Best phones under Rs 75,000 (Oct-Nov 2024): Apple iPhone 15, OnePlus 12 to Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 5G

It’s the festive season in India, which translates into online and offline sales, and as a result, a great time to buy or upgrade your electronics. If you have been considering buying a premium phone this Diwali, you need to pull the trigger soon. To save you the trouble of research and deal hunting, we have shortlisted the top half a dozen options to choose from. Here are the best flagship-grade phones under Rs 75,000 in India at the moment.

Best phones to buy under Rs 75,000 in India

Apple iPhone 15/ 15 Plus

You can now purchase the Apple iPhone 15 in this budget with a few bucks to spare. Or if you prefer a bigger screen and a higher capacity battery, the iPhone 15 Plus is also an option. Even better, you don’t have to settle for their base variants and can opt for one with 256GB storage instead on Flipkart. Needless to say, the iPhone 15 series brings a lot of new things to the table, especially the USB-C charging port instead of the proprietary Lightning port in the older models.

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Image Credit: Firstpost | Mehul Reuben Das

The iPhone 15 has a bright 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a resolution of 2556x1179 pixels, 2000 nits peak brightness and HDR10 and Dolby Vision compliance. It has the Dynamic Island too (Apple's fancy notch) that was first introduced in the 14 Pro series. The phone feels great in hand due to its compact size and low weight, and has IP68-rated ingress protection.

The main camera has now been upgraded from 12MP to 48MP and offers dual-pixel PDAF and optical image stabilisation (OIS). You also get a 12MP ultra-wide secondary and a 12MP selfie camera. The performance in photography and videography is excellent, as one expects from an iPhone. The Apple iPhone 15 launched with iOS 17 with more OS updates to follow over the years.

The Apple iPhone 15 Plus has similar specs as the non-Plus model barring screen and battery. The Plus sports a larger 6.7-inch display with a resolution of 2796x1290 pixels and a 4383mAh battery as opposed to 3349mAh on the 15. Both phones support wired and wireless charging and are powered by Apple’s A16 Bionic chip, which is sufficiently powerful for most tasks.

Apple iPhone 15 price in India: Rs 66,599 for 256GB storage

Apple iPhone 15 Plus price in India: Rs 74,999 for 256GB storage

Samsung Galaxy S24 5G/ S24+ 5G

Just like Apple, you have the Samsung duo to choose from which are similar in most ways barring their sizes. The Samsung Galaxy S24 5G from the company’s current generation flagship lineup is selling for well under Rs 75,000 on Amazon India. The phone is powered by the Exynos 2400 chip which is almost as powerful as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. You can get the 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage variant of the phone in this budget. This phone too is fairly compact and has IP68-rated dust and fluid resistance.

It sports an Armor Aluminium 2 frame and a glass back with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which also protects the screen. The Samsung Galaxy S24 5G has a 6.2-inch Full HD+ Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display with a peak brightness of 2600 nits, HDR10+ compliance and 120 Hz refresh rate. The phone runs the latest Android 14 with Samsung’s One UI 6.1. Samsung promises 7 major Android updates in the future!

Image Credit: Firstpost | Mehul Reuben Das

The photography department consists of three cameras at the back a 50MP primary camera with dual pixel PDAF and OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide camera with Super Steady video support and a 10MP telephoto camera with OIS for 3X optical zoom. You also get a 12MP front camera with PDAF for selfies and video calls. The camera performance is best in class, and can also record videos in 8K resolution.

If you prefer a larger screen, opt for the Samsung Galaxy S24+ variant instead which is currently available for the exact price on Flipkart. It has a larger and higher resolution (3120x1440 pixels) 6.7-inch display. While the two phones are identical when it comes to processing power or cameras, the Plus variant does have a bit more RAM and a larger 4900mAh battery as compared to the 4000mAh on the S24. It supports faster wired charging too, while wireless charging specs are the same for both.

Samsung Galaxy S24 5G price in India: Rs 59,500 for 8GB RAM/256GB storage

Samsung Galaxy S24+ 5G price in India: Rs 64,999 for 12GB RAM/256GB storage

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 5G

Did I say Samsung Duo? In fact, there’s a third option too, which may be a generation older but is still fully loaded, and going under 75K on Amazon India. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 5G is a total package from raw performance to a camera system that will leave you in awe. Add to that a vibrant display, elegant design, powerful processor and last but by no means the least, the ‘noteworthy’ S Pen.

Image Credit: Firstpost | Mehul Reuben Das

The photography department here is helmed by a 200MP primary camera with multi-directional PDAF, laser auto-focus and OIS. Giving it company is a pair of 10MP telephoto cameras with OIS, one with 3X optical zoom and the other with a periscope telephoto lens for 10X optical zoom - still one of the best in the business. There’s also a 12MP ultra-wide camera with dual-pixel PDAF. The cameras do a stellar job across the board in photography and videography.

True to its Note DNA, it has a large 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with HDR10+ compliance and 120 Hz refresh rate. It is powered by a custom Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip that has been overclocked and tuned specifically for this device. You get a generous 12GB RAM and 256GB internal storage. The phone debuted with OneUI 5.1 based on Android 13 and is upgradeable to Android 14 with OneUI 6.x. Samsung has promised many more updates, keeping this device relevant for a long time.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra price in India: Rs 73,999 for 12GB RAM/256GB storage

OnePlus 12

Beyond Apple and Samsung, the OnePlus flagship is a great option too in this budget. The OnePlus 12 continues with the OnePlus 11 design language, and retains the curved display, slim bezels and the circular camera island at the back. However, this phone is a little larger and heavier due to a bigger display and battery and support for wireless charging. The phone runs the latest OxygenOS 14 based on Android 14 with more OS and security updates to follow.

Image Credit: Firstpost | Ameya Dalvi

The OnePlus 12 has a 6.82-inch curved QHD+ LTPO display, which is significantly brighter with a peak brightness of 4500 nits. You get variable refresh rate ranging between 1 Hz to 120 Hz and compliance with Dolby Vision and HDR10+. A 5400mAh battery keeps the phone running for a day and a half of moderate use comfortably, and the bundled 100W charger juices it up in less than 30 minutes. It also supports fast wireless charging.

The OnePlus 12 is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, and you can opt for either 12GB RAM and 256GB UFS 4.0 storage or 16GB RAM with double the storage. The rear camera department is impressive, starting with a 50MP primary camera with OIS and Sony's LYT-808 sensor. The support cast impresses with a 48MP ultrawide camera with auto-focus that also doubles up as a macro camera and a 64MP periscope telephoto camera with OIS that provides 3X optical zoom and 6X in-sensor zoom. Hasselblad colour tuning and portrait tricks are also available.

OnePlus 12 price in India: Rs 61,999 for 12GB RAM/256GB storage

Rs 66,999 for 16GB RAM/512GB storage