The Galaxy S24 Ultra is one cool phone, but Samsung is asking ₹130,000 for it. The Galaxy S23 Ultra from last year is still quite competitive – check out our versus article for details – and is going for ₹90,000 on Amazon. That’s ₹20,000 less than on Samsung.com. The S24 Ultra is scheduled for three more OS updates (Android 15 is next) and will receive security patches until 2028, so it’s still very much a current device.
The iQOO Neo9 Pro features the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset at less than half the price. It even has a great 6.78” 1260p+ 144Hz LTPO OLED display and a fast 5,160mAh battery with 120W charging. The camera setup is quite basic compared to the S24 Ultra with a 50MP main (1/1.49”) and an 8MP ultra wide. There are a few other things like the IP54 rating (vs. IP68), but the massive price difference excuses some omissions.
The Tecno Phantom V Flip is one of the cheapest flip foldables that money can buy. Right now there is a ₹25,000 coupon on Amazon that drops it to the level of mid-range Androids. The 6.9” LTPO OLED display is solid, the 1.32” circular cover display is not ideal but workable and the 4,000mAh battery with 45W charging is impressive for the class, regardless of price. The Dimensity 8050 chipset gets pretty hot during gaming, but the 64+13MP camera is fairly good (except it lacks EIS during 4K recording).
The iQOO Z9x features a large 6.72” IPS LCD, an FHD+ 120Hz panel (20:9). It is powered by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset and features both expandable storage and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The 50MP rear and 8MP front cameras are pretty basic, but the phone stands out among its peers with an IP64 rating and a 6,000mAh battery with 44W charging.
The Realme Narzo 70x is a cheaper model, also with a 6.72” IPS LCD (FHD+, 120Hz, 20:9). It uses the weaker Dimensity6100+ chip, but maintains the expandable storage and 3.5mm headphone jack. The smaller 5,000mAh battery supports 45W fast charging. Dust protection is a notch lower at IP54.
Alternatively, the Realme Narzo 70 Pro is only slightly more than the Z9x and brings the more powerful Dimensity 7050. No expandable storage here, but the 3.5mm jack is still present. Also, this model changes to a 6.67” OLED (FHD+, 120Hz, 20:9) and the 5,000mAh battery is upgraded to 67W charging. The camera is better than the 70x with a larger 50MP sensor (1/1.56” vs. 1/2.76”) and the addition of an 8MP ultra wide.
We may get a commission from qualifying sales.
