There are numerous reasons why anyone would want to go for a second-hand phone in India—  including cutting down on price. A used iPhone 11 pro in India costs between ₹25,000 — ₹28,000; that’s almost half the price for a new one. 

Most used phone buyers consider benefits like classic vintage features, specific design styles, or getting a particular brand they cherish in their collection.

However, top brands like iPhone, Samsung, and Xiaomi continue to release flagship devices every year. Not to mention, the two android giants also release mid-range and low-budget smartphones. Oftentimes, it gets confusing when selecting the best used phone to buy in India.

Samsung released its Galaxy S21 Ultra flagship earlier in January, 2021. Xiaomi took a while to release the MI 11 in March, and Apple put the iPhone 13 Pro out more recently in September. This means now is arguably the best time to go for their 2020 flagship devices, as those will be offered cheaply by other users looking to upgrade to .

Let’s take a look at their flagship releases of the previous year and decide which one of them is worth getting from the used phones market. 

We’ll be looking at the key points that make a phone tick; design, performance, and battery.

At the end, you should be able to decide on the best used phone in India to satisfy your needs. 

DESIGN

For some, this is the most important thing to consider; for others, it’s just a criterion that can be handled with some reasonable amount of leniency. 

Whichever way you look at it, the design of a smartphone is a key factor that decides whether it’s the best buy when put side by side with others.

Samsung’s smartphone design usually has this angular touch that gives it a premium look before you check out the other specs. For example, the Galaxy S20 5G rocks the Gorilla Glass 6 (back and front) with an aluminum frame and weighs 163g. These specs on the body of a phone keep it relevant as a top-end smartphone for a long time without even considering other factors.

Apple’s iPhone 12 isn’t far behind in terms of design. If you’ve always been an iPhone lover because of its creation, the iPhone 12 isn’t a disappointment that will make you change your mind. It’s still on the Gorilla Glass and aluminum frame, just like Samsung and Xiaomi, so you’re up there if you get this device.

On Xiaomi’s Mi 10, the company maintains its system of making its product available in attractive colors. Despite still being on Gorilla Glass 5 (back and front), this smartphone’s plain attractive color can easily be something that can catch your attention.

PERFORMANCE

Now, this is one aspect that should be treated with a lot of scrutinies. Well, if you don’t, you might as well buy a potato because nobody wants a lagging device — second-hand or not.

On this mark, it’s easy to give it to the iPhone 12 with its game-changing A14 bionic chipset. 

Though rocking on just six cores and Apple’s GPU (4-core graphics), it still manages to accomplish a performance test that competes quite efficiently with the Mi 10 and Galaxy S20.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 and Xiaomi Mi10 are arguably the same things under the hood; we wouldn’t expect less anyway as they both are flagships from the same year. 

The Samsung Galaxy S20 comes in two chipset variables; the Exynos 990 chipset for its global version, which is available in India, and Snapdragon 865, which is only available in the US.

Xiaomi Mi 10 also has the Snapdragon 865 chip as well as the Adreno 650 GPU. So there’s not much to look at here. 

Both Android devices being compared are pretty even, and the iOS chip dominates this criterion.

BATTERY

If you’re going to get a used phone in India, at least it’s got to give you a lot in terms of on-screen time. Mind you, as phones get older, the battery life diminishes. 

You want to get a used phone that has the potential of offering the best battery life regardless of the level of usage by the previous owner.

There are no prizes for guessing. Xiaomi’s Mi 10 is the winner in this race as it continues to be the norm in recent years. 

They’ve consistently continued to produce bigger and better batteries than Samsung and iPhone. Perhaps that’s what has earned them their name on the android scene. 

The Mi packs a stunning Li-Po 4500mAh Li-Ion non-removable battery with a 50W fast charging ability. That’s not all… 

It also has the cool 30W fast wireless charging tech and the popular Power Delivery 3.0. Although this immense power in terms of battery capacity means more weight (the phone weighs 208g), its power performance does more than compensate for it.

Even though the Mi 10 won this round, the Galaxy S20 didn’t entirely perform poorly; it just had a better competitor. 

Here, Samsung runs on a 4000mAh Li- non-removable battery, with a 25W fast charging power. Of course, still with the Power Delivery 3.0, but the wireless charging is only 15W. It’s a close call, but the Mi 10 still edges out.

The iPhone 12 seems to perform poorly when it comes to power and battery usage. It has only got a 2815mAh Li-Ion non-removable battery with 20W fast charging. From stats gotten from current owners, this device only lasts about 24 hours on moderate usage after six months. Another shocking thing is that this device is still on Power Delivery 2.0 with just 15W wireless charging. Maybe Apple handled the power capacity of this device with a tad lackluster attitude.

PRICE OF USED IPHONE 12, USED SAMSUNG GALAXY S20, AND USED XIAOMI MI 10 IN INDIA

A second-hand iPhone 12 in India costs around ₹38000 — ₹50000; yes, it’s a sharp drop from the price of a new one. Still, it’s not so amazing when you look at other available alternatives.

Getting a used Samsung Galaxy S20 in India will cost you something in the range of ₹30000 up to ₹55000 depending on the owner’s selling price/the price of the store in India. 

The deal that smiles on your wallet is the price of a second-hand Xiaomi Mi 10. A used version of this device is sold within the range of ₹10000 up to ₹25000 in pretty much any used phone store in India.

FINAL VERDICT

The winner of “the best used phone to buy in India” battle is the Xiaomi Mi 10. It’s the best buy for a second-hand device right now. Aside from the almost dirt-cheap cost, you’re not getting a potato chip under the hood. This device has the potential to last up to five years before becoming obsolete. 

Also, it can be upgraded to Android 11, so you can still be in the mix of things for a while regarding Android OS updates.

This, however, doesn’t take anything off the Samsung Galaxy S20 and iPhone 12. They’re equally great devices to get. Although if by any chance affordability and battery life is among things you consider before getting a used phone, then the Mi 10 is your best pick.