Best Phones to Buy Under Rs 50,000 in India 

If you are looking for a premium phone that won’t break the bank, you’re in luck! Our core Testing Team (CTT) has tested several smartphones for under Rs 50,000, and we have picked out the absolute best ones. We’re talking about lightning-fast performance, amazing cameras, and a smooth user experience. Let’s get started!

Best Phones Under Rs 50,000 in India: Specs at Glance

Before diving into the nitty-gritty of all the devices, let’s take a look at some of the key specifications of these devices:

	4.4 ★	4.3 ★	4.6 ★	4.4 ★
	OnePlus 12R	Xiaomi 14 Civi	Samsung Galaxy S23 5G	vivo V40 Pro
	₹ 33,990	₹ 37,989	₹ 39,999	₹ 49,999
Expert Score	8.6/10 by Expert	8.4/10 by Expert	8.4/10 by Expert	8.2/10 by Expert
Processor	Snapdragon 8 Gen 2	Snapdragon 8s Gen 3	Snapdragon 8 Gen 2	MediaTek Dimensity 9200 Plus
Display	6.78″ (17.22 cm) 120Hz Display	6.55″ (16.64 cm) 120Hz Display	6.1″ (15.49 cm) 120Hz Display	6.78″ (17.22 cm) 120Hz Display
Rear Camera	50+8+2 MP Rear	50+12+50 MP Rear	50+12+10 MP Rear	50+50+50 MP Rear
Front Camera	16 MP Front	32+32 MP Front	12 MP Front	50 MP Front
RAM & Storage	8 GB RAM 128 GB Storage	8 GB RAM 256 GB Storage	8 GB RAM 128 GB Storage	8 GB RAM 256 GB Storage
Battery	5500 mAh 100W Charging	4700 mAh 67W Charging	3900 mAh 25W Charging	5500 mAh 80W Charging
OS	Android v14	Android v14	Android v13	Android v14

Best Phones Under Rs 50,000 in India: AnTuTu Benchmark Comparison

Best Phones Under Rs 50,000 in India: Geekbench Benchmark Comparison

OnePlus 12R

The OnePlus R series devices are known for delivering an almost flagship-like experience without the flagship price tag. It’s packed by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which is a bit old. But it’s still quite potent, even by 2024 standards. We ran some benchmarking tests like the AnTuTu and Geekbench on the device, and here’s how it performed:

The benchmarking scores seem impressive but you may wonder about the real-life performance. We are happy to say this device can fly through almost any task you throw at it. Whether it’s intensive gaming or some light video editing, the OnePlus 12R can handle everything effortlessly. Apart from that, all the daily chores, like scrolling through social media, watching YouTube videos, sending emails, making calls, etc, are a piece of cake for this device.

When it comes to the software experience, here, you will get a plain and simple and, most importantly, bloatware-free interface. Yes, it lacks some fancy bells and whistles, which some competitors offer. But this won’t be bothersome as the device focuses on delivering a clean yet customisable user experience—and it does that impressively. Besides, OnePlus promises four years of major Android updates for this device, so there is nothing to complain about there as well.

In terms of optics, the R variant falls short of the Hasselblad-level cameras found in the flagship OnePlus 12. However, it still delivers strong performance for most users. In daylight, the main camera captures clear, vibrant images with good detail. The ultra-wide sensor offers expansive shots, though sharpness diminishes towards the edges.

The limitations of the camera become more apparent in low-light conditions. While noise reduction helps maintain clean images, the detail suffers, and the low-light performance doesn’t quite match up to top-tier cameras.

Battery life and fast charging have always been strengths of OnePlus, and the OnePlus 12R is no exception. During our testing, the device managed to deliver 7.5 hours of screen-on time on a single charge, which is quite impressive. Plus, it could go from 0 to 100% in about half an hour!

To sum up, if you’re looking for a flagship-grade device with excellent performance, capable cameras, outstanding battery life, and fast charging speeds, the OnePlus 12R is worth considering.

Xiaomi 14 Civi

This is Xiaomi’s first Civi smartphone to launch in India, where “Civi” stands for Cinematic Vision. This latest model comes with Leica tuning, a feature previously reserved for only their top-tier devices.

The primary sensor on this device performs well in daylight, capturing photos with rich detail and a balanced dynamic range. The images appear vivid and vibrant, thanks to the Leica tuning set to ‘Authentic’. It also handles low-light photography well, especially in dimly lit areas, where it captures photos with good detail and minimal grain.

The telephoto and ultra-wide angle cameras are also dependable, allowing you to experiment with various perspectives.

The camera truly excels in portrait photography. It allows you to take portrait shots at two focal lengths, 25mm and 50mm. Like other phones in this series, you can explore the master-lens system, which includes ‘Documentary’, ‘Swirly Bokeh’, and ‘Soft Focus’ modes. What impressed us the most was the phone’s consistent ability to produce photos with immaculate edge detection, which is not often the case with most devices, especially in this price segment.

Thankfully, Xiaomi has not compromised with the chipset of the device. The 14 Civi comes with the flagship Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC. The device gets a little warm while running the benchmarking tests or heavy games, but there’s nothing to be concerned about. Here’s how the device performed in the AnTuTu and Geekbench tests:

The device handles everyday tasks with ease. But in today’s market, nearly all smartphones can manage these tasks effortlessly. To push the device further, we tested its gaming performance by playing BGMI, where it delivered a smooth 90 fps.

The 14 Civi runs Android 14-based HyperOS, which ensures smooth animations. But it does come with some pre-installed apps, which might be annoying for some users. Xiaomi offers three years of software support, which is slightly on the lower side but not a deal-breaker.

As for the battery, the 14 Civi packs a slightly smaller 4,700mAh battery. However, during our testing, it easily lasted a full day on a single charge. Plus, the device supports 67W fast charging, taking about 40 minutes to go from 0 to 100%.

If you’re looking for a powerful smartphone that shines in portrait photography, the Xiaomi 14 Civi is an obvious choice.

Vivo V40 Pro

This is the latest iteration in the Vivo’s V lineup. Along with the great optics, which is Vivo’s identity to some extent. The company has also incorporated MediaTek’s flagship-grade Dimensity 9200+ SoC. We ran some synthetic benchmarking tests on this device, and the phone performed impressively. Here are the results:

The gaming experience on this device was truly impressive. Call of Duty: Mobile ran exceptionally smoothly, even at the highest settings. With Ultra fps and Medium Quality, we consistently achieved frame rates between 114 and 119fps. This made for an incredibly fluid and responsive gameplay experience.

While the game was still enjoyable at Very High Quality and Very High Fps, the noticeable drop to 57-59fps made it clear that the device truly shines at higher frame rates.

The V40 Pro comes with FunTouch OS 14 based on Android 14. Being born in the AI era, it’s packed with various AI features like AI Group Portrait, AI Eraser, and AI Photo Enhancer. Vivo also promises three years of software updates—not the best, but not the worst either.

As for the cameras, the V40 Pro’s primary sensor captures sharp images with precise details. Shadows, highlights, and white balance are all handled excellently. However, daylight shots taken with the ultra-wide camera show some edge distortion.

Like the Xiaomi 14 Civi, the V40 Pro shines in portrait photography. Whether it’s edge detection, background blur, or skin tones, the V40 Pro nails it. Additionally, it offers seven ZEISS-style Bokeh effects: Cine-Flare, Cinematic, Planar, Biotar, Distagon, Sonnar, and B-Speed, each designed for different photography scenarios.

So if you want an allrounder device with good performance, battery life and camera capabilities the V40 Pro is worth checking out.

Samsung Galaxy S23

Finally, we have Samsung’s flagship from 2023, the Galaxy S23. Despite being a year old, it remains powerful by 2024 standards, thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. While it doesn’t top benchmarking charts, it still performs solidly. Here’s how it scored in the AnTuTu and Geekbench tests:

We also tested its gaming capabilities by playing Apex Legends Mobile on Ultra HD graphics and High frame rates. The device maintained a consistent 40 fps, with a slight dip to 32 fps during airdrops. Call of Duty: Mobile ran smoothly at a steady 60 fps, even with graphics set to Very High. While playing these intensive games, the Galaxy S23 got a little warm but didn’t impact the device’s performance.

The Galaxy S23 launched with OneUI 5.1 based on Android 13 and offers four years of OS and five years of security updates. However, it doesn’t matter anymore since it will only get three years of updates now. That said, the Galaxy S23 will receive the latest Galaxy AI features, like Circle-to-Search, generative edit, Live Translation, and more.

The Galaxy S23’s camera system is more conservative than its top-tier sibling. While it doesn’t offer the headline-grabbing 8K no-crop shooting, it does feature night hyper-lapse for capturing starry night trails. Photography enthusiasts will appreciate the ability to shoot 50MP raw photos and use the Expert RAW app for astrophotography.

Overall, if you’re looking for a Samsung flagship with a Snapdragon chipset at its core without spending too much, the Galaxy S23 is an excellent choice.

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That’s a wrap on our roundup of the best smartphones under Rs 50,000! We hope you’ve found your ideal match. But remember, smartphone makers are constantly launching new phones, so keep an eye out for updates. We’ll be regularly updating this list with the latest options, so you can always stay ahead of the curve.