The iPhone often takes the spotlight for its reliable performance and seamless ecosystem, but it is not the perfect fit for everyone. From limited customization, steep price, or simply the urge to try something new, many users have started to explore alternatives. Thankfully, modern Android flagships don’t just compete with the iPhone. They often surpass it with bigger batteries, versatile cameras, and more freedom. In this guide, we have rounded up the best iPhone alternatives you can buy in India.
Best iPhone Alternatives in India
| Device | Price |
| OnePlus 13 | Rs 69,999 |
| Pixel 9 Pro | Rs 99,999 |
| Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | Rs 1,06,999 |
| Vivo X200 Pro | Rs 94,999 |
| Xiaomi 15 Ultra | Rs 1,09,999 |
OnePlus 13
OnePlus has steadily transitioned itself from being a flagship killer to developing true flagships, and the OnePlus 13 is a prime example. It features a stunning 6.82-inch LTPO AMOLED screen with a 2K resolution, which the company calls ProXDR display. The OnePlus 13 offers a sharper resolution compared to the iPhone 16 Pro, for sharper and crisper visuals.
The device continues its lead in cameras with a 50MP primary camera with OIS, a 50MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, and a 50MP ultrawide lens. It comes with the Hasselblad imaging system, which enhances image processing for professional-grade photography.
Under the hood, the OnePlus 13 is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, the fastest chip for Android devices. From performance-centric tasks like gaming to heavy social media usage and switching between multiple apps, the device can handle everything just as well as the iPhone 16 Pro, with the added advantage of extra RAM.
The OnePlus 13 absolutely crushes the latest iPhone models with its massive 6,000mAh battery. It supports 100W SuperVOOC wired fast charging and 50W wireless charging. The iPhone 16 Pro comes nowhere close in terms of charging speeds.
Google Pixel 9 Pro
The Pixel 9 Pro may not try to win spec sheet wars, but when it comes to practical smartphone photography and pure Android software, Google’s refinement is unmatched. The device has a 6.3-inch LTPO AMOLED screen with a 1.5K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, and if it sounds familiar, that’s because it’s identical to the iPhone 16 Pro.
Coming straight to the main artillery of the Pixel 9 Pro, the device features a 50MP primary camera with OIS, a 48MP periscope telephoto with 5x optical zoom, and a 48MP ultrawide lens. It comes with industry-leading computational photography powered by Google’s advanced machine learning models. The image processing in the Pixel 9 Pro, especially for low-light shots, has proven to be superior to the iPhone 16 Pro.
These features are powered by Google’s in-house Tensor G4 processor, which also brings on-device AI features like translation, Circle to Search, image editing, and more. In terms of features, the Gemini integration on the Pixel 9 Pro is more advanced than Apple Intelligence, but the A18 Pro chip on the iPhone 16 Pro offers higher raw performance.
The Pixel 9 Pro runs on a 4700mAh battery. It supports 27W wired fast charging and up to 21W wireless charging. While these battery metrics are slightly behind modern Android standards, they are still better than the latest iPhones.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
If you’re looking for a feature-packed flagship that doubles as a productivity tool, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is hard to beat. It offers something that no iPhone has, the S-Pen. Many might argue that using a stylus is outdated, but once you start using the S-Pen for scribbling, taking notes, and other tasks, there’s no going back.
Being a Samsung flagship, the Galaxy S25 Ultra packs in a top-notch 6.9-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED display with a 2K resolution. This display feels more visually appealing than the Super Retina XDR OLED screen on the iPhone 16 Pro.
One of the device’s main strengths is its quad-camera setup. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has a 200MP primary camera with OIS, a 50MP periscope telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom and OIS, a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and OIS, and a 50MP ultrawide lens. This monstrosity is already ahead of Apple’s best iPhone cameras, and the difference can be seen in real-world results, too.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and has a truckload of Galaxy AI features. These include on-device translation, transcription, circle-to-search, Gemini integration, and powerful image editing features for removing objects. Samsung has also improved its game with a 7-year software update cycle, matching Apple’s standards of iOS updates.
The device runs on a 5000mAh battery, with support for 45W wired and 15W wireless charging.
Vivo X200 Pro
Vivo may not always grab mainstream headlines, but its flagship X Series has evolved into a beast over the years. The Vivo X200 Pro is a camera-first smartphone designed in collaboration with Zeiss, and it shows in the results.
The device features a 50MP primary camera with OIS, a 200MP periscope telephoto lens with 3.7 optical zoom and OIS, paired with a 50MP ultrawide lens. The entire setup uses Zeiss optics. Additionally, it also has a Vivo V3+ imaging chip for image processing. The Vivo X200 Pro can produce natural-looking bokeh with accurate skin tones, closer to a DSLR-like feel. Comparing this to Apple’s image processing on the iPhone 16 Pro, the X200 Pro feels a notch above.
The rest of the package on the Vivo X200 Pro is equally compelling. It has a 6.78-inch AMOLED screen with a 1.5K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. The device is powered by the Mediatek Dimensity 9400 processor, which is almost as good as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite. This chip will never let you down in daily usage or gaming, but it is slightly behind Apple’s A18 Pro in terms of raw power.
The Vivo X200 Pro comes with a 6000mAh battery. It supports 90W wired and 30W wireless charging, beating the iPhone 16 Pro in battery capacity and charging speeds.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is all about pushing hardware boundaries, and it shows right from the first glance. It features a 6.73-inch LTPO AMOLED screen with a 2K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. As we have seen with other phones on this list, these specifications already give it a massive edge over the iPhone 16 Pro.
The device shines further with its Leica-powered camera setup. It has a 50MP primary camera with OIS, a 50MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and OIS, a 200MP periscope telephoto lens with 4.3x optical zoom and OIS, and a 50MP ultrawide lens. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra also integrates Leica’s imaging filters, offering multiple focal lengths for portrait photography, built-in LUTS, and various other modes. The iPhone 16 Pro comes nowhere close in terms of camera features when compared to the Xiaomi 15 Ultra.
By now, the Snapdragon 8 Elite needs no introduction for its potential. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra also has Hyper AI features like AI writing, AI Speech Recognition, AI Interpreter, and Gemini AI integration. The phone is powered by a 5410mAh battery with 90W wired and 80W wireless charging support.
Apple’s iPhone, the iPhone 16 Pro for the context, remains a great all-rounder, but it’s clear that Android flagships have pulled ahead in several key areas such as faster charging, larger battery capacity, and flexible camera systems.
