Unlike the sub-Rs. 60,000 segment, the sub-Rs. 80,000 segment isn't choc-a-bloc with variety, even in a competitive market like India. In fact, until Oppo launched its Find X8 series last year, buyers could only pick between Samsung's Galaxy S series, Google's basic Pixel handsets and OnePlus' flagship. This year, there's a slightly wider variety of smartphones, including Oppo and even Apple. These smartphones have been designed to deliver on all fronts, be it design, premium features and offer no-compromise camera hardware, making it hard to go wrong no matter which one you pick.
Missing in this guide are Samsung's recently launched Galaxy S25 FE and Nothing's controversial Phone 3. The long-awaited successor to the Galaxy S24 FE showed up with a familiar design, a quality Super AMOLED display and the now standard 7 years of OS and SMR update commitment. But its Exynos 2400 SoC got a bit too hot in our testing, while its camera performance was nowhere near the OnePlus 13 (which is priced similarly). As for the Nothing Phone 3, its lower ratings in our review were mainly down to its inconsistent camera performance.
| Phones under Rs. 80,000 | Gadgets 360 rating (out of 10) | Price in India (as recommended) |
|---|---|---|
| Google Pixel 10 | 8 | Rs. 79,999 |
| Samsung Galaxy S25 | 9 | Rs. 74,999 |
| OnePlus 13 | 9 | Rs. 62,999 |
| Oppo Find X8 | 8 | Rs. 69,999 |
| Apple iPhone 16 Plus | 9 | Rs. 79,900 |
The Pixel 10 was a much-anticipated device in Google's smartphone line-up this year, mainly because it is the first-ever non-Pro Pixel smartphone to offer a telephoto camera. Its telephoto camera performance did impress us when shooting in daylight, but things did not hold up too well in low light. Indeed, this was expected, as it uses the same telephoto camera from the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which is also used in this year's Pixel 10 Pro Fold.
The Google Pixel 10 is not marketed as a gaming device, and so the Tensor G5 (which is mainly geared for on-device AI tasks) could not match up to competing smartphones. But the rest of it is as good as Pixels can get at this price point. Be it its display, design, overall camera performance, software smoothness and tons of AI tricks. The stock-and-bloatware-free software is one of the bigger attractions of the Pixel smartphones, so the Pixel 10 won't disappoint on this front.
Samsung's Galaxy S series needs no introduction in the premium segment as it has been the “go-to” option for many Android users for a while. However, not much has changed over the years. Samsung basically refreshes its design (a bit), adds a new processor, while the rest of it, including its cameras, remains the same. The 4-year-old camera hardware has aged, but it still delivers perfectly good photos, even though the competition has inched forward in terms of quality and detail.
Regardless, it is still hard to go wrong with the base Galaxy S25 model this year. Samsung also packs in plenty of AI tricks year after year, and the brand's software support commitment is as good as Google's (but supported by better-performing hardware). Despite packing one of the smaller batteries (4,000mAh) in this segment, battery life is surprisingly good.
Another staple in the sub Rs. 80,000 segment is the OnePlus 13. It builds on the OnePlus 12 and offers similar raw and camera performance but in a slimmer IP69-rated package. It is also one of the few smartphones (apart from Google's Pixel) to offer magnetic wireless charging using the new cases. Indeed, it is hard to beat the OnePlus 13 when it comes to value, as it offers regular-sized flagships at a price point where most brands (Oppo and Samsung included) offer compact phones.
There are no compromises anywhere, and everything is optimised to the tee. You get a gorgeous QHD+ display, buttery smooth software with AI add-ons, top-notch performance from the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and camera performance that one would expect from a flagship. Battery life, too, is excellent, and you get 50W wireless charging as well.
Oppo's Find X8 is a compact powerhouse. It has a very attractive design, coupled with very good performance — a “Pro” phone without the ‘Pro' branding. And its attractive price point makes it a very good option for many who are tired of Samsung's iterative Galaxy updates over the years. Despite the four-year hiatus, Oppo ensured that its Find X8 packs everything one would expect from a compact premium flagship.
Like the OnePlus 13, the Find X8 also gets the MagSafe-like accessories, including the 50W wireless charging, which can be mounted using a magnetic case. Its cameras perform like a flagship at this price point should. And all of this comes in a compact form factor, which is better suited for one-handed use or those with regular-sized hands. The Find X9 will be launched soon, so it would be wise to wait a bit and check out what's new.
Yes, Apple's iPhone 16 Plus makes it to this list! And the sole reason is that Apple is not launching an iPhone 17 Plus this year. Apple's iPhone 16 Plus impressed us with its battery life last year, and most of this holds true even this year, because the iPhone Air just cannot compete because of its ultra-slim design.
The standard iPhone 17 model has gotten plenty of upgrades this year, but it still has a smaller battery. And so, those who are on a budget but are interested in an iPhone with a big display can still buy an iPhone 16 Plus at a price tag that starts lower than this year's smaller iPhone 17. However, do keep in mind that the iPhone 16 Plus is still offered in a basic 128GB storage option, so you will have to pony up Rs. 89,900 for the 256GB variant.