Ameya DalviMay 14, 2021 10:10:24 IST
There is no 5G connectivity available in India yet, but 5G-compliant phones started reaching our shores over a year ago. There are dozens of 5G phones officially available in the country currently; right from the ultra-premium ones that cost over a lakh to ones available for less than Rs 15,000. Today, we explore the options available for as low as under Rs 20,000, going all the way up to Rs 50,000, to list out what we believe are the best 5G phones available across different price brackets this month. Mind you, the choice was anything but simple.
Best 5G phones to buy under Rs 50,000 in India
Vivo X60 Pro
Vivo X60 Pro. Image: Jaison Lewis
Probably the most stylish phone on this list, the Vivo X60 Pro (Review) is not just about looks: it has ample substance, too. I will just touch upon three key features, starting with the camera system with gimbal stabilisation that clicks some excellent shots and records equally high-grade videos. The 48 MP primary camera, 13 MP ultra-wide camera and 13 MP telephoto camera for 2X optical zoom do a commendable job across various modes. The 32 MP front camera is good enough to impress selfie enthusiasts.
Next up, the vibrant 6.56-inch Full HD+, HDR10+ compliant AMOLED screen, with its 120 Hz refresh rate, is simply excellent. It is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 6. Lastly, we get to the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC that powers this device and is accompanied by a generous 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage. All this translates into a premium 5G device that’s powerful, feature-rich and can hold its own against some serious competition from the likes of OnePlus and Samsung, among others.
Vivo X60 Pro price in India: Rs 49,990 for 12 GB RAM / 256 GB storage
Asus ROG Phone 5
Asus ROG Phone 5. Image: Anirudh Regidi
Asus ROG Phone 5 (Review) is one for hardcore gamers. As always, the company has put together the fastest processing hardware around, coupled with tonnes of optimisations and enhancements to give you a premium gaming experience. The phone is powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 888 SoC. You get the 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage variant in this budget. The 6.78-inch Full HD+ 10-bit AMOLED display is great for full-blooded gaming. It flaunts a 144 Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ compliance and can get up to 1,200 nits bright.
The camera department at the back comprises a 64 MP primary camera, 13 MP ultra-wide shooter and a 5 MP macro camera. It has a 6,000 mAh battery for long, uninterrupted gaming sessions. What’s even better is the fast charging has now been bumped up to 65 W and can charge its mammoth battery in under an hour. The Asus ROG Phone 5 runs Android 11 with ROG UI.
Asus ROG Phone 5 price in India: Rs 49,999 for 8 GB RAM / 128 GB storage
OnePlus 8 Pro
The OnePlus 8 Pro (Review) is currently selling for under Rs 50,000, and offers better features and value for money than the OnePlus 9. You get a 6.78-inch Fluid AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 3168 x 1440 pixels. It can display a billion colours and is HDR10+ compliant. The rear camera department is quite versatile with a combination of a 48 MP primary camera with OIS, another 48 MP ultrawide camera, 8 MP telephoto camera with OIS for 3X optical zoom and a 5 MP colour filter camera. The cameras manage to shoot some impressive images in different lighting and modes.
OnePlus 8 Pro
The 8 Pro has an elegant design with a metal frame and a glass body protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 front and back. The 5G-ready OnePlus 8 Pro is powered by Qualcomm’s previous flagship Snapdragon 865 chip, which is still quite powerful for everyday tasks, including gaming. Its 4,510 mAh battery comfortably lasts over a day of moderate use. The phone also supports fast wireless charging and comes with IP68-rated ingress protection. The phone launched with OxygenOS 10 based on Android 10, and is upgradable to Android 11.
OnePlus 8 Pro price in India: Rs 48,999 for 8 GB RAM / 128 GB storage
Best 5G phones to buy under Rs 40,000 in India
OnePlus 9R
OnePlus 9R
Even though the OnePlus 9R is pretty much a OnePlus 8T in not much of a disguise, it offers solid value for money. You get a 6.55-inch Full HD+ Fluid AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support. It also packs a quad-camera setup at the back, with a combination of a 48 MP primary camera with OIS, 16 MP ultrawide camera, 5 MP macro camera and a 2 MP mono camera. Image quality is generally impressive for this segment across most modes.
The 5G-enabled OnePlus 9R is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 870 chip, which is probably the second fastest SoC around right now. You get the 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage variant in this budget. Its 4,500 mAh battery lasts over a day of moderate use comfortably, and the bundled 65 W Warp charger recharges it insanely fast, in just 39 minutes. It runs OxygenOS 11 based on Android 11 out of the box, which remains arguably the best UI around for Android smartphones.
OnePlus 9R price in India: Rs 39,999 for 8 GB RAM / 128 GB storage
Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro 5G
Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro
The Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro 5G boasts of some top-of-the-line features, all rolled into one device that’s competitively priced. It is powered by a Snapdragon 888 SoC, the fastest chipset around, and you get 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage with it. Then there’s the famous 108 MP camera at the back, along with an 8 MP ultra-wide shooter and a 5 MP macro camera; not to forget the 20 MP front camera for selfies and video calls. Lastly, did I mention the impressive display here? You get a 6.67-inch Super AMOLED Full HD+ display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ compliance and can go as high as 1,300 nits bright. The bundled 33 W fast charger promises to charge the phone from zero to 100 percent in under an hour. The Mi 11X Pro runs Android 11 with MIUI 12 on top.
Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro 5G price in India: Rs 39,999 for 8 GB RAM / 128 GB storage
iQOO 7 5G
iQoo 7
The latest offering from the Vivo sub-brand seems to have improved on almost every front as compared to its predecessor. Just like the Vivo X60 Pro and OnePlus 9R, the iQOO 7 5G is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chip, and you get an option of either 8 GB RAM with 128 GB storage or 12 GB RAM with 256 GB storage. The 6.62-inch HDR10+ compliant Full HD+ display now gets a 120 Hz refresh rate feature, which was missing in the iQOO 3.
The 48 MP primary camera now comes with OIS and is accompanied by a 13 MP ultra-wide camera and a 2 MP depth sensor. The 13 MP telephoto camera present in the iQOO 3 has been given a skip, but the addition of new features here far outweighs those that have been dropped. Also, the aggressive price tag makes the iQOO 7 5G a compelling choice in this price bracket. The phone runs Android 11 with FunTouch OS 11.
iQOO 7 5G price in India: Rs 31,990 for 8 GB RAM / 128 GB storage; Rs 35,990 for 12 GB RAM / 256 GB storage
Best 5G phones to buy under Rs 30,000 in India
Realme X7 Pro
Realme X7 Pro. Image: Tech2/Sheldon Pinto
The Realme X7 Pro (Review) is powered by the new Mediatek Dimensity 1000+ chip, which happens to be more powerful than Qualcomm’s midrange Snapdragon 765 SoC found in the OnePlus Nord. That holds true in the gaming department as well, and this is a more than capable phone for gamers on a moderate budget. You get the 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage variant in this budget. The 6.55-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display – with its 120 Hz refresh rate and 240 Hz sampling rate – is quite vibrant and fluid.
The Realme X7 Pro has an elegant design and isn’t bulky either (by today’s standards). The 64 MP primary camera is quite impressive in various lighting conditions and is accompanied by an 8 MP ultra-wide camera, 2 MP macro camera and 2 MP depth sensor. The support cast isn’t the most impressive, but the main camera more than makes up for them. The 32 MP selfie camera does its job well, too. The 4,500 mAh battery lasts over a day of normal use, and the bundled 65 W fast charger takes it from zero to 100 percent in well under 40 minutes, which is excellent. The phone runs Android 10 with Realme UI. An Android 11 update is expected soon.
Realme X7 Pro price in India: Rs 29,999 for 8 GB RAM / 128 GB storage
Mi 10i 5G
Xiaomi Mi 10i. Image: Tech2/Nimish Sawant
If you are looking for a 5G phone with a 108 MP camera for less than Rs 25,000, look no further – the Mi 10i 5G (Review) is the phone for you. Giving the primary camera company are an 8 MP ultrawide camera, 2 MP macro camera and a 2 MP depth sensor. The 16 MP front camera also has some cool tricks up its sleeve. This Xiaomi phone is powered by the midrange Qualcomm Snapdragon 750 SoC, and you get to choose between 6 GB and 8 GB of RAM with 128 GB of internal storage, that can be expanded further with a micro-SD card.
The Mi 10i 5G has a 6.67-inch Full HD+ display that can get up to 450 nits bright and is HDR10-compliant. It also has a 120 Hz refresh rate for a flicker-free experience in compatible apps. The screen is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5. A 4,820 mAh battery keeps it running for well over a day of moderate use, and the company bundles a 33 W fast charger that claims to juice it up fully in under an hour. The smartphone runs Android 10 with MIUI 12. An Android 11 update is expected soon.
Mi 10i 5G price in India: Rs 21,999 for 6 GB RAM / 128 GB storage; Rs 23,999 for 8 GB RAM / 128 GB storage
Best 5G phones to buy under Rs 20,000 in India
Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G
Realme Narzo 30 Pro
The Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G (Review) is currently one of the most affordable 5G phones in India. It is powered by Mediatek’s Dimensity 800U SoC. You get two variants of the phone in this budget – 6 GB RAM and 64 GB storage or 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage. The battery capacity has been bumped up to 5,000 mAh but the company does not bundle a 65 W SuperDart charger with this phone like it did with its predecessor, the Narzo 20 Pro. That said, you do get a respectable 30 W Dart charger that charges the phone fully in just over an hour.
You get a triple camera setup at the back that consists of a 48 MP primary camera, 8 MP ultra-wide shooter and a 2 MP macro camera. You also get a 16 MP selfie camera located in a tiny punch-hole on top of the screen. The Realme Narzo 30 Pro has a 6.5-inch Full HD+ display that is claimed to get as high as 600 nits bright. You also get the 120 Hz refresh rate feature here for smooth scrolling. The phone runs Android 10 with Realme UI on top.
Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G price in India: Rs 16,999 for 6 GB RAM / 64 GB storage; Rs 19,999 for 8 GB RAM / 128 GB storage
Oppo A74 5G
The Oppo A74 5G is among the most affordable 5G phones around. There is nothing flashy about its spec sheet, but it has most of the important bases covered. For starters, you get a 6.5-inch Full HD+ display with a 90 Hz refresh rate. There’s 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage to go with a Snapdragon 480 SoC. It runs Android 11 out of the box with the ColorOS 11 UI on top. The rear camera department has a quad-camera setup helmed by a 48 MP primary shooter, along with an 8 MP ultra-wide camera, 2 MP macro camera and a 2 MP depth sensor. That’s not a bad list of features for its asking price.
Oppo A74 5G price in India: Rs 17,990
