Mid-range smartphones are extremely popular in India. There are two major aspects that differentiate the flagship and a mid-range phone – the camera performance and chipset being used.
From the past couple of years, we’ve seen companies trying to fill the bridge the gap between two segments with smart software implementations. And, thanks to the powerful SoCs from Qualcomm especially the 7 series, the mid-range segment performance has been taken to the next level. One thing you can expect from a mid-range device is good battery life, which even some flagship smartphone tend to lack.
Best phones under Rs 20,000
The list of the best value for money phones under Rs 20,000 offers a good display, a big battery with fast charging, great camera performance, and more. For the first time, we are also seeing high refresh rate displays trickle down to this segment. We also now have extremely fast charging phones in this segment.
Selecting a phone can still be a challenging task despite the plethora of options. While some companies may have the best specs on paper in a given price range, the lack of software optimization can make those phones a poor option when compared to others.
In this guide, we have listed some of the best value for money smartphones available under Rs 20,000 in India. In case you’d like to explore the adjoining price segments, you can also check out our other compilations.
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Realme 7 Pro
Two steps forward, two steps sideways
Specifications
Display: 6.4-inch, Full HD+ Super AMOLED
Processor: Snapdragon 720G
RAM: 6/8GB
Storage: 128GB
Battery: 4500mAh, 65W charging
Rear camera: 64MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP
Front camera: 32MP
Reasons to buy
+Insanely fast charging+Super AMOLED display+Great cameras+Stereo speakers
Reasons to avoid
-Plastic back-60Hz refresh rate-Costlier than its predecessor
The Realme 7 Pro won the best budget phone of the year at the recently concluded TechRadar India Awards 2020. This is our favourite pick in the segment. For starters, the Realme 7 Pro one of the cheapest phones with a Super AMOLED panel at this price point. You get a second-gen camera stack with a flagship Sony image sensor at the heart. On top of that, you get 65W Super Dart charge which can go from 0-100% in just 35 minutes. The Realme 7 Pro is currently the most well-rounded smartphone in the Indian market in the sub Rs 20,000 market.
It really blurs the line between budget phones and flagships with a beautiful AMOLED display, a premium hardware package, reliable cameras and market-leading charging capabilities. Even if more competition is just around the corner, the 7 Pro should be able to hold its own for a while in many aspects. It is also one of the best-designed phones which doesn’t feel too heavy.
Check out Realme 7 Pro on Flipkart
Read our Realme 7 Pro review
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Poco X3
Back to basics
Specifications
Display: 6.6-inch LCD, 120Hz
Processor: Snapdragon 732G
RAM: 6/8GB
Storage: 64/128GB
Battery: 6000mAh, 33W charging
Rear camera: 64MP + 13MP + 2MP + 2MP
Front camera: 20MP
Reasons to buy
+120Hz display+Excellent battery life+Reliable cameras+Great for gaming
Reasons to avoid
-Heavy-LCD panel-Not the fastest charging
The new Poco X3 is the second-best smartphone one can buy under Rs 20,000. It has no real weaknesses when the entire package is considered. With Poco X3, you get 120Hz smooth LCD panel and 64MP (Sony IMX682) quad-camera setup clicks excellent pictures.
It is powered by the Snapdragon 732G chipset for great gaming performance, has capable cameras, a big 6,000mAh battery with support for fast charging. With all the internals packed in the phone is quite heavy at 230 grams and if that’s not an issue for you, then this phone is for you.
Read our Poco X3 review
Check out the Poco X3 on Flipkart
Samsung Galaxy M31s
Specifications
Display: 6.5-inch FHD+
Processor: Exynos 9611
RAM: 6/8GB
Storage: 128GB
Rear camera: 64 + 12 + 5 + 5MP
Front camera: 32MP
Battery: 6,000mAh, 25W fast charging
Reasons to buy
+Display+Good battery +Camera performance
Reasons to avoid
-Performance
The successor to the vastly popular Galaxy M31, the Galaxy M31s is a mid-range phone from the house of Samsung. You get a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-O screen with Full HD+ resolution. It is powered by the Snapdragon 9611 chipset. That is paired with up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM. There is a massive 6,000mAh battery pack with support for 25W fast charging over USB Type-C. It also supports reverse charging via Type-C to Type-C cable that’s included in the box.
On the camera front, you get a quad-camera stack with a 64MP f/1.8 primary camera, followed by a 12MP ultra-wide shooter with a 123-degree field-of-view, a 5MP depth sensor for portraits and a 5MP macro lens. Selfies are handled by a 32MP camera. The fingerprint scanner is now embedded within the power button on the right.
Check out Samsung Galaxy M31s on Amazon
Read our Samsung Galaxy M31s review
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Poco M2 Pro
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
Specifications
Display: 6.67 inch Full HD+
Processor: Snapdragon 720G
RAM: 6GB
Storage: 128GB
Rear camera: 48MP + 8MP + 5MP + 2MP
Front camera: 16MP
Battery: 5000mAh, 33W fast charging
Reasons to buy
+Insane battery life+Reliable performance+Built and design+Fast charging
Reasons to avoid
-60Hz display-Bulky
Poco M2 Pro is the company’s mid-range with powerful internals that is more or less same as the Redmi Note 9 Pro. But, it offers slightly better design and faster-charging speed for the same price. The Poco M2 Pro features a 5,000mAh pack will easily last you over a day and also supports 33W fast charging.
On the inside, you get the Snapdragon 720G chipset, which is the most reliable silicon available at this price. Combine that with a 48MP quad-camera setup and a big 6.67-inch Full HD+ screen, and you get a very easy-to-recommend phone.
Check out Poco M2 Pro on Flipkart
Read our Poco M2 Pro review
Redmi Note 9 Pro Max
Specifications
Weight: 209g
Screen size: 6.67-inch Full HD+
CPU: Snapdragon 720G
RAM: 6/8GB
Storage: 64/128GB
Battery: 5020mAh
Rear camera: 64 + 8 + 5 + 2MP
Front camera: 32MP
Reasons to buy
+Impressive quad camera+Exceptional battery life+Reliable performance
Reasons to avoid
-Heavy-Ads in UI
The latest budget phone from the house of Xiaomi, the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max is a beast in all aspects. It retains the usual big display and big battery of the series and takes them to the next level to provide exceptional battery backup.
The star of the show is the new camera array, sporting a 64MP primary camera and an 8MP ultra-wide shooter. Along with a new processing algorithm, there’s also a ton of shooting modes and a very comprehensive manual mode too.
Check out Redmi Note 9 Pro Max on Amazon
Motorola One Fusion Plus
Specifications
Weight: 210g
Dimensions: 162.9 x 76.4 x 9.6mm
Screen size: 6.5-inch Full HD+
CPU: Snapdragon 730G
RAM: 6GB
Storage: 128GB
Battery: 5000mAh
Rear camera: 64MP + 8MP + 5MP + 2MP
Front camera: 16MP
Reasons to buy
+Versatile camera+Big battery+Near stock Android
Reasons to avoid
-Not very fast charging-60hz display-Plastic body
With the launch of the Motorola One Fusion Plus recently, Motorola took us all by surprise with its aggressive pricing. Also, another surprise was the Snapdragon 730G chipset instead of vanilla Snapdragon 730. The device is backed by a 5,000mAH battery and 15W fast charging via Type-C port.
The Motorola One Fusion Plus comes with a full-screen 6.5-inch Full HD display with 91% screen to body ratio. You get a 16MP pop-up camera. Over at the rear, you get a 64MP quad-rear cameras setup with an 8MP ultra-wide camera followed by a 5MP macro and a 2MP depth sensor.
It runs on Android 10 OS and features Moto display and Moto actions like Quick capture, three-finger screenshot, screenshot toolkit, flip for DND, Pick up to silence, and Media controls.
Buy Motorola One Fusion Plus on Flipkart
Realme Narzo 20 Pro
Specifications
Weight: 191g
Screen size: 6.5-inch Full HD+
CPU: MediaTek Helio G95
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128GB
Battery: 4500mAh, 65W fast charge
Rear camera: 48MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP
Front camera: 16MP
Reasons to buy
+65W fast charging+90Hz display
Reasons to avoid
-Inconsistent performance
Realme’s first Pro variant in the Narzo series, the Narzo 20 Pro breaks the barrier with whopping 65W fast charging for a phone that starts at Rs 14,999. With this 65W super Dart charger, the 4,500mAh battery can be filled in just 38 minutes. On the front, there is a 6.5-inch Full HD+ LCD panel with 90Hz refresh rate, 120Hz touch sampling, 480 nits brightness, and 90.5% screen to body ratio. Under the hood, the device is powered by MediaTek’s gaming-centric Helio G95 chipset.
The device is available in two configurations with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. You are looking at a quad-camera stack on the Narzo 20 Pro with primary 48MP Samsung GM1 sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide shooter, a macro lens and a mono portrait lens. To the front, you get a 16MP selfie camera.
Check out Realme Nazro 20 Pro on Flipkart
Infinix Zero 8i
Specifications
Weight: 210.5 g
Screen size: 6.85-inch Full HD+, 90Hz
CPU: MediaTek Helio G90T
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128GB
Battery: 4500mAh, 33W fast charge
Rear camera: 48MP + 8MP + 2MP + AI Lens
Front camera: 16MP + 8MP
Reasons to buy
+90Hz refresh rate+Fast charge +Design
Reasons to avoid
-Camera performance
Infinix Zero 8i is powered by MediaTek Helio G90T chipset and is paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB storage. The device sports a 6.85-inch Full HD+ display with a refresh rate of 90Hz. This is also the first phone in India from Infinix to feature a high refresh rate panel.
The Infinix Zero 8i is packed with a 4,500mAh battery unit with support for 33W fast charge support via Type-C port. You get a 48MP primary rear camera with f/1.79 aperture, an 8MP ultra-wide shooter with 119 degrees FoV. This is followed by a 2MP depth sensor and an AI lens along with Quad-LED Flash. To the front, the Infinix Zero 8i sports a dual punch-hole camera with a 16MP f/2.0 primary sensor and an 8MP ultra-wide snapper. Other features of the Infinix Zero 8i include XOS 7 based on Android 10, side-mounted fingerprint sensor, dual VoLTE, OTG support, multi-dimensional liquid cooling, and DTS audio.
Check out Infinix Zero 8i on Flipkart
Best smartphones under Rs 20,000 in India
DevicePriceRealme 7 ProRs 19,999Poco X3Rs 16,999Samsung Galaxy M31sRs 19,499Poco M2 ProRs 16,999Redmi Note 9 Pro MaxRs 18,499Motorola One Fusion PlusRs 17,499Realme Narzo 20 ProRs 16,999Infinix Zero 8iRs 15,999
With the smartphone market back to full swing, the under Rs 20,000 segment continues to be one of the most exciting ones. On the horizon, we expect Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 10 series to lead the charge.