Best phones under Rs 50,000 (Feb-March 2023): OnePlus 11R 5G, Xiaomi 12 Pro 5G to Realme GT 2 Pro

From the latest to a couple of generations-old legends, we have it all in our list of phones under Rs 50,000 this month. On top of that, the price of certain more premium smartphones has dropped under 50K now, and offer even better value for money. So if you have Rs 50,000 to spare on a new smartphone, here are your best options at the moment.

Best phones to buy under Rs 50,000 in India

OnePlus 11R 5GAfter a lacklustre 2022, OnePlus finally has something promising right at the start of 2023. While the more expensive OnePlus 11 5G is loaded with all the bells and whistles, the more affordable 11R 5G is no pushover, and borrows a lot of goodness from the company’s new flagship device. This stylish phone looks just like the 11 5G from the front and back barring the placement of the front camera.

The OnePlus 11R has a curved display too, measuring 6.74-inch with an unusual (but higher than Full HD) resolution of 2772 x 1240 pixels. You get a standard Fluid AMOLED display here instead of the more premium LTPO3 variant on the 11. This HDR10+ compliant screen supports 10-bit colour, 120 Hz refresh rate and can get up to 1450 nits bright. This phone is powered by Qualcomm’s previous generation flagship Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, and you get a whopping 16 GB RAM and 256 GB UFS 3.1 storage.

The photography department is helmed by a 50MP primary camera with OIS, but without Hasselblad’s colour tuning. The supporting cast is a bit modest with an 8MP ultrawide camera and a 2MP macro camera. There’s a 16MP selfie camera too. Its 5000 mAh battery can last for a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 100W charger promises to juice it up in just 25 minutes. The phone runs OxygenOS 13 based on Android 13 and one can expect several OS and security updates going forward.

OnePlus 11R 5G price in India: Rs 44,999 for 16GB RAM/256GB storage

Xiaomi 12 Pro 5GWe were pleasantly surprised to find the Xiaomi 12 Pro 5G in this budget. Probably an effect of its successor arriving shortly, but no complaints. The phone is packed with great features starting with its 6.73-inch LTPO 2.0 10-bit AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a QHD resolution of 3200 x 1440 pixels. The screen is compliant with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision and can get up to 1500 nits bright. It is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC, and you can now get its 8 GB RAM and 256 GB UFS 3.1 storage variant under 50K.

The rear camera department has three 50MP cameras with the primary module offering OIS, the ultrawide providing you with 115 degrees FOV and a telephoto camera for 2X optical zoom. The 32MP front camera handles selfies and video calls quite well. The Xiaomi 12 Pro 5G also boasts of features like a quad-speaker system tuned by Harman Kardon and superfast charging. Its 4600 mAh battery lasts over a day of moderate use, and the bundled 120W charger claims to take it from 0 to 100% in just 18 minutes. The phone also supports 50W fast wireless charging. The phone runs Android 12 with MIUI 13.

Xiaomi 12 Pro 5G price in India: Rs 46,490 for 8GB RAM/256GB storage

Realme GT 2 ProThe Realme GT 2 Pro comfortably retains its place in this lineup courtesy of some great features and performance. This phone too is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC and is accompanied by 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage. The design is quite soothing too, thanks to its paper-like biopolymer back. Another striking feature of this phone is its 6.7-inch QHD 10-bit LTPO 2.0 AMOLED display with an adaptive refresh rate ranging between 1 to 120 Hz and 1400 nits peak brightness. The HDR10+ compliant display is protected against scratches by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus.

The rear camera department here has two 50MP cameras – the primary with OIS and an ultra-wide camera, that do an excellent job in different modes and lighting. A 3MP micro camera is quite unique and provides 20X to 40X magnification. The 32MP front camera handles selfies and video calls quite well. A 5000 mAh battery keeps the phone running for a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 65W SuperDart charger juices it fully in just 37 minutes. The Realme GT 2 Pro launched with Android 12 with Realme UI 3.0, and an Android 13 update is now available.

Realme GT 2 Pro price in India: Rs 45,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage

iQOO 9T 5GThe iQOO 9T 5G is another powerful device with versatile cameras. It is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, and you get its 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage variant in this budget. Its 6.78-inch HDR10+ compliant Full HD+ AMOLED display has 120 Hz refresh rate, 1500 nits of peak brightness and can display a billion colour shades. The phone has a 4700 mAh battery that can last over a day of moderate use, and the bundled 120W fast charger claims to charge it fully in less than 20 minutes.

The rear camera department here is quite loaded. You get a 50MP primary camera with OIS, accompanied by a 13MP ultra-wide camera with 120-degrees FOV and auto-focus that doubles up as a macro camera too. And lastly, there’s a 12MP telephoto camera that provides 2X optical zoom and takes some great portrait shots as well. The 16MP front camera is more than handy for selfies and video calls. The iQOO 9T 5G runs Android 12 with FunTouch OS 12.

iQOO 9T 5G price in India: Rs 49,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage

Apple iPhone 12 MiniA couple of generations old iPhone is still very much buyable if available at a good price. And the smallest of Apple’s iPhone 12 series phones with 128 GB storage is currently selling well under Rs 50,000. The Apple iPhone 12 Mini is great for single-handed operation, and despite the smaller size, it does not skip any key feature of its larger sibling. It is powered by the A14 Bionic chip that powers the entire iPhone 12 series and is still fairly powerful when it comes to processing power.

The Apple iPhone 12 Mini flaunts IP68-rated ingress protection. Its display is even sharper than the 12 in terms of pixel density, thanks to its compact Full HD+ 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen. Two 12MP cameras (primary with OIS and an ultrawide shooter) at the back deliver impressive performance in different lighting and can shoot some excellent videos too. It launched with iOS 14 and is easily upgradeable to the latest iOS 16.

Apple iPhone 12 Mini price in India: Rs 46,999 for 128 GB storage