iPhone 15 to iPhone 16: Top 5 smartphones under Rs 1 lakh in India

As we prepare the final smartphone buying guide of the year, we focus on phones priced up to a lakh Rupees. We believe that Rs 100,000 is a fair enough budget to purchase almost whatever one needs right now, even if the price cap for cellphones has been rising year. Along with excellent features and performance, one must also receive good value for money within that budget. The top smartphones in India that are worthy of that amount of money are listed below.

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1. OnePlus Open

The OnePlus Open's affordability at the conclusion of this year is the biggest surprise. The Open is jam-packed with flagship features and was a very good start for the firm in the foldable smartphone market. Its weight and thickness have been reduced without sacrificing build quality thanks to some clever design choices and material selections, and the display crease is hardly noticeable.

Speaking of displays, both the inner and exterior screens are excellent for productivity and fun. The external display has a resolution of 2484 x 1116 pixels and is 6.31 inches in size. A bigger 7.82-inch screen with a resolution of 2440 x 2268 pixels appears when it is opened.

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An OmniVision OV64B 64MP periscope telephoto camera with OIS that offers 3X optical zoom and 6X hybrid near-lossless zoom, a 48MP ultra-wide camera with Sony's IMX581 sensor, 114-degree field of view, and autofocus that can also be used as a macro camera, and a 48MP primary camera with a Sony LYTIA-T808 CMOS sensor and OIS are all included.

Naturally, Hasselblad colour correction and their portrait shooting techniques are included for better photos. The software on the phone, OxygenOS 14, which is based on Android 14 (and may be upgraded to Android 15), adjusts flawlessly to the two displays.

2. Google Pixel 9 Pro

Google's top Tensor G4 processor powers this phone, and it comes with 256GB of internal storage and 16GB of RAM. It has a crisp 6.3-inch LTPO OLED screen with HDR10+ compliance, a resolution of 2856 x 1280 pixels, a refresh rate of 120 Hz, and a maximum brightness of 3000 nits. Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protects both the screen and the glass back from scratches.

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Additionally, this phone has an IP68 rating to protect it from water and dust. With the Material You design language, Pixel phones deliver the purest version of Android 15. In order to keep this phone current and safe for a long time, Google offers an amazing seven years of OS and security upgrades. In addition to their quick OS upgrades, Pixel phones are renowned for their cameras, and the Pixel 9 Pro is one of the best available.

3. Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus

Like the iPhone 16, the iPhone 15 also features a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a resolution of 2556 x 1179 pixels, a peak brightness of 2000 nits, and support for HDR10 and Dolby Vision. It also features a USB-C charging port and the Dynamic Island. The phone's small size, light weight, and IP68-rated ingress protection make it feel fantastic in the hand.

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The Apple iPhone 15 Plus is a good option if you want a larger screen and a larger battery. The Plus has a bigger 6.7-inch screen with 2796 x 1290 pixel resolution and a 4383 mAh battery, compared to the 15's 3349 mAh. Both phones include Apple's A16 Bionic CPU, which is still strong enough for the majority of tasks, and allow both wired and wireless charging. iOS 18 is currently available for the Apple iPhone 15 series, with several further OS upgrades to come.
 

4. Apple iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus

With a resolution of 2556 x 1179 pixels, a peak brightness of 2000 nits, and compatibility with HDR10 and Dolby Vision, the iPhone 16 has a dazzling 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display. A bigger 6.7-inch screen with a better resolution of 2796 x 1290 pixels is included in the Plus model. Other aspects of the presentation are unchanged.

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The iPhone 16's smaller size and lighter weight make it more comfortable to hold. In comparison to the iPhone 16's 3561 mAh battery, the 16 Plus's 4674 mAh battery is substantially bigger and lasts much longer. Both phones feature wireless charging and have IP68-rated ingress protection. These gadgets use a USB-C charging connector and are powered by Apple's recently released A18 SoC. The most recent iOS 18 is available for the Apple iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, with further OS upgrades to come.

You get a 48MP main camera that offers dual-pixel PDAF and optical image stabilisation (OIS). The secondary 12MP ultra-wide camera now gets auto-focus and thus macro capabilities; a welcome addition. The 12MP front camera here has been around for a few generations now. 

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5. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Numerous tech professionals acknowledge the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra as one of the top flagship Android phones. The phone has a sturdy construction and is the first model in the Galaxy S series to include a titanium frame, like the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra has a 6.8-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display with a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 CPU, 12GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage power the smartphone. It is now running One UI 6.1.1, which is based on Android 14, and it will shortly receive Android 15. Additionally, Samsung offers seven years of Android updates.

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A 200MP primary camera, a 10MP telephoto camera, a 50MP periscope telephoto camera, and a 12MP ultrawide camera make up the Galaxy S24 Ultra's quad camera configuration for photography.