Deepavali 2021: Best smartphones to gift this festival week

Deepavali (November 4-6), the festival of light, marks the triumph of light over darkness. Usually, in India, it is celebrated with a lot of fervour with crackers. But, due to the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic, the celebration is kind of subdued.

Even though currently, there are fewer cases in the country, people have been advised to still be cautious and continue to maintain the safety protocol.

However, we can still spread joy and keep our spirits up at home by sharing thoughtful gifts with loved ones. Smartphones are a good option as it has more benefits such as online studies for children, a handy tool for senior citizens to make video calls to children, and also get services delivered such as ordering food.

Also, it is a good time at least in India to upgrade the old handset with a new model, as most of the companies are offering heavy discounts on several new smartphones.

DH is listing top phones in the various budget ranges that are worth checking out at this festival season.

Ultra-premium range (above Rs 65,000)

Apple iPhone 13 Pro series
The iPhone 13 Pro series is the latest mobile from the house of Apple. It has A15 Bionic, which is touted to be the most powerful mobile chipset in the industry. Also, it has top-notch camera hardware and takes wonderful photos.

Both the iPhone 13 Pro and the 13 Pro Max have the same photography hardware. They can spectacular photos and even the battery life has improved a lot.

Apple iPhone 13 Pro price starts at Rs 1,19,900 and the iPhone 13 Pro Max begins at Rs 1,29,900.

Must read | Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max review: Fully-loaded!

Vivo V70 Pro+ ( Enigma Black: Rs 79,990 ): It comes in 6.78-inch Quad HD+ ((3,200×1,440p) E5 AMOLED HDR10+ 10-bit 3D curved screen with 120Hz refresh rate, 5nm class 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Plus with Adreno 660 GPU, Android 11-based Funtouch OS 12, 12GB LPDDR5 RAM with 256GB (UFS 3.1) storage, quad-camera module--main 50MP (with Samsung GN1 sensor, f/1.57, gimbal OIS, Zeiss T coating, V1 imaging chip) + 48MP ultra-wide camera (with Sony IMX598 sensor, 4-axis OIS Gimbal stabilization) + 12MP portrait camera (with f/1.6) + 8MP periscope camera (with OIS, 5x optical zoom, 60x superzoom) with Laser autofocus, LED flash on the back, a 32MP (f/2.45) camera on the front and a 4,500mAh with support 55W fast wired charging, 50W wireless fast charging, and also 10W wireless reverse charging as well.

Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra series (around Rs 80,000): It is one of the most versatile premium phones in the market. With the S-Pen stylus, it offers several benefits including taking notes notepad, creating presentations using Microsoft apps (optimised for Note series), also control the camera during video recording and more. Also, it offers day-long battery life, and also it has one of the best displays for a phone in the industry.

Must read | Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G review: Powerful, unique and future-ready

OnePlus 9 Pro (Rs 65,999): It comes 6.7-inch QHD+ 2K AMOLED LTPO curved Fluid Display 2.0 with a 120Hz refresh rate, peak brightness up to 1,300nits, Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 octa-core processor, Android 11-based OxygenOS, 8GB/12GB RAM, 128GB/256GB storage, Hasselblad-tuned quad-camera system--48MP main + 50 MP ultra-wide + 8MP + 2MP on the back, a 16MP front snapper and a 4,500mAh battery with Warp fast charging capability.

Premium range (Rs 40,000- Rs 64,999)

Apple iPhone 12 (can be purchased for less than Rs 65,000): It comes with a top-class 6.1-inch OLED display, Ceramic shield (toughest screen guard in the industry), powerful Apple A14 Bionic, day-long battery, FaceID security and most importantly highly secured iOS ecosystem prevents malware infection compared to Android.

Must read | Apple iPhone 12 review: Rock solid premium phone

Samsung Galaxy S21 (Rs 53,500): It comes with a 6.2-inch full HD+ (2400 x 1080) AMOLED display(421 ppi), Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection, feature AL7s10 metal frame, and IP68 water-and-dust resistant rating, triple-camera module-- main 64MP (f/2.0) + 12MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide + 12MP (f/1.8) wide on the back and a 10MP (f/2.2) front camera, Samsung Exynos 2100 chipset backed by 8GB RAM, 128GB/256GB storage, and 4,000mAh battery with 25W fast wired charging and 15W wireless charging in addition to wireless reverse charging PowerShare feature.

Apple iPhone 11 (starts at Rs 43,999): It comes with a big 6.1-inch LCD display, powerful and fast Apple A13 Bionic, exceptional dual-camera hardware, long-lasting battery and a highly secured iOS ecosystem, which prevents malware-laced apps from coming to iPhones.

Must read | Apple iPhone 11 review

OnePlus 9R(Rs 36,999): It comes with a 6.55-inch full HD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz screen refresh rate, support HDR10+. It also features stereo speakers and an in-display fingerprint sensor.

Under-the-hood, it comes with Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 870 octa-core CPU, 8GB/12GB RAM, 128GB/256GB storage, Android 11-based OxygenOS, quad-camera module-- 48MP + 16MP + 5MP + 2MP on the back, a 16MP front snapper and a 5,000mAh battery with fast charging support.

Upper mid-range (Rs 25,000- Rs 39,999)

Apple iPhone XR (Rs 32,999): It is one of the best devices to enter the Apple ecosystem. It features a capable Apple A12 Bionic chipset, really good camera hardware, long-lasting battery, and most importantly supports the latest iOS 15, which is touted to be the safest mobile operating system in the industry. It also boasts FaceID, which is the gold standard in terms of facial-based biometric security for mobiles in the industry.

iQOO 7 (Rs 29,990): It comes with 6.62-inch full HD+ (2400×1080p) AMOLED screen with a peak brightness of 1300 nits, triple-camera module-- main 48MP (Sony IMX598 sensor, f/1.79, OIS: Optical Image Stabilisation ) + 13MP 120-degree ultra-wide sensor ( f/2.2 with 2.5cm macro ) + 2MP mono camera (f/2.4) with LED flash, 16MP (f/2.0) front camera, 5nm class Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 octa-core processor backed by Adreno 650 graphics engine, Android 11-based FuntouchOS 11.1, 8GB/12GB RAM (LPDDR5), and 128GB/256B (UFS 3.1) storage, and 4,400mAh battery and comes with a 66W super-fast charger.

Must read | iQOO 7 review: Affordable flagship phone

Galaxy S20 FE 5G (36,990): It sports an Infinity-O display design language. It has a 6.5-inch Full HD+ (2400 × 1080p) super AMOLED having a pixel density of 407ppi (pixels per inch), an optical fingerprint sensor, and supports a 120Hz display refresh rate. Also, it comes with an IP68 rating.

Inside, it comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 octa-core Android 10-based One UI 2.5 OS, 6GB/8GB RAM (LPDDR5), 128GB/256GB storage (+ expandable up to 1TB via microSD card), and a 4500mAh.

The Galaxy S20 FE also supports 25W fast charging, Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 USB PD 3.0 (PPS) certified Fast Charging for wired charging (AFC and QC2.0 compatible), and Wireless PowerShare feature to power up other phones wirelessly.

Must read | Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G review: Future-ready premium phone

Google Pixel 4a (Rs 25,999): It comes with a compact design and top-class camera hardware.

Must read | Pixel 4a Review: Fantastic camera phone

Realme GT Master Edition (Rs 27,999): It comes with 6.43-inch (2400 × 1080 pixels) full HD+ OLED screen, supports 120Hz display refresh rate, up to 1000 nits peak brightness, in-display fingerprint sensor, dual-SIM slots, 6nm class Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G octa-core chipset, Adreno 642L GPU, Android 11-based Realme UI 2.0, 6GB/8GB LPDDR4X RAM, 128GB / 256GB UFS 2.2 storage, triple camera module-- 64MP (f/1.8) + 8MP (f/2.2) 119-degree ultra-wide sensor+ 2MP (f/2.4) macro camera with LED flash on the back, a 32MP(f/2.45, Sony IMX615 sensor) selfie camera and a 4,300mAh battery with 65W Super Dart fast charger in-box.

Must read | Realme GT Master Edition review

Mid-range (Rs 15,000- Rs 24,999)

OnePlus Nord CE 5G (Rs 24,999). It comes with a feature-rich triple (64MP+8MP+2MP) camera module and also a big battery.

iQOO Z3 (Rs 17,900): It comes with 6.58-inch full HD+ (2408 × 1080p) LCD screen, 7nm class Qualcomm Snapdragon 768G octa-core SoC (System-on-Chip) backed by Adreno 620 graphics engine, 6GB / 8GB LPDDR4x RAM with 128GB/256GB (UFS 2.2) storage (expandable), Android 11-based Funtouch OS 11.1, triple camera-- 64MP+8MP+2MP with LED flash on the back, a 16MP front snapper and a 4400mAh battery with 55W fast charging capability.

Must read | iQOO Z3 review: Decent mid-range phone

Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G (Rs 26,999): It comes with a 6.55-inch full HD+ (1080 × 2400p) AMOLED screen with 90Hz refresh rate, 6nm class Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G octa-core processor, Adreno 642L GPU, backed by liquid cool technology. It runs Android 11-based MIUI 12.5 OS (three major OS update + 4 years of security support) with 6GB / 8GB LPDDR4X RAM with 128GB UFS 2.2 storage (expandable memory up to 512GB), triple camera-- 64MP+ 8MP+5MP with LED flash on the back, a 2MP selfie snapper and a 4,250mAh battery with 33W charger in-box.

Must read | Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G: First impression

Samsung Galaxy M52 5G (Rs 27,999): It comes 6.7-inch full HD+ (1080×2400p) super AMOLED Plus screen with Infinity-O Display design, 120Hz refresh rate, 6nm class Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G chipset, Adreno 642L GPU, Android 11-based Samsung One UI 3.1, 6GB / 8GB LPDDR4x RAM, 128GB UFS 2.1 (expandable up to 1TB), support 12 bands of 5G, triple 64MP + 12MP+ 5MP camera on the back, 32MP snapper on the front, Samsung Pay (NFC), Knox security system, and a 5,000mAh battery.

Samsung Galaxy F62 (Rs 22,290): It comes with 6.7-inch inch full HD+ (2400 x 1080p) Infinity-O Super AMOLED Plus 20:9 display with up to 420 nits brightness, 7nm class Exynos 9825 octa-core (2.7 GHz x 2 + 2.4 GHz x 2 + 1.9 GHz x 4) CPU backed Android 11-based One UI 3.1, 128GB storage, quad-camera module-- 64MP+12MP ultrawide+5MP depth + 5MP macro- with LED flash, a 32MP selfie camera and a 7,000mAh battery with 25W charger.

Must read | Samsung Galaxy F62 review: Power-packed mid-range phone

Redmi Note 10 Pro (Rs 17,999): It comes with 6.67-inch full HD+ (1080 × 2400p) with AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate, 20:9 aspect ratio, support HDR10+, up to 1200 nits brightness, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, They also come with IP52 water-splash resistant rating and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 shield.

Other features include 8nm class Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G octa-core CPU, Adreno 618 GPU, Android 11 with MIUI 12 (new v12.5 coming soon), 6GB/8GB LPDDR4X RAM with 64GB (UFS 2.1)/128GB (UFS 2.2) storage ( expandable up to 512GB), 16MP front camera, quad-camera module-- primary 64MP (Samsung ISOCELL GW3 sensor) + 8MP 120-degree ultra-wide sensor + 2MP depth + 5MP telemacro camera with LED flash, a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging, and triple slots (nano SIM-1 + nano SIM-2 + microSD).

Budget range (under Rs 14,999)
Redmi Note 9 Power (Rs 11,499): It comes with big 6.53-inch full HD+ display, Androdi 10-based MIUI 12 powered by 11nm class 2.0GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 octa-core (Kryo 260) with Adreno 610 GPU, 4GB LPPDDR4x RAM, and 64GB (UFS 2.1) / 128GB (UFS 2.2) storage (expandable memory up to 512GB).

It features a quad-camera -- main 48MP (with Samsung GM1 sensor, f/1.79 aperture) with 118-degree ultra-wide-angle 8MP sensor (f/2.2), a 2MP depth sensor, and 2MP macro sensor (f/2.4) with LED flash. On the front, it features an 8MP (f/2.0) snapper.

Must read | Xiaomi Redmi 9 Power review: Top-class performer

Samsung Galaxy M32 (4GB RAM+ 64GB Storage: Rs 12,999): It comes with a 6.4-inch full HD+ super AMOLED Infinity-U display, supports 90Hz refresh rate, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and a dedicated three-slot tray-- two for nano SIMs and one for microSD card.

Under-the-hood, it comes packed with 12nm class MediaTek Helio G80 octa-core is backed by 950MHz ARM Mali-G52 2EEMC2 graphics engine, 4GB/6GB LPDDR4x RAM with 64GB / 128GB (eMMC 5.1) Storage, expandable up to 1TB via micro SD card, Android 11-based One UI 3.1 and a 6,000mAh battery with 25W fast-charging support.

As far the photography hardware is concerned, it comes with quad-camera module--64MP (with f/1.8) + ultra-wide-angle 8MP (f/2.2) + 2MP depth sensor + 2MP macro sensor (f/2.4) with LED flash. On the front, it features 20MP (f/2.2) snapper.

Realme Narzo 50A (Rs 12,499): It comes in 6.5-inch HD+ (1600 x 720p) screen with dewdrop design, triple slots ( nano SIM-1 + nano SIM-2 + microSD), 12nm class MediaTek Helio G85, 1000MHz ARM Mali-G52 2EEMC2 GPU, 4GB LPDDR4X RAM, 64GB / 128GB eMMC 5.1 storage (expandable), Android 11-based realme UI 2.0, triple camera module--50MP (f/1.8) + 2MP macro (f/2.4) + 2MP B&W sensor (f/2.4) with LED flash, an 8MP front camera (f/2.0), and a 6,000mAh battery with 18W charger.

Samsung Galaxy M12 (Rs 11,499): It comes with a 6.5-inch HD+ (720×1600p) Infinity-V screen with support for a 90Hz display refresh rate, Samsung's proprietary Exynos 850 octa-core chipset backed by Mali-G52 GPU, 4GB/6GB RAM with 64GB/128GB (expandable memory up to 1TB), Android 11-based One UI 3.1, triple slots (nano SIM-1 + nano SIM-2 + microSD) and a 6,000mAh battery with Type-C 15W fast charger.

The USP of the Galaxy M12 is the quad-camera module. Samsung says it has incorporated a true 48MP main camera with an ISOCELL GM2 sensor, f/2.0 aperture. It has backed by a 5MP 123-degree ultra-wide camera (f/2.2), 2MP depth for portrait shots, and a 2MP macro camera (f/2.4) for close-up shots. It also comes with LED flash and supports full HD video recording. On the front, it features an 8MP sensor (f/2.2).

Redmi 9A (Rs 6,999): It features a 6.53-inch HD+ LCD Display, a 12nm class 2GHz MediaTek Helio G25 octa-core processor backed by 2GB/3GB RAM, 32GB storage ( + 512GB via microSD card), Android 10-based MIUI 12, 13MP main camera with LED flash on the back, an 8MP front camera and a massive 5,000mAh battery with micro USB 10W in-box charger.

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