Android smartphones in India are by far the most popular. According to an April 2023 data from market researcher StatCounter, Android accounted for over 95 percent of all mobile operating systems available in the country, thus making it pretty much the bellwether for all smartphone industry movements in the country. Naturally, the top 10 Android phones in India, therefore, make for a strong indicator of what smartphone users in the country prefer at the moment.
On this note, here’s looking at the top 10 Android phones in India for the month of April. The list offers an interesting look into which devices are in vogue among buyers in one of the biggest smartphone markets in the world. The list features a wide variety of devices, which range from the budget price mark of around Rs 10,000, up to the premium category of over Rs 40,000.
Note: Data sourced in the list is based on user queries and searches across the 91mobiles product platform for April 2023.
Top 10 Android phones in India in April 2023
The top 10 Android phones in India include devices launched as early as April last year, until April 18th this year. Devices in the top 10 search preferences among users on the 91mobiles platform include those from OnePlus, Vivo, Realme, iQOO, and Redmi, with the latter being the only brand that does not belong to China’s BBK Electronics conglomerate. On this note, here’s looking at the top 10 Android phones in India that caught user interest in April this year.
OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G
Price: Rs 19,999 onwards
Launched in India on April 11th, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G understandably topped the user interest chart on the 91mobiles platform last month. There are many factors that favoured its rise, which include a highly competitive set of specifications, a sub-Rs 20,000 starting price, 5G connectivity, and the OnePlus brand name. In fact, the Nord CE 3 Lite garnered over 2.5x more user interest than its nearest competitor on the top 10 Android phones list, the second-placed Vivo T2, in terms of user interest on the 91mobiles platform — with over 9.5 lakh searches in April itself.
Key specifications
- 6.72-inch full HD+ IPS LCD 120Hz display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G SoC
- 8GB RAM, 256GB storage
- 108MP + 2MP + 2MP rear cameras
- 16MP front camera
- Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1
- 5,000mAh battery, 67W fast charging
- 8.3mm thickness, 195g weight
Vivo T2
Price: Rs 18,999 onwards
The Vivo T2 is the newest smartphone launched in India to feature in the list of top 10 Android phones in India last month. Its new launch clearly reflects user interest, with the buzz around the smartphone catapulting it to the rank of the second most popularly searched device on the 91mobiles platform, in April. The smartphone appears to be a competitive offering to the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G but with key differences.
Key specifications
- 6.38-inch AMOLED full HD+ 90Hz display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G SoC
- 8GB RAM, 128GB storage
- 64MP + 2MP rear cameras
- 16MP front camera
- Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1
- 4,500mAh battery, 44W fast charging
- 7.8mm thickness, 172g weight
Realme Narzo N55
Price: Rs 10,999 onwards
The Realme Narzo N55, launched at around the same time as the two smartphones listed above, also comes with a design language and specifications sheet that is very similar to the Nord CE 3 Lite and the Vivo T2. It is also one of the four new entrants in the top 10 Android phones list, with the other three being the two mentioned above, and the ninth-ranked Nord CE 2 Lite.
Key specifications
- 6.72-inch IPS LCD full HD+ 90Hz display
- MediaTek Helio G88 SoC
- 8GB RAM, 128GB storage
- 64MP + 2MP rear cameras
- 8MP front camera
- Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2
- 5,000mAh battery, 33W fast charging
- 7.9mm thickness, 189g weight
OnePlus 11R
Price: Rs 39,999 onwards
Styled like a flagship, the OnePlus 11R is by far the most expensive smartphone on this list — venturing into the premium smartphone category. Launched in India on February 21st, the OnePlus 11R fell two places in user interest in April, after having ranked as the second most popular device on 91mobiles’ product search platform in March this year. Nevertheless, the smartphone notched up over 1.8 lakh searches in April, making it a very popular pick among potential smartphone buyers.
Key specifications
- 6.74-inch fluid AMOLED 1240 x 2772 pixels 120Hz display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 SoC
- 16GB RAM, 256GB storage
- 50MP + 8MP + 2MP rear cameras
- 16MP front camera
- Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3
- 5,000mAh battery, 100W fast charging
- 8.7mm thickness, 204g weight
Realme 10 Pro Plus
Price: Rs 23,999 onwards
Launched in India in December last year, the Realme 10 Pro Plus ranks very close to the OnePlus 11R — both in terms of ranking and user interest. It, like the 11R, fell two places in ranking on the top 10 Android phones list to rank fifth in April but still garnered over 1.8 lakh searches, making it a comparable choice for users.
Key specifications
- 6.7-inch AMOLED full HD+ 120Hz display
- MediaTek Dimensity 1080 SoC
- 12GB RAM, 256GB storage
- 108MP + 8MP + 2MP rear cameras
- 16MP front camera
- Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
- 5,000mAh battery, 67W fast charging
- 8mm thickness, 175g weight
iQOO Z7
Price: Rs 21,999 onwards
The India version of the iQOO Z7 was launched in the country on March 21st, and at 173 grams, makes for one of the lightest smartphones on this list. The smartphone remained consistent in terms of ranking and user interest, retaining the sixth spot on this list. In terms of user interest, it garnered over 1.7 lakh searches in April alone, thus proving to be at least piquing user interest for what it offers.
Key specifications
- 6.38-inch AMOLED full HD+ 90Hz display
- MediaTek Dimensity 920 SoC
- 8GB RAM, 128GB storage
- 64MP + 2MP rear cameras
- 16MP front camera
- Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
- 4,500mAh battery, 44W fast charging
- 7.8mm thickness, 173g weight
Realme C55
Price: Rs 10,999 onwards
Also launched on March 21st, the Realme C55 is the most affordable smartphone on this list, with prices starting at Rs 10,999. Interestingly, the Realme C55 dropped six places on the top 10 Android phones list, after having ranked as the most searched smartphone in India on the 91mobiles platform in March this year. It also raked up over 1.6 lakh user searches in April, despite its drop from the top.
Key specifications
- 6.72-inch IPS LCD full HD+ 90Hz display
- MediaTek Helio G88 SoC
- 8GB RAM, 256GB storage
- 64MP + 2MP rear cameras
- 8MP front camera
- Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2
- 5,000mAh battery, 33W fast charging
- 7.9mm thickness, 189g weight
Realme 10 Pro
Price: Rs 18,999 onwards
On paper, the Realme 10 Pro is nearly identical to the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite, which tops this month’s Android search list. The only difference here is the lack of a third camera unit, and slower fast charging than the latter. It climbed up one spot from ninth in the list for March this year and is the second-oldest device to feature in April’s top 10 Android phones list. Overall, it gathered over 1.4 lakh searches last month and is one of four Realme phones to feature in this list.
Key specifications
- 6.72-inch IPS LCD full HD+ 90Hz display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G SoC
- 12GB RAM, 256GB storage
- 108MP + 2MP rear cameras
- 16MP front camera
- Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1
- 5,000mAh battery, 33W fast charging
- 8.3mm thickness, 192g weight
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G
Price: Rs 18,999 onwards
The Nord CE 2 Lite 5G showed up on the top 10 Android phones list for April likely due to the launch of its successor, but that takes nothing away from the fact that it still remains to be an excellent everyday smartphone to use. With over 1.3 lakh searches on the 91mobiles platform, the Nord CE 2 Lite offers an interesting contrast to how the affordable Nord lineup has evolved over time.
Key specifications
- 6.59-inch IPS LCD full HD+ 120Hz display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G SoC
- 8GB RAM, 128GB storage
- 64MP + 2MP + 2MP rear cameras
- 16MP front camera
- Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2
- 5,000mAh battery, 33W fast charging
- 8.5mm thickness, 195g weight
Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G
Price: Rs 24,999 onwards
The only smartphone not from within BBK Electronics’ conglomerate of brands is Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G. The smartphone is the second most expensive in the list of top 10 Android phones in India in April, behind the OnePlus 11R. Interestingly, it is the only smartphone on this list that offers an OLED display — a feature that remains decidedly for the premium segment even today. It was launched in India in January this year, and brings up the rear of this list with nearly 1.2 lakh searches on the 91mobiles platform.
Key specifications
- 6.67-inch OLED full HD+ 120Hz display
- MediaTek Dimensity 1080 SoC
- 12GB RAM, 256GB storage
- 50MP + 8MP + 2MP rear cameras
- 16MP front camera
- Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
- 5,000mAh battery, 67W fast charging
- 8mm thickness, 187g weight
Trends analysis
With this wrapping up the top 10 Android phones list for the month of April, here’s looking at some of the clear user preference trends that we observed in the Indian smartphone market last month. From camera and brand preferences, to a rising probability of more users splurging more than usual on their smartphones, here’s what we inferred.
Smartphone ASPs are clearly rising
Up until 24 to 36 months ago, the average selling price (ASP) of a smartphone in India was still within the Rs 10,000-12,000 ballpark margin. This has clearly shifted — in April’s top 10 list, eight of the 10 smartphones are priced at Rs 18,999 and above. With ASPs touching the Rs 20,000 milestone, it is clear that users are likely considering the option of easily available EMIs, discounts, and other financing offers in order to buy more expensive devices, but use them for longer.
BBK Electronics brands rule user preferences
Nine out of 10 smartphones in the top 10 list are from brands that belong to the BBK Electronics conglomerate, showing a move in the industry that has seen Samsung and Xiaomi — two of the longest leaders of the Indian smartphone market — face stiff competition from OnePlus, Realme, Vivo, and iQOO. While market reports have pegged Samsung as still the leader of the industry, it is clear that at least last month, it is the BBK quartet that ruled user interest.
Buyer interest is low, but not out
With over 32,000 smartphone searches daily, it is clear that buyer interest in smartphones may be low, but not out. Despite the market downturn, buyers are considering new smartphones, as the advent of 5G connectivity may have piqued interest among users to upgrade their devices. It now remains to be seen if the demand picks up further — or declines — in the coming months.
64MP cameras hit the sweet spot
Five of the phones in the top 10 list feature 64MP primary rear cameras, clearly showing that it is this that has hit the sweet spot among modern smartphone cameras. With most images now algorithm-enhanced, 64MP smartphone camera sensors appear to be doing the trick in terms of offering the right balance of features, resolution, space usage within the smartphone chassis, and other factors too.
