Best Phone Under 40000 To buy In 2021
The contribution of premium segment smartphones to the Indian smartphone market share is gaining momentum with each quarter, as brands are bringing their flagship smartphones to the under Rs 40,000 segment.

If you buy a smartphone that costs Rs 40,000 in India today, you get a real flagship smartphone in terms of the chipset, premium design, a high refresh rate display, fast charging speeds, and more. In this segment, you are most likely to miss out on features like IP rating and wireless charging on most phones. Apart from these two features, you get everything that a premium flagship offers.
1.OnePlus 9R 5G

SPECIFICATION | ||
---|---|---|
Screen Size | : | 6.55″ (1080 x 2400) |
Camera | : | 48 + 16 + 8 + 2 | 16 MP |
RAM | : | 8 GB |
Battery | : | 4500 mAh |
Operating system | : | Android |
Soc | : | Qualcomm SM8250-AC Snapdragon 870 5G |
Processor | : | Octa-core |
The OnePlus 9R is one of the most popular phones under Rs 40,000 in India. The phone offers a high 120Hz refresh rate and has a premium metal-glass build. Furthermore, the screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 5 as is the back panel. It is powered by the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor with upto 3.2GHz clock speeds and is being offered with upto 12GB RAM and 256GB storage options to choose from. It’s got quad cameras on the back with 48MP primary camera, 16MP ultra-wide-angle camera, 5MP macro camera and 2MP monochrome camera. The OnePlus 9R is equipped with a 4,500 mAh battery that supports 65W fast charging which can fully charge the phone in 39 minutes.
Pros | Cons |
Premium design and build Good display Powerful performance | Uses old camera sensors No curved display |
2.iQoo 7 Legend 5G

SPECIFICATION | ||
---|---|---|
Screen Size | : | 6.62″ FHD+, AMOLED, 120Hz |
Camera | : | 48+13+13MP|16MP |
RAM | : | 8/12GB |
Battery | : | 4,000mAh, 66W |
Operating system | : | Android |
Soc | : | Snapdragon 888 |
Processor | : | Octa-core |
iQoo 7 Legend is the top-of-the-line flagship phone from the brand. It is basically the iQoo 7 BMW Edition from China. The iQoo 7 Legend is also one of the cheapest phones with a Snapdragon 888 processor. There’s also a 4,096sqmm vapor chamber to keep the thermals in check. The device is made up of pure white matte surface AG matte glass on the back along with a race track-inspired design.
The iQoo 7 Legend offers a 66W Flash Charger which can charge the 4,000mAh battery to full in about 22 minutes. You also get “enhanced” UFS 3.1 storage, LPDDR5 RAM, and virtual RAM. On the visual front, the device comes with a 6.62-inch AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and 300Hz touch sampling rate. It also offers HDR10+ certification and an in-display fingerprint scanner.
In terms of optics, the iQoo 7 Legend sports an optically stabilized 48MP camera(Sony IMX 598), a 13MP ultra-wide lens that doubles as a macro shooter, and a 13MP portrait lens with a focal length of 50mm. For selfies, there’s a 16MP camera on the front.
Pros | Cons |
Performance Display Stereo speakers | Battery Software |
3.Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro

SPECIFICATION | ||
---|---|---|
Screen Size | : | 6.67″ (2400 x 1080) |
Camera | : | 108 + 8 + 5 | 20 MP |
RAM | : | 8 GB |
Battery | : | 4520 mAh |
Operating system | : | Android |
Soc | : | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G |
Processor | : | Octa-core |
The Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro is the company’s flagship phone with top of the line specs. The Mi 11X Pro offers a 108MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide lens and a 5MP tele-macro shooter. For selfies, there is a 20MP camera. The device is powered by Snapdragon 888 processor which performs exceptionally well, but does heat up during extensive usage or gaming sessions.
The Mi 11X Pro also comes with an excellent Samsung E4 Super AMOLED panel with a 120Hz screen refresh rate – this is one of the best displays on a smartphone we’ve seen in the segment. The phone runs off a 4,520mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging which can charge the device within an hour. MIUI 12 is still not a bloat free software, but it does not show up. All in all, the Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro is a great buy for the price.
Pros | Cons |
Aggressive price E4 AMOLED panel Cameras | MIUI needs some work No the fastest charging |
4.Google Pixel 4a

SPECIFICATION | ||
---|---|---|
Screen Size | : | 5.8 |
Camera | : | 12.2MP|8MP |
RAM | : | 6 GB |128GB |
Battery | : | 3140 mAh |
Operating system | : | Android |
Soc | : | Snapdragon 730G |
Processor | : | N.A |
Google Pixel 4a was launched in India for an introductory price of Rs 29,999 during the festive season. Now that the festive season is done, the Google Pixel 4a is now available for Rs 31,999. Even with the slight price bump, the Google Pixel 4a is worth it if you are looking for one of the best cameras in this segment, Stock Android, and a relatively smaller form factor phone.
With the Google Pixel 4a, you are looking at a 5.8-inch Full HD+ display. It is a pretty standard device with a 60hz refresh rate, a Snapdragon 730G chipset, mediocre battery life, etc. Be vary of the cheap-feeling plastic back as well. The Google Pixel 4a also comes with the latest features that Android has to offer and will be first in line for OS updates.
Pros | Cons |
One-handed use possible Powerful single camera Faster Android updates Headphone jack | Mediocre battery life |
5.Samsung Galaxy A72

SPECIFICATION | ||
---|---|---|
Screen Size | : | 6.7″ FHD+, AMOLED, 90Hz |
Camera | : | 12.2MP|8MP |
RAM | : | 64+12+8+5MP |
Battery | : | 5000mAh |
Operating system | : | Android |
Soc | : | Snapdragon 720G |
Processor | : | N.A |
The Samsung Galaxy A72 is Samsung’s newest A series phone in the affordable flagship space with not so flagship processor inside. The device is powered by Snapdragon 720G chipset which we have seen on many budget phones under Rs 15,000. While the performance is decent enough, this is one thing that definitely falls short in the Rs 40,000 segment.
If you are happy with some decent performance, the Galaxy A72 does bring some good features such as a big 6.7-inch Full HD 90Hz AMOLED display, IP67 water and dust resistance rating, 64MP quad cameras, and a big 5,000mAh battery with a beautiful design. However, you get only 25W fast charging which is not the best in the segment either. Samsung has promised 3 major Android upgrades and 4 years of security updates.
Pros | Cons |
IP67 rating Display Promising cameras | Not the best chipset in the segment Slower charging speeds |
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