Apple iPhone SE, OnePlus 7T to iQOO 3: Best phones under Rs 40,000 (Sept 2020)

With a budget of Rs 40,000, there are a handful of flagship phones to choose from this month with fancy cameras, excellent displays and top-of-the-line processing power among other things. What’s more, you can even buy an iPhone in this budget, and a recent launch at that. We have shortlisted five handsets for you to choose from that we feel are the best phones under Rs 40,000 this month.

Best phones to buy under Rs 40,000 in India

OnePlus 7T

Thankfully the OnePlus 7T (Review) is still available in India. Despite the arrival of the OnePlus 8 (Review), this phone remains a solid option. In fact, an even better option if you want more versatile cameras. The excessively high price tag of the OnePlus 8 makes the 7T a smarter buy, as it doesn’t miss out on any of the key features of its successor (barring 5G), and the top variant of this phone with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage can be purchased in this budget.[caption id="attachment_7831981" align="alignnone" width="1024"] OnePlus 7T[/caption]It has a stylish design with a metal frame and glass body protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 at the front and back. There’s a 6.55-inch Full HD+ Fluid AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate for a smooth, flicker-free visual experience. The OnePlus 7T is powered by Qualcomm’s previous flagship Snapdragon 855+ SoC and has a 3800 mAh battery that keeps it running for a full day under moderate usage. You also get the popular Dart charger in the package that doesn’t take long to charge the phone fully.You have a triple camera setup at the back of the OnePlus 7T helmed by a 48MP primary camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and pixel binning, a 16MP ultrawide camera with autofocus and a 12MP telephoto camera that provides 2X optical zoom. The cameras manage to shoot some impressive images in various modes and lighting conditions. A tiny drop notch at the top of the screen hosts a 16MP camera for selfies and video calls. It runs Oxygen OS on top of Android 10, which is arguably the best Android UI around.OnePlus 7T price in India: Rs 37,999 for 8 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage

Realme X3 SuperZoom

If you need another option with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855+ chip and fancier cameras, say hello to the Realme X3 SuperZoom (Review). You can get its top variant with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage for a few thousand Rupees lower than the 7T. The display here is pretty impressive too, with a 6.6-inch Full HD+ screen that flaunts a higher 120 Hz refresh rate. But you get a LCD display instead of AMOLED. The screen is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5.[caption id="attachment_8582831" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Realme X3 SuperZoom[/caption]The design isn’t unique and is common to several Realme phones, but the textured glass back does look stylish. The camera department on the Realme X3 SuperZoom is quite versatile and includes an 8MP periscope telephoto camera with OIS that gives you 5X optical zoom. It is accompanied by a 64MP primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide shooter and a 2MP macro camera. Selfie enthusiasts are in for a treat too, with two cameras at the front (32MP + 8MP) taking care of selfies and video calls.A 4200 mAh battery keeps the phone powered for over a day of moderate usage, but what’s even better is that the bundled 30W fast charger juices it up fully in just about an hour. The Realme X3 SuperZoom runs Android 10 with Realme UI on top.Realme X3 SuperZoom price in India: Rs 32,999 for 12 GB RAM/256 GB storage

iQOO 3

Moving on from the last generation flagship chip to the current generation, the iQOO 3 (Review) from the Vivo sub-brand flaunts an impressive set of specifications and features, starting with the latest Qualcomm flagship Snapdragon 865 SoC. You get an 8 GB RAM variant of this phone with either 128 GB or 256 GB of internal storage, fitting comfortably in this budget. Its 4400 mAh battery does a good job of supplying it with sufficient juice to last over a day of moderate usage. On top of that, the company also bundles a 55W fast charger to recharge it in double-quick time.[caption id="attachment_8106021" align="alignnone" width="1280"] iQOO 3[/caption]The iQOO 3 comes with a 6.44-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED screen with Corning Gorilla Glass 6 on top, and HDR10+ support. There’s a versatile quad camera setup at the back that combines a 48MP primary camera, 13MP ultrawide camera, 13MP telephoto camera for 2X optical zoom and a 2MP depth sensor. You also get a 16MP selfie camera located in a tiny punch-hole at the top right of the screen. This phone too runs Android 10 with iQOO’s custom UI on top.iQOO 3 price in India: Rs 34,990 for 8 GB RAM/ 128 GB storage; 37,990 for 8 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite

Samsung too has a more than decent handsets in this budget, and from their popular Note series. The Galaxy Note 10 Lite (Review) has a large 6.7-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED Plus Infinity-O display that’s HDR compliant. It is powered by a powerful Exynos 9810 chip and is accompanied by either 6 GB or 8 GB RAM and 128 GB of internal (expandable) storage. Its 4500 mAh battery lasts well over a day of moderate usage, and the bundled fast charger does a good job of juicing it up quickly. Another key aspect of this phone is the S-pen that accompanies it, which is a signature accessory in Samsung Galaxy Note series handsets.[caption id="attachment_8070951" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite[/caption]Camera department is quite interesting here. While other companies and handsets have bumped up the megapixel count, Samsung has opted for three 12MP cameras on the Note 10 Lite. The primary camera supports dual pixel PDAF and OIS, while the second 12MP telephoto camera provides you with 2X optical zoom, and it has OIS too. The third 12MP camera lets you shoot in ultrawide mode. You also get a 32MP camera at the front to woo selfie enthusiasts. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite runs Android 10 with One UI on top.Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite price in India: Rs 37,999 for 6 GB RAM/ 128 GB storage; Rs 39,999 for 8 GB RAM/ 128 GB storage

Apple iPhone SE (2020)

You can now have a bite of the Apple in this budget. And not one from three generations ago, but from the current lot. The new Apple iPhone SE may borrow its looks and a lot of specifications from the iPhone 8, but not the processor. It is powered by Apple's latest A13 Bionic chip that you get on all iPhone 11 series phones. So think of it as an Apple iPhone 8 with a faster processor and a lower price tag.[caption id="attachment_8264131" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Apple iPhone SE. Image: Apple[/caption]It has a 4.7-inch Retina LCD display with the typical 326 PPI pixel density. You get Apple’s ever-reliable 12MP camera at the back with OIS and a 7MP selfie camera up front. The phone is IP67 rated dust and water resistant and runs iOS 13; it is certainly upgradable to the new iOS 14. You can pick up the 64 GB storage variant within this budget. With the availability of Apple iPhone SE in this budget, I won’t be surprised to see a lot of potential Android buyers switch their loyalty to the iOS ecosystem to get a taste of the hype.Apple iPhone SE price in India: Rs 37,900 for 64 GB storage variant