The Most Popular Smartphones In 2018

As the smartphone market in India is getting more active and attracting more phone makers around the world, customers are having a lot more choices, ranging from budget to top-end smartphones. 2018 is another year in which Chinese smartphone brands dominate the Indian market covering pretty much every single price range.

While Oppo and Vivo got good momentum early in the year, they fell a bit behind in the other half of 2018 where players like Asus and Realme took over with some impressive handsets. We also saw the rising of the notch which pretty much features in most of the smartphone released this year.

We have compiled a list of the top ten smartphones that has been searched the most on our site throughout this year. Though this would not be 100 percent accurate as the smartphone released early 2018 will have a bigger advantage over the later ones.

So, below are the most popular smartphones in 2018:

10. Jio Phone 2

With disruptive plans and extensive VoLTE network, Jio has revolutionized the telecom industry in India. The Indian company has tried to offer 4G VoLTE to a wider range of users with two feature phones, the Jio Phone and Jio Phone 2.

Being the 10th position and the only one feature in this list, the Jio Phone 2 comes with a full-sized physical QWERTY keyboard, a wider form factor and also a bigger display compared to its predecessor, Jio Phone. The most prominent unique selling point of this feature phone and also the thing that make it stand out is its ability to run popular apps like YouTube, WhatsApp, and Facebook.

The Jio Phone 2’s current price is Rs. 2,999.

9. Oppo F7

The selfie-centric Oppo F7, as told by the name, has one of the best selfie cameras in its price range, which is supported by features like AI Beauty and Sense HDR mode that work very well. Besides the front camera, the phone is also packed with a decent processor, a vivid screen and a good battery life as well.

Though we don’t like the fact that Oppo opted for an all-plastic design and also a bloated and clunky UI. The Oppo phone came in two options, including a 4GB RAM/64GB internal storage for a price of Rs. 20,800 and 6GB RAM/128GB internal storage at Rs. 24,599.

8. Realme 1

Realme, former Oppo’s sub-brand, is directly competing with Xiaomi in the Indian budget phone market. Realme 1, the first Realme’s phone, made quite an impact on the Indian market thanks to its powerful specs, unique fiberglass design, and impressive battery life. Though it still has some downsides like poor camera performance and cluttered operating system. Still, it is a budget phone, so it is understandable. Overall, the phone still offers a great value on the budget phone segment.

The Realme 1 launched at a price of Rs. 8,990 for its variant with 3GB of RAM/32GB of storage. However, the 3GB RAM model has already been discontinued by Realme, leaving consumers with only the Rs. 10,990 model with 4GB RAM. It was probably due to Realme wanting to make space for its successor, the Realme 2.

7. Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1

The ZenFone Max Pro M1 was the phone to mark the comeback of Asus in the Indian budget phone segment. Despite its very competitive price tag of Rs. 10,999, the phone still offers amazing specs and features, including a massive 5,000 mAh battery, a near stock Android, a vivid and bright 5.99-inch Full-HD+ screen and a decently powerful Snapdragon 636 SoC.

Even though its battery life was quite weak at the start, Asus quickly fixed that with several software updates. The handset comes in two variants with 3G RAM/32GB storage and 4GB RAM/64GB storage.

6. Xiaomi Mi A2

The popular Xiaomi A1 was the first Xiaomi phone to be a part of Google’s Android One. And Xiaomi continued the series by launching the Xiaomi Mi A2 earlier this year. Featuring a powerful Snapdragon 660 SoC and a clean stock Android, the Mi A2 offers a really impressive performance. It also has a vivid and crisp display along with one of the best camera setup in the price range.

If you are not in need of an audio jack and a microSD card slot, the 4GB RAM/64GB base model of the Mi A2 would be a great choice. This option also recently had its price tag slashed by Rs. 1,000 from Rs. 16,999.

5. Vivo V9

The Vivo V9 was the first Android devices in India to have a notch display. The phone only comes with the old micro-USB port, an underwhelming camera performance, and poor battery life. That being said, the phone is packed with features and sports a decent Snapdragon 626 processor with an eye-catching design. It is obviously not the best choice at the price range but still offers a good value for the money.

4. Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 was one of the first smartphones Xiaomi released in the Indian market in 2018. The Redmi Note 5 was an impressive all-around phone, from excellent battery life and solid build quality to above average camera performance which is already a good thing as budget phones often come with poor camera quality. Though, the Redmi Note 5 still runs the Xiaomi’s MIUI which has been getting a ton of complaints about it full of ads and spams.

The Redmi Note 5 came in two variants, one with 3G RAM/32GB storage and one with 4GB RAM/64GB storage. This handset was already replaced by its successor, the Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro.

3. Xiaomi Redmi Y2

Another Xiaomi phones featuring on this list, the Xiaomi Redmi Y2 is a selfie-centric device. We were pretty impressed with its 16MP selfie camera with AI support as it could deliver good photo quality in many different lighting conditions. It is also backed with great battery life as well.

It can’t really compete with better all-around smartphones like the Realme 1 and ZenFone Max Pro 1 at the same price range but it’s still the best choice for people who love taking selfies.

2. Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro

The first non-Redmi Note phone to have the Pro moniker, the Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro has a great battery life, impressive build quality, and a vivid and bright display. It came in two options, including a 3GB RAM/32GB storage variant at a price of Rs. 10,999 and a 4GB RAM/64GB storage at a price of Rs. 12,999.

The Redmi 6 Pro was the cheapest phone of Xiaomi to have a notch display. However, it doesn’t really stand out in the mobile portfolio of Xiaomi, with the Redmi Y2 and Redmi Note 5 Pro offering better value for money.

1. Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro

The Redmi Note 5 Pro topped this chart isn’t really a surprise at all as it is an excellent all-around smartphone (for its price range of course) with competent two cameras, a sleek all-metal finish, solid build quality, and powerful specs.

Though the phone still has some downsides such as the lack of USB-C port and again, the presence of spammy MIUI that is reported to be full of ads. Even though it has already been launched for almost a year and there are more recent AI-enabled smartphones out there, it still stays as a great option, especially when its price was just slashed to Rs. 12,999.