We are three months into 2018 and there have been some interesting developments in the smartphone world what with MWC 2018 taking place a couple of weeks ago. The highlight being of course the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ at Unpacked 2018. However, the past few months we have seen some new phones from the likes of Xiaomi that make it to this months list of best phones to buy.
While Xiaomi still dominates the budget and mid-range segments, higher up we see some spectacular flagships from last year that are still very much relevant today as well. Especially when some of them can now be purchased at a low price point than before. So without further ado, here are the best phones you can buy this month.
Cheapest phone worth buying
Redmi 5A: Rs 4,999As of now, the Redmi 5A is perhaps the biggest entry-level smartphone in the market. The handset takes everything that made the Redmi 4A work so well last year which includes offering a pleasing design along with good hardware performance. In terms of value-for-money, the Redmi 5A has it all for entry-level consumers looking to make a jump from feature phone to a smartphone.While its actual base price is Rs 5,999, the Redmi 5A can still be bought for Rs 4,999 until Xiaomi sells 50 lakh units.
The Redmi 5A sports a 5-inch HD IPS display and is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor coupled with Adreno 308 GPU. The dual-SIM phones runs Android Nougat-based MIUI 9 out-of-the-box and supports 4G LTE (VoLTE-ready) connectivity. Optics for the Redmi 5A includes a 13-megapixel camera on the rear with f/2.2 aperture, Phase Detection Autofocus and LED flash. Up front you get a 5-megapixel selfie camera. The handset houses a 3,000mAh battery that the company claims will offer up to 8 days of standby time.
Best phone under Rs 10,000
Redmi Note 5: Rs 9,999
Launched last month, the Redmi Note 5 is Xiaomi's latest budget smartphone that succeeds the extremely popular Redmi Note 4. To recall, the Redmi Note 4 was the top selling phone in the country last year and in all likelihood the Redmi Note 5 will look to follow suit. The Redmi Note 5 brings an 18:9 full-screen display along with all-round performance and a solid battery life among other things. With so much going for it, its hard not to call the Redmi Note 5 one of the best under Rs 10,000 smartphone right now.
Much like the Redmi Note 4, the Redmi Note 5 is powered by a 2GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset with Adreno 506 GPU. Similarly, it comes in two variants - one with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage and one with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, expandable up to 128GB via a hybrid microSD card slot. The biggest difference is that unlike the Redmi Note 4, the Redmi Note 5 sports 5.99-inch FHD+ (1080x2160) display with an 18:9 aspect ratio.
Best phone(s) under Rs 20,000
Honor 9 Lite: Rs 10,999
Huawei sub-brand Honor has been killing it in India in recent years, offering mid-range phones that have impressed in terms of design, hardware and price. After the Honor View 10 and Honor 9i, the company came out with the Honor 9 Lite at a very attractive price of Rs 10,999. It is compelling because you get four cameras, all glass design, 18:9 display and Android Oreo, among other things. Notably, it is also among the cheapest smartphones to feature Face Unlock after receiving the OTA update last month.
The Honor 9 Lite sports a 5.65-inch Full-HD+ display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by Huawei's Kirin 659 SoC coupled with 3GB or 4GB of RAM. You get 32GB or 64GB of internal storage depending on the RAM option which is expandable via a microSD card. The phone highlights a quad camera setup with 13MP+2MP dual cameras on the front and on the back. It houses a 3000mAh battery and runs Android 8.0 Oreo-based EMUI 8.0.
Redmi Note 5 Pro: Rs 13,999
Raining on the Redmi Note 5's parade is the bigger, more powerful Redmi Note 5 Pro. The handset looks like Redmi Note 5 in mostly all ways including a full-screen display and a premium metal build. The only difference on the outside is that the Pro model gets a dual rear camera setup. Inside, however, the Redmi Note 5 Pro packs a stronger hardware for those who want a little more punch in performance.
Best phone(s) under Rs 30,000
Nokia 8: Rs 27,600
HMD Global at MWC 2018 last unveiled a slew of smartphones that included the Nokia 8 Sirocco, which succeeds the Nokia 8. However, there is still a while before these handsets make it to India, which means for now, consumers will have to make do with the Nokia 8. And that's really not such a bad deal considering the Nokia 8 offers 2017s best specs combined with a stock Android Oreo experience at under Rs 30,000 following a massive price cut recently.
The Nokia 8 comes with a 5.3-inch quad-HD IPS display with 700 nits of brightness, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, which is further expandable by up to 256GB via a hybrid micro-SD card slot. The phone is backed by a 3,090mAh battery and supports Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging.
It sports a dual camera system on the rear, which comprises of a 13-megapixel RGB sensor and a 13-megapixel Monochrome sensor, and supports Optical Image Stabilisation, laser and phase detection autofocus and dual-LED flash. Up front you get a 13-megapixel sensor and the phone supports Dual-Sight, a feature that lets you use both the rear and front cameras simultaneously to take stills/record videos.
Honor View 10: Rs 29,999
If the Honor 8 Pro was considered the best under Rs 30,000 smartphone last year, the Honor View 10 looks to take that place in 2018. The View 10 is Honor's flagship smartphone that comes with a whole bunch of AI smarts along with high-end specifications and a great pair of dual rear cameras.
The Honor View 10 sports a 5.99-inch Full-HD+ (2160x1080) display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by the company's in-house Kirin 970 processor, which features a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for AI features such as advanced scene detection, voice recognition and natural language processing. It features a dual rear camera setup with one 16-megapixel RGB sensor and one 20-megapixel monochrome sensor both with an f/1.8 aperture.
We reviewed the View 10 and found it to be Honor's best smartphone yet thanks to its vibrant edge-to-edge display, stellar rear cameras, fast performance, great build quality and impressive battery.
Best phone under Rs 40,000
OnePlus 5T: Rs 32,999
With rumours about the OnePlus 6 already doing the rounds, it wont be long before the OnePlus 5T goes obsolete. Right now though, the 5T is still OnePlus bets flagship to date and powerhouse of a phone for under Rs 35,000. After receiving the Oreo update last month, the OnePlus 5T is even better and gives people another reason to go for it apart from powerful hardware, a sweet design and mostly impressive cameras.
The cameras on the OnePlus 5T have not received a major bump, although OnePlus says that they are better than the OnePlus. The dual camera system on the back comprises of one 16-megapixel Sony IMX398 sensor with 1.12-micron pixels and an f/1.7 aperture, and one 20-megapixel Sony IMX376K sensor with f/1.7 aperture. We reviewed the OnePlus 5T and found that the display is indeed one of its biggest highlights and its design and snappy performance make it the best OnePlus device as of now.
Best phone(s) money can buy
Pixel 2 XL: Rs 58,000
Google's second generation Pixel flagship smartphone offers perhaps the best Android experience one can ask for. Not only does the Pixel 2 XL offer the purest Android experience, but it also come with top-of-the-line hardware, a dull-screen display and some of the best cameras on a smartphone to date. For a lot of people, these should make up for the Pixel 2 XL's unfortunate display issues. For those looking at a premium Android smartphone right now, the Pixel 2 XL is perhaps the best option out there.
As far as hardware is concerned, the Pixel 2 XL comes with mostly all of 2017's flagship trimmings including a Snapdragon 835 processor, 12.2-megapixel rear camera with f/1.8 aperture, an 8-megapixel camera has an aperture of f/2.4, and a 3520mAh battery, among other things. DxOMark has given the Pixel 2 XL's cameras a score of 98, which until last month was the highest overall score for a smartphone. In our review, the handset indeed comes with exceptional cameras that are beyond comparable.
Samsung Galaxy S9+: Rs 64,900
Samsung announced the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ a day ahead of MWC 2018 on February 25 and just two weeks later the company launched the flagships in India. The successors to the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ highlight top-of-the-line hardware specs and improved cameras while leaving the overall design largely unchanged. Samsung has loaded the phones with a host of new features inside such as Intelligent Scan, AR Emoji and Super Slo-mo mode among other things.
The dual camera setup includes one 12-megapixel sensor with adjustable aperture (f1.5/f.2.4) and OIS and a 12-megapixel secondary telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture. We are yet to review the flagship, but based on our initial impressions, the Galaxy S9+ impresses on performance and cameras while maintaining the same attractive design language as its predecessor.
iPhone X: Rs 80,999
The iPhone X being the most expensive iPhone one can find in India wraps up our list for March. For all reasons, both good and bad, the iPhone X is the biggest and probably the best iPhone from the Cupertino giant to date. The X brings a whole new design language for the company that includes an edge-to-edge display with a notch cut out on top that is unfortunately catching on. Thanks to some hike in custom duties over the months, the iPhone X has gotten a little more pricier than before. However, you can find the X on e-commerce platforms like Amazon India for as low as Rs 80,999.
iPhone X sports a 5.8-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2436X1125 pixels. It is powered by the company's own A11 Bionic chipset and runs on iOS 11. The X comes with dual rear cameras comprising of one 12-megapixel wide angle and one 12-megapixel telephoto lens. While the front camera includes a 7-megapixel sensor which is coupled with f/2.2 lens. The iPhone X is one of our best reviewed smartphones as it won us over on it's gorgeous display, terrific performance and stellar cameras. Die-hard Apple fans who have the means will not want to miss this one.
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