Best non-Chinese smartphones to buy in India

If you are thinking of buying the Redmi 8A Dual or the Realme Narzo 10A, the Galaxy M20 is is a good alternative. Manufactured by Samsung, a Korean brand, in India, it’s a little more compact with a 6.3-inch TFT display but FullHD+ resolution, which increases the PPI making the panel appear sharper. The M20 also takes a different route with the camera, which we believe is a little more useful than having a macro lens. The M20 rocks a 13MP primary camera along with a 5MP ultrawide lens. The selfie camera is also larger with an 8MP shooter. The performance is where the phone falters in the face of its Chinese competition. The Exynos 7904 is no match for the Helio G70, but it can get you through the day with casual usage. However, battery life is equally long at 5,000mAh. Going with this, you will end up sacrificing powerful performance but gain in terms of more useful camera options and a sharper display.

The Nokia 8.1, made by HMD Global, registered in Finland challenge the Chinese stalwarts like the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max and the Realme 6 Pro, in almost all segments. It rocks a HDR10-certified 6.18-inch LCD display with fullHD+ resolution. There’s also the Snapdragon 710 SoC along with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. For the camera, Nokia offers Zeiss-certified 12MP primary camera with OIS along with a 13MP telephoto lens. On the front is a 20MP selfie shooter, and all three cameras can be used in tandem via the bothie mode.

A good alternative to the Chinese brands in the popular mid-range segment is the Samsung Galaxy M31. You get a 6.4-inch AMOLED with FHD+ resolution and Gorilla Glass protection. It’s powered by the 10nm Exynos 9611 SoC coupled with 6GB RAM and up to 128GB RAM along with expandable storage. The camera goes toe to toe with the Chinese offerings with a 64MP quad-camera stack at the back, which includes an 8MP ultrawide lens, 5MP macro lens and a 5MP depth sensor. On the front, you get a 32MP selfie camera. The battery life is where the M31 goes well ahead of the competition with a 6,000mAh battery.

The Asus 6z is made by the Taiwanese brand known for its presence in the PC market. And it's very much a flagship offering, surpassing some of the Chinese offerings. Asus also innovated on the design. The Asus 6z brings a rotating camera module with a dual-camera setup that works as both the front and rear cameras. Inside is the Snapdragon 855 coupled with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage along with a 5000mAh battery.

The ROG Phone II offers pressure-sensitive air triggers which give gamers an unfair advantage while gaming. The phone also offers the most granular customisations in the CPU, letting run everything at peak capacities manually. There’s also a host of alternatives.

if its a more popular line of smartphones you are looking at, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite and the S10 Lite are great options to consider. Both these smartphones take cues from the premium Galaxy lineup and bring some of its own like a high-resolution 48MP camera on the S10 Lite, the S-Pen on the Note 10 Lite and a slim form factor with bright and vivid AMOLED displays.

The high-end segment also offers the budget iPhone that launched this year. The iPhone SE (2020) turned out to be an excellent daily driver, even for power users. Apple has used the same A13 Bionic processor that’s there on the flagship iPhone 11 series but kept the design compact as the old iPhone 8. And you get the same lag-free experience that’s expected out of an Apple device. The battery life may feel a little less as compared to the Chinese counterparts which can be a bummer though.

The iPhone 11 series is popular enough to not require further evangelism. But if we have to enumerate the benefits, you get the smoothest operating system for mobiles. One that’s also radically different from Android. The default iPhone 11 now offers two cameras at the back. A 12MP primary wide lens and another 12MP ultrawide lens, and both are the best in their segment for both photos and videos. There’s also a night mode that kicks in automatically when there’s low light, and like all things Apple, it just works. The A13 Bionic processor with a Neural Engine and a six-core GPU is also the most powerful processor for mobiles, surpassing even the Snapdragon 865. With such cutting edge features, the price is also on the higher side as compared to the Chinese premium flagships. And it’s totally worth the extra premium.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 series is yet another example of Non-Chinese dominance. This is one lineup which routinely sets a new benchmark for the Android ecosystem. This time, Samsung is offering high-refresh rate displays, multiple cameras and a far more optimised UI than before. The Galaxy S20 is the most affordable of the three and it offers a QHD+ 120Hz display like the OnePlus 8 Pro, a 64MP triple camera and support for wireless charging. The phone also rocks an in-display fingerprint sensor, fast 25W charging, reverse wireless charging, HDR10+ certification, and IP68 water and dust resistance.

Coming to the LG G8X, this one’s perhaps the most utilitarian among all premium offerings. That’s because you can attach a second display to the phone and take multitasking and gaming to a whole different level. The LG G8X is powered by last year’s Snapdragon 855 and it rocks a dual camera module comprising a 12MP primary sensor and a 13MP ultrawide lens. It’s also one of the few smartphones that can record HDR videos natively.