2021 has been a great year for smartphones, all things considered. We put out a list in the middle of this year recapping some of the best launches we’ve had in India, and now it’s time for the final update as we close yet another year of stellar phone launches. Most of the phones in the previous list have remained, with the exception of some such as the Vivo X60 Pro, which has traded places with the Vivo X70 Pro+. We have some new additions such as the Realme GT and of course, the iPhone 13 series. The Google Pixel 6 series probably would have made this list too, had Google launched it in India.
How we picked the best phones of 2021
In the previous list, one of the criteria for a smartphone to qualify as one of the best of the year was that it had to have earned an overall rating of at least ‘8′ in its review. However, we’re tweaking that qualifier a bit for this list, which helps us narrow it down to only the best of the best. We’ve sorted all the phones that have earned an overall score of ‘9′ for this final list, and then only picked the ones that we felt deserved a spot based on their sub-scores in different criteria. We also considered any unique features and performance advantages each smartphone offers compared to its peers in the same segment. Lastly, these models are the ones that we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone.
With that out of the way, let’s meet the chosen ones.
| Best phones of 2021 | Gadgets 360 rating (out of 10) | Price in India (as recommended) |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 13 mini | 9 | Rs. 69,990 |
| iPhone 13 | 9 | Rs. 79,990 |
| iPhone 13 Pro | 9 | Rs. 1,19,900 |
| iPhone 13 Pro Max | 9 | Rs. 1,29,900 |
| Realme GT | 9 | Rs. 37,999 |
| Mi 11 Ultra | 9 | Rs. 69,999 |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | 9 | Rs. 1,05,999 |
| Vivo X70 Pro+ | 9 | Rs. 79,990 |
| Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G | 9 | Rs. 49,999 |
| Mi 11X Pro | 9 | Rs. 36,999 |
| OnePlus 9 Pro | 9 | Rs. 59,999 |
iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini
The Apple iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini aren’t huge updates over their predecessors but we feel that Apple has made enough notable changes to keep things fresh and provide a better usage experience. Both new iPhones get some big improvements under the hood such as a faster SoC, sensor-shift stabilisation for the main camera, and larger batteries. They also get some of the same camera features as the iPhone 13 Pro models such as Cinematic Mode and Photographic Styles. All this adds up to a very good user experience, at the same starting prices as the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini.
The iPhone 13 mini has everything the iPhone 13 has, only with a smaller battery and display. However, that doesn’t mean it’s a weaker iPhone. In fact, the iPhone 13 mini delivers better battery life compared to the iPhone 12 mini, and as a compact flagship, is a much better deal than something like the
