Best phones under Rs 50,000 (Feb 2025): OnePlus 13R, iQOO 12 5G to Samsung Galaxy S23 5G 

Our list of phones under Rs 50,000 this month is packed with proper flagship-grade features like top of the line processing hardware with ample RAM and storage (most of them), excellent and versatile cameras and more. In fact, a couple of them have been previous generation flagships of their respective brands. Without further ado, let’s go ahead and meet the best smartphones under Rs 50,000 in India this month.

Best phones to buy under Rs 50,000 in India

OnePlus 13R

The fairly new OnePlus 13R is a great option in this budget. It is powered by Qualcomm’s previous powerhouse Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, and you get to choose between its 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage or 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage variants in this budget. The storage has now been upgraded to UFS 4.0 as opposed to UFS 3.1 on its predecessor. The phone runs the latest OxygenOS 15 based on Android 15, and OnePlus has promised four major OS updates for this phone going ahead.

The 13R has an impressive 6.78-inch LTPO4 AMOLED display with a resolution of 2780 x 1264 pixels and Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection. The HDR10+ and Dolby Vision-compliant screen supports 10-bit colour depth, 120 Hz refresh rate and 4500 nits peak brightness. Battery capacity sees a jump to 6000 mAh while making the phone slimmer than the 12R; an impressive feat. It keeps the phone running for well over a day and a half of moderate use. The bundled 100W charger juices it up fully in under an hour.

Camera department on the OnePlus 13R also sees a noticeable upgrade in the form of a 50MP telephoto camera in place of the long redundant 2MP macro shooter. Though modest, the 2X optical zoom is more than handy and helps in portrait photography too. Other than that, you get a quality 50MP primary camera with OIS that does a very good job in varied lighting. The 8MP ultrawide camera and the 16MP selfie camera have been retained.  

OnePlus 13R price in India: Rs 42,998 for 12 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage; Rs 49,998 for 16 GB RAM/ 512 GB storage

iQOO 12 5G

The iQOO 12 5G is another loaded smartphone in this budget. This too is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, and you get its 12 GB RAM and 256 GB UFS 4.0 storage variant in this budget. With the right payment method, you can even score in its  512 GB variant under 50K. This phone has a 10-bit 6.78-inch HDR10+ compliant LTPO AMOLED display with a resolution of 2800 x 1260 pixels and 144 Hz refresh rate. It can get up to 3000 nits bright.

Rear camera department on the iQOO 12 flaunts an impressive trio. It is helmed by a 50MP primary camera with OIS, and accompanied by a 50MP ultra-wide camera with auto-focus that provides macro photography capabilities too. And you also have a 64MP periscope telephoto camera with OIS that gives you 3X optical zoom and doubles up as a quality portrait camera too. The 16MP front camera handles selfies and video calls quite well.  

The iQOO 12 5G is fitted with a 5000 mAh battery that lasts for a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 120W fast charger can charge it fully in less than 30 minutes. The phone launched with Android 14 with FunTouch OS 14 and is upgradeable to Android 15, with the company promising a few more OS updates over the next three years at least.

iQOO 12 5G price in India: Rs 45,999 for 12 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage

Motorola Edge 50 Ultra

If you prefer a near-stock Android UI, the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra is the phone for you. This is another fully loaded device with oodles of style, thanks to some cool back panel options. This phone has an IP68 rated ingress protection. You get a curved 10-bit 6.7-inch P-OLED display with higher than Full HD resolution, 144 Hz refresh rate, 2500 nits peak brightness and HDR10+ compliance. It has Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection against scratches.  

This phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC and accompanied by 12 GB RAM and 512 GB internal storage. You get three versatile cameras at the back that cover all the key bases. It has a 50MP primary camera with OIS, a 64MP periscope telephoto camera with OIS that offers 3X optical zoom and a 50MP ultra-wide camera with auto-focus, which doubles up as a quality macro camera. And not to forget the 50MP front camera with auto-focus to woo the selfie enthusiasts.  

A 4500 mAh battery can power the phone for well over a day of moderate use and the bundled 125W turbo charger promises to juice it up fully in double quick time. The Motorola Edge 50 Ultra runs Android 14, and the company has promised at least three more major Android updates for this device.

Motorola Edge 50 Ultra price in India: Rs 49,999 for 12 GB RAM/ 512 GB storage

Samsung Galaxy S23 5G

Moving on from current generation devices to previous flagships, the Samsung Galaxy S23 5G can be purchased comfortably in this budget with more than a few bucks to spare. The phone is powered by Qualcomm’s two generations old Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, which is still quite powerful for most tasks. You get 8 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage to go with it. The phone launched with Android 13 and Samsung’s One UI 5.1 and can be updated to Android 15 with One UI 6.x. More software updates are expected in the future.

This phone is fairly compact and has IP68 rated dust and water resistance. It sports an aluminium frame and a glass back with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 at the front and back for protection against scratches and cracks. The S23 has a 6.1-inch Full HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a peak brightness of 1750 nits, HDR10+ compliance and 120 Hz refresh rate.

Photography department on the Samsung Galaxy S23 5G comprises three rear cameras starting with 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. One can record videos in up to 8K resolution on this phone. The camera performance is still among the best, as you would expect from a Samsung S series phone.

Samsung Galaxy S23 5G price in India: Rs 41,999 for 8 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage

Apple iPhone 13

Last but not the least, if you wish to dip your toes in the Apple ecosystem, that option is available too in this budget. Though you will need to turn back the clock by a few generations, the Apple iPhone 13 is still not a bad option around 45K. However, you will have to make do with its 128 GB variant, unless you can wait for the next major sale.  

The iPhone 13 has a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a resolution of 2532 x 1170 pixels and compliance with HDR10 and Dolby Vision. The phone feels great in hand due to its compact size, and this too has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. The phone is powered by Apple’s former flagship A15 Bionic chip, which is still potent enough for most tasks.  

There are two 12MP cameras at the back, with the primary unit offering OIS and the secondary capable of capturing ultra-wide shots. The performance in photography and videography is still very good, as one expects from an iPhone. The Apple iPhone 13 now runs iOS 18, with more OS updates to follow over the next few years.  

Apple iPhone 13 price in India: Rs 43,499 for 128 GB storage