[INDIA] Best New Phone Under ₹35k for Custom ROMs & Long-Term Modding in 2026?
Hey everyone from India 🇮🇳
I’m looking for some phone recommendations around ₹30k–₹35k max.
Important condition: I want a completely new/sealed phone only — not refurbished or used.
My priority is NOT camera or AI gimmicks. I’m more of a tech/modding enthusiast. I enjoy unlocking bootloaders, flashing custom ROMs, rooting, trying kernels, tweaking performance, etc. So my main focus is:
- Strong custom ROM/community development
- Easy bootloader unlocking
- Long-term support from dev community
- Active Telegram/XDA community
- Stable performance for years
- Good battery and processor
- ROM support like LineageOS, crDroid, Evolution X, PixelOS, DerpFest, etc.
I’m okay with buying a slightly older phone model as long as:
- it’s still available brand new/sealed in India
- the custom ROM support is excellent
Even if the official Android update policy is only 2–3 years, that’s fine because I’ll mostly depend on custom ROMs anyway.
Budget: ₹30,000–₹35,000 max Region: India
Some brands/models I’m considering:
- OnePlus
- Xiaomi / Redmi / Poco
- Nothing
- Motorola
Basically I want a “legendary modding phone” with a strong future in the custom ROM scene 😅
Would love suggestions from people in India who are actively using custom ROMs in 2026.