Best phones under Rs 75,000 (March 2023): Apple iPhone 15, OnePlus 12 to Xiaomi 14

There has been a significant churn in our list of premium smartphones under Rs 75,000 in India this month. It is absolutely star studded, and most phones here need no introduction. So let’s dive straight into the action and look at what you can get your hands on under 75K at the moment.

Best phones to buy under Rs 75,000 in India

Apple iPhone 15
Yes, you can now purchase the latest Apple iPhone 15 in this budget. Of course, you will get the base variant with 128GB storage for that much money. If you want more storage, you get the 256GB variants of Apple iPhone 14 and the iPhone 13 in this price band; they are both pretty decent even now. But of course, the iPhone 15 brings a lot of new things to the table, starting with a faster and more powerful A16 Bionic chip. And let’s not forget the USB-C charging port instead of the proprietary Lightning port.

This phone has a brighter 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a resolution of 2556 x 1179 pixels, 2000 nits peak brightness and HDR10 and Dolby Vision compliance. Oh, and it now has the Dynamic Island too that was first introduced in the 14 Pro series. The Apple iPhone 15 feels great in hand due to its compact size and low weight, and has IP68 rated ingress protection.

The main camera has now been upgraded from 12MP to 48MP and offers dual-pixel PDAF and OIS. The secondary 12MP ultra-wide camera has been retained and so is the 12MP front camera. The performance in photography and videography is excellent, as one expects from an iPhone. The iPhone 15 runs the latest iOS 17 with more OS updates to follow over the years.

Apple iPhone 15 price in India: Rs 71,290 for 128GB storage

OnePlus 12
The new OnePlus flagship phone can be yours comfortably in this budget, including its top variant. The OnePlus 12 continues with the OnePlus 11 design language, and retains the curved display, slim bezels and the circular camera island at the back. While they look similar, the 12 is a little larger and heavier due to a larger display and battery, and support for wireless charging; a fair tradeoff, we would say. The phone runs the latest OxygenOS 14 based on Android 14 with more OS and security updates to follow.

The OnePlus 12 retains the curved QHD+ LTPO display but takes it a couple of notches higher. It is a bit larger now at 6.82 inches and significantly brighter with the peak brightness jumping from 1300 nits (on the 11) to 4500 nits. You get variable refresh rate ranging between 1 Hz to 120 Hz and compliance with Dolby Vision and HDR10+. A 5400 mAh battery keeps the phone running for a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 100W charger juices it up in less than 30 minutes. It also supports fast wireless charging.

The OnePlus 12 is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, and you get either 12GB RAM and 256GB UFS 4.0 storage, or 16GB RAM with double the storage. The rear camera department is impressive, starting with a 50MP primary camera with OIS and Sony’s new LYT-808 sensor. The support cast flaunts a 48MP ultrawide camera with auto-focus that also doubles up as a macro camera and a 64MP periscope telephoto camera with OIS that provides 3X optical zoom and 6X in-sensor zoom. The Hasselblad colour tuning and portrait tricks are available here.

OnePlus 12 price in India: Rs 64,999 for 12GB RAM/256GB storag e: Rs 69,999 for 16GB RAM/512GB storage

Xiaomi 14
Xiaomi’s latest flagship phone is another excellent option in this budget. The Xiaomi 14 is a compact phone (which is another plus) that is packed with great features, powerful processing hardware and flaunts IP68 rated dust and water resistance. You get a 6.36-inch LTPO AMOLED display with a variable refresh rate up to 120 Hz and a resolution of 2670 x 1200 pixels. The Pro HDR display is HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compliant, with a peak brightness of 3000 nits and supports up to 68 billion colour shades. It is protected against scratches by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus.

This phone too is powered by Qualcomm’s most powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, and you get 12GB RAM along with 512GB UFS 4.0 storage. The cameras on this phone have been designed in collaboration with the popular German camera manufacturer Leica. You get three 50MP modules at the back starting with the primary with Light Fusion 900 image sensor, Leica Summilux optics and OIS. You also get an ultra-wide shooter with 115-degrees FOV and a 75 mm floating telephoto camera with OIS that provides up to 3.2X optical zoom.

The telephoto camera can also capture macro shots from a distance of 10 cm and is also proficient at portrait photography. The 32MP front camera is quite good for selfies and video calls. The phone’s 4610 mAh battery comfortably lasts over a day of moderate usage, and the bundled 90W fast charger promises to juice it up fully in a little over half an hour. The phone also supports 50W fast wireless charging. The Xiaomi 14 runs the latest Android 14 with the company’s new HyperOS UI.

Xiaomi 14 price in India: Rs 69,999 for 12GB RAM/512GB storage

Samsung Galaxy S23 5G
While the recent S24 can be obtained just under 75 with certain credit cards, the Samsung Galaxy S23 5G is readily available in this budget without any hacks. The phone is powered by Qualcomm’s previous flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, and you get 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage to go with it. This phone is fairly compact too and has IP68 rated dust and fluid resistance. It sports an aluminium frame and a glass back with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 at the front and back for protection against scratches.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 5G has a 6.1-inch Full HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a peak brightness of 1750 nits, HDR10+ compliance and 120 Hz refresh rate. Photography department consists of three cameras at the back starting with 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. The camera performance is among the best, and can also record videos in 8K resolution. The phone launched with Android 13 and Samsung’s One UI 5.1. Expect more updates in the future.

Samsung Galaxy S23 5G price in India: Rs 69,999 for 8GB RAM/256GB storage

Google Pixel 7 Pro
Last but by no means the least, Google’s previous flagship smartphone, the Pixel 7 Pro is still a great buy around the 65K mark. The phone is powered by Google’s Tensor G2 processor and offers 12GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. It has a curved 6.7-inch QHD+ AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate and 1500 nits peak brightness. The HDR10+ compliant screen is protected against scratches by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, and this phone too has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.

You get the best Android experience on this device, thanks to the purest version of Android with the Material You UI. It now runs Android 14, and will be among the first to receive newer OS and security updates as they are released. The Google Pixel 7 Pro is great at photography too courtesy of three cameras at the back. You get a 50MP primary camera with OIS, along with a 48MP telephoto camera with OIS for up to 5X optical zoom and surprisingly good 30X digital zoom. The 12MP ultra-wide camera with auto-focus is equally impressive and doubles up as a macro camera. They do a great job in different lighting and modes.

Google Pixel 7 Pro price in India: Rs 65,999 for 12GB RAM/128GB storage