Smartphone launches in India have picked up pace, right from the start of the new year. As more companies look to launch new phones, amounting to over 15 expected new phone launches in February 2023, here’s looking at the top smartphone launches in India that took place in January 2023.
Top smartphone launches in India in January 2023
- Redmi Note 12 series
- iQOO 11
- Infinix Note 12i
- Samsung Galaxy F04
- Realme 10 4G
- Samsung Galaxy A14 5G
- Oppo A78 5G
- POCO C50
- Samsung Galaxy A23 5G
- Tecno Phantom X2 series
Redmi Note 12 series
This year, Xiaomi has brought three smartphones to the Redmi Note in India — the Redmi Note 12 (review), Note 12 Pro and Note 12 Pro Plus. Each of the three phones offer 5G connectivity support in the country, and the price range starts from Rs 16,499 for the base, 4GB RAM and 128GB storage variant of the Redmi Note 12 5G. This goes all the way up to Rs 32,999 with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage.
In terms of key specifications, the top Redmi Note 12 Pro+ features the MediaTek Dimensity 1080 SoC, 12GB RAM, a 200MP triple rear camera setup with optical image stabilisation, a 16MP front camera in a drill-hole slot, and a 4,980mAh battery with 120W fast charging.
Launch date: January 5th
Price in India: Rs 16,499 to Rs 32,999
iQOO 11
The iQOO 11 (review) is among the first crop of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-powered flagship smartphones in the country. The series is yet to bring the ‘Pro’ variant to the country, which is a launch that could take place later.
In terms of key specifications, the device features a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with 2K+ screen resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate. Inside, the smartphone runs on the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 internal storage. In terms of cameras, the smartphone features a 50MP main camera, 8MP ultrawide and 13MP telephoto units with 2x optical zoom, powered by Vivo’s custom V2 image signal processor chip.The entire setup is powered by a 5,000mAh battery with 120W fast charging.
Launch date: January 10th
Price in India: Rs 59,999 to Rs 64,999
Infinix Note 12i
Infinix launched its Note 12i as a 2022 model in global markets. About four months later, the company brought the smartphone to India. The device is available only in a single variant, with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. In terms of specifications, the smartphone features a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with full HD+ screen resolution, but only 60Hz refresh rate. It features Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3 screen protection layer atop, and is powered by the MediaTek Helio G85 SoC.
Users can expand storage by up to 512GB through SD cards, and the smartphone runs on Android 12-based XOS custom operating system. Other key details include a 50MP triple rear camera, an 8MP front camera, and a 5,000mAh battery powering the entire setup.
Launch date: January 25th
Price in India: Rs 9,999
Samsung Galaxy F04
The Samsung Galaxy F04 was one of the first among smartphone launches in India this year. The device is an entry-level budget smartphone, and follows the Galaxy M04 that was launched in the country in December last year.
Key specifications include a 6.5-inch HD+ 60Hz display. The smartphone is powered by MediaTek’s Helio P35 SoC, along with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage that can be expanded upon through a microSD slot. Other key details include a 13MP dual rear camera, a 5MP front camera, and a 5,000mAh battery with 15W fast charging
Launch date: January 4th
Price in India: Rs 7,499
Realme 10 4G
The Realme 10 (review) is the company’s only 4G-only offering in the country under the mid-range Realme 10 portfolio. The smartphone is a direct challenger to the Redmi Note series by Xiaomi.
Key specifications include a 6.4-inch 90Hz display with full HD+ screen resolution, on a fairly ergonomic device dimensions of 7.95mm in thickness and 178 grams in weight. The smartphone runs on MediaTek’s Helio G99 SoC, with up to 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB UFS 2.2 storage. The device runs on Realme UI 3.0, based on Android 12. Other details include a 50MP dual rear camera with a secondary black-and-white camera unit, and a 16MP front camera as well. A 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging setup powers the phone.
Launch date: January 9th
Price in India: Rs 13,999 to Rs 16,999
Samsung Galaxy A14 5G
The Samsung Galaxy A14 comes in the only segment that is seeing buyer demand in India — 5G smartphones priced below Rs 20,000 in India. Specifications-wise, the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G features a 6.6-inch HD+ display with 90Hz refresh rate, and is powered by the Samsung Exynos 1330 SoC with up to 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. It gets a 50MP triple rear camera, and a 13MP front camera as well. The device is powered by a 5,000mAh battery, with 15W fast charging in tow.
Launch date: January 16th
Price in India: Rs 16,499 to Rs 20,999
Oppo A78 5G
Oppo A78 5G specifications include a 6.56-inch full HD+ display with 90Hz refresh rate. The smartphone is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC with 5G support, along with a single variant with 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB UFS 2.2 storage. The device runs on Android 13, based on Oppo’s proprietary ColorOS 13 custom Android interface. The A78 5G also gets a 50MP dual rear camera, and an 8MP front camera as well. The entire setup is powered by a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging.
Launch date: January 16th
Price: Rs 18,999
POCO C50
Among the very first smartphones to have launched in India was the POCO C50. Key specifications include a 6.52-inch IPS LCD display with HD+ screen resolution at 60Hz refresh rate, and a MediaTek Helio A22 SoC powering the phone. It also gets 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage, which can be expanded by up to 512GB with a microSD card. It also has an 8MP dual rear camera and a 5MP front camera, and is powered by a 5,000mAh battery with 10W charging.
Launch date: January 3rd
Price: Rs 6,499 to Rs 7,299
Samsung Galaxy A23 5G
Launched alongside the Galaxy A14 5G, the Galaxy A23 5G is a mid-range 5G smartphone from Samsung in the mid-segment Galaxy A series portfolio. Key specifications include a 6.6-inch full HD+ display with 120Hz refresh rate, and a 5G Snapdragon 695 SoC. It has up to 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. The Galaxy A23 5G also carries a 50MP quad rear camera with optical stabilisation, and an 8MP front camera as well. It is powered by a 5,000mAh battery with 25W fast charging.
Launch date: January 16th
Price: Rs 22,999 to Rs 24,999
Tecno Phantom X2 series
Tecno unveiled the Tecno Phantom X2 on January 2nd, offering specifications such as a 6.8-inch full HD+ curved AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate. It also gets Corning Gorilla Glass Victus screen protection, and 93.5 percent screen to body ratio. Powering the device is the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 SoC, with 8GB RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage. Other specs include a 64MP triple rear camera setup, a 32MP front camera, and a 5,160mAh battery with 45W fast charging.
The Phantom X2 Pro, meanwhile, features the same chip and display, but offers up to 12GB LPDDR5 RAM. It also has a 50MP triple rear camera with a 50MP retractable portrait lens, while all other specifications remain the same.
Launch date: January 2nd and 17th
Price: Rs 39,999 to Rs 49,999
