We are well into 2018 now, which means the list of 2018 smartphones is growing increasingly faster. This month, the most noticeable launch was that of HMD Global which brought a slew of Nokia phones to the Indian market. Some of these phones have made it to our monthly list of phones that you should consider is you’re in the market.

In addition to the Nokia phones, we have seen some impressive phones from brands like Xiaomi and Samsung this year that also make it to our April list. We have chosen some of the best phones in each price segment that offer the best bang for your buck right now. Here are some of the best phones that you should consider this month.

CHEAPEST PHONE WORTH BUYING

Redmi 5A: Rs 5,999

For a long time Xiaomi has dominated the entry-level market in India. Phones like the Redmi 5A and the 4A before that have simply worked because they manage to offer a lot for less. At Rs 5,999, you not only get a pleasing design but also decent hardware and snappy performance. The pricing may not be as exciting as the Rs 4,999 introductory price, but even at its current price tag, the phone offers plenty for entry-level consumers.

The Redmi 5A sports a 5-inch HD IPS display and is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor coupled with Adreno 308 GPU. The dual-SIM phones runs Android Nougat-based MIUI 9 out-of-the-box and supports 4G LTE (VoLTE-ready) connectivity. Optics for the Redmi 5A includes a 13-megapixel camera on the rear with f/2.2 aperture, Phase Detection Autofocus and LED flash. Up front you get a 5-megapixel selfie camera. The handset houses a 3,000mAh battery that the company claims will offer up to 8 days of standby time.

Best phone under Rs 10,000

Redmi 5: Rs 7,999

It’s not just the Redmi 5A, Xiaomi has a few more phones within Rs 10,000 that are worth noting. The Redmi 5 is priced just a notch higher than the Redmi 5A and offers so much more in terms of performance and design. The phone takes everything that made the Redmi 4 so successful in India and adds a more 2018 look and feel to it.

The Redmi 5 sports a 5.7-inch ‘full-screen’ HD+ display with a 720×1440 pixel resolution with an 18:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by a Snapdragon 450 processor clubbed with up to 4GB of RAM and up to 64GB of storage which is further expandable by up to 128GB via a hybrid micro-SD card slot. The dual-SIM phone runs Android 7.1.2 Nougat-based MIUI 9, and supports 4G LTE (and VoLTE) connectivity. As far as optics are concerned, the phone comes with a 12-megapixel rear sensor with f/2.2 aperture, phase detection autofocus and LED flash, and a 5-megapixel sensor with LED flash.

Best phone(s) under Rs 20,000

Nokia 6 (2018): Rs 16,999

After setting a base last year, HMD plans to expand its portfolio this year and it kicked things off by launching a slew of phones in India earlier this month that includes a refreshed Nokia 6. The Nokia 6 (2018) builds on last year’s phone and manages to make things even better. The design has been tweaked with some copper trimming around that makes it look a lot more appealing, the software is now pure Android and the phone is part of Android One, and the new Nokia 6 also packs some updated specs under-the-hood.

The phone brings a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS LCD display with a traditional 16:9 aspect ratio and a 2.5D Gorilla Glass on top. A notable upgrade under-the-hood is the chipset with the new one getting a Snapdragon 630 processor compared to the Snapdragon 430 chip that was powering the original Nokia 6. This is coupled with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, expandable up to 128GB via microSD card. The phone ships with Android 8.0 Oreo and was recently updated to Android 8.1 Oreo.

I reviewed the Nokia 6 (2018) just this week and was impressed by its design, build quality, stock Android performance and battery life. However, the phone largely disappoints in the camera department, and for that you may want to look towards the Redmi Note 5 Pro.

Redmi Note 5 Pro: Rs 13,999

The Redmi Note 5 Pro is a powerhouse of a phone from Xiaomi and is currently one of the best devices you can find under Rs 15,000.The phone manages to nail pretty much all aspects of what you want in a smartphone which includes a premium metal build, 18:9 display, dual rear cameras and a powerful chipset, all at a base price of Rs 13,999.

The Redmi Note 5 Pro sports a similar 5.99-inch FHD+ display as the Redmi Note 5. However, under-the-hood the Note 5 Pro is spiritually closer to the Redmi Note 3 in terms of performance. It is the first smartphone to be powered by a Snapdragon 636 processor which brings Qualcomm’s Kryo 260 CPU cores that will deliver around 40 per cent more power than the Snapdragon 630. The chipset is designed to produce power while being energy efficient at the same time. We reviewed the Redmi Note 5 Pro and found that the phone really is a beast in terms of performance.

Best phone(s) under Rs 30,000

Nokia 7 Plus: Rs 25,999

Arguably the best phone in HMD’s newest lineup, the Nokia 7 Plus ticks most of the right boxes. The phone not only comes with a unique and captivating design that includes copper accents all around the frame, fingerprint sensor and rear camera module. It also brings a tall 18:9 display, runs pure, stock Android thanks to it being part of the Android One program, is powered by a fantastic chipset and also impresses with its battery life.

The Nokia 7 Plus is the first phone in the company’s lineup to come with a full-screen display, keeping it well with the times. It sports a 6-inch full HD+ IPS display with Gorilla Glass on top. Powering the Nokia 7 Plus is a Snapdragon 660 SoC, making it the first phone with the chipset in the country. This is paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The phone runs Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box and can be updated to Android 8.1 Oreo as well.

I reviewed the phone recently and found it to be a stellar offering at this price segment. The only thing that the phone gets wrong is the Zeiss-branded cameras, which perform poorly in low-light. But if cameras are important, then the Honor View 10 should be your choice in this price range. The only threat to the Nokia 7 Plus is the Nokia 8 from last year, which is available for Rs 28,000 now and can also be recommended as it packs 2017 flagship trimming including a Snapdragon 835 chipset.

Honor View 10: Rs 29,999

Before the Nokia 7 Plus was launched, the Honor View 10 was our pick as the best phone under Rs 30,000. This is because, Honor’s flagship smartphone comes with a whole bunch of AI smarts along with high-end specifications and a great pair of dual rear cameras to name a few. However, in terms of design, build and offering a stock Android experience with timely security updates, the Nokia 7 Plus does get a slight edge.

The Honor View 10 sports a 5.99-inch Full-HD+ (2160×1080) display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by the company’s in-house Kirin 970 processor, which features a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for AI features such as advanced scene detection, voice recognition and natural language processing. It features a dual rear camera setup with one 16-megapixel RGB sensor and one 20-megapixel monochrome sensor both with an f/1.8 aperture.

We reviewed the View 10 and found it to be Honor’s best smartphone yet thanks to its vibrant edge-to-edge display, stellar rear cameras, fast performance, great build quality and impressive battery.

Best phone under Rs 40,000

OnePlus 5T: Rs 32,999

The OnePlus 5T is nearing the end of its life as it has gone out of stock online with only the 64GB option being available on Amazon India right now. This is because we’re soon going to see the OnePlus 6 in the next month or so. The upcoming flagship will sport a notch for a bigger screen real estate and is expected to pack next-gen hardware. But if you’re a OnePlus fan who’s not ready for the notch just yet, this is perhaps the last month to buy the 5T.

The 5T sports a bright and vivid 6-inch full-HD+ (1080×2160 pixel) display and is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 835 processor with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. There is also an 8GB + 128GB variant available for Rs 37,999. The dual-SIM smartphone comes with a Face Unlock facial recognition feature as well. The phone ships with Android Nougat but since its launch the company has pushed out Android 8.0 Oreo and just this week the phone received Android 8.1 Oreo which also brings iPhone X-like navigation gestures.

The cameras on the OnePlus 5T have not received a major bump, although OnePlus says that they are better than the OnePlus. The dual camera system on the back comprises of one 16-megapixel Sony IMX398 sensor with 1.12-micron pixels and an f/1.7 aperture, and one 20-megapixel Sony IMX376K sensor with f/1.7 aperture. We reviewed the OnePlus 5T and found that the display is indeed one of its biggest highlights and its design and snappy performance make it the best OnePlus device as of now.

Best phone(s) money can buy

Pixel 2 XL: Rs 58,000

Google’s second generation Pixel flagship smartphone offers perhaps the best Android experience one can ask for. Not only does the Pixel 2 XL offer the purest Android software, but it also comes with top-of-the-line hardware, a full-screen display and some of the best cameras on a smartphone to date. For a lot of people, these should make up for the Pixel 2 XL’s unfortunate display issues. For those looking at a premium Android smartphone right now, the Pixel 2 XL is perhaps the best option out there.

As far as hardware is concerned, the Pixel 2 XL comes with mostly all of 2017’s flagship trimmings including a Snapdragon 835 processor, 12.2-megapixel rear camera with f/1.8 aperture, an 8-megapixel camera has an aperture of f/2.4, and a 3520mAh battery, among other things. DxOMark has given the Pixel 2 XL’s cameras a score of 98, which until last month was the highest overall score for a smartphone. In our review, the handset indeed comes with exceptional cameras that are beyond comparable.

Samsung Galaxy S9+: Rs 64,900

Samsung announced the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ a day ahead of MWC 2018 on February 25 and just two weeks later the company launched the flagships in India. The successors to the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ highlight top-of-the-line hardware specs and improved cameras while leaving the overall design largely unchanged. Samsung has loaded the phones with a host of new features inside such as Intelligent Scan, AR Emoji and Super Slo-mo mode among other things.

Among the two, the Galaxy S9+ is worth mentioning just a little more as it is the first Galaxy S flagship to sport a dual rear camera system. Other than that and the display size, both the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are pretty much identical. The S9+ comes with sports a 6.1-inch WQHD+ (1440×2960) Super AMOLED display with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by an octa-core Exynos 9810 chip coupled with 6GB of RAM and 64GB or 256GB of internal storage.

The dual camera setup includes one 12-megapixel sensor with adjustable aperture (f1.5/f.2.4) and OIS and a 12-megapixel secondary telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture. We are yet to review the flagship, but based on our initial impressions, the Galaxy S9+ impresses on performance and cameras while maintaining the same attractive design language as its predecessor.

iPhone X: Rs 81,900

The iPhone X is Apple’s most premium offering in India and is the one to wrap up our list for April. For all reasons, both good and bad, the iPhone X is the biggest and probably the best iPhone from the Cupertino giant to date and one that die-hard Apple . The X brings a whole new design language for the company that includes an edge-to-edge display with a notch cut out on top that is unfortunately catching on. Thanks to some hike in custom duties over the months, the iPhone X has gotten a little more pricier than before. However, you can find the X on e-commerce platforms like Amazon India for as low as Rs 80,999.

iPhone X sports a 5.8-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2436X1125 pixels. It is powered by the company’s own A11 Bionic chipset and runs on iOS 11. The X comes with dual rear cameras comprising of one 12-megapixel wide angle and one 12-megapixel telephoto lens. While the front camera includes a 7-megapixel sensor which is coupled with f/2.2 lens. The iPhone X is one of our best reviewed smartphones as it won us over on it’s gorgeous display, terrific performance and stellar cameras. Die-hard Apple fans who have the means will not want to miss this one.