Last Updated on May 19, 2021 by Rupesh Patil
Looking for the best high-end smartphone in India? Or maybe a foldable smartphone to flaunt in front of your friends and colleagues? Well, we have made your life easier by selecting the best high-end smartphones that were launched in 2020. After publishing our list of best smartphones under ₹10,000, ₹20,000, ₹30,000, and ₹50,000, we are ready to announce the best high-end smartphones (priced above ₹50,000) of 2020 as well as the best foldable smartphones of the year.
The best high-end smartphones need to have the best screen quality and accuracy, preferably a high-refresh-rate screen, premium stereo speakers, dust and water resistance, premium design and build quality, flagship processors, fast performance, all-day battery life, fast charging, wireless charging, 5G, and a high-quality flexible multi-camera setup with 4K 60fps video recording.
Best High-End Smartphones In India (Above ₹50,000)
An ideal high-end smartphone of 2020, with price no bar, should have the following features:
- Metal-and-glass build with an attractive design
- Dust and water resistance
- Full HD+ OLED screen, preferably with high-refresh-rate
- Flagship processor for unhinged performance and UI smoothness
- Additional software features
- All-day battery life, fast charging, wireless charging
- 5G and other 2020-grade wireless connectivity features
- A 3-year or better software update promise
Best Fast & Smooth Smartphone: OnePlus 8 Pro
The OnePlus 8 Pro is OnePlus’ first truly flagship smartphone, and it deserves to be on the list of best high-end smartphones. It has a brilliant design and a metal-and-glass build, combined with a curved screen on the edges. It has a large Super AMOLED screen with Full HD+ resolution, HDR10+, a 120Hz refresh rate, and Gorilla Glass 5. It uses the Snapdragon 865 processor, 8GB/12GB RAM, and 128GB/256GB storage. Its 4,500mAh battery charges fully in an hour, thanks to its 30W bundled charger, and it lasts almost all day. We would have liked it to last a little longer, though.
In the imaging department, the OnePlus 8 Pro has a quad-camera setup consisting of a 48MP wide-angle camera, a 48MP ultrawide camera, and an 8MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. All three rear-facing cameras can record 4K 60fps videos. The 5MP color filter camera is useless, though, and it has been disabled by the company. The front-facing 16MP selfie camera is average. Other features include a fast and accurate in-display fingerprint reader, 5G, GPS, dual-SIM card slot, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, USB Type-C port, stereo speakers, dust and water resistance, wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging
Best iPhone For Most People: Apple iPhone 12
The iPhone 12 is the best iPhone of this year for most people. It has a color-accurate OLED screen with Full HD+ resolution and 1,200 nits peak brightness. However, it has a notch and the screen is limited to just a 60Hz refresh rate, which is a downgrade compared to Android phones on this list. All the other things are great, though, including its A14 Bionic processor, its 12MP selfie camera, 12MP+12MP dual-camera at the rear, stereo speakers, dust and water resistance, and its all-day battery life.
The iPhone 12’s processing is two generations ahead of any of the Android phones listed in this article. It also features 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, NFC, AirPlay 2, 20W fast charging, up to 15W wireless fast charging, and reverse wireless charging. The phone is extremely expensive, though. But that’s what you have to spend to get into Apple’s walled garden ecosystem. It captures brilliant still images and videos. And it’s the only phone that can capture 4K 60fps Dolby Vision HDR videos and edit them as well.
Best Spec Monster Phone: Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
The Galaxy S20 Ultra should be your go-to phone if you want a spec-heavy device with all the bells and whistles. It has a brilliant 6.9-inch Super AMOLED screen with QHD+ resolution, HDR10+, a 120Hz refresh rate, 1,200 nits peak brightness, and Gorilla Glass 6 protection. It has a decently fast processor, the Exynos 990, and 8GB/12GB RAM, 128GB/256GB/512GB storage, and a microSD card slot. Android 11-based One UI 3.0 is the best Android software out there. Plus, it has a 5,000mAh battery that lasts almost all day on a single charge and supports up to 45W fast charging.
The Galaxy S20 Ultra has a 40MP selfie camera, which can record 4K 60fps videos. On the rear, it has a massive, 108MP primary camera with OIS, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and a 48MP telephoto camera with 4x optical zoom. Its rear primary camera can record 4K 60fps videos. Connectivity features include 4G, GPS, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, and USB Type-C port. Additional features include Samsung Knox, Samsung Pay, an under-display fingerprint reader, and stereo speakers.
Best Phone With Stylus: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
If you want a high-end phone with a stylus, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra could be the best high-end smartphone for you. It almost matches the Galaxy S20 Ultra in terms of specs, but comes with an S Pen and a slightly smaller battery, at 4,500mAh. Plus, Samsung has updated the telephoto camera to feature 5x optical zoom and the primary camera now features laser autofocus for more reliable focusing performance. Its 6.9-inch screen is a bit brighter, too, at 1,400 nits of peak brightness. The front-facing camera is 10MP, but it features dual-pixel autofocus. All the other specs remain similar to that of the Galaxy S20 Ultra, and you can have a look at the above.
Best Camera Smartphone: Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
The iPhone 12 Pro Max is a beefed-up version of the iPhone 12, and it features a bigger screen, a bigger battery, and a bigger camera sensor for improved still images and videos. Plus, it has a 2.5x optical zoom lens for the telephoto camera. Everything else remains similar to the iPhone 12, and you can see the rest of the specs in the iPhone 12 section. It has the A14 Bionic processor, 6GB RAM, 128GB/256GB/512GB storage, Face ID biometric authentication system, 3,678mAh battery, up to 20W fast charging, up to 15W wireless charging, 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC, stereo speakers, and wireless charging.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max has the biggest camera sensor ever found on an iPhone and it uses the ground-breaking sensor-shift image stabilization system for sharper images and smoother videos. This new iPhone arguably captures the best images and videos on any smartphone in daylight and low-light conditions. It has a 6.7-inch Full HD+ OLED screen with Ceramic Shield glass and Dolby Vision certification. It is the fastest smartphone on the planet and can last more than a day on a single charge.
Best Foldable Smartphones In India
Foldable smartphones is a new concept right now, and really only one company has managed to ship quality foldable smartphones to consumers: Samsung. The company’s second-generation products such as the Galaxy Z Flip 5G and the Galaxy Z Fold 2 are the only foldable smartphones that we can recommend to consumers, and only to those who are not faint-hearted and want to show off the futuristic devices.
Best Compact Foldable Smartphone: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
If you want a compact foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip is the best choice. Its 6.7-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED screen folds in half to offer you a compact device that you can store in your pocket or tight places. It has a metal-and-glass build with an innovative hinge that lets you open the phone and rest it at any angle. While foldable-screen phones from other brands have displays protected by plastic, Samsung uses an innovative, premium-feeling, and stronger material that it calls Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG).
The Galaxy Z Flip has a Snapdragon 855+ processor, 8GB RAM, 128GB/256GB internal storage, Android 11, a side-mounted fingerprint reader, 4G, GPS, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, USB Type-C port, HDR10+ screen, and Samsung Pay. It has a 10MP selfie camera and a 12MP+12MP dual-camera at the rear. The cameras might not be chart-leading, but they capture good images and videos. Its 3,300mAh battery lasts all day with medium use and can be fast-charged at 15W. It also supports wireless charging.
Best Smartphone For Productivity: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G is the epitome of foldable phones right now. It is also the most improved smartphone I have ever seen when compared to its predecessor. It has a big 6.23-inch Super AMOLED screen with HD+ resolution and Gorilla Glass Victus protection on the outside. On the inside, it has a foldable 7.6-inch Super AMOLED screen with QHD+ resolution, HDR10+, and a 120Hz refresh rate. Basically, this phone unfolds into a tablet-sized product with a big screen, perfect for just about everything, be it productivity or entertainment.
Samsung has equipped the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G with a Snapdragon 865+ processor, 12GB RAM, 256GB/512GB storage, 5G, GPS, Wi-FI 6, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, USB Type-C port, side-mounted fingerprint reader, stereo speakers, Samsung Pay, and Samsung DeX. Its 4,500mAh battery lasts all day and it supports 25W fast wired charging, 9W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. It has two 10MP selfie cameras (one on the outer display and one on the inner display), a 12MP (wide-angle, OIS, Dual-Pixel autofocus) + 12MP (ultrawide) +12MP (telephoto with 2x optical zoom) triple rear-facing camera setup with 4K 60fps video recording.
So, these were the best high-end smartphones and the best foldable smartphones that are available in India right now. Do you think we missed out on a smartphone that deserves to be on this list? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Discussion about this post