Top smartphones under Rs 40,000 to buy in India 2026: OnePlus 13R, Poco F7 5G, and more
Last Updated: 2026-06-15 10:51:30
Since the start of this year, we have seen fewer smartphone launches in the sub-Rs. 40,000 smartphone category, with most power-packed premium midrange phones getting a price hike or shifting to the upper price category. This is mainly due to the memory crisis caused by the rise of generative AI, which has forced smartphone brands to raise their price tags as memory module prices soar.
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Top phones under Rs 40,000 include OnePlus 13R and Poco F7 5G- Phones offer strong cameras, gaming features, and fast charging
- Rising memory costs have pushed many phones to higher price tiers
As a result, successor devices for most devices in this price category launched last year are now being forced to compete in higher-priced segments.
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However, there’s still an abundance of riches if you have a budget of Rs 40,000, as we still have some new launches and last year’s premium handsets that are available in this price bracket. Whether you are looking for a gaming phone, one that’s great for photography or a general allrounder, every use case is covered. Here are our five best smartphone picks under Rs 40,000 in India in mid 2026.
OnePlus 13R
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After the launch of the OnePlus 15R, the OnePlus 13R has been available for quite some time in this price category. There’s also the Nord 6 that is priced close to it, but the 13R still remains the best OnePlus phone under Rs 40,000. It is powered by a fast Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and now runs OxygenOS 16 based on Android 16, with three more major OS updates still pending.
Moreover, it has a sharp 6.78-inch 1.5K LTPO4 AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and 4500 nits peak brightness. A 6000 mAh battery keeps the phone last an entire day even with heavy use, and the bundled 80W charger fully charges it in under an hour. It also has a 50MP telephoto camera, which is rare to find nowadays in this price bracket. Overall, the OnePlus 13R is still one of the best picks in this range.
Nothing Phone 4a
Nothing's Phone 3a series was impressive in terms of overall value, as the phones offered capable cameras, clean software, and a unique design. In 2026, the lineup’s price was expected to rise, but Nothing did a fine job with its Phone 3a by delivering a more consistent imaging experience and a faster storage type, which was missing from its predecessor. The device now gets a bigger battery and comes with a new Glyph Bar.
The 50MP triple camera setup with a 3.5X telephoto camera helps users in clicking photos in almost any scenario. Moreover, the phone comes with Nothing OS, which offers a clean, ad-free UI with smooth animations and deep native integration for Gemini. The large 5400mAh capacity easily lasts through a full day of standard use, even with gaming or video streaming.
Poco F7
For gamers, the best phone right now to pick under Rs 40,000 has to be the Poco F7. It is powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 SoC, comes with a big and vibrant 6.83-inch AMOLED screen with 1.5K resolution, and has a massive 7550mAh battery.
Moreover, the bundled 90W charger tops up this big battery quickly. The photography department is also not neglected, as it consists of a 50MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide shooter at the back, and a 20MP front camera.
iQOO Neo 10
Another device in this segment that has gaming-grade hardware is the iQOO Neo 10. It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, which, combined with iQOO's Supercomputing Chip Q1, lets it manage additional gaming features and offer smooth frame rates. The display is a 1.5K panel, which gets plenty sharp and offers a 144Hz refresh rate.
Battery life is also quite solid with a 7,000 mAh capacity, offering enough power for heavy users. The camera setup is also decent with a 50MP primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide, and a 32MP front lens.
Redmi Note 15 Pro+
Lastly, we have the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G, which packs a 6,500mAh silicon-carbon battery with support for 100W wired fast charging and 22.5W reverse charging. The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chipset and features a high-resolution 200MP main camera, alongside an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens.
The smartphone gets a 6.8-inch OLED display with 120Hz refresh support. Its biggest strength is durability, as the phone offers up to IP69K dust and water resistance, and the phone’s display comes with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection.