March 2021 will go down as one of the busiest months in the history of the Indian smartphone market. With just 21 working days in the month, we still witnessed the launch of a whopping 26 smartphones in India.
With smartphones production and launches being halted for a while in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, smartphone makers were forced to change their overall strategy and push their launches and that resulted in launching some of the major phones like the ROG Phone 5 and OnePlus 9 series launches in Q1 itself instead of usual Q2 launch cycle.
In March 2021, we saw almost all smartphone makers launch their smartphones in India with prices starting from Rs 6,999 and going up to Rs 79,999. Except for the Nokia group, India witnessed smartphones from all the other major brands.
The month started with Samsung launching the mid-range Galaxy A32 and ended with Samsung’s Snapdragon power Galaxy S20 FE 5G. And, in between these, we had multiple budget, mid-range, and flagship phones. Among these many launches, Redmi Note 10 series, Poco X3 Pro, and Realme 8 series created a lot of buzz. Here is the list of phones launched in India in March 2021.
Samsung Galaxy A32
Samsung kickstarted the month with a mid-range phone in the A-series. The Galaxy A32 comes with a 64MP quad-camera setup, 90Hz AMOLED display. It comes with a 5,000mAh battery. Under the hood, there is a MediaTek Helio G80 SoC paired up with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Selfies are handled by a 20MP shooter.
Gionee Pro Max
The most affordable one on the list, the Gionee Pro Max is basically the Gionee Max with an extra gig of RAM. The Gionee Pro Max comes with 3GB of RAM and is powered by a Unisoc SC9863A processor. It features a 6.52-inch HD+ display and has a 13MP dual camera and an 8MP selfie shooter.
Redmi Note 10, Note 10 Pro, Note 10 Pro Max
It wouldn’t be wrong if we call them the most popular phone of 2021 yet, the Redmi Note 10 series was launched with multiple upgrades that we were hoping for and yet the pricing was retained under Rs 20,000. The Redmi Note 10, Note 10 Pro, Note 10 Pro Max trio sports a super AMOLED display and are powered by Snapdragon chipsets. The Pro variants also feature a 120Hz refresh rate screen.
The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max sports a 108MP camera while the Pro variant comes with a 64MP main camera - they both also feature a meaningful 5MP macro camera. All three phones pack in at least a 5,000mAh battery which is backed by a 33W fast charging.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Redmi Note 10 Pro Max | Redmi Note 10 Pro | Redmi Note 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4+64GB | - | - | Rs 11,999 |
| 6+64GB | Rs 18,999 | Rs 15,999 | - |
| 6+128GB | Rs 19,999 | Rs 16,999 | Rs 13,999 |
| 8+128GB | Rs 21,999 | Rs 18,999 | - |
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Note 10 Pro Max | Note 10 Pro | Note 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.67” Super AMOLED | 6.67” Super AMOLED | 6.43” Super AMOLED |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz | 120Hz | 60Hz |
| RAM | 6/8GB 8GB LPDDR4X | 6/8GB 8GB LPDDR4X | 4/6GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage | 64/128GB UFS 2.2 | 64/128GB UFS 2.2 | 64/128GB UFS 2.2 |
| Rear camera | 108+8+5+2MP | 64+8+5+2MP | 48+8+2+2MP |
| Front camera | 16MP | 16MP | 13MP |
| Battery | 5,020mAh, 33W | 5,020mAh, 33W | 5,000mAh, 33W |
| Thickness | 8.1mm | 8.1mm | 8.3mm |
| Weight | 192 grams | 192 grams | 178.8 grams |
| Starting price | Rs 18,999 | Rs 15,999 | Rs 11,999 |
Oppo F19 Pro, Pro Plus
The successor to the Oppo F17 series, the Oppo F19 series was unveiled with enhanced low light video photography. The vanilla Oppo F19 is said to launch later in India while the company has announced the Oppo F19 Pro and Oppo F19 Pro Plus.
The F19 Pro Plus is a 5G phone powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 800U processor. It brings a 48MP f/1.7 ” OV48B main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera with f/2.2, a 2MP portrait mono lens, and a 2MP macro mono lens - both with f/2.4. Selfies are handled by a 16MP camera. On to the front, you get a 6.43-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display.
The device is packed with a 4,310mAh battery which is backed by a 50W fast charging. The Oppo F19 is a 4G device powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio P95 chipset. It offers 30W fast charging. Apart from these specs, everything other specs are the same as the Oppo F19 Pro Plus.
Moto G30, G10 Power
The new duo in the Moto G series, the Moto G30 and G10 Power are priced under Rs 12,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively. While the Moto G30 is the same as the global variant with Snapdragon 662 SoC, the Moto G10 Power is an India exclusive phone with a bigger battery capacity.
Both Moto G30 and Moto G10 Power comes with ThinkShield which is an end to end mobile security and privacy solution which offers protection at multiple levels starting from the supply chain, hardware security, OS, and system security. It works a level beyond the OS and a level below the OS as well to provide the best security possible.
Asus ROG Phone 5, 5 Pro, 5 Ultimate
The Asus ROG Phone 5 series had three phones this time around - the vanilla ROG Phone 5, ROG Phone 5 Pro, and ROG Phone 5 Ultimate. All three phones are powered by Snapdragon 888 processor and paired up with up to 18GB of RAM. The trio features a 6.78-inch custom AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate and 300Hz touch-sampling rate.
On the inside, the devices come with a 6,000mAh battery with 65W fast charger support (30W in-box). The ROG Phone 5 also features the virtual buttons on the sides with all the previous and new gestures. It comes with Aura RGB Lighting on the back as well and it can be customized with ROG Vision pre-set scenarios and animations.
Samsung Galaxy M12
One of India’s cheapest phone with a 90Hz refresh rate screen, the Galaxy M12 comes with a 6.5-inch HD+ display and is powered by Exynos 850 SoC. The Samsung Galaxy M12 sports a 6,000mAh battery which is backed by a 15W fast charging.
You get a quad rear camera setup with a 48MP ISOCELL GM2 main camera, a 5MP wide-angle lens followed by a 2MP macro and a 2MP depth sensor. To the front, there is an 8MP selfie snapper.
Samsung Galaxy A52, A72
The Samsung Galaxy A51 was the world’s top-selling phone for 2020 and the new-gen duo, the Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A72 comes with several improvements over the predecessor. While globally, there is a 5G variant, both phones in India are 4G versions.
Both the Samsung Galaxy A72 and A52 are powered by Snapdragon 720G processor. The Galaxy A72 has a large 6.7-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate while the A52 has a 6.5-inch 90Hz display. In terms of optics, the Galaxy A72 comes with a quad-camera setup with a 64MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, an 8MP telephoto lens and a 5MP macro shooter. Selfies are handled by a 32MP shooter. There is a 5,000mAh battery unit that the inside.
The Samsung Galaxy A52 comes with a 64MP main camera with OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide shooter, 5MP depth shooters and 5MP macro cameras too. There is a 32MP selfie camera onboard. The devices pack in a 4,500mAh battery.
Micromax In 1
Micromax pulled a surprise with the launch of its third In series devices, the Micromax In 1 which sits right in between the In Note 1 and In 1b. It is powered by MediaTek Helio G80 chipset and paired with up to 6GB RAM and 128GB of storage.
In the optics department, the Micromax In 1 offers a triple rear camera setup with a 48MP f/1.79 (Samsung ISOCELL GM1) main shooter, a 2MP depth and a 2MP macro sensor. You get an 8MP selfie shooter. On the inside, there is a big 5,000mAh battery.
OnePlus 9, 9 Pro, 9R
The biggest upgrade comes in the form of Hasselblad collaboration here with the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9R. The OnePlus 9R is currently an India exclusive device. the 9 Pro features a Sony IMX789 custom 1/1.43-inch 48MP primary sensor, a 50MP Sony IMX766 ultra-wide, an 8MP telephoto lens with 3.3x optical zoom, and a 2MP monochrome camera. The OnePlus 9 has a 48MP f/1.8 Sony IMX 689 primary sensor, the same 50MP ultra-wide lens and a 2MP monochrome filter camera.
Both phones come with a 4,500mAh battery with Warp Charge 65T. The OnePlus 9R is a more affordable flagship phone powered by Snapdragon 870 SoC and is also India’s first phone with the same. The 9R sports a 6.55-inch 120Hz AMOLED display.
| Configuration | OnePlus 9 Pro | OnePlus 9 | OnePlus 9R |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8GB + 128GB | Rs 65,999 | Rs 49,999 | Rs 39,999 |
| 12GB + 256GB | Rs 69,999 | Rs 54,999 | Rs 43,999 |
| Header Cell - Column 0 | OnePlus 9R | OnePlus 9 | OnePlus 9 Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.55" FHD+ AMOLED, 120Hz | 6.55" FHD+ AMOLED, 120Hz | 6.7" QHD+ AMOLED, 120Hz |
| Processor | Snapdragon 870 | Snapdragon 888 | Snapdragon 888 |
| RAM | 8/12GB | 8/12GB LPDDR5 | 8GB/12GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage | 128/256GB UFS 3.1 | 128/256GB UFS 3.1 | 128/256GB UFS 3.1 |
| Rear camera | 48+16+5+2MP | 48+50+2MP | 48+50+8+2MP |
| Font camera | 16MP | 16MP | 16MP |
| Battery | 4,500mAh | 4,500mAh | 4,500mAh |
| Charging | Warp Charge 65 | Warp Charge 65T | Warp Charge 65T |
| Thickness | 8.4mm | 8.1mm | 8.7mm |
| Weight | 189g | 183g | 197g |
| Starting price | Rs 39,999 | Rs 49,999 | Rs 42,999 |
Realme 8, 8 Pro
The Rival to the Redmi Note 10 series, the Realme 8 and Realme 8 Pro were announced with minor same chipsets as the last generation. The Realme 8 Pro is also India’s cheapest phone with a 108MP camera. It uses Samsung’s ISOCELL HM2 image sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 2MP macro lens and a 2MP black and white camera.
The Realme 8 is powered by a MediaTek Helio G95 chipset and comes with a big 5,000mAh battery and 30W fast charging. In terms of camera, the phone offers a 64MP quad rear camera. Both phones feature a 6.4-inch AMOLED display and miss out on the high refresh rate.
Vivo X60, X60 Pro, X60 Pro+
Vivo’s camera-centric X60 series landed in India at the end of March with a different chipset from the Chinese variants. The Vivo X60 series in India are powered by Snapdragon 8 series chipsets. The X60 Pro Plus is powered by Snapdragon 888 while the Snapdragon 870 powers the Vivo X60 and Vivo X60 Pro.
The biggest selling point of the Vivo X60 Pro Plus is its cameras which feature Zeiss Vario-Tessar lenses. There is a quad-camera setup on the back that features a 50MP main camera with dual-pixel PDAF, Laser Auto Focus, and optical image stabilization. The main camera uses a Samsung ISOCELL GN1 sensor while the 114-degree wide-angle Gimbal camera features a Sony IMX 598 sensor. The other two lenses are a 32MP portrait camera with a 50mm professional lens and an 8MP 6Dx Periscope lens. It has a 32MP shooter.
All three phones feature AMOLED displays with 120Hz high refresh rate screens. The Vivo X60 Pro Plus is backed by a 55W fast charging while the other two 33W fast charging.
Poco X3 Pro
The Poco X3 Pro is Poco’ mid-range phone with a new flagship-grade chipset on the inside. The device is powered by Snapdragon 860 SoC, which is literally the same as the Snapdragon 855 Plus SoC. It is priced pretty aggressively and offers competitive specs like a 120Hz display, 48MP quad-camera, big battery, and fast charging.
| Poco X3 Pro variant | Price |
|---|---|
| 6+128GB | Rs 18,999 |
| 8+256GB | Rs 20,999 |
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G
The 5G variant of the Galaxy S20 FE is powered by Snapdragon 865 chipset. The Samsung S20 FE flaunts a 6.5-inch super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It also houses an optical fingerprint scanner and it is also IP68 water-resistance. There’s a 12MP f/1.8 primary camera with OIS followed by a 12MP ultra-wide shooter with a 123-degree field-of-view and an 8MP telephoto lens with OIS. Selfies are handled by a 32MP shooter housed inside the Infinity-O cutout.
Smartphones launched in March 2021
| Phone | Launch date | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy A32 | March 2 | Rs 21,999 |
| Gionee Pro Max | March 2 | Rs 6,999 |
| Redmi Note 10 | March 4 | Rs 11,999 onwards |
| Redmi Note 10 Pro | March 4 | Rs 15,999 onwards |
| Redmi Note 10 Pro Max | March 4 | Rs 18,999 onwards |
| Oppo F19 Pro | March 8 | Rs 21,490 onwards |
| Oppo F19 Pro+ | March 8 | Rs 25,990 |
| Moto G10 Power | March 9 | Rs 9,999 |
| Moto G30 | March 9 | Rs 10,999 |
| ROG Phone 5 | March 10 | Rs 49,999 |
| ROG Phone 5 Pro | March 10 | Rs 69,999 |
| ROG Phone 5 Ultimate | March 10 | Rs 79,999 |
| Galaxy M12 | March 12 | Rs 10,999 onwards |
| Galaxy A72 | March 17 | Rs 34,999 onwards |
| Galaxy A52 | March 17 | Rs 26,499 onwards |
| Micromax In 1 | March 19 | Rs 10,499 onwards |
| OnePlus 9 | March 23 | Rs 49,999 onwards |
| OnePlus 9 Pro | March 23 | Rs 39,999 onwards |
| OnePlus 9R | March 23 | Rs 64,999 onwards |
| Realme 8 | March 24 | Rs 14,999 onwards |
| Realme 8 Pro | March 24 | Rs 17,999 onwards |
| Vivo X60 | March 25 | Rs 37,990 onwards |
| Vivo X60 Pro | March 25 | Rs 49,990 |
| Vivo X60 Pro+ | March 25 | Rs 69,990 |
| Poco X3 Pro | March 30 | Rs 18,999 onwards |
| Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G | March 31 | Rs 55,999 |
Global launches
- Realme GT 5G is new Snapdragon 888 flagship with incredible charging speed
- Xiaomi Mi 10S launched: price, specs, and availability
- Oppo Find X3, a new Android phone, is here... sort of
- Moto G100 announced
- Moto G50 is a surprise new cheap phone, and it comes with 5G
- The Nubia Red Magic 6 is here, with the best screen of any gaming phone
