Best phones under Rs 40,000 (Feb 2023): Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G, iQOO 9 5G to Realme GT Neo 3

Our list of phones under Rs 40,000 has an interesting mix. Some of the phones present here were selling for a much higher price not too long ago. Needless to say they are a great buy under 40K. This is a substantial budget to expect phones with powerful processors, high quality cameras, excellent displays and more, and we have just that for you. So let’s take a look at some solid all-round phones you can buy within Rs 40,000 this month.

Best phones to buy under Rs 40,000 in India

Motorola Edge 30 Pro 5GLet’s start with the first of the two Moto phones. The Motorola Edge 30 Pro 5G seems to have received a major price cut lately and you can get it close to 35K at the moment. This phone is powered by Qualcomm’s previous flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, which is still extremely powerful, and comes with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage. Its 6.7-inch Full HD+ OLED screen flaunts a 144 Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ compliance and can display over a billion colours. You get Corning Gorilla Glass protection against scratches at the front and back.

The photography department on the Motorola Edge 30 Pro is impressive too, starting with a 50MP primary camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and another 50MP camera for ultra-wide photography; there’s a 2MP depth sensor too. The 60MP front camera is bound to impress the selfie enthusiasts. 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 35,499 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage

Motorola Edge 30 FusionWith the Edge 30 Pro selling for that price, we were in two minds if this second Moto phone deserved a place on this list. We chose to go with the Motorola Edge 30 Fusion purely for its sleek and stylish design. It is easily the best-looking phone in this list courtesy of its curved display and just 7.5 mm thickness. And it’s not just about looks, it has got some serious substance too.

You get a 10-bit 6.55-inch P-OLED display with 144 Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ compliance. There is Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection against scratches at the front and back. It is powered by a Snapdragon 888+ chip which is no pushover, and is accompanied by 8 GB RAM and 128 GB UFS 3.1 internal storage. This phone runs Android 12, and again, being a Motorola phone, you get a clean and near-stock user interface.

The camera spread on the Motorola Edge 30 Fusion is fairly varied. It is helmed by a 50MP primary camera with OIS. The 13MP ultra-wide camera with auto-focus is quite versatile and also doubles up as a quality macro camera. A 2MP depth sensor completes the pack at the back. The 32MP front camera will have the selfie crowd interested. Its 4400 mAh battery can go on for over a day of moderate use, and a 68W fast charger is bundled along.

Motorola Edge 30 Fusion price in India: Rs 39,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5GHere’s another pleasant surprise, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G in this budget. This phone too has a sleek design and also flaunts an IP68 rating for dust and fluid resistance. It has a 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 its 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage variant in this budget. The phone launched with Android 12, and an Android 13 update for this phone with Samsung’s One UI 5 released late last year.

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 its low light performance is noteworthy 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 39,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage

iQOO 9 5GJust like the Motorola Edge 30 Fusion, the iQOO 9 5G is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888+ chip, and you get its 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage variant 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. The phone runs Android 12 with FunTouch OS 12, and one can expect more software updates for this device in the future.

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 over a day of moderate use, and the bundled 120W fast charger claims to charge it fully in just 18 minutes.

iQOO 9 5G price in India: Rs 39,499 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage

Realme GT Neo 3With the OnePlus 10R not in stock at the moment, we choose its Realme twin this time, the GT Neo 3 with identical specifications. It is powered by Mediatek’s flagship grade Dimensity 8100 chip, which is comparable in performance to a Snapdragon 888. Its 256 GB internal storage variants with 8 GB RAM can be yours with a few bucks to spare. The phone launched with Android 12 with Realme UI 3.0, and the Android 13 update has started rolling out.

The Realme GT Neo 3 has a 6.7-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display that supports 10-bit colour depth, flaunts HDR10+ compliance and 120 Hz refresh rate. The camera department has a 50MP primary camera with OIS that captures some impressive shots in different modes. It is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide snapper and a 2MP macro camera. The 16MP front camera is decent enough for selfies and video calls. It has a 5000 mAh battery that keeps it powered for over a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 80W fast charger juices it up fully in a little over half an hour.

Realme GT Neo 3 price in India: Rs 38,999 for 8GB RAM/256GB storage