BEST CAMERA MOBILE PHONES UNDER 30000 IN INDIA

Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G has launched in India with a relatively-expensive price tag. The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G successor finds itself in the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge price category, courtesy of the upgrades on offer.

The phone comes with a glass back and a 120Hz AMOLED display. The 6.67-inch screen is flat and has a hole-punch cutout. Its headlining feature is the 200-megapixel primary camera. The triple-camera setup also features an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 2-megapixel macro camera.For selfies, there is a 16-megapixel front camera.

The Note 12 Pro+ 5G runs on the Android 12-based MIUI 13, which is a bummer considering rivals are shipping with Android 13.The phone features a MediaTek Dimensity 1080 SoC. It has up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage on offer.

Another HyperCharge feature that the premium Note gets is 120W fast charging support for the 5000mAh battery.

The OnePlus 10 Pro 5G has some much-needed upgrades over the 9 Pro, and with just a moderate bump in pricing, it's not a bad deal. Even the top-end variant of the 10 Pro 5G is less expensive than the base models of the Samsung Galaxy S22 and iPhone 13, making it good value. Compared to the OnePlus 9 Pro, the 10 Pro 5G offers a bigger battery with quicker charging, a slightly more power-efficient AMOLED display, a more powerful SoC with plenty more 5G bands, a better selfie camera, and a nicer design. 

Other than some small issues such as the occasional overheating when recording 4K/8K videos in hot weather and the slightly inferior quality of the ultra-wde camera compared to the OnePlus 9 Pro, the 10 Pro 5G is yet another solid flagship from OnePlus, and delivers very good performance and features for the price. 

The most noticeable change in the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G compared to its predecessor is its design. It's also a lot lighter at 177g. The 6.4-inch AMOLED display is vibrant and has satisfying levels of brightness. It has a 120Hz peak refresh rate and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus for protection. The Galaxy S21 FE 5G gets the same Exynos 2100 SoC as seen in the flagship S21 series. It also comes with Dolby Atmos, an IP68 certification for dust and water resistance, and wireless charging.

It's a no-nonsense value flagship that does everything you ask of it, and does it well. What I liked most about it was the low weight, which made it very comfortable to carry in my pocket or hand. The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G supports HDR10 playback and apps such as Netflix recognise this ability too. The overall camera experience is similar to that of the Galaxy S20 FE 5G, which is to say, they are very dependable.

If you haven't already snagged the launch offer and bought the Galaxy S21 FE 5G, I'd say the Galaxy S20 FE 5G offers far better value right now. It's practically the same as the new model, so you really aren't losing out on anything. The Galaxy S21 FE 5G will make more sense once its price drops and the Galaxy S20 FE 5G is phased out of the market, but till then, I'd recommend getting the older model instead.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, or Fan Edition, promises the most popular features of the flagship Galaxy S20 family at a much lower price. You get the same Exynos 990 processor, plus a 6.5-inch full-HD+ 120Hz Super AMOLED screen and a 4500mAh battery. The body is polycarbonate but this phone still feels premium, and is IP68 rated for water and dust resistance. You get plenty of high-end features including stereo speakers and wireless charging. The three rear cameras are all practical and deliver great results in the daytime, though the ultra-wide one does suffer a bit at night. Video and stills both came out looking good, and the camera app offers plenty of modes and settings to experiment with. Battery life is somewhat disappointing but Samsung's One UI software is quite good and the display is great for videos and games. The phone does get a bit warm in use but is otherwise a satisfactory premium option.   

The iPhone 11 is a successor to the iPhone XR and the name represents a reset in Apple's naming strategy to emphasise that this is the "default" iPhone for everyone. Powered by Apple's own A13 Bionic chip, the iPhone 11 trio are the fastest smartphones you can buy today, with the closest competition at the time of filing this review being last year's iPhone lineup.

Perhaps the biggest improvements are in the camera department, achieved by both software and hardware changes. On the rear, you get Wide and Ultra Wide 12-megapixel cameras that produce excellent image quality in nearly all situations. Night Mode makes Apple competitive in low-light photography, and then some, which means the iPhone can finally compete favourably with offerings from Google, Samsung, and Huawei when it comes to night-time shots.

Just like the iPhone XR, this phone will offer you all-day battery life and iOS brings with it the promise of timely updates, something most Android OEMs falter with even today. However, it's not a perfect phone.

The screen is the same low-resolution panel that we saw last year, and Apple continues to bundle a 5W charger with the phone, which is just appalling. While the former is something most people won't notice thanks to the panel's excellent colour accuracy and brightness, the latter is a pain point you will need to live with every day, unless you decide to buy a faster charger separately.

All in all, the iPhone 11 is an unexpectedly compelling upgrade, thanks largely to the significantly improved low-light camera performance. If you have your eyes set on last year's iPhone XR, spend a little bit extra and get this one instead.

The LG G8X ThinQ sports a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with a tiny water drop notch at the top. The bezels are thin on the sides of the display while the bottom chin is slightly thicker. It has a dedicated Google Assistant button and is among the few phones to still retain the 3.5mm headphone jack. LG also bundles a dual screen accessory with the device which helps connect a similar display to the phone.

The LG G8x ThinQ smartphone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC and it comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage. It packs in a 4,000mAh battery and has support for fast charging. The LG G8X ThinQ runs LG UX 9.0 on top of Android 9 Pie. The device also has a Hi-Fi DAC feature and supports DTS:X 3D Surround sound. It offers good performance and the device is capable of handling anything you throw at it.

LG has stuck with a dual-camera setup on the LG G8X ThinQ with a 12-megapixel primary camera and a 13-megapixel wide-angle-camera. The phone clicks decent photos in daylight and low-light photos were also good. Video recording is another strong point for the LG G8X ThinQ.

LG isn't a big player in the smartphone market anymore but is still trying. The new LG G8s ThinQ was first unveiled at MWC 2019 but has launched in India several months later, so it now competes against several newer and more feature-rich models. The styling is dated, especially with the extra-wide notch, although that was necessary to fit in a Time-of-Flight 3D sensor and infrared dot emitter for security. Build quality is excellent though, and you get an IP68 rating plus Gorilla Glass on the front and back.

LG has overstuffed this phone with software features and customisations. Air Gestures are particularly gimmicky and we found them frustratingly difficult to use. There's a lot of bloatware and unnecessary animation that seems to bog this phone down a bit. However, performance in games and benchmarks was pretty good.

The display is impressive and we liked the stereo speakers on the LG G8s ThinQ. Battery life was just average. The three rear cameras take excellent shots, even in very low light.   

The Galaxy S10e is the smallest and lightest of the three new Galaxy S10 models at 150g. It feels incredibly comfortable to hold and the rounded edges aren't abrasive on the skin. The aluminium and glass back is a bit slippery when used with one hand, and this phone does attract fingerprints easily.

The Samsung Galaxy S10e has a 5.8-inch full-HD+ Dynamic AMOLED display, with HDR 10+ certification. At the back of the phone, we noticed some more cutbacks compared to other Galaxy S10 models. It ditches the telephoto camera so you only get the main dual-aperture, 12-megapixel sensor and the 16-megapixel ultra-wide angle one.

It has the Exynos 9820 octa-core SoC, alogn with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The Galaxy S10e also features AKG-tuned stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, an IP68 certification for dust and water resistance, and a whole bunch of sensors.

General app and UI performance is great. Games ran very well, even high-end ones such as PUBG Mobile. Thanks to the powerful SoC and lower screen resolution, the Galaxy S10e easily managed to drive them at the highest settings. The Galaxy S10e has a 3100mAh battery, which is the smallest of the series, and that has a noticeable effect in everyday use. We typically managed to get roughly 17 to 18 hours of actual battery life.

The phone captures detailed landscapes and macros in daylight, with good dynamic range and colours. The camera app is easy to use and has a novice-friendly layout. Live focus works well, with good edge detection. You can even add background blur effects.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 was launched alongside the Galaxy S10E and the Galaxy S10+. This smartphone sits right between the other two devices and has a 6.1-inch display. This display has QHD+ resolution but you can change the resolution of the display panel. It also has an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner which is super quick to unlock the smartphone. The sixe of the device is perfect for single-hand use. It also has a hole-punch design at the front.

Powering the Galaxy S10 is the Samsung Exynos 9820 SoC that is very capable and can run most apps and games on the app store. This powerful SoC is paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage which makes it very easy for multitasking with this smartphone. Samsung ships this device with One UI running on top of Android 9 Pie. Samsung has also preinstalled a couple of apps on the device.

The Galaxy S10 packs in a 3400mAh battery and manages to deliver over one day of battery life. It sports a triple camera setup at the back onsisting of a 12-megapixel telephoto camera, 12-megapixel wide-angle camera and 16-megapixel ultra wide camera. The device delivers excellent photos in the day, macros also turned out very well as the phone manages good edge detection. Low-light camera performance is impressive as well and the phone does a good job at keeping noise low.

The new Galaxy Note 9 has much the same hardware and cameras as the Galaxy S9 Plus. The main thing that sets the Galaxy Note 9 apart is its S Pen, which now has added Bluetooth connectivity and can be used as a single-button Bluetooth remote control. Samsung's Experience UI is highly customised but feels smooth and natural to use, with several thoughtful ways to use the S Pen. This phone is a bit too large and heavy, but it has a huge 6.4-inch screen with curved edges and a 4000mAh battery that could last you up to two days. The cameras are great, and Samsung's app gives you a lot to play with. If you want to spend this much money and can live with the bulk, the Galaxy Note 9 delivers a top-class experience.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is the smaller of the two options launched as the company's 2017 flagship. Its main attraction is a nearly borderless screen with a taller than usual aspect ratio. In terms of industrial design, this phone is absolutely stunning, with curved glass and a futuristic look. However, the fingerprint sensor is forced into an awkward spot and grip takes some getting used to. Performance is top notch thanks to an Exynos 8895 SoC, and the cameras produce stunning stills. This is a worthy flagship phone, if you're willing to spend this much.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ appears to be nothing more than an elongated S6 Edge at first glance but dig a little deeper and you’ll find some nifty additions. The new additions include 4GB of RAM and Bluetooth 4.2 on the hardware front, for a bit more future-proofing. Samsung has also added Pro mode in the camera app which now lets you save pictures in RAW format as well as give you manual options to adjust your photo, before you take the shot. The new Live Broadcast feature also lets you livestream to your YouTube channel. The Galaxy S6 Edge+ is a well-rounded phone but Samsung is charging a premium over the S6 Edge, which makes you think twice before taking the plunge.

Huawei's latest flagship smartphone under the 'Honor' brand is the Honor 6 Plus and it boasts of dual 8-megapixel cameras on the rear. Huawei's claim that these cameras can capture pictures as good as a DSLR may not be true but it is a great shooter nonetheless. It can shoot some really great low-light shots with good amount of details. Huawei has also managed to improve upon the design of the Honor 6. The overall performance of homegrown Hisilicon Kirin 925 SoC inside the phone is also really good. If there is one thing lacking with the phone it has to be the audio performance. Also, the Honor 6 Plus could have benefited greatly if it had a lower price tag.

The Realme 12 Pro+ offers a vegan-leather design for its rear panel and also has a very watch-like fluted metal ring around its revamped cameras. The phone isn’t just about a fancy design, but also packs in a solid IP65 rating for dust and water resistance.

Its processor offers more than enough capability to handle day to day tasks and multitasking, but also offers decent gaming performance. The phone also offers the latest Android 14 software but comes loaded with bloatware, which thankfully isn’t intrusive and does not affect the software experience.

Apart from its design, the phone’s biggest highlight are its cameras. While the primary camera performs well in all types of lighting conditions, the telephoto camera is the showstopper, offering excellent capability at native focal lengths in all types of lighting conditions.

Battery life is top notch and the phone easily lasts a day and half with regular use. Charging speeds are also relatively good.

The OnePlus 11R 5G offers users a flagship-grade processor, the same primary camera as the 11 5G, and very quick charging — all at a starting price of Rs. 39,999. The OnePlus 11R 5G has a 6.74-inch display with the same curved edges on the left and right as the 11 5G, but with slightly narrower top and bottom bezels. 

The OnePlus 11R 5G is powered by the very capable Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC. This processor probably won't deliver the same benchmark numbers as the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but is still plenty powerful for most practical use cases.

The OnePlus 11R 5G will appeal to many OnePlus fans who have been waiting for something similar to the OnePlus 7T to come along — a phone with a proper flagship SoC under Rs. 40,000. If you're someone who plays a lot of demanding mobile games and require good battery life, the 11R 5G does not disappoint. The main camera is also very capable, although the rest of them leave a lot to be desired. I think what many are going to like though is the fact that the 11R 5G looks just like the more expensive 11 5G, giving it more flaunt value.

The Motorola Edge 30 Fusion aims to strike the right balance by offering flagship-grade hardware wrapped inside a premium body. The phone sits between the Motorola Edge 30 5G and the Motorola Edge 30 Pro, which were launched earlier this year. Priced at Rs 42,999, the Motorola Edge 30 Fusion comes with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage.

In terms of design, the Motorola Edge 30 Fusion features a glass back and an aluminium frame. The phone has an IP52 rating for water and dust resistance. The device offers great in-hand field due to its slim and lightweight form factor. The Motorola Edge 30 Fusion measures about 7.45mm and is only 175 grams heavy.

Software performance is also quite good. The Motorola Edge 30 Fusion runs on the Android 12-based MyUx skin to offer a near-stock Android experience. On top, you get some useful customisation options, such as Moto gestures, wallpapers, etc.

The phone promises smooth performance with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+ SoC. It also packs a 4400mAh battery with support for 68W fast charging out of the box.

Camera performance is a bit shaky as the phone struggles to get the right skin tones when clicking human subjects. Otherwise, the main camera does a good job.

Some of the features of the Nothing Phone 1 that really stand out are its premium build quality, vibrant display, good primary camera, and clean Android experience. The glyph lights are a nice differentiator but you may or may not find them actually useful for daily use. The one thing that needs the most improvement right now is the secondary cameras, especially in low light. Video recording could also benefit from better stabilisation and features.

Phones such as the Xiaomi 11T Pro and iQoo 9 SE offer better specs and features for a simialr price. However, if you want a phone that looks completely unique while still having all the essential features, there's nothing quite like the Phone 1 right now.

The Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G is a premium smartphone from the company that is focussed on offering a premium design. The phone has a slim and elegant design that uses glass and metal.

Its display gets quite bright and colours appear vibrant. It features a thin bezel all around that adds to its overall premium appeal. The phone’s display is also HDR10+ certified and it all works as expected when it comes to streaming supported content.

The phone runs Oppo’s ColorOS 12.1, which is based on Android 12. Everything works as expected and Oppo’s O-Haptics vibration system enhances the software experience.

Camera performance in daylight is quite good, but the same cannot be said about the ultra-wide and macro cameras. In low light, the phone captures good photos, but its performance is not consistent. Battery life is quite solid and lasts a day and half on a single charge.

The Pixel 6a is a big upgrade and a step up from the Pixel 4a, which was Google’s last smartphone to make it to India. It packs in plenty of upgrades over the previous model but also a higher price tag.

Its design utilises glass for the display and a plastic panel for the rear, both of which are held together by an aluminium frame. While it feels solid, it's far from premium since the plastic panel is a massive smudge and dust magnet.

Software performance does not feel as fluid because of its 60Hz refresh rate display, but you do get the latest and greatest from Google which is Android 13 with no added bloatware.

Camera performance in all kinds of lighting conditions is top-notch, but video quality seems a bit lacking. Battery life is good for a day’s worth of use but charging is quite slow.

The new design of the Oppo Reno 7 looks nice. The rounded frame and curved edges of the back gives the phone a sleek aesthetic. The Reno 7 also gets the same laser-etched pattern on the back like on the Reno 7 Pro, which looks good and does’t attract fingerprints. The 6.4-inch AMOLED display is similar to the one on the previous phone. It has a full-HD+ resolution, 90Hz refresh rate and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection.

Oppo hasn’t bothered refreshing the SoC in the Reno 7 as it’s still the MediaTek Dimensity 900, along with has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The software experience of the Oppo Reno 7 is identical to the 7 Pro. Day-to-day performance has been solid so far with the Oppo Reno 7. The SoC is plenty powerful for handling the usual productivity and social apps. The bump in battery capacity to 4,500mAh (from 4,300mAh) seems to have made a noticeable impact on battery life.

It’s a good phone overall without any glaring faults but just know that there are better feature-packed offerings available online, that offer a lot more bang for you buck.

Design has always been a big talking point for the Reno series and it's no different with the Reno 7 Pro. The glass back of the Oppo Reno 7 Pro has a new finish. Oppo says it has used a new laser process to create hundreds of diagonal micro-etches, which are visible at certain angles. The 6.5-inch AMOLED panel means delivers very good colours and contrast. It's a full-HD+ panel with a 90Hz peak refresh rate and 180Hz peak touch sampling rate, plus Corning Gorilla 5 for scratch protection.

There's a new SoC in the Oppo Reno 7 Pro, the Dimensity 1200-Max from MediaTek. This is basically a standard Dimensity 1200 SoC with two special optimisations made for the Reno 7 Pro. You get ColorOS 12 but this is still based on Android 11, not Android 12. I ran PUBG: New State to test how this phone handles demanding multiplayer games. With all the graphical settings cranked up to the highest allowable limit, gameplay was smooth and the display response was on point.

The flat display, stereo speakers, and improved camera sensors are all welcome changes. Battery life is also solid, and it doesn't hurt to have super-fast charging. If fashionable looks and quirky camera features trump sheer performance for you, then you should be happy with the Reno 7 Pro.

The Motorola Edge 20 Pro is the top-of-the-line smartphone In the Edge 20 series. It has a 6.7-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate. This smartphone is slightly thicker than its younger sibling, the Motorola Edge 20. The device is well built and has Corning Gorilla Glass 5 at the front and back and an aluminium frame in between. It is IP52 rated for dust and water resistance.

It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC. paired 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Storage is non-expandable but you do have the option to extend RAM by 2GB.  It packs in a 4,500mAh battery and gets a 30W charger in the box. Motorola ships near-stock Android 12 with few of its customisations in the form of My UX. The Edge 20 Pro is powerful and can run almost every app on the Play Store.

The Edge 20 Pro has a triple camera setup, with a 108-megapixel primary camera, a 16-megapixel ultra-wide camera and an 8-megapixel 5X telephoto camera. Photos from the Edge 20 Pro were good in daylight and closeups were better.  Telephoto camera is useful when shooting far away objects. However, low light camera performance was not upto the mark.

The Oppo Reno 6 shares a lot of features with the Pro model, such as the Bokeh Flare Portrait filter in the camera app, 65W fast charging, and a high refresh rate AMOLED display. The design gives off strong iPhone 12 vibes, but it really seems to work in its favour. The 6.42-inch AMOLED display looks very good. It has a full-HD+ resolution, Corning Gorilla Glass 5, 90Hz refresh rate, and a claimed peak brightness rating of up to 700nits.

Oppo says this is India's first phone to sport the MediaTek Dimensity 900 SoC which is plenty powerful to handle daily tasks and games at the full-HD+ resolution. The 4,300mAh battery capacity might not sound too impressive, but with day-to-day usage, I was easily averaging more than a full day on single charge. The Oppo Reno 6 misses out on the rear depth camera that the Reno 6 Pro has, but apart from this, it has the same set of sensors on the front and back.

While the Reno 6 is definitely better value than the Pro model, it might be hard to justify buying it after comparing it to the OnePlus Nord 2 and the Poco F3 GT.

With only cosmetic changes and a slightly upgraded processor compared to the OnePlus 8T, the new OnePlus 9R is not very exciting at first. It has been launched exclusively in India because the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro have come in at higher prices. The company could have done more to keep things fresh in the premium segment, but even so, the 9R is a good overall package. It looks slick, and has a crisp AMOLED screen plus stereo speakers. Performance is good in everyday tasks and games run well too. The battery will last you all day, and you get a 65W fast charger in the box. The 48-megapixel main camera takes good shots and Nightscape mode can work very well depending on ambient light conditions. OxygenOS continues to be slick and feature-rich without getting overbearing. The 9R could be a good choice if you're a OnePlus fan, but do keep in mind that there's a lot of competition and you have many other choices.

The Samsung Galaxy A72 features a fresh new design, similar to what we saw with the Galaxy A52. The 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display has a full-HD+ resolution and 90Hz refresh rate, and supports HDR playback. The Samsung Galaxy A72 has an in-display fingerprint sensor, but I found it to be very inconsistent with authentication and a bit sluggish too.

The Snapdragon 720G SoC is quite underpowered compared to the competition at this price, but it's still powerful enough to handle Android 11. Games ran really well too and titles such as Genshin Impact had very playable framerates, with just some mild stutter intermittently. The Samsung Galaxy A72 has a similar camera setup as the Galaxy A52, except that the depth camera has been swapped for a more useful 8-megapixel telephoto camera. Photos captured by the main camera were generally above average under good light. The telephoto camera captured strictly average photos.

If the Samsung name and features such as the IP rating and stereo speakers are what drew you towards the Galaxy A72, I'd suggest buying the Galaxy A52 instead and saving some money.

Just like the Vivo V20, the Vivo V20 Pro focuses on design and cameras. The patterns created on the Sunset Melody colorway when light hits the back panel look very funky. The display on the Vivo V20 Pro is once again very similar to that of the V20. It is a 6.44-inch full-HD+ AMOLED panel with Schott's Xensation Up cover glass. Colours are rich, it gets very bright, and there's HDR support too.

Videos look great on the Vivo V20 Pro thanks to the vivid AMOLED panel. HDR videos on YouTube play smoothly. The Vivo V20 Pro is a good phone for gaming since the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G can handle even demanding titles fairly well without overheating. Funtouch OS 11 on the V20 Pro is packed to the gills with shortcuts and customisation options.

The Vivo V20 Pro boasts of impressive camera specifications. For selfies, you get a 44-megapixel primary camera with a f/2.0 aperture and autofocus, and an additional ultra-wide-angle 8-megapixel camera. Compared to the OnePlus Nord, the V20 Pro offers slightly sharper selfies and more interesting shooting modes, however the Nord does have a slight edge when it comes to video performance.

If you're looking for a mid-range 5G smartphone that's not a OnePlus Nord, the V20 Pro gets our recommendation.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite features a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED+ panel, with a full-HD+ resolution and supoorts HDR10+ colour profile. Colours and punchy and brightness level is good. The back of the phone has a polycarbonate layer which resembles glass. Button placement feels ergonomic, and on the left, we have a hybrid dual-SIM tray that can either take two Nano-SIM cards or a single SIM and a microSD card.

The Gaalxy S10 Lite is powered by a Snapdragon 855 SoC, which is last year's flagship chip. Performance is very good and the phone doesn't get overly hot when gaming. It features One UI 2.0, which is based on Android 10, however it lacks the India-specific features which we saw in the Galaxy A51. 

The phone has a 4,500mAh battery capacity, which offers enough power to get you through an entire day on one charge. The bundled charger supports 25W fast charging. 

In the back, the main 48-megapixel camera captures good stills, thanks to OIS for better stabilisation. The wide-angle camera also does a good job under good light. The 5-megapixel macro camera also captures very good extreme close-ups. 4K video recording is supported but only up to 30fps. Low light image quality is very good too. 

The Vivo V17 Pro is a unique offering, with two pop-up selfie cameras and four more at the back. It's well built and looks premium, despite the all-polycarbonate build. It's a little chunky and heavy but still quite manageable. The 6.44-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display is bright, has good colour saturation and viewing angles. There's also Corning Gorilla Glass 6 for protection. 

The in-display fingerprint sensor works well but face unlock is only used as a last resort and can't be used as the primary method for unlocking the phone. The phone has two SIM card slots but nothing for a microSD card. You also get a 'smart key' button which can be customised to perform different functions. 

The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 SoC and comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The SoC is a little weak for the price but is fairly capable of handling apps and games. Keep in mind that it does make the phone quite hot with prolonged camera use or gaming. 

The rear 48-megapixel camera shoots good quality oversampled shots in both daytime and in low light. The ultra wide-angle camera captures more in the frame and is also used for shooting super macros. There's a telephoto camera too which offers 2x optical zoom. The V17 Pro also has a depth camera, which helps when shooting bokeh portraits. The 32-megapixel selfie camera captures pleasing selfies and also supports Night mode. The secondary 8-megapixel wide-angle camera lets you get a lot more people in one frame. 

Battery life is very good. The 4100mAh battery easily lasts for a day and half. There's fast charging too, which charges the battery fully in about two hours. 

OnePlus has taken a bunch of features from the more expensive OnePlus 7 Pro and put them into the OnePlus 7T, which is the successor to the OnePlus 7. To add to this confusion, the older two models have only been on the market for around four months prior to this launch. While some buyers will love having more features and power, there are others who will be disappointed that this company has raised the price of its base model yet again. 

The OnePlus 7T offers three rear cameras - a standard 48-megapixel one, a wide-angle one, and a 2X optical zoom one - along with the brand new Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, a 90Hz screen, and frosted glass rear panel. These are all premium features, and this phone definitely looks and feels the part, rivalling flagship phones that cost up to twice as much.

You might not like the huge circular camera bump on the rear, and sadly there's no IP rating or wireless charging. There's also still a waterdrop notch cutting into the screen for thefront camera.

Performance is great, especally in games. The cameras are somewhat of a mixed bag, delivering very good results sometimes, but not consistently. This phone also runs Android 10 out of the box, with OnePlus' customised OxygenOS skin. Battery life is good and this phone charges insanely quickly.

New buyers with a budget of Rs. 40,000 will be delighted with the OnePlus 7T but OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro buyers, as well as fans of the brand, might be a little annoyed.

The OnePlus 7 Pro features a brand new design, with a glass back and front and curved sides. The phone feels very premium but’s it’s also very heavy. The Nebula Blue variant looks slick but it’s quite slippery, which makes single-handed use a real challenge. It has a massive 6.67-inch ‘Fluid AMOLED’ display with a QHD+ resolution, 90Hz refresh rate and support for HDR 10+ content. The display produces vivid colours, deep blacks and has good viewing angles. 

The phone uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, which is said to be more power efficient than the previous one. Performance is excellent as the phone can handle heavy apps and games with ease. The new OxygenOS 9.5 debuts some new features such as Fnatic mode for prioritising games over notifications, an in-built screen recording, screenshot editor and more. 

You also get stereo speakers here, for the first time in a OnePlus device. However, there’s no wireless charging or IP-rated waterproofing. The OnePlus 7 Pro also gets a new camera setup. The main 48-megapixel sensor captures detailed landscapes in both day and night, but we did find the autofocus to be a little inconsistent when shooting macros. The 8-megapixel telephoto camera offer 3x optical zoom, while the 16-megapixel wide-angle camera captures more of the scene in from of you. You also get a 16-megapixel, pop-up selfie camera, which snaps decent selfies. Finally, the 4000mAh battery easily lasts for a full day on one charge and there’s fast charging support too. 

The Vivo Nex is a smartphone from the future which is gorgeous, immensely powerful, and loaded with impressive technologies like the pop up camera. However, the software has niggles, the in-display fingerprint scanner is unreliable, and many flagship features such as waterproofing and wireless charging are conspicuous by their absence. As of now, the Vivo Nex is best looked upon as a technology showcase, rather than owned as a daily driver.

The OnePlus 6 brings a new glass back with your choice of three different finishes, the Snapdragon 845 processor, and a bigger screen with a notch. It takes on today's biggest flagships, some of which cost over twice as much. Performance is great, and the display will keep most people happy. The phone looks and feels good too, and you can definitely show it off. The cameras are slightly underwhelming, and some people will miss the creative options that other manufacturers offer. Battery life was good enough to get us through a full day with some power left over. You don't get all the bells and whistles of a top-end phone, but the OnePlus 6 has more than enough to keep most people happy.

After concentrating only on the high end for a year, Google has decided to launch a new mid-range Nexus phone which will appeal to those looking to upgrade from a Nexus 4 or Nexus 5. The new Nexus 5X, made by LG, brings pure Android 6.0 and the native Nexus Imprint fingerprint sensor. It also has a really good camera, a fast six-core processor, and reasonably good battery life. Long-time Nexus fans will have to do without wireless charging though. Despite a few quirks, the Nexus 5X is a solid phone with a lot of appeal.

The HTC Desire 820s doesn't differ much from the Desire 820, except for the new Mediatek MT6752 SoC under the hood. This makes a massive difference in performance, with the Desire 820s offering excellent performance. It retains the things we loved about the Desire 820, including the decent camera set, the great looks and the dual front-facing speakers. The Desire 820s is HTC's answer to all of the invite-only and flash-sale smartphones that populate the mid-range. It's a smartphone that's easy to buy, easy to like and satisfying to use.

Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro is a phablet with a huge 6-inch screen with QHD resolution and quite possibly one with the most compact form-factor. Also, Lenovo doesn't make any compromises with its innards since this is the company’s flagship device at the moment. The phablet is running the latest software with Vibe UI 2.0 skin on top of it and it has a nice trick up its sleeve in the form of allowing users to switch to stock Android if they prefer it.Though we like the device overall, Lenovo could have taken care o the heating issues we faced during testing.

The LG G7+ ThinQ is the company's flagship offering for 2018. It features a 6.1-inch, QHD+ display with excellent brightness and colour saturation. It even supports HDR 10 standard. It's IP68 certified for dust and water resistance and is shockproof thanks to the MIL-STD 810G specification. It's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC and comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. App and game performance is very good but the entire back of the phone gets very warm when stressed. The primary 16-megapixel camera doesn't capture the sharpest stills but its f/1.6 aperture helps it in low-light. The secondary 16-megapixel wide-angle sensor is great for landscape shots and has very good stabilisation for video. The 3000mAh battery offers decent battery life but it's tough to get an entire day's worth of usage on a single charge.