Best phones under Rs 50,000 (March 2024): OnePlus 12R, Nothing Phone (2) to Google Pixel 7

Our list of phones under Rs 50,000 this time is slightly unusual. Not that we don’t have phones with a great mix of performance, features and cameras, it’s just that some of them are currently selling under 40K and yet are better than several more expensive options available in this budget. After carefully considering a lot of candidates, here are the best smartphones you should consider buying at this moment if you have a budget of Rs 50,000.

Best phones to buy under Rs 50,000 in India

Nothing Phone (2)
One of the best phones under 50K is selling under 40K currently. This is exactly what I was talking about. The top variant of Nothing’s current flagship phone is selling for a great price. It retains its unique design with transparent back and LEDs. The Glyph lights at the back are not just cosmetic but provide a ton of functionality and customisation. The Nothing Phone (2) is powered by a fairly potent Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, and is accompanied by 12 GB RAM and 512 GB internal storage.

It has a 6.7-inch Full HD+ 10-bit LTPO OLED display with a peak brightness of 1600 nits, HDR10+ compliance and a variable refresh rate ranging from 1 Hz to 120 Hz. The photography department on the Nothing Phone (2) consists of a 50MP primary camera with OIS and a 50MP ultra-wide shooter with auto-focus. The camera performance is impressive across modes, especially in good light. The 32 MP front camera will please the selfie enthusiasts.

A 4700 mAh battery keeps the phone powered for well over a day of moderate use. It supports 45W fast wired charging as well as 15W wireless charging. However, no charger has been provided in the package and needs to be purchased separately. A good 45W USB-PD/PPS charger can juice it up fully in under an hour. The phone runs Android 13 with Nothing OS 2.0, and the company promises 4 years of software updates.

Nothing Phone (2) price in India: Rs 38,999 for 12GB RAM/ 512GB storage

iQOO 11 5G
The iQOO 11 5G is first of the two phones in this list powered by Qualcomm’s previous flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. It is accompanied by either 8 GB or 16 GB RAM and 256 GB UFS 4.0 storage. This phone has a sharp 10-bit 6.78-inch HDR10+ compliant E6 AMOLED display with a resolution of 3200 x 1440 pixels and 144 Hz refresh rate. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. The phone runs Android 13 with FunTouch OS 13, and one can expect more updates in the future.

The rear camera department consists of a 50MP primary camera with a Samsung GN5 sensor and OIS, accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 13MP telephoto camera that gives you 2X optical zoom and also doubles up as a portrait camera. The 16MP front camera handles selfies and video calls quite well. The iQOO 11 5G’s 5000 mAh battery lasts for a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 120W fast charger promises to charge 50% of it in just 8 minutes, and fully in less than half an hour.

iQOO 11 5G price in India: Rs 42,999 for 8GB RAM/256GB storage ; Rs 44,999 for 16GB RAM/256GB storage

OnePlus 12R/ 11R
The newly launched OnePlus 12R is the other phone to flaunt the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. The R series phones may not have all the bells and whistles of their more premium siblings, but they are powerful devices that borrow a lot of goodness from the company’s flagship products at a lot more affordable price point. You can easily get the top variant of this phone with 16 GB RAM and 256 GB UFS 3.1 storage in this budget.

The OnePlus 12R has a mighty impressive 6.78-inch curved LTPO4 AMOLED display with a higher than Full HD resolution of 2780 x 1264 pixels. The HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compliant screen supports 10-bit colour depth, 120 Hz refresh rate and can get up to 4500 nits bright. It is protected against scratches by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The phone runs the latest OxygenOS 14 based on Android 14 and OnePlus promises multiple OS and security updates going ahead.

Camera department is quite similar to what you get on the OnePlus 11R. Its 50MP primary camera with OIS does a very good job in varied lighting including low light. The support cast is modest with an 8MP ultrawide camera and a 2MP macro camera. There’s a 16MP front camera for selfies and video calls. Battery capacity has been bumped up by 10% to 5500 mAh and it lasts over a day and a half of moderate use, with the bundled 100W charger taking it from empty to full in under half an hour.

Alternative: While the 12R is a great option, one can also consider the 11R given the price difference of Rs 4,000. While the two are quite similar, including the design and cameras, there are two key differences. Firstly, you get half a generation old Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip which is still quite powerful and a standard Fluid AMOLED display without variable refresh rate and Dolby Vision compliance. If you are fine with these tradeoffs for 4K, go for the 11R, else 12R is the way to go.

OnePlus 12R price in India: Rs 46,999 for 16GB RAM/256GB storage
OnePlus 11R price in India: Rs 41,999 for 16 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage

Google Pixel 7/ 7a
Just like the two OnePlus phones, there’s a bit of a selection dilemma in the Google camp too. While the Google Pixel 7 can easily be purchased in this budget, the Pixel 7a offers most of its features for a good Rs 7,000 less. Both phones are powered by Google’s previous flagship Tensor G2 processor and offer 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage. While the Pixel 7 has a larger 6.3-inch screen, the 7a sports a more compact 6.1-inch screen. Both have OLED displays with Full HD+ resolution, 90 Hz refresh rate and Corning Gorilla Glass protection. The phones have IP68 and IP67 rated ingress protection respectively.

As you expect from Pixel phones, you get the purest version of Android 14 (with more updates to follow) with the Material You design language. Other than speedy OS updates, the Pixel phones are known for their camera capabilities, and these phones deliver strongly in that department courtesy of two cameras at the back. You get a 64MP primary camera with OIS and a 13MP ultra-wide camera on the Pixel 7a, and a 50MP (with OIS) + 12MP ultra-wide combo on the Pixel 7. Both do a great job in different lighting and modes.

Google Pixel 7a price in India: Rs 39,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage
Google Pixel 7 price in India: Rs 46,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage

Realme GT 2 Pro
We end the list with another phone that is now available under 40K. The Realme GT 2 Pro offers some great features and performance, and is still an excellent phone. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC, accompanied by 12 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage. The design is quite soothing, thanks to its paper-like biopolymer back. It has a 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 has two 50MP cameras – the primary with OIS and an ultra-wide camera, that do an excellent job in different modes and lighting. A unique 3MP micro camera provides 20X to 40X magnification. The 32MP front camera will certainly impress the selfie crowd. 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 now runs Android 13 with Realme UI 4.0.

Realme GT 2 Pro price in India: Rs 39,990 for 12GB RAM/256GB storage