The Realme 12x 5G is the latest addition to the Realme 12 series and comes with a starting price of Rs 11,999,  for the 4GB+128GB RAM and storage variant. The phone is positioned to be an “Entry-level 5G Killer” and for good reason. 


The device has a 6.67-inch IPS LCD with a fast 120 Hz refresh rate and an Air Gesture feature that allows you to carry out commands without actually touching the display, and runs on MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ 5G. Also on board is a dual camera setup spearheaded by a 50-megapixel main sensor paired with a 2-megapixel depth camera, with selfies being handled by an 8-megapixel camera on the front. The phone comes with an  IP54 dust and splash-resistant rating, a 5,000mAh battery with 45W fast charging support, a first in the segment, and dual speakers. The phone runs on Android 14 out of the box topped with Realme UI and naturally brings 5G support. 



While this seems like a spec sheet that simply cannot be beaten, the budget segment can be a ruthless space which means even a phone as strongly specced and affordably priced as the Realme 12x 5G has to face competition. Here are five phones that stand in the way of the newest Realme's success:


Redmi 12 5G: The New Redmi 



Price: Rs 11,999 onwards


Ever since the Redmi Note series has gone “premium” there was no true budget Redmi that had taken its place until Redmi launched the Redmi 12 this year. The phone brings a very impressive spec sheet at an affordable price, in the best Redmi tradition. 


It comes with a 6.79-inch full HD+ display with a 90 Hz refresh rate, which while not as great as 120 Hz on the Realme 12x, is still better than the 60 Hz that we usually get in phones in this segment. The phone is built solidly too with glass on both front and back and IP53 dust and splash rating. It is the first phone in the country to come with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset which can not only handle your everyday tasks with ease but can even help you around with gaming on a beginner’s level. 


It too, like the Realme 12X, has a 50-megapixel main sensor supported by a 2-megapixel secondary sensor while selfies are handled by an 8-megapixel sensor. The phone also has a 5,000 mAh battery which comes with support for 18 W fast charging and while it runs on Android 13 out of the box, the MIUI 14 on top of it is much less intimidating than Realme UI on the Realme 12x. 



Moto G34: Budget Moto Magician 



Price: Rs 10,999 onwards


Motorola has been making its presence felt across different price segments of late with very competitively specced smartphones. The phone that carries out this job in the budget segment is the Moto G34. 


It comes with a 6.5-inch HD+ display with 120 Hz refresh rate. Powering the phone is the job of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695, which is still a very capable processor for both day-to-day chores and to help you get a slight taste of gaming. 


While it also has a 50-megapixel main sensor bundled with a 2-megapixel secondary sensor, it does come with a 16-megapixel camera on the front for selfies and video calls. The phone has what Motorola calls a water-repellent design, stereo speakers and runs on clean, stock Android 14 out of the box. 


The phone also features a 5,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging support.



Poco M6 Pro 5G: More Affordable Redmi 12 Twin 



Price: Rs 10,999 onwards 


In the budget segment, every penny counts and if you also find yourself in such a monetarily crunched space, you can also opt for the Poco M6 Pro, which comes with almost the same specs as the Redmi 12 but with a slightly lower starting price. Just like the Redmi 12, the Poco M6 Pro also features the very efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 SoC, a 6.79-inch full-HD+ display with 90 HZ refresh rate, a 5,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging support, a dual camera set-up on the back with a 50 main sensor and 2-megapixel supporting sensor on the back and an 8-megapixel sensor on the front. 


The phone also comes with Android 13 with MIUI14 out of the box. The only difference comes in storage space as the Poco M6 Pro comes with 4GB RAM and 64GB starting storage option, although you can expand it using a microSD card. 


Another difference which is also the most evident is the design of the Poco M6 Pro which also helps the phone stand out and makes it a very different proposition in visual terms at least. 



Samsung Galaxy M14 5G: Galaxy In a Budget



Price: Rs 12,490 onwards 


Samsung has always enjoyed a strong presence in the budget segment and one of the smartphones that has contributed to this is the Samsung Galaxy M14, which brings a very impressive spec sheet to the table. 


It runs on Samsung’s own Exynos 1330 processor which is good enough to deal with your everyday smartphone chores and casual games, and features a 6.6-inch full HD+ display with 90 Hz refresh rate, which in the best Samsung tradition, is a beautifully vibrant one.  The phone comes with a triple camera set up on the back with a 50-megapixel main sensor two 2-megapixel supporting cameras, and a 13-megapixel selfie sensor in front. 


It runs on Android 13 out of the box, with a layer of Samsung’s OneUI on top. It has the biggest battery in the list at 6,000mAh which is also the phone’s biggest USP and even comes with 25 W fast charging support. Combine that with the good-old Samsung brand name and equity, and the budget segment gets a formidable guardian of the Galaxy name in its zone.



Redmi 13C 5G: Budget Bombshell



Price: Rs 10,999


Another budget segment bombshell is the Redmi 13C. The phone comes with an affordable price tag which is not only its own biggest plus point but can also prove to be quite problematic for the Realme 12x. The phone comes with decent specs for the price - a 6.74-inch HD+ display with 90Hz refresh rate powered by the efficient MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ processor. 


It has a 50-megapixel main sensor on board which is backed by a rather menial 0.08-megapixel sensor. There is a 5-megapixel sensor on the front for selfies. 


The phone, even at this price, comes with dust and splash-resistant coating and runs on a 5,000mAh battery with support for 18 W fast charging. It comes with Android 13 out of the box with MIUI on top. 


While this spec sheet may not seem as strong as the others in the list, the phone's super affordable price with support for 5G works in its favour.