The best camera phones you can buy for under Rs 40,000

If photography is the main reason you are upgrading your phone, and if you have a budget around Rs 40,000, this list is for you. Brands in this segment offer everything from 200MP sensors to triple-camera setups with all 50MP sensors. We compared five of the strongest camera-focused phones under Rs 40,000 on paper, and we also tested them, so you know exactly what you are getting before you spend your cash. So, below are the top 5 camera phones you can buy under Rs 40,000.

5. Infinix Note 60 Pro

Opening the list is the Infinix Note 60 Pro, which undercuts every other phone here on price. The 50MP main camera carries OIS, paired with an 8MP ultra-wide and a 13MP selfie camera. It also comes with features like Live Photos, Street Mode, and Ultra HD mode for high-resolution images. The front 13MP camera also supports wide selfies and dual video recording.

At Rs 35,999, you get a Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chipset, a 6.78-inch 1.5K AMOLED display at 144Hz, and a 6,500mAh battery with 90W fast charging. This device is the fastest on this list. 

The good part: an OIS-equipped main camera and fast charging for thousands less than everything else on this list. If price matters more to you, this is the easiest phone to justify.

4. Realme 16

At number three, the Realme 16 is made for people who love taking selfies and creating content. Its 50MP front camera is one of the higher-resolution selfie sensors at this price, and Realme adds a clever hardware touch: a small mirror built into the rear module, so you can frame a shot using the 50MP rear camera while still seeing yourself. It also runs a 7,000mAh battery, the largest battery in this list, with 60W fast charging.

The rear setup is where the compromises show up. The 50MP main sensor has no OIS and no ultra-wide lens at all, unlike every other phone here, and video tops out at 1080p/60fps rather than 4K. If great selfies are the priority and you can live with a simpler rear camera, this is a strong, specific pick.

3. Vivo V70 FE

Next is the Vivo V70 FE, and the 200MP main camera is impossible to ignore on a spec sheet, backed by OIS and an 8MP ultra-wide. Vivo pulls multiple focal lengths out of that single sensor: 23mm, 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm, and pairs it with a 50MP autofocus selfie camera. It also packs a 7,000mAh battery with 90W fast charging.

That resolution and focal-length flexibility make it one of the more versatile setups here, especially if you like switching between wide, portrait, and zoomed shots without a second lens.

2. iQOO Z11

At number two, the iQOO Z11 is the phone that does the least wrong across the board. Its 50MP main camera uses a Sony IMX882 sensor with OIS, paired with an 8MP ultra-wide and a 32MP selfie camera, a well-rounded set of hardware. It runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 7500 Turbo, a step up from the Infinix and Realme here, and packs a 7,050mAh battery.

The display is a 6.83-inch 3D curved AMOLED panel running at 144Hz, which is smooth and comes in handy while gaming. Between the OIS main camera, balanced ultra-wide and selfie resolution, and a chipset with real headroom, this is the safest all-round pick for most people.

1. Motorola Edge 70 Pro

Topping the list is the Motorola Edge 70 Pro, which earns the spot with something none of the other four manage: every camera on it, main, ultra-wide, and selfie, is a 50MP sensor. The main camera uses a Sony LYT-710 sensor with OIS, and the ultra-wide matches it at 50MP rather than dropping to 8MP like on the iQOO, Vivo or Infinix. Motorola also adds Pantone Validated Color and SkinTone processing, aimed at rendering skin tones accurately rather than just punching up saturation.

It runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Extreme, the most powerful chipset here, with a 6.8-inch 1.5K AMOLED display at 144Hz, a 6,500mAh battery with 90W charging, and 4K video. At around Rs 38,999, it isn’t the cheapest phone on this list, but it’s the only one that doesn’t ask you to compromise anywhere on camera, and that’s exactly why it tops it.

Which one should you buy?

In this price range, good camera specs don’t always mean good camera quality. The Realme 16 trades away OIS and an ultra-wide lens entirely to fund its selfie setup, which is fine if selfies are genuinely your priority. The Infinix Note 60 Pro and Vivo V70 FE make sense on value and raw resolution respectively, but neither matches the balance of the two phones at the top.

If you want the safest camera experience with no single weak link, the iQOO Z11 and Motorola Edge 70 Pro are your best options, and the Edge 70 Pro’s matched 50MP main, ultra-wide, and selfie cameras, all backed by OIS, make it the strongest pick here.