set with a little extra oomph that you’d want on your phone.
The OnePlus 7T gets a 6.5-inch 90Hz display with 20:9 ratio, but it still supports 1920x1080 pixels resolution. The high refresh rate technology, borrowed from the 7 Pro is one of the main reasons for the bump in the price of the OnePlus 7T.
It runs on the Snapdragon 855+ and comes with 8GB of RAM.
The camera hasn’t received rave reviews, but it’s not a deal-breaker. It comes with a 3,800mAh battery that also supports fast charging.
ASUS ROG Phone 2 (8GB+128GB)
Rs 37,999
Smartphone gaming has taken off in India which is why a lot of mid-range phones are adding a lot of gaming-centric features. But what if someone is looking for a pro gaming experience in the mid-range? For them, there’s the ROG Phone 2.
It packs a Snapdragon 855 Plus processor which has a maximum clock speed of 2.96Ghz, which is a marginal increase from the 2.84Ghz of the Snapdragon 855 from earlier this year.
The mammoth 6,000mAh battery is enough to last you long gaming sessions. It does come with a dual-camera setup at the back, but I am sure you’d be busy gaming on this phone rather than click pictures.
If you’re into hardcore mobile gaming you should add the ROG Phone 2 to your shopping cart.
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