HONOR X9b
We all know that Airbags are the most important feature in terms of car safety. But have you ever heard of Airbags for smartphones? Say hello to HONOR X9b Ultra Bounce Display with ‘Airbag’ Technology. The company claims this is an industry first, offering 360-degree whole-device protection. The HONOR Ultra-Bounce Anti-drop 360° display, ensures outstanding durability and stability. Its airbag cushioning technology and innovative shock-absorbing structure around the phone provides impressive resistance to drops up to 1.5 meters. The phone guarantees 360° protection to all six faces and four corners, even on hard surfaces like marble. The HONOR X9b has a great display, battery life and build quality going for it. It has a dynamic hardware-level low blue light that helps reduce eye fatigue. However, an average camera and a mono speaker are a miss. The X9b can be availed for as low as INR 19,999 making it a strong and unique contender.

iQOO Z9
iQOO always manages to bring the best of devices at unbeatable pricing and the Z9 is no exception. Priced at INR 19,990 it is one of the best all-rounders in its segment. A powerful MediaTek Dimensity 7200 chipset, 50MP primary camera, 5,000mAh battery and efficient 44W fast charging make it a great choice. The absence of an ultra-wide camera is the only grouse one can have with this phone.

Xiaomi 14
The Xiaomi 14 is a compact powerful all-rounder flagship smartphone that we all need. The device has a lot going for it – perfect ergonomics, powerful performance, versatile camera setup co-engineered with Leica. But the only bone of contention is whether people will pay INR 69,999 for a Xiaomi smartphone or go for Apple, OnePlus, or Samsung in that price band.

Samsung Galaxy A55 5G and Galaxy A35 5G
The performance and pricing of the Galaxy siblings are not up to the mark compared to the competition like the OnePlus 12R and iQOO Z9. It seems like Samsung is trying to milk its brand equity by overcharging for these underpowered devices. But they are forgetting that the consumers are much smarter and aware now. With a starting price of INR 42,999 for the A55 5G and INR 33,999 for the A35 5G they are a no-match for their own earlier Samsung versions and other Qualcomm and MediaTek counterparts.

Nothing Phone (2a)
I will give it to Nothing for marketing and making the Phone (2a) a rage even before it went on sale. On paper, it felt like a dream device with unbeatable pricing. But the hype was short-lived as this head-turner was marred with problems like bad software experience, and inconsistent camera. Though most of these problems were fixed with software updates, the hardware issues like grease, dust, and scratches on the body or the slow UFS 2.1 storage have no fix. Starting at INR 23,999 it is an attractive device, but it’s not meant for all.

Vivo V30 and V30 Pro
The Vivo V30 and V30 Pro boast unique features and seamless design but a starting price of INR 33,999 and INR 41,999 spoils the deal. The V30 Pro comes with a MediaTek Dimensity 8200 processor and the V30 Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor. Even the 80W fast charging and the Smart Aura Ring Light are not enough to recommend it as it misses out on basic but much-needed features stereo speakers and gets only an IP54 Rating.