Smartphones under Rs 40,000 are less popular than smartphones in other price ranges. They do, however, fall into an odd category. They have more functionality than inexpensive smartphones but fall well short of luxury models. Yet, there are some best smartphones in this category.
As expected, the giants like Samsung and Xiaomi have got their smartphones on the list. Also, the ban imposed on smartphones costing over USD 300 in Nepal has limited the number of smartphones in this price category.
Here, we have a list of 2022’s six best smartphones under Rs 40,000 in Nepal as of November 2022.
| SN | Model | Price |
| 1 | Vivo Y35 | Rs 30,999 (8/128GB) |
| 2 | Samsung Galaxy M33 5G | Rs 33,999 (6/128GB) Rs 35,999 (8/128GB) |
| 3 | Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G | Rs 36,999 (6/128GB) Rs 39,999 (8/128GB) |
| 4 | Honor X9 | Rs 38,490 (8/128GB) |
| 5 | OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | Rs 39,999 (8/128GB) |
| 6 | Realme 9 Pro 5G | Rs 38,999 98/128GB) |
1. Vivo Y35
Vivo Y35 is one of the most affordable and best smartphones under Rs 40,000. At the moment, Vivo is actively launching smartphones in quick succession. It seems the company now is preparing to compete against the best in the market. Vivo Y35 comes with a 6.58-inch IPS LCD display offering FHD resolution and 401PPI density. The display also supports a 90Hz refresh rate. It comes with IP5X (dust) and IPX4 (water) resistance protection.
Vivo Y35 has a 50MP primary camera on the back accompanied by a couple of 2MP depth and macro sensors. On the front is a 16MP selfie shooter. The camera can record up to 1080p resolution videos. It runs on Funtouch OS 12 based on Android 12 and is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 4G (6nm) chipset.
The 8GB RAM on it is coupled with 128GB of internal storage. Both the RAM and storage can be expanded. Giving power to the phone is a typical 5,000mAh non-removable battery. A good feature of it is its 44W fast charger, which gets 70 per cent power on it in just 34 minutes. It also supports reverse charging.
The price of Vivo Y35 is Rs 30,999.
2. Samsung Galaxy M33 5G
Samsung Galaxy M33 5G, as one of the best smartphones costing less than Rs 40,000, comes with a 6.6-inch TFT LCD display offering a resolution of 1,080*2,408 pixels. The display also supports a 120Hz refresh rate, which is a good deal for the users. With a minimalistic design, it weighs around 198 grams and measures a thickness of 9.4mm.
There is a quad-camera setup on it. The 50MP primary camera is accompanied by a 5MP, 123-degree FOV ultrawide and a couple of 2MP depth and macro sensors. On the front is an 8MP selfie shooter. The primary camera on it can record 4K resolution videos. Samsung Galaxy M33 5G runs on One UI 4.1 based on Android 12 and is powered by Samsung’s own Exynos 1280 (5nm) chipset.
Samsung Galaxy M33 5G is available in 6GB and 8GB RAM options. Both variants have 128GB internal storage. The RAM expansion mode on it increases the RAM memory up to 16GB. Similarly, the storage can also be expanded by up to 1TB with a micro SD card. It comes with a massive 6,000mAh battery backup. The battery gets charged with a 25W fast charger. It also supports reverse charging.
The prices of Samsung Galaxy M33 5G are Rs 33,999 for 6/128GB and Rs 35,999 for 8/128GB variants.
3. Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G
Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G is the latest and best smartphone from Xiaomi’s popular Redmi Note series. The Note series is popular because it provides an abundance of features at an affordable price range and this phone is no exception. The trendy flat back design of it provides smudge free and neat look. It has a 6.67-inch AMOLED display. The display supports up to 120Hz refresh rate and can achieve a peak brightness of up to 1200 nits.
It also has a high-resolution 108MP primary camera with a PDAF feature. The primary camera on the back is accompanied by an 8MP, 118-degree ultrawide and a 2MP macro sensor. On the front, there is a 16MP camera sensor for photos and videos. The video recording option is limited to 1080p resolution only. Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G runs on MIUI 13 based on Android 11. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G chipset.
Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G is available in either 6GB or 8GB of RAM and comes with 128GB internal storage as standard. There is a dedicated card slot on it, in case the users need more storage. It has a 5,000mAh battery backup and features a 67W turbo charging technology, which gets the battery 50 per cent charged in just 15 minutes. This is probably the highest among the best smartphones available in this price range.
The prices of Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G are Rs 36,999 for 6/128GB and Rs 39,999 for 8/128GB variants.
4. Honor X9
Honor X9 can be considered the single best smartphone in this category as far as the looks are concerned. The back panel of the phone features a unique circular camera module and the neat finish gives it a premium look. It has a comparatively larger display than the rest of the smartphones on this list. With 6.80 inches of measurement, the LCD display supports up to 90Hz refresh rate. It weighs around 189 grams and measures a thickness of 8.05mm.
There is a quad camera setup on it. The 64MP primary camera on it is accompanied by an 8MP ultrawide and a couple of 2MP depth and macro sensors. On the front is a 16MP selfie shooter. The cameras can record up to 1080p resolution videos. Honor X9 runs on Magic UI 4.2 based on Android 11. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 (6nm) chipset.
It is available only in a single variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage. There is no option for extending the storage as it does not have an external card slot. It gets power from a 4,800mAh non-removable battery, which gets charged from a 66W fast charger. The battery gets 81 per cent charge in just 30 minutes. Surprisingly, there is no 3.5mm headphone jack on it.
The price of Honor X9 is Rs 38,490 for the 8/128GB variant.
5. OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G
OnePlus is one of the companies that has established itself as one of the best in the market. The only phone from the company that would fit in this price category is OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G. It has a neat design and comes with a 6.59-inch IPS LCD display supporting up to 120Hz refresh rate. It measures 8.5mm in thickness and weighs 195 grams.
There is a triple-camera setup on it. The 64MP primary camera is accompanied by a couple of 2MP depth and macro sensors. Similarly, on the front is a 16MP camera for selfies and videos. Talking about video recording, the cameras on it can only record up to 1080p resolution. OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G runs on OxygenOS 12.1, which is based on Android 12 and is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G (6nm) chipset.
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The storage can be expanded by up to 1TB but there is no dedicated slot on it for that. There is a 5,000mAh non-removable battery on it, which gets charged by a 33W fast charger.
The price of OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G is Rs 39,999 for the 8/128GB variant.
6. Realme 9 Pro 5G
Realme 9 Pro 5G is one of the many smartphones launched by the company in its latest Realme 9 series. It has a flashy design as the back of it changes colour when exposed directly to sunlight. It comes with a 6.60-inch IPS LCD display offering a resolution of 1,080*2,412 pixels and 400 PPI density. The display also supports a 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate. It weighs around 195 grams and measures 8.5mm thick.
Realme 9 Pro 5G comes with a triple camera sensor. The 64MP primary camera on it is accompanied by an 8MP ultrawide and 2MP macros sensor. On the front is a 16MP selfie sensor. The cameras can only record 1080p resolution videos. It runs on Realme UI 3.0 based on Android 12 and is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G (6nm) chipset.
The 8GB RAM on it is coupled with 128GB of internal storage. The dynamic RAM expansion feature on it allows it to expand up to 5GB of additional RAM memory. Similarly, the storage can also be expanded on it with a microSD card but there is no dedicated slot. Giving power to it is a 5,000mAh non-removable battery, which gets charged with a 33W dart charger. There are also high-resolution speakers on it.
The price of Realme 9 Pro 5G is Rs 38,999 for the 8/128GB variant.
