Best phones under Rs 40,000 (Aug-Sept 2023): Google Pixel 7a, OnePlus 11R 5G to Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

When you have 40K to spare for a smartphone, you get plenty of options to choose from. With more choice comes more confusion. But that’s where we come in to closely analyse all the candidates and shortlist the five best options in this budget. We have chosen phones with premium features like flagship-grade processors, high-quality cameras with OIS, high refresh rate AMOLED displays and more. Time to take a look at the best smartphones you can buy under Rs 40,000 this month.

Best phones to buy under Rs 40,000 in India

OnePlus 11R 5G
The OnePlus 11R 5G may not have all the bells and whistles of the flagship OnePlus 11 5G, but it is no pushover either, and probably offers better value at its selling price. It also borrows a lot of goodness from its flagship sibling including the design. This stylish phone looks just like the 11 5G from the front and back, barring the placement of the front camera and a missing Hasselblad logo at the back.

The OnePlus 11R has a 6.74-inch curved display with a higher than Full HD resolution of 2772 x 1240 pixels. You get a standard Fluid AMOLED display here instead of the more premium LTPO3 variant on the 11. This HDR10+ compliant screen supports 10-bit colour depth, 120Hz refresh rate and can get up to 1450 nits bright. This phone is powered by Qualcomm’s previous generation flagship Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, and you get its 8 GB RAM and 128 GB UFS 3.1 storage variant in this budget.

The 50MP primary camera with OIS, despite the lack of Hasselblad’s colour tuning, is quite impressive and does most of the heavy lifting. The support cast is modest with an 8MP ultrawide camera and a 2MP macro camera. There’s a 16MP front camera for selfies and video calls. Its 5000 mAh battery can last for a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 100W charger promises to juice it up in just 25 minutes. The phone runs OxygenOS 13 based on Android 13 and can expect several OS and security updates periodically.

OnePlus 11R 5G price in India: Rs 39,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage

OnePlus Nord 3 5G
Here’s another OnePlus phone on the list. We wouldn’t say the OnePlus Nord 3 5G is better than the 11R 5G but doesn’t lag far behind either. The phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 SoC that is about 10 per cent less powerful than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip. But more importantly, you can get double the RAM and internal storage as compared to the 11R 5G and for a good Rs 2,000 less. Yes, that’s 16 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage.

You get a similar-sized display here with the exact resolution, refresh rate, brightness figures and HDR10+ compliance, however, this one isn’t curved at the edges. A lot of people prefer a flat display like this. It is protected against scratches by Dragontrail Glass and the phone’s glass back has Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. This phone too runs Android 13 with OxygenOS 13.1, and one can expect more OS updates for a couple more years at least.

The camera department on the Nord 3 5G is very quite similar to the 11R 5G. It consists of a 50MP primary camera with OIS that does a good job in different lighting, along with an 8MP ultra-wide shooter and a 2MP macro camera. You get a 16MP selfie camera up front. The OnePlus Nord 3 5G has a 5000 mAh battery that lasts over a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 80W fast charger juices it up fully in just 37 minutes.

OnePlus Nord 3 5G price in India: Rs 37,999 for 16GB RAM/256GB storage

Google Pixel 7a
The Google Pixel 7a is quite similar to the more expensive Pixel 7 for significantly less money. Though the official price of this phone is Rs 43,999, you can currently get a Rs 4,000 instant discount on most popular credit cards on Flipkart, thus scoring the phone in our budget. Like other phones in the Pixel 7 series, the Pixel 7a is powered by Google’s current best Tensor G2 processor and offers 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage. It sports a compact 6.1-inch Full HD+ OLED display with 90Hz refresh rate and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The phone has an IP67 rating for ingress protection.

As you expect from a Pixel phone, you get the purest version of the latest Android 13 with the Material You design language. Other than speedy OS updates, the Pixel phones are known for their camera capabilities too, and the Google Pixel 7a delivers strongly in that department courtesy of two cameras at the back. You get a 64MP primary camera with OIS and a 13MP ultra-wide camera with 120-degrees FOV that do a great job in different lighting and modes. Software tricks like the Magic Eraser and Camouflage are great additions.

Google Pixel 7 price in India: Rs 39,999 (effectively) for 8GB RAM/128GB storage

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G holds on to its spot in this budget. This phone has a sleek design and also flaunts an IP68 rating for dust and fluid resistance. It has a 6.4-inch Full HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with HDR10+ compliance, 120Hz refresh rate and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection. It is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 2100 chip which can be found in several S21 series phones. You can get its 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage variant in this budget. The phone launched with Android 12, and is upgradeable to Android 13 with Samsung’s One UI 5.x.

The photography department on the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G comprises three cameras at the back starting with a 12MP primary camera with OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide shooter with 123 degrees FOV and an 8MP telephoto camera with OIS that provides 3X optical zoom. The camera performance is impressive with excellent detail and wide dynamic range, and a strong low light performance too. A 4500 mAh battery keeps the phone running for close to a day and a half of moderate use and supports wireless charging as well.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G price in India: Rs 39,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage

iQOO 9 5G
The iQOO 9 5G is a great option for those looking for a solid camera phone with ample storage, and now at an even better price. It is powered by Qualcomm’s former flagship Snapdragon 888+ chip, and you can get its 12 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage variant under 35K currently. Its 6.56-inch HDR10+ compliant Full HD+ AMOLED display has 120Hz refresh rate and can display a billion colour shades. The phone launched with Android 12 with FunTouch OS 12, and can be upgraded to Android 13 now. One can expect more software updates for this device in the future.

The rear camera department here is quite versatile. You get a 48MP primary camera with Gimbal stabilisation, accompanied by a 13MP ultra-wide camera and a 13MP 50 mm professional portrait camera for great portrait shots. The 16MP front camera is more than decent for selfies and video calls. The iQOO 9 5G has a 4350 mAh battery that can easily last over a day of moderate use, and the bundled 120W fast charger claims to charge it fully in just 18 minutes.

iQOO 9 5G price in India: Rs 33,990 for 12GB RAM/256GB storage