Our list of phones under Rs 50,000 this month has two huge surprises. No surprise that the phones we have chosen are packed with proper high-end features like top of the line processing hardware with ample RAM and storage, great cameras and more. Enough small talk; time to meet the absolute best smartphones under Rs 50,000 in India at the moment.
Best phones to buy under Rs 50,000 in India
Samsung Galaxy S24 5G
If you like compact phones, there’s a pleasant surprise for you. Samsung’s previous flagship, Galaxy S24 can now be scored under 50K. It has a 6.2-inch Full HD+ Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display with a peak brightness of 2600 nits, HDR10+ compliance and 120 Hz refresh rate. Despite being compact, it is quite sturdy with an IP68 rated dust and water resistance, Armor Aluminium 2 frame and a glass back with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which also protects the screen.
The S24 is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 2400 chip, which is almost as powerful as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. You get 8 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage to go with it. A 4000 mAh battery keeps it powered for a little over a day of moderate use. It supports wireless charging too. The phone launched with Android 14 and Samsung’s One UI 6.1. The company has promised a whopping 7 years of software updates for this device.
Photography department on the Samsung Galaxy S24 consists of three cameras at the back comprising a 50MP primary camera with dual pixel PDAF and OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide camera with Super Steady video support and a 10MP telephoto camera with OIS for 3X optical zoom. You also get a 12MP front camera with PDAF for selfies and video calls. The camera performance is best in class, and can also record videos in up to 8K resolution.
Samsung Galaxy S24 5G price in India: Rs 49,990 for 8 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage
Realme GT 7 Pro
From last-gen flagship to current flagship, here’s an ever bigger surprise. One of the most powerful phones around, the Realme GT 7 Pro is powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC, and you can get its 12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage variant in this budget currently on Amazon India. It has a 6.78-inch QHD+ 10-bit LTPO AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate and up to 6500 nits of peak brightness. The HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compliant screen is protected against scratches by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 7i.
This rugged phone flaunts an IP69 rated ingress protection that allows you to do underwater photography as well. On the topic of photography, the camera department here consists of two 50MP cameras at the back (primary and telephoto with 3X optical zoom), both with OIS, and an 8MP ultra-wide shooter. The phone lets you record videos at up to 8K resolution. The 16MP front camera does a decent job with selfies and video calls.
A large 5800 mAh battery keeps the phone running for close to two days of moderate use, and the bundled 120W fast charger juices it up fully in under 40 minutes. The Realme GT 7 Pro runs the latest Android 15 out of the box with Realme UI 6.0, and the company has promised at least three major OS and four years of security updates going ahead.
Realme GT 7 Pro price in India: Rs 46,998 for 12 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage
OnePlus 13R
The OnePlus 13R remains a great option in this budget. It is powered by Qualcomm’s previous flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, and you can choose between its 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage or 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage variants in this budget. The storage has been upgraded to UFS 4.0 as opposed to UFS 3.1 on its predecessor. The phone runs the latest OxygenOS 15 based on Android 15, and OnePlus has promised four major OS updates for this phone over time.
The 13R has an impressive 6.78-inch LTPO4 AMOLED display with a resolution of 2780 x 1264 pixels and Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection. The HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compliant screen supports 10-bit colour depth, 120 Hz refresh rate and 4500 nits peak brightness. Battery capacity sees a jump to 6000 mAh while making the phone slimmer than the 12R; an impressive feat. It keeps the phone running for almost two day of moderate use. The bundled 100W charger juices it up fully in under an hour.
Camera department on the OnePlus 13R also sees a noticeable upgrade in the form of a 50MP telephoto camera in place of the long redundant 2MP macro shooter. Though modest, the 2X optical zoom is more than handy and helps in portrait photography too. Other than that, you get a quality 50MP primary camera with OIS that does a very good job in varied lighting. The 8MP ultrawide camera and the 16MP selfie camera have been retained.
OnePlus 13R price in India: Rs 42,998 for 12 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage; Rs 47,997 for 16 GB RAM/ 512 GB storage
iQOO 12 5G
The iQOO 12 5G is another loaded smartphone in this budget. This too is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, and you can now get its top variant with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB UFS 4.0 storage comfortably in this budget. This phone has a 10-bit 6.78-inch HDR10+ compliant LTPO AMOLED display with a resolution of 2800 x 1260 pixels and 144 Hz refresh rate. It can get up to 3000 nits bright.
Rear camera department on the iQOO 12 flaunts an impressive trio. You get a 50MP primary camera with OIS, accompanied by a 50MP ultra-wide camera with auto-focus that provides macro photography capabilities too. And last but not the least, you also have a 64MP periscope telephoto camera with OIS that gives you 3X optical zoom and doubles up as a quality portrait camera too. The 16MP front camera handles selfies and video calls well.
The iQOO 12 5G is fitted with a 5000 mAh battery that lasts for a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 120W fast charger can charge it fully in less than 30 minutes. The phone launched with Android 14 with FunTouch OS 14 and is upgradeable to Android 15, with the company promising a few more OS updates over the next three years at least.
iQOO 12 5G price in India: Rs 44,999 for 16 GB RAM/ 512 GB storage
>Google Pixel 9a
If you are looking for the cleanest Android experience in this budget, look no further than the Google Pixel 9a. The phone is powered by Google’s current flagship Tensor G4 chip that also powers the entire Pixel 9 series, including the top of the line Pixel 9 Pro XL. You get 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage to go with it. It sports a compact and sharp 6.3-inch Full HD+ P-OLED HDR display with 120 Hz refresh rate and 2700 nits peak brightness. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and the phone has IP68 rated ingress protection.
As I mentioned at the start, you get the purest version of Android 15 with the Material You design language, and Google has promised 7 major OS updates for this device, which is great. Pixel phones are also known for their quality cameras, and the Pixel 9a is no slouch. It captures some high quality shots courtesy of a 48MP primary camera with OIS and a 13MP ultra-wide camera with 120-degrees FOV. They do a great job in different lighting and modes. The 13MP front camera clicks some neat selfies too.
Google Pixel 9a price in India: Rs 49,999 for 8 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage
