iPhone X, OnePlus 6 and more: Best smartphones for every budget
The smartphone industry has been going through an interesting churn of late. With the bezel-less trend catching up and silicon technology improving, phones have not only grown more powerful, but also become sleeker and better to look at. Camera technology too has found its fair share of love and as such has witnessed some marked improvements.
With many of these technologies now being found in devices across different budget segments, the competition has only intensified. Here's taking a look at the best that each segment has to offer.
Best premium flagship
So, this is a tough one. There are a number of truly premium devices available in the market in the form of the Huawei P20 Pro, the Galaxy Note 8 and the Pixel 2XL. However, one phone that despite all the reservations and criticism, has shown through has arguably established itself as the winner in this segment is the iPhone X.
A special device created to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the launch of the first iPhone, the iPhone X is a device that is premium to the T.
The futuristic iPhone comes with a drastic redesign which sees it sporting a 5.8-inch edge-to-edge OLED curved display dominating the front that goes on to melt into the device's metal frame which then meets a reinforced sheet of glass at the back of the phone.
The phone runs the same SoC found on the iPhone 8 lineup — the A11 Bionic — paired with 3GB of RAM. The A11 Bionic module comes with a dual-core Neural engine which will be used exclusively by the phone's Face ID hardware. The iPhone X's main camera module at the back brings with it two 12-megapixel lenses — same as in the iPhone 8 Plus — with f/1.8 and f/2.4 apertures.
The hardware is impressive, it looks great, and brings with it some really cool features that are sure to turn your head. However, all this comes at a steep price. The phone is currently retailing at Rs 92,430 for the 64GB variant and Rs 1,05,720 for the 256GB one.
But, lest we forget, this is Apple after all, and if you're someone who is smitten by the charm of the new bezel-less iPhone X, then don't balk at the price, and buy away.
Best flagship-killer (Sub-Rs 40k)
One of the most competitive segments of the market, the sub-40k bracket has seen a number of interesting devices being launched in the past few months. However, the best among them has to be the Rs 34,999 6GB/64GB RAM and storage variant of the OnePlus 6.
In terms of design, it is a stark departure from the previous generation OnePlus phones, and comes with a new design scheme that brings with it an iPhone-style notch at the top with minimal bezel at the bottom making it looks very different from the OnePlus phones of the past.
At the front there's a 6.28-inch FHD+ AMOLED panel — offering 90 per cent screen-to-body-ratio making it the biggest screen on a OnePlus phone. Another big change is that unlike the metal unibody frames of the previous phones, the OnePlus 6 sports an all-glass design, affording it the looks and curves of an ultra-premium device such as the iPhone X.
Unsurprisingly, the OnePlus 6 is packed with the fastest hardware that 2018 has to offer. Powered by 2.7GHz Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor paired with 6/8GB of RAM, the SoC built using four Kryo 385 Gold cores helps the phone achieve for 10-20 per cent bump in performance and up to 30 per cent boost in efficiency over the OnePlus 5T.
There is OIS supported 16 Megapixel+20 Megapixel dual camera setup at the back, while at the front the phone brings with it a 16-Megapixel camera.
Best mid-range smartphone (Sub-Rs 20k)
Being the most hotly contested segment in the market, the choice here isn't an easy one. Despite Asus Zenfone Max Pro, Moto G6 and Nokia's 6.1 in the fray it is the Redmi Note 5 Pro that emerges as the winner here. And for good reason.
The Redmi Note 5 Pro boasts of a new 5.99-inch display that is tall and bezel-less. In terms of the specs, the Redmi Note 5 Pro's display is FHD+ panel with a 2160x1080p resolution and 403ppi pixel density. The Note 5 Pro comes with a powerful Snapdragon 636 which makes it by far the most powerful and energy-efficient phone from the Redmi Note line-up. Paired with the SoC is up to 6GB of RAM and a maximum of 64GB internal storage which can be expanded by up to 128GB via a hybrid micro-SD card slot.
Coming to the cameras, the Redmi Note 5 Pro offers a 12-megapixel primary sensor with f/2.2 aperture paired with a 5-megapixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture at the back. The camera module supports electronic image stabilisation, phase detection autofocus. Xiaomi also claims that this depth-sensing dual camera set-up also makes use of machine learning for greatly improving picture quality.
On the front, Xiaomi has equipped the device with a 20-megapixel selfie camera with a Sony IMX376 sensor, LED selfie light and Beautify 4.0 tuned for the Indian market.
Best smartphone under Rs 10,000
Our recommendation here would be the Oppo Realme 1. The phone is available in multiple variants, with the 3GB+64GB one available for as low as Rs 8,990. An Amazon exclusive, the Realme 1 is made up of plastic at the back with a Black Diamond pattern which gives the phone a glossy glass-like look.
Because of the use of plastic, the phone also feels light in the hand. Overall the design targets a premium feel and build.
The display on the device is a 5.99-inch FHD+ panel with an 18:9 aspect ratio. Apart from this, the other specs include the powerful octa-core Helio P60 chipset, which is also available on the more expensive Oppo F7. The cameras on the phone include 13-Megapixel rear sensor at the back and an 8-megapixel sensor at the front.
Best ultra-affordable phone
So, this is a new segment that has opened up in the market after the entry of the JioPhone. However, because the Reliance-made phone runs Firefox's KaiOS, it loses out to Airtel-Karbonn's A40 Indian. The A40 Indian comes with a 1.3 Ghz processor with 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage, which is expandable by up to 32GB via micro-SD card.
It runs on Android OS and comes with the promise of running games, movies and more on the go — just like any Android-based smartphone can. At an effective price of Rs 1,399, A40 Indian is a great entry-level 4G smartphone.