The budget flagship category is quite an exciting one. After all, these smartphones offer the top-of-the-line specifications and experience at half or two-third the cost of a flagship. Chinese smartphone brand OnePlus had revolutionised this category few years ago with the launch of OnePlus One. Over the years, many brands have joined the bandwagon. If you are planning to buy a smartphone in the range of Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000, we have compiled a list of latest launches in this price category:
1) Oppo Reno 2F: Rs 25,990
The new Oppo Reno 2F is powered by the MediaTek Helio P70 and comes with 6.53-inch full HD+ AMOLED display with 91.1 per cent screen-to-body ratio. The Reno 2F runs on Android 9 Pie with ColorOS 6.1 The phone from Oppo will have an 8GB RAM, and 128GB storage model and will support a 4,000mAh battery with VOOC 3.0 Flash Charge technology. This quad-camera phone has a 48MP primary camera with 8MP wide-angle lens, 2MP mono lens and 2MP portrait lens.
2) Samsung Galaxy A50s: Rs 22,999 onwards
After losing its market dominance to Chinese players, this year Samsung has been aggressive in the Indian market. The Galaxy A50s USP is the 48MP main camera with night mode, which the company claims can capture great shots even in extreme low light conditions. This has been clubbed with 8MP ultra-wide camera with its 123-degree viewing angle and a 5MP live focus lens for bokeh shots. It features a 6.4-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-U display and is equipped with on-screen fingerprint unlocking. It is powered by 10nm Exynos 9611 chipset with AI-powered Game Booster, and packs in a 4000 mAh battery with 15W Fast Charge technology. The phone is available in two configurations - 4GB RAM with 128GB storage and 6GB RAM with 128GB storage.
3) Samsung Galaxy A70s: Rs 28,999 onwards
Featuring a 6.7-inch display with a resolution of 1080x2400 pixels, the Galaxy A70s packs in a 4500 mAh battery and supports fast charging. Running Android 9 Pie, it is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 processor and comes with 6GB of RAM. This is the 64MP camera phone from Samsung's stable. The triple camera module at the rear has a primary 64MP camera along with an 8MP ultra-wide camera and 5MP depth camera. There is a 32-megapixel camera on the front for selfies.
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4) Oppo Reno 2Z: Rs 29,990
Quad-camera setup seems to be becoming a standard these days. The new Oppo Reno 2z features a 6.53-inch full-HD+ display with a quad-camera setup. The main camera has a 48MP IMX586 sensor and is supported by a 119-degree 8MP wide-angle lens, 2MP mono and 2MP portrait sensor. The phone runs on MediaTek Helio P90 SoC with 8GM RAM and 256GB internal storage. Oppo Reno 2Z, like Oppo Reno 2 has a 4,000 mAh battery and supports VOOC 3.0 charging.
5) Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro: Rs 27,999
Price starting at Rs 27,999, the new Redmi K20 Pro ticks all right boxes with flagship specifications and fancy features such as pop-up selfie camera and in-display fingerprint scanner. It has got a 6.39-inch super AMOLED screen with colour shift patterns at the rear. The triple camera setup at the rear - 48MP primary camera, 8MP telephoto lens and 13MP ultra-wide lens - are praise-worthy and there is a 20MP front camera. The phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor and runs on MIUI 10.3.1 and is backed by a 4000 mAh battery. Available in two storage capacities - 6GB RAM with 128 GB storage for 27,999 and 8GB RAM with 256 GB storage for Rs 30,999.
6) Vivo V17 Pro: Rs 29,990
Pop-up cameras are not new these days but a dual pop-up selfie camera is. The Vivo V17 Pro features a 32MP Dual Pop-Up Selfie camera along with moonlight flash. The rear camera setup comprises 48MP primary camera, 8MP super macro lens, 2MP depth camera and 13MP 2x Optical Zoom. It features a 6.44-inch full HD+ display and is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 processor, which the company claims require low power consumption. It is paired with 8GB RAM plus 128GB ROM. The phone is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6 and has dual-engine fast charging support.
7) Lenovo Z6 Pro: Rs 33,999
The Lenovo Z6 Pro is the flagship offering from the company. Powered by the latest Qualcomm 855 processor, its key features include Hyper Video AI Quad Camera, Cold front Water Cooling, and the 6th generation in-display fingerprint unlock. It features a 3D gradient body and 6.39-inch Full HD+ display with DC Dimming and HDR 10 support. It is equipped with quad cameras with 48MP primary Samsung GM1 sensor, 8MP secondary sensor, and two 2MP mono and portrait sensors. For selfies, it has a 16MP raising selfie camera at the front.
8) Oppo Reno 2: Rs 36,990
Coming from Oppo, the Reno 2 comes with a stylish camera in the mid-flagship category. It features a48MP main camera, 8MP wide-angle lens, 13MP telephoto lens, and 2MP mono Lens. There is a 16MP rising selfie camera as well. It houses a 6.5-inch screen with 93.5 per cent screen-to-body ratio and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6. Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 processor, it is paired with 8GB of RAM, comes with 256GB of internal storage and 4000mAh battery.
9) OnePlus 7t: Rs 37,999
Unlike other Chinese players, OnePlus doesn't launch multiple smartphones. Its latest offering OnePlus 7T is worth considering. Although it has come just a few months after the OnePlus 7, it is powered by the new Snapdragon 855+ chipset. It has a 90Hz AMOLED display and supports 30W fast charging. It looks premium with triple camera module and 48MP primary sensor. Although there are a few bugs in the camera app, the company is working to fix those. More importantly, it runs OxygenOS 10 (based on Android 10), a clean user interface that is quite close to stock Android.
10) Asus ROG Phone 2: Rs 37,999 onwards
With almost all smartphones capable of handling gaming apps, there has been a sudden influx of dedicated gaming smartphones. The latest entrant is the ASUS ROG Phone II featuring a 6.65-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, 10-bit HDR support and an optical in-display fingerprint sensor. Running Android 9.0 Pie with stock Android, it is powered by the latest flagship processor - Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ clocked at 2.96GHz with Qualcomm Adreno 640 GPU, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB onboard storage.
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