2023 is coming to an end and we have witnessed a plethora of smartphone launches across different price segments, from budget to ultra-premium flagships. This year, Apple transitioned to USB Type-C with the iPhone 15 series, Nothing came out with a second iteration of the Nothing Phone, and OnePlus unveiled its first-ever foldable phone, among other things.
But which phones piqued the curiosity of our readers throughout the year? Well, we have our list of the most popular phones in 2023 based on user searches on the 91mobiles website. Take a look!
10 most popular phones in India in 2023
iPhone 15
The iPhone 15 was the most searched smartphone on 91mobiles.com this year. We’re talking about the base iPhone 15, which is a significant upgrade this year as far as iPhones are concerned. It brings a Dynamic Island and USB Type-C port, among other things.
iPhone 15 is much more convenient to use thanks to its lightweight construction. The phone feels sturdy and solid in the hands. The display of the iPhone 15 is also quite bright and is visible under direct sunlight, thanks to 2000 peak brightness. On the downside, the iPhone 15 still comes with a 60Hz refresh rate and there’s no fast charging support.
Key specifications
- Display: 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with up to 2000 nits peak brightness.
- Processor: A16 Bionic chip
- Storage variants: 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB.
- Cameras: 48MP primary sensor and a 12MP secondary lens.
- Front camera: 12MP front camera.
- Connectivity: Type-C port, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, MagSafe.
- OS: iOS 17.2.1.
Price: Rs 79,900 for the 128GB model, Rs 89,900 for the 256GB model, and Rs 1,09,900 for the 512GB version.
Realme 11 Pro
Realme 11 Pro (review) is number 2 on our list of most popular phones in India in 2023. It comes as a successor to the Realme 10 Pro and gets a curved display with a leather back panel that makes it one of the better-designed phones under Rs 25,000. There is a large circular camera module on the back and this looks elegant, especially in the Sunrise Beige colour.
As per our review, the camera performance on the phone is very good as the images are with ample details and rich colours. The display is also bright and colourful, thanks to the AMOLED panel. The Realme 11 Pro battery is also pretty impressive.
Key specifications
- Display: 6.7-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate.
- Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 7050 5G chipset.
- RAM and storage: Up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage
- OS: Android 13-based Realme UI out of the box.
- Cameras: 100MP primary camera and a 2MP secondary sensor. There is a 16MP front camera for selfies.
- Battery: 5,000mAh battery with 67W SuperVOOC fast charging technology.
Price: Rs 21,999 for the 8GB + 128GB, Rs 24,999 for the 8GB + 256GB model, Rs 29,799 for the 12GB + 256GB model.
Nothing Phone (2)
Nothing Phone (1) was a sensation when it launched, thanks to the unique transparent design and Glyph LED lights. This made the phone stand out from the competition. The brand continued this legacy with the Phone (2) (review), which is one of our top-searched phones in 2023.
Nothing was successful in retaining the unique looks and improving further over the Phone (1). The Phone (2) features the same transparent design and this time, we get curved edges. Thanks to the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, the performance of the phone is quite impressive. The cameras are also quite impressive, with good-quality images in daylight conditions. On the downside, one might feel the design is identical to Nothing Phone (1) and the charging speeds are not as as compared to the competition.
Key specifications
- Display: 6.7-inch OLED display with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor paired with Adreno GPU.
- RAM and storage: Up to 12GB RAM and 512GB storage.
- OS: Android 13 OS.
- Camera: 50MP Sony IMX890 sensor with OIS and EIS and a 50MP Samsung JN1 ultra-wide sensor. There is a 32MP shooter on the front for selfies and video chats.
- Battery: 4,700mAh battery, 45W wired fast charging, and 15W wireless charging support.
Price: Rs 39,999 for the 8GB/128GB model, Rs 44,999 for the 12GB/256GB, and Rs 49,999 for the 12GB/512GB.
Redmi Note 13 Pro
Redmi Note 13 Pro launched in China a few months ago but the phone has remained one of the top-searched models on 91mobile. The handset features a large 6.67-inch display with an AMOLED panel, 120Hz refresh rate, and 1920Hz PWM. The Redmi model is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC, which ensures the performance is top-notch without any lags or stutters.
There is a 200MP primary camera sensor on the back and this should offer great images even when zoomed in. The large 5100mAh battery should last an entire day without any sweat and the bundled 67W fast charging should juice up quite quickly.
Key specifications
- Display: 6.67-inch 1.5K FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1920Hz PWM.
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC paired with Adreno GPU for graphics.
- Software: Android 13-based MIUI 14 out-of-the-box.
- Battery, charging: 5,100mAh battery with 67W fast charging support.
- RAM and storage: Up to 16GB RAM and 512GB storage.
- Cameras: 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP3 sensor with OIS, an 8MP ultra-wide angle lens, and a 2MP macro sensor.
- Front camera: 16MP.
Price: RMB 1,499 (approx Rs 17,40) for the 8GB/128GB version, RMB 1,599 (around Rs 18,200) for the 8GB/256GB model, RMB 1799 (around Rs 20,800) for the 12GB + 256GB model, RMB 1,599 (approx Rs 23,100) for the 12GB + 512GB model, and RMB 2099 (approx Rs 24,300) for the 16GB + 512GB model
Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus
Besides the Redmi Note 13 Pro, the Note 13 Pro+ has also been quite popular in 2023, thanks to the top-end hardware. This is also the first time that a Redmi numbered series phone shipped with an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. The handset gets a premium MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Ultra chipset and has a 200MP primary camera sensor.
The Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus ships with a 5000mAh battery and superfast 120W fast charging support. There is a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate.
Key specifications
- Display: 6.67-inch 1.5K FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate
- Cameras: 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP3 sensor with OIS, an 8MP ultra-wide angle lens, and a 2MP macro sensor.
- Front camera: 16MP front camera for selfies and video chats.
- OS: Android 13-based MIUI 14 custom skin out of the box.
- Battery: 5,000mAh battery with 120W fast charging support.
- Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Ultra SoC.
- RAM and storage: Up to 16GB RAM and 512GB storage.
Price: RMB 1999 (around Rs 23,300) for the 12GB + 256GB model, RMB 2,199 (around Rs Rs. 25,100) for the 12GB + 512GB version, and RMB 2,299 (approx Rs 26,400) for the 16GB + 512GB version.
OnePlus Nord 3
OnePlus Nord 3 (review) launched in India as a successor to the Nord 2 and was received quite well by average smartphone users across the country. Our review found the OnePlus Nord 3 display to be quite impressive. We get a 6.74-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. This should be quite good for content consumption and gaming as well. The performance of the phone is also great for day-to-day tasks and intense tasks like gaming and video recording.
The cameras are also quite good, thanks to a large 50MP primary camera, which is a Sony IMX890 sensor. There is a large 5000mAh battery with 80W SUPERVOOC fast charging support. On the downside, the OnePlus Nord 3 has no microSD card support and the design might look pretty bland for those who want aesthetics.
Key specifications
- Display: 6.74-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate
- Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 9000 SoC paired with Mali-G710 10-core GPU.
- RAM and storage: Up to 16GB RAM and 256GB of onboard storage.
- OS: Android 13-based OxygenOS 13.1 custom skin out of the box.
- Cameras: 50MP primary Sony IMX890 sensor with OIS, an 8MP ultra-wide Sony IMX355 sensor, and a 2MP macro camera.
- Front camera: 16MP shooter on the front for selfies and video chat.
- Battery: 5,000mAh battery with 80W SUPERVOOC fast charging support.
- Connectivity: 5G SA/ NSA, Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS, NFC, and a USB Type-C port.
Price: Rs 33,999 for the 8GB/128GB model and Rs 37,999 for the 16GB/256GB model.
OPPO Find X6 Pro
The OPPO Find X6 Pro (review) was the company’s flagship phone for 2023 but unfortunately never made it to India. Still, this hasn’t stopped it from being one of the most popular phones this year for our readers. There is a large 6.74-inch display, which is an AMOLED panel and has a 120Hz intelligent dynamic refresh rate. We get Hasselblad cameras on the back, headlined by a 50MP 1-inch Sony IMX890 sensor. This should result in impressive images even in dim-light conditions.
The handset is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9200, Android 13 OS, and up to 512GB storage. We get a sizeable 4800mAh battery and 80W fast charging support, which juices up the battery in no time. Our review noted the design is quite stunning, courtesy of the leather back panel and an aluminium frame. The only downside is the lack of availability in India.
Key specifications
- Display: 6.74-inch 1.5K AMOLED display, 120Hz intelligent dynamic refresh rate.
- Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 9200 4nm processor with Immortalis-G715 11-core GPU
- RAM and Storage: Up to 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB UFS 4.0 storage
- OS: Android 13 with ColorOS 13.1
- Cameras: 50MP 1-inch Sony IMX890 sensor, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, and a 50MP 3X periscope telephoto camera.
- Front camera: 32MP front camera
- Connectivity: 5G SA/NSA, Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), Bluetooth 5.3, GPS/GLONASS, dual-antenna NFC, USB Type-C
- Battery: 4800mAh battery with 80W SuperVOOC fast charging
Price: RMB 4499 (around Rs 54,200) for 12GB + 256GB and RMB 4999 (approx Rs 60,300) for the 16GB + 512GB model.
iPhone 15 Pro Max
The iPhone 15 Pro Max (review) is the 2023 flagship from Apple. The company moved towards titanium from stainless steel and this shows in the weight. The handset is now slightly lighter and better to hold in hands. This is a big positive considering the iPhone has a large 6.7-inch display. Apple has finally shifted to a USB Type-C port.
The A17 Pro chipset, though it faced initial hiccups, is quite solid. For one, the chipset is powerful enough to handle console-level gaming (thanks to the Resident Evil title). The cameras on the iPhone are also very good and can be easily considered one of the best of the year. However, one might feel the Rs 1,59,900 price tag is quite costly and the slow charging speed is a pain when you are on the go.
Key specifications
- Display: 6.7-inch OLED Super Retina XDR display 120Hz ProMotion technology
- Processor: Apple A17 Pro 3nm chipset, 6-core GPU.
- Storage: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options.
- OS: iOS 17 out of the box.
- Cameras: 48MP wide-angle primary sensor with sensor-shift OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 12MP telephoto sensor, offering 3X optical zoom on the Pro and 5X on the Pro Max.
- Front camera: There is a 12MP TrueDepth front camera.
- Connectivity: 5G, Gigabit-class LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, GPS with GLONASS.
Price: Rs 1,59,900 for the base 256GB storage model, Rs 1,79,900 for 512GB, and Rs 1,99,900 for the 1TB model.
Realme C53
Realme C53 (review) is one of the best budget phone offerings in the country. The main highlight of the phone is a 108MP camera, which is the best in the segment as there are no other phones in the segment with such a large sensor. The images from the phone come out quite impressive with ample details. The UNISOC T612 SoC is also adequately powerful to handle your day-to-day tasks. The 5000mAh battery can last one single day without any issues and there is an 18W fast charging support.
However, the Realme UI is shipped with unwanted bloatware apps and this will ruin the whole user experience.
Key specifications
- Display: 6.74-inch HD display with a 90Hz refresh rate, and a 180Hz touch sampling rate.
- Processor: UNISOC T612 SoC.
- RAM and storage: Up to 6GB RAM and 128GB storage.
- Cameras: 108MP primary camera accompanied by a B&W lens.
- There is an 8MP front camera for selfies.
- Battery and charging: 5,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging.
- Software: Android 13.
Price: Rs 9,999 4GB/128GB model and Rs 10,999 for the 6GB/64GGB version.
OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite
Last on the list is the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite (review). This OnePlus phone is the best mid-range offering in the country and is also one of the most popular models this year. With OnePlus phones, we get a bloatware-free user interface and this will aid with the whole user experience. The design of the phone is also unique and should appeal to the targeted audience. The battery life of the phone is also said to be decent enough and can last an entire day without any issues.
On the flip side, the display panel used here is LCD and not AMOLED and also the cameras are not the best in the segment.
Key specifications
- Display: 6.72-inch FHD+ IPS LCD with a 120Hz refresh rate.
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 SoC paired with Adreno GPU.
- RAM and Storage: 8GB RAM and 128GB/256GB storage
- OS: Android 13 OS
- Cameras: 108MP primary camera, a 2MP secondary lens, and a 2MP third sensor.
- There is a 16MP selfie shooter.
- Battery: 5,000mAh battery, 67W fast charging.
Price: Rs 19,999 for the 8GB/128GB model and Rs 21,999 for the 8GB/256GB version.
