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Christmas 2021: Best smartphones to gift this festive season
Rohit KVN
DH Web Desk
Last Updated IST
Christmas gift. Picture Credit: Pixabay
Christmas gift. Picture Credit: Pixabay

Christmas is just around the corner and it is the time of the year when people start shopping for gifts to present to their loved ones.

The year 2021 and even the previous year, have been a very unusual time due to the untimely outbreak of Covid-19. It bought a lot of misery to millions of people around the world and also made us realise the importance of family and friends more than ever. Thanks to technology, we all were to able to work, study, communicate with loved ones, and enjoy streaming entertainment content to get distracted from the miserable news.

Smartphones are a good thoughtful gifting option at times like these, to be connected to loved ones at times, and catch a break to play games or watch good fun content. DH is listing some of the best phones under various price segments worth gifting this festive season.

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Premium phones

Apple iPhone 13 series
All four iPhone 13 series come with Super Retina XDR OLED display with True Tone technology, Wide colour display (P3), Haptic Touch, and 1,200 nits max brightness (HDR). Apple iPhone 13 Pro and the 13 Pro Max also support ProMotion technology with adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz.

Inside, all the four iPhone 13 series models feature an Apple A15 Bionic chipset with a new 6-core CPU with two performance and four efficiency cores and a new 16-core Neural Engine.

However, the iPhone 13 and 13 mini feature 4-core GPU, whereas the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max have 5-core GPU.

The biggest improvement we see in the iPhone 13 series are camera hardware and battery life. They excel far better than any other rival in terms of the aforementioned aspects.

The iPhone 13 and the 13 mini come with dual 12MP camera system (Wide: ƒ/1.6 and Ultra-Wide: ƒ/2.4). On the other hand, the iPhone 13 Pro and the 13 Pro Max boast-- Pro 12MP camera system (Telephoto: ƒ/2.8, Wide: ƒ/1.5 and Ultra-Wide: ƒ/1.8 ).

Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max. Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit

The iPhone 13 mini can easily last a full day under normal usage and the other three variants offer more than a day of battery life.

The new iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max will be available in graphite, gold, silver, and sierra blue in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and all-new 1TB storage options with prices ranging between Rs 1,19,900 and Rs 1,79,900.

The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini will be available in pink, blue, midnight, starlight, and (PRODUCT)RED in a new entry-level capacity of 128GB (double the storage compared to iPhone 12 series), as well as 256GB and 512GB capacities. The price ranges between Rs 69,900 and Rs 1,09,900.

Even the iPhone 12 ( Pro review) and 11 series are also good option to buy. They too come with exceptional cameras and processors, which are still better most of the rival Android phones in the market.

Samsung Galaxy S21 series
Galaxy S21 comes in three variants-- a generic Galaxy S21, a standard Galaxy S21 Plus, and a top-end Galaxy S21 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G. Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit

All three come with really good camera hardware, a full-day battery life, and offer long-term software support. The build quality is really premium and offer wireless charging and even reverse charging too.

Must read | Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus review: Jam-packed with features that matter

The Galaxy S21 series' price ranges between prices range between Rs 69,999 and Rs 1,16,999.

Even the Galaxy Note20 series is also a good option. With the support for the S Pen stylus, the device is still one of the most versatile premium phones.

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

OnePlus 9 series
OnePlus 9 Pro sports a 6.7-inch QHD+ 2K AMOLED LTPO curved Fluid Display 2.0 with a 120Hz refresh rate, peak brightness up to 1,300nits, supports HDR+, and comes with the in-screen fingerprint sensor.

Under-the-hood, it comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 octa-core processor, Android 11-based OxygenOS, 8GB/12GB RAM, 128GB/256GB storage, and a 4,500mAh battery with Warp fast charging capability.

As far as the photography hardware is concerned, it boasts Hasselblad-tuned quad-camera system. It boasts 48MP main + 50 MP ultra-wide + 8MP + 2MP on the back. On the front, it features a 16MP front snapper,

OnePlus 9 Pro is being offered in two configuration-- 8GB RAM + 128GB storage and 12GB RAM + 256GB storage-- for Rs 64,999 and Rs 69,999, respectively. It will come in three colours-- stellar black, morning mist, and pine green.

The standard OnePlus 9 features a 6.55-inch full HD+ AMOLED LTPO flat screen with a 120Hz display refresh rate, in-screen fingerprint sensor, and supports HDR+.

It features a Hasselblad-tuned quad-camera system module- 48MP main + 50MP ultra-wide + 8MP on the back, 16MP front snapper, Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 octa-core processor, 8GB RAM, and a 4,500mAh battery with Warp fast charging tech.

OnePlus 9 series. Credit: OnePlus

All the OnePlus 9 variants support 65W wired fast charging. This means the devices will be able to fully charge up from zero to 100% in around 30 minutes. Also, the company said, they will also support 50W wireless charging. With this, the devices can fully charge up in under 45 minutes.

OnePlus 9 is being offered in two configuration-- 8GB RAM + 128GB storage and 12GB RAM + 256GB storage-- for Rs 49,999 and Rs 54,999, respectively.

Vivo X70 Pro
Vivo X70 Pro features a 6.56-inch full HD+ (2376×1080p) AMOLED HDR10+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It also sports an in-screen fingerprint sensor and a dual-SIM tray.
Inside, it comes with a 6nm class 64-bit 3GHz MediaTek Dimensity 1200 octa-core processor with ARM G77 MC9 GPU, Android 11-based Funtouch OS 1, 8GB/12GB LPDDR4X RAM with 128GB/256GB (UFS 3.1) storage, and a 4,450mAh battery with 44W charger in-box.

As far as the photography hardware is concerned, it features a quad-camera module--main 50MP (with IMX766V sensor, OIS, Ultra-Sensing Gimbal Camera and Gimbal Stabilization 3.0 technology, Zeiss optics, f/1.75 aperture, Zeiss T coating) + 12MP (f/2.2) 116-degree ultra-wide lens with OIS backed by 12MP 50mm portrait camera (with Sony IMX663 sensor, f/1.98) and an 8MP(f/3.4) 5X periscope camera with laser autofocus and LED flash. On the front, 32MP (f/2.45) camera.

Vivo X70 Pro. Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit

The X70 Pro (comes in Aurora Dawn and Cosmic Black) will be available in three variants-- 8GB RAM + 128GB storage, 8GB RAM + 256GB storage and 12GB RAM + 256GB storage-- for Rs 46,990 and Rs 49,990 and Rs 52,990, respectively from October 7 onwards.

Must read | Vivo V70 Pro review: Feature-rich premium camera phone

Upper mid-range phones (Rs 45,000- Rs 30,000)

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

OnePlus 9R. Credit: OnePlus

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. It supports 65W wired fast charging. This means the devices will be able to fully charge up from zero to 100% in around 30 minutes. It starts at Rs 39,999.

Samsung Galaxy A52s
It comes with 6.5-inch full HD+ (1080×2400p) super AMOLED screen with an Infinity-O Display design, 120Hz refresh rate, up to 800 nits brightness, 6nm class Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G octa-core processor backed by Adreno 642L GPU, 6GB / 8GB LPDDR4X RAM, 128GB UFS 2.1 storage (expandable up to 1TB), Android 11-based Samsung One UI 3.1, quad-camera module-64MP + 12MP ultrawide + 5MP macro (f/2.4) + 5MP depth with LED flash, 32MP wide sensor on the front and a 4,500mAh battery with 25W Type-C fast charger in-box.

Samsung Galaxy A52s. Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit

Samsung Galaxy A52s is a feature-rich mid-range phone. It has premium build quality, gorgeous slim design with matte finish, offers a full-day battery life, and a reliable Qualcomm chipset, which promises to serve you long.

With the support for 12 5G bands, this phone is future-ready and whenever the necessary cellular infrastructure gets ready in India, the Galaxy A52s owners will certainly be able to enjoy high-speed internet compared to other 5G-based phone users.

Must read | Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G review: Feature-rich slim phone

iQOO 7
It comes with a 6.62-inch full HD AMOLED screen, powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 octa-core CPU, 8GB/12GB RAM, 128Gb/256GB storage, 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 on the back, 16MP front camera and a 4,400mAh battery with 66W fast charging capability. Its price starts at Rs 31,990.

iQOO 7. Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit

Apple iPhone XR
It features 6.1-inch LCD-based Retina Display, Apple's proprietary A12 processor with 6 cores, two high-performance cores, and four efficiency cores, which consumes almost 50% less power than the predecessor A11 series. It is also integrated with an 8-core neural engine, 4-core graphics processing unit, and the new image signal processor. It is capable of performing 5 trillion operations per second. It is priced under Rs 35,000 on all popular e-commerce in India.

The iPhone XR series. Credit: Apple


Realme GT
It comes with 6.43-inch full HD+ (2400×1080p) AMOLED screen with HDR10+, 120Hz refresh rate, In-display fingerprint sensor, 5nm class Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 octa-core CPU, Adreno 660 GPU, 8GB/12GB LPDDR5 RAM with 128GB/256GB (UFS 3.1) storage, Android 11 OS, triple-camera module-- main 64MP (Sony IMX682 sensor, f/1.8) + 8MP (f/2.3) 119-degree ultra-wide sensor+ 2MP (f/2.4) macro camera with LED flash on the back, a 16MP(f/2.5) selfie camera on the front and a 4,500mAh battery with 65W Super Dart fast charger in-box.

Realme GT is available in two configurations-- 8GB RAM + 128GB storag and 12GB RAM + 256GB storage --for Rs 37,999 and Rs 41,999, respectively.

Mid-range phones (Rs 30,000- Rs 15,000)

Poco F3 GT

It features 6.67-inch full HD+ (2400 x 1080p) AMOLED screen, 6nm class MediaTek MT6893 Dimensity 1200 octa-core processor (with 5G modem) backed by Android 11-based MIUI 12.5 OS, 6GB/8GB RAM, 128GB/256GB storage, triple-camera module--main 64MP (f/1.65) + 8MP (f/2.2) 119-degree ultra-wide angle lens + 2MP (f/2.4) macro camera with LED flash on the back , a 16MP front-facing snapper and 5,065mAh battery with a 67W charger.

Poco F3 GT. Credit: DH Photo

It comes in three RAM options--6GB, 8GB and 12GB- for Rs 26,999, Rs 28,999 and Rs 30,999.

Oppo F19

It comes with a 6.43-inch full HD+ (2400 ×1080p) AMOLED display with an in-screen fingerprint sensor and also a dedicated three-slot tray for two nano SIMs and a microSD card.

Oppo F19. Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit

Under-the-hood, it houses 11nm class Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 octa-core processor with Adreno 610 GPU, backed by Android 11-based ColorOS 11.1, 6GB LPDDR4x RAM, 128GB storage (expandable), triple-camera module-- main 48MP (f/1.7) + 2MP 4cm macro sensor + 2MP depth sensor (f/2.4) with LED flash on the back, 16MP front snapper (f/2.4).and a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging capability.

Realme 8s
It comes with a 6.5-inch full HD+(2400 ×1080p) LCD screen with up to 600 nits brightness and 90Hz refresh rate, side-mounted fingerprint sensor, 6nm class MediaTek Dimensity 810 octa-core CPU with Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, Android 11-based Realme UI 2.0. 6GB / 8GB LPDDR4x RAM, 128GB (UFS 2.1) storage (expandable up to 1TB), main 64MP (f/1.8) + 2MP B&W + 2MP (f/2.4) 4cm macro sensor with LED flash. On the front, it features a 16MP (f/2.1) snapper.and a 5,000mAh battery with a 33W charger.

Realme 8s 5G. Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit

It comes in two colours--Universe Blue and Universe Purple. It will be available in two configurations-- 6GB RAM + 128GB storage and 6GB RAM + 128GB storage-- for Rs 17,999 and Rs 19,999, respectively.

Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G
It comes with a 6.55-inch full HD+ (1080 × 2400p) AMOLED screen with 90Hz refresh rate, offers a peak brightness of 800nits, support Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 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 module--main 64MP (f/1.79) + 8MP (f/2.2) 119-degree ultra-wide sensor + 5MP (f/2.4) tele-macro macro camera with LED flash on the back, 20MP (f/2.4) front camera and a 4,250mAh battery with 33W charger in-box.

Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G. Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit

It is available in four colours-- Diamond Dazzle, Tuscany Coral, Jazz Blue and Vinyl Black. It will be available in two variants-- 6GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 128GB storage-- for Rs 26,999 and Rs 28,999, respectively.

Must read | Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G review: Well-rounded stylish phone

Samsung Galaxy F62
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.

Samsung Galaxy F62. Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit

Redmi Note 11T
It comes with a 6.6-inch full HD+ (1080 × 2400p)LCD screen with a variable refresh rate (between 50Hz and 90Hz), hybrid dual-SIM slots, side-mounted fingerprint sensor, IR blaster, MediaTek Dimensity 810 processor with Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, 6GB/8GB LPDDR4X RAM with 64GB / 128GB (UFS 2.2) storage ( expandable memory up to 1TB), Android 11-based MIUI 12.5 OS, dual-camera module --50MP(f/1.8) + 8MP ultra-wide (f/2.2) with LED flash on the back, a 16MP (f/2.45) selfie camera and a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charger in-box.

It is available in three configurations-- 6GB RAM + 64GB storage, 6GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 128GB storage-- for Rs 16,999, Rs 17,999 and Rs 19,999, respectively.

Samsung Galaxy M52
It comes with a 6.7-inch full HD+ (1080×2400p) super AMOLED Plus screen with Infinity-O Display design, 120Hz refresh rate, side-mounted fingerprint sensor, a 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, Samsung Pay (NFC), Knox security system, a triple-camera module-- 64MP (f/1.8) + 12MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide-angle camera + 5MP (f/2.4) macro camera with LED flash on the back, a 32MP (f/2.2) front camera and a 5,000mAh battery with 25W charger in-box. Its price starts at Rs 29,999.

Redmi Note 10 Pro series
The Redmi Note 10 Pro and 10 Pro Max come 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.
Both the devices feature side-mounted fingerprint sensor, IR blaster, 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, a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging, and triple slots (nano SIM-1 + nano SIM-2 + microSD).

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro Max. Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit

The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max feature quad-camera module-- main 108MP (1/1.52-inch Samsung HM2 sensor with 0.7μm pixel size)+ 8MP 120-degree ultra-wide sensor + 2MP depth + 5MP telemacro camera- with LED flash.

The Redmi Note 10 Pro houses quad-camera module-- primary 64MP (Samsung ISOCELL GW3 sensor) + 8MP 120-degree ultra-wide sensor + 2MP depth + 5MP telemacro camera.
The price starts at Rs 15,999.

Budget phones (Under Rs 14,999)

Redmi Note 10
It comes with a 6.43-inch full HD+ (1080 × 2400p) AMOLED screen, with up to peak brightness of 1100 nits, , IP52 water-splash resistant rating, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 shield, side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

Inside, it features 11nm class 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 octa-core CPU, Adreno 612 GPU, 4GB/6GB LPDDR4X RAM with 64GB/128GB(UFS 2.2) storage / 6GB LPDDR4X RAM with 128GB (UFS 2.2) storage (expandable up to 512GB with microSD), Android 11 with MIUI 12 (new v12.5 coming soon), a quad-camera module- main 48MP (1/2-inch Sony IMX582 sensor, 0.8μm pixel size) + 8MP 118-degree ultra-wide sensor + 2MP depth + 2MP macro camera, a 13MP front snapper, a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging, triple slots (nano SIM-1 + nano SIM-2 + microSD) and IR sensor.

Must read | Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 review: New benchmark for budget phones

Nokia G20
It comes with a 6.5-inch HD+ screen with a 20:9 aspect ratio, support brightness boost, OZO spatial audio features, dual SIM slots, and houses a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, which also doubles up as a power button. It also supports the facial recognition-based biometric security feature via the front camera.

Nokia G20. Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit

Inside, it features a 2.3GHz MediaTek G35 CPU backed by 4GB RAM, 64GBstorage (expandable up to 512GB), Android 11 OS ( two major OS update guaranteed), triple-camera- main 48MP (f/1.79) + 5MP ultra-wide sensor + 2 MP macro + 2MP depth with LED flash, 8MP front camera and a 5,050mAh battery. It costs Rs 12,999.

Must read | Nokia G20: Reliable budget phone with decent camera

Redmi 10 Prime
It comes with a 6.5-inch full HD+ (2400 x 1080p) IPS LCD screen with a 90Hz adaptive refresh rate. It is protected with the Corning Gorilla Glass 3 shield and also a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, Infrared Blaster, and triple slots ( nano SIM-1 + nano SIM-2 + microSD).

Inside, 12nm class MediaTek Helio octa-core with ARM Mali-G52 2EEMC2 GPU, 4GB/ 6GB LPDDR4x RAM, 64GB/128GB eMMC 5.1 storage (expandable), Android 11-based MIUI 12.5 OS, quad-camera module--main 50MP (f/1.8) + 8MP(f/2.2) ultra-wide sensor + 2MP macro + 2MP (f/2.4) depth sensor with LED flash, an 8MP (f/2.0) front snapper and a 6,000mAh battery with 22.5W charger in-box.

It is available in two variants-- 4GB RAM + 64GB storage & 6GB RAM + 128GB storage--for Rs 12,499 and Rs 14,499.

JioPhone Next
It features a 5.44-inch HD+ (1440x720p) display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 shield with an anti-fingerprint coating, Android-based Pragati OS backed by a 1.3Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 225 quad-core processor with 2GB RAM, 32GB storage (expandable up to 512GB), 13MP on the back, an 8MP snapper on the front, and a 3,500mAh battery. It costs Rs 6,499 and can also be booked with the EMI option for up to 18 or 24 months with an initial downpayment of Rs 1,999.

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(Published 20 December 2021, 17:14 IST)