Buying the best phone under Rs. 20,000 doesn't mean compromising on what you want. There are many great value-for-money smartphones in the under Rs. 20,000 price segment.
We have smartphones with Snapdragon 778G SoC in the segment, usually found in the segment above. If you want a performance-oriented smartphone, the phones with this chipset should be your choice. We also have smartphones powered by Snapdragon 695 SoC, a balanced chipset that offers good performance but won't match the performance levels of Snapdragon 778 G-powered phones. But these phones have other redeeming features such as a high refresh rate, AMOLED display and better cameras.
1. iQoo Z5 5G
2. Realme 9 5G Speed Edition
3. OnePlus Nord 2 CE Lite
4. Realme 9 Pro 5G
5. Poco X4 Pro 5G
6. Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G
7. Redmi Note 11 Pro 4G
8. Redmi Note 10 Pro Max
9. Poco X3 Pro
10. Realme 8 Pro
11. iQoo Z3
If you're looking for a smartphone from this price point, you would surely get confused, as the choice of smartphones from this budget is vast. You must prioritize the features that matter most to you, like camera performance, gaming, user experience, high-refresh-rate display, fast charging, etc. You have to choose the phone according to your needs.
To assist you with this requirement, we have compiled a list of some best mid-range Android phones. Every device listed here is a good performer and could satiate your basic needs without burning a hole in your pocket.
We also believe you might be looking around for a gift for someone this holiday season. So, pick the best smartphone from the lot and become the apple of their eye!
The phones below the Rs. 20,000 budget include phones from iQoo, OnePlus, Redmi, Poco, Realme and more.
- Best phones under Rs 25,000 in India
- Best phones under Rs 15,000 in India
- Best camera phones under Rs 20,000 in India
iQoo Z5 is the predecessor to iQoo Z6 Pro in India. And it comes with more or less the same specs as the latter and can be compared head to head with any smartphone in this segment and win it.
iQoo Z5 comes with a 6.67-inch LCD with a 120Hz refresh rate. And it is powered by Snapdragon 778G, making it the most powerful smartphone in the segment.
There is a 64MP primary camera and a combo of 8MP ultra-wide and 2MP macro cameras. The phone is backed up by a 5,000mAh battery and a fast charging of 44W.
If you're looking for a performance-oriented smartphone which also is an all-rounder in terms of features, this is the phone to get.
Realme 9 5G Speed Edition comes with a focus on Speed, with the inclusion of a Snapdragon 778G chipset. It makes it one of the most powerful phones in the segment and iQoo Z5.
It comes with a 6.6-inch FHD+ LCD with a refresh rate of 120Hz. Cameras aren't the focus area of this phone, as some phones in the segment below have better cameras than this phone. It is a triple camera setup of 48MP primary, and two 2MP cameras for depth and macro. The phone is backed up by a 5,000mAh battery and 30W fast charger.
Like iQoo Z5, Realme 9 5G SE is also a performance-oriented smartphone, but it loses out on the camera segment. If you want excellent performance, but don't care much about the cameras, go for this phone. If you wish to have good camera performance from a smartphone, look elsewhere.
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G is the only phone by OnePlus in India to come with an LCD panel. It comes as a budget phone and is a twin to the Realme 9 Pro 5G.
It comes with a 6.59-inch FHD+ LCD with a 120Hz refresh rate. And it is powered by Snapdragon 695 SoC.
There is a triple camera setup of a 64MP primary camera, 2MP macro and a 2MP macro camera. The absence of an ultra-wide camera on a phone that costs this much is a big miss.
The phone comes with a 5000mAh battery and a 33W fast charging.
Realme 9 Pro 5G is the same phone as OnePlus Nord 2 CE Lite 5G, except for the branding, a different back panel and the inclusion of an ultra-wide camera. You gain an ultra-wide camera for choosing the realme brand, for the same smartphone for the same price.
Realme 9 Pro 5G comes with a 6.6-inch Full HD+ LCD with a 120Hz refresh rate. And it is powered by Snapdragon 695 SoC.
There is a 64MP triple camera on the back, with an 8MP ultra-wide and 2MP macro sensor on the back. A 5,000mAh battery backs up the device, with a 33W charger coming out of the box.
If you're looking for a phone with a high refresh rate AMOLED display and a 5G chipset, for a great price, this is the one.
Poco X4 Pro 5G comes with a 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Snapdragon 695 SoC powers it, and it is a popular choice for a chipset at this price.
Coming to cameras, there is a 64MP primary camera, 8MP ultra-wide and a 2MP macro.
It comes with a 5,000mAh battery and class-leading 67W fast charging. You'll not find a faster-charging phone than this in the segment.
Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G is a Poco X4 Pro 5G with a 108MP camera, instead of the 64MP primary one. But it costs much more than the latter.
It comes with a 6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz. It is powered by Snapdragon 695 SoC.
There is a quad camera setup, with a 108MP Samsung sensor at the primary and 8MP ultra-wide, a 2MP macro sensor and a depth sensor.
A 5,000mAh battery backs up the phone, and it gets charged by the 67W fast charger bundled in the box.
Redmi Note 11 Pro is the 4G variant of the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G smartphone that we saw just above. It comes with a different chipset than the latter, and it is the only difference between both of the phones.
Redmi Note 11 Pro is powered by Mediatek Helio G96 SoC. And it is not a chipset from this segment, we can see the same chipset used in many phones in the segment below.
The phone comes with a quad camera setup, with the primary duty done by the 108MP sensor. There is an 8MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro and 2MP depth as secondaries. There is a 5,000mAh battery and 67W fast charging.
It really doesn't make sense to go with this phone, as Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus is selling for almost the same price now. And if you want to save some money, you could just get the Poco X4 Pro 5G.
It’d be a surprise not to see a Redmi Note series in the best budget phone category. The series has played an instrumental role in building the segment in India over the past few years and the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max is the latest addition to the list with impressive specs and equally impressive performance.
It brings competitive features such as an AMOLED display with a high refresh rate, a 108MP quad-camera stack, great battery life and fast charging. While the phone lacks 5G capabilities, the chipset performs reasonably well for most day to day tasks.
For those who don’t want a 108MP camera, the Redmi Note 10 Pro with a 64MP camera is available for Rs 3,000 less. Apart from the primary camera, everything else remains the same on both phones.
For those who prefer performance and a gaming-centric phone, the Poco X3 Pro is hands-down the best performer in the segment with its flagship-grade Snapdragon 860 processor. The Poco X3 Pro sports a 6.67-inch Full HD+ display with a 120Hz display - though it isn’t an AMOLED panel, the LCD panel on the device is of good quality with adequate performance.
Though the camera looks like a downgrade from the Poco X3, the primary camera on the Poco X3 Pro impressed us. The phone is packed with a big battery which can last one full day easily even with heavy usage. MIUI 12 isn’t still perfect software, but the powerful processor and optimization allow it to run smoothly.
The cheapest phone with 108MP camera in India right now, the Realme 8 Pro is the company's attempt to satisfy every consumer's needs for different camera modes, and it does that successfully while making a smartphone that turns out to be better than most others in the below 20k segment.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G processor ensures that the smartphone has fluid performance when handling all kinds of tasks, be that gaming, photography, or the use of multiple heavy apps. The handset features a 4,500mAh which is backed by a 50W charger that can last a day. To sum it up, the Realme 8 Pro is a solid device that would give most smartphones in the category a run for its money, but not all of them.
The iQoo Z3 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 768G chipset that offers good performance without any hitch including gaming sessions.
On the front, you are looking at a 6.58-inch Full HD+ LCD panel with a 120Hz screen refresh rate. The device features a 180Hz touch sampling rate and HDR10 certification. The iQoo Z3 comes with a Samsung GW3 64MP f/1.79 camera, an 8MP ultra-wide lens and a 2MP macro lens. On the front is a 16MP selfie camera inside the dew-drop notch. The camera performance during daylight offers good output and accurate color grading.
Lastly, the iQoo Z3 has a 4,400mAh battery unit backed by a 55W fast charger that can charge the device up to 50% in just 19 minutes. You also get 3.5mm headphone.
With the smartphone market back in full swing, the under Rs 20,000 segment continues to be one of the most exciting ones. On the horizon, we are expecting devices from Samsung, Oppo, Realme, and Motorola to join the segment by September.
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