In the world of smartphones, we’ve reached a point where it’s no longer necessary to spend absurd amounts of money to get some pretty cool features in phones. Even in the mainstream segment, one can find some good deals if you know where to look.
If you have a budget of around Rs. 20,000, then you can find a pretty diverse set of good smartphones on offer. It was just last year that the in-display fingerprint sensor became all the rage in flagship phones, and today, you can actually get that in a phone under Rs. 20,000. Not only that, but due to stiff competition and recent price cuts, you can actually get a phone with a flagship-level Qualcomm SoC from 2018 in this price range too.
Like all our curated lists, the phones we’ve picked under Rs. 20,000 have all been well-received in our reviews and have a minimum rating of 8 out of 10. All our picks have individual strengths such as triple cameras, the allure of stock Android, bezel-less displays and even the raw power or the one of the best SoCs around, so you can pick the one that suits your usage the best.
Here the best phones you can buy under Rs. 20,000 in India right now.
| Redmi Note 10 Pro Max Specifications | |
| Display | 6.67-inch, 1080x2400 pixels |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G |
| RAM | 6GB |
| Storage | 64GB |
| Battery Capacity | 5020mAh |
| Rear Camera | 108MP + 8MP + 5MP + 2MP |
| Front Camera | 16MP |
The Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G is currently the least expensive 5G phone in India with a starting price of Rs. 16,999. The all-plastic body has held up well so far, ergonomics are good, and it doesn't feel very heavy even though it weighs about 194g. The side-mounted fingerprint sensor works very well. All that's needed is a quick tap to unlock the phone. The display is a 6.5-inch full-HD+ LCD panel with good levels of brightness and colour saturation.
The Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 800U SoC, which has a built-in 5G modem, and is quite powerful and power efficient. Software on the Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G is a bit of a letdown since it's still Android 10 and not 11, which is what many others are offering. Performance of the Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G has been pretty solid as the SoC handles multitasking or demanding tasks such as gaming, pretty easily. Battery life is equaly good.
The cameras on the Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G are your run-of-the-mill setup. There's a primary 48-megapixel camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 2-megapixel macro camera. The cameras perform decently but low-light performance is weak.
The bottom line is, if you're considering the Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G, I'd recommend sticking to the base variant.
| Realme Narzo 30 Pro Specifications | |
| Display | 6.50-inch, 1080x2400 pixels |
| Processor | MediaTek Dimensity 800U |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB |
| Battery Capacity | 5000mAh |
| Rear Camera | 48MP + 8MP + 2MP |
| Front Camera | 16MP |
The Infinix Zero 8i is a tall smartphone with a big 6.85-inch display with 90Hz refresh rate. It has got a dual selfie camera setup embedded in the top left corner. The Zero 8i isn't thick, and the curved sides make it comfortable to hold. Infinix has put the fingerprint scanner on the power button which is slowly becoming the norm these days even for budget smartphones. The positioning of the fingerprint scanner is convenient but I can't say the same about the volume buttons which are on the same side.
There is a selfie flash towards the top of the display, which is neatly hidden from sight. The Zero 8i is available in two colours, Silver Diamond, and Black Diamond. II found the Infinix Zero 8i to be a little too heavy, tipping the scales at 210g. It packs in a 4,500mAh battery and s capable of 33W fast charging but ships with an 18W charger in the box.
Infinix has picked the MediaTek Helio G90T processor. There is 8GB of RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage. You get a triple-slot tray on the Infinix Zero 8i to accommodate dual Nano-SIMs and a microSD card. The Infinix Zero 8i unlocks quickly while using the fingerprint scanner as well as the face unlock feature. The big display on the Zero 8i makes content engaging and I enjoyed streaming video on it. Stereo speakers would have enhanced the overall experience.
The Infinix Zero 8i has a quad-camera setup with a 48-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, a 2-megapixel depth sensor and a low-light sensor For selfies, there's a 16-megapixel primary camera and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera.
Daylight shots were average and managed decent detail. Shots from the ultra-wide-angle camera lacked detail and had a slightly different colour tone. Lowlight camera performance was average and it lacked detail. Night mode had a better output but fine grain was visible on zooming in.
If you are looking for a smartphone to game on, the Zero8i definitely has the performance. The camera performance isn't the best and it could have done with a slightly bigger battery.
| Infinix Zero 8i Specifications | |
| Display | 6.85-inch, 1080x2460 pixels |
| Processor | MediaTek Helio G90T |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB |
| Battery Capacity | 4500mAh |
| Rear Camera | 48MP + 8MP + 2MP + AI lens |
| Front Camera | 16MP + 8MP |
| Vivo V20 SE Specifications | |
| Display | 6.44-inch, 1080x2400 pixels |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB |
| Battery Capacity | 4100mAh |
| Rear Camera | 48MP + 8MP + 2MP |
| Front Camera | 32MP |
The Realme X7 5G comes in at an attractive price and boasts of the brand new MediaTek Dimensity 800U processor, plus 5G (dual-SIM, dual-standby) and an eye-catching design. The pattern on the back and giant brand slogan might not be to everyone's taste, but that's only on the 'Nebula" version, and there's also a sober 'Space Silver' option. The Realme X7 has a 6.4-inch AMOLED screen with an in-display fingerprint sensor. It's relatively light and compact but still has a 4,310mAh battery and delivered excellent runtime during our review. You can use the bundled proprietary 65W fast charger, but this phone actually charges at up to 50W. The screen is pleasant enough and the speaker is quite good. Games and videos were both enjoyable. The cameras however are somewhat disappointing, with capturing just average detail in many situations. The Realme X7 5G is a strong contender in its price segment.
| Realme X7 5G Specifications | |
| Display | 6.40-inch, 1080x2400 pixels |
| Processor | MediaTek Dimensity 800U |
| RAM | 6GB |
| Storage | 128GB |
| Battery Capacity | 4310mAh |
| Rear Camera | 64MP + 8MP + 2MP |
| Front Camera | 16MP |
The Realme 7 Pro is the spiritual successor to the Realme 6 Pro, boasting of big upgrades such as an AMOLED display, stereo speakers, and 65W fast charging. The Realme 7 Pro features the same mirror-split design on its back as the Realme 7, but it's a lot slimmer (8.7mm) and lighter (182g), even compared to the Realme 6 Pro. Sadly, this phone ditches one big feature from the Realme 6 Pro, and that's a high screen refresh rate.
The Realme 7 Pro performed well as it features the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G SoC as the 6 Pro. Realme UI ran pretty smoothly without missig a beat. The Super AMOLED display was great for watching videos on, and this experience was enhanced by the stereo speakers. There's a 4,500mAh battery in the Realme 7 Pro, which on average easily lasted for more than one day starting on a full charge.
The rear cameras on the Realme 7 Pro include a 64-megapixel Sony IMX682 main camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle camera, a 2-megapixel depth camera, and a 2-megapixel macro camera. Regular photos taken in daylight generally looked good. HDR was handled well, details were good, and colours looked natural. Low-light photos were decent, without much visible grain, and details were fairly good even in darker regions.
| Realme 7 Pro Specifications | |
| Display | 6.40-inch, 1080x2400 pixels |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB |
| Battery Capacity | 4500mAh |
| Rear Camera | 64MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP |
| Front Camera | 32MP |
The Samsung Galaxy M31s is the successor of the Galaxy M31 and brings new features to the segment. The Galaxy M31s sports a 6.5-inch Infinity-O AMOLED display with a hole-punch at the centre. Just like the Galaxy M31 this too packs a big 6,000mAh battery but this time around Samsung has paired a 25w charger in the box.
Samsung has also gone with a side-mounted fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy M31s. The phone has a "Glasstic" back which looks like glass but is actually made out of plastic. It is a fingerprint magnet and picks up fingerprints very easily. The phone runs OneUI 2.1 on top of Android 10. The Galaxy M31s comes with a fair amount of bloatware preinstalled on the device.
Samsung has opted for the Exynos 9611 SoC to power the Galaxy M31s. This is a dated processor at this point and you do see some sluggishness while loading heavy apps and games. Battery life on the Galaxy M31s is impressive as the phone lasted us over 2 days with our usage. The Galaxy M31s has a quad-camera setup at the back consisting of a 64-megapixel primary camera. We found the camera performance to be good in daylight. It also has a Single Take feature which offers different outputs after recording a video. Lowlight camera performance was average but the found video stabilisation to be poor.
| Samsung Galaxy M31s Specifications | |
| Display | 6.50-inch, 1080x2400 pixels |
| Processor | Samsung Exynos 9611 |
| RAM | 6GB |
| Storage | 128GB |
| Battery Capacity | 6000mAh |
| Rear Camera | 64MP + 12MP + 5MP + 5MP |
| Front Camera | 32MP |
The Motorola One Fusion+ is a budget offering from the company. This smartphone is among the very few devices to sport a pop-up selfie camera. As a result, it has an all-screen front without any notch or hole-punch in its way. The 6.5-inch display on the Motorola One Fusion+ is an IPS panel and is HDR 10 certified. Motorola has also added a loud bottom-firing speaker which makes this smartphone a good package for viewing content.
Powering the Motorola One Fusion+ is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor which is capable of handling day to day tasks as well as gaming with ease. It could manage heavy games at high settings without any issues. The One Fusion+ also packs in a big 5,000mAh battery which delivered excellent battery life. Charging isn't the fastest using the supplied 18W charger but the phone took around 2 hours to charge completely.
Motorola ships the One Fusion+ with stock Android which isn't very common. It is very easy to get used to this device. There are no pre-installed apps or bloatware on this device. Motorola One Fusion+ has a quad-camera setup with a 64-megapixel primary camera. It manages good photos in daylight and enables HDR automatically in bright scenes. The macro camera also delivers a good output. In lowlight, the camera performance is average but it is improved drastically with night mode enabled.
| Motorola One Fusion+ Specifications | |
| Display | 6.50-inch, 1080x2340 pixels |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G |
| RAM | 6GB |
| Storage | 128GB |
| Battery Capacity | 5000mAh |
| Rear Camera | 64MP + 8MP + 5MP + 2MP |
| Front Camera | 16MP |
The Realme 6 Pro is a mid-range flagship featuring the powerful Snapdragon 720G chipset and a quad rear camera setup. It features a 6.6-inch LCD display, which produces good colours and brightness. There's no in-dsiplay fingerprint sensor so Realme has used a capacitive one in the power button. There's face unlock too, which works very well.
Realme has used a modern-looking, hole-punch cutout in the display for the two front cameras. The phone is avilable with up 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The latter is expandable. App and gaming performance is very good and we didn't face any issue with heating either. The 4,300mAh battery easily lasts for a day and half and there's 30W fast charging too.
The main 64-megapixel camera captures good quality photos in daylight and at night. Night mode comes in handy here. There's a wide-angle camera which is useful and macro camera for ultra close-up shots. The 6 Pro can also shoot video up to 4K resolution.
| Realme 6 Pro Specifications | |
| Display | 6.60-inch, 1080x2400 pixels |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G |
| RAM | 6GB |
| Storage | 64GB |
| Battery Capacity | 4300mAh |
| Rear Camera | 64MP + 8MP + 12MP + 2MP |
| Front Camera | 16MP + 8MP |
Summary list of Best Mobile Phones Under 20000 In India (01 April 2021)
| Best Mobile Phones Under 20000 In India | Price in India |
|---|---|
| Redmi Note 10 Pro Max | Rs. 19,999 |
| Realme Narzo 30 Pro | Rs. 16,999 |
| Infinix Zero 8i | Rs. 15,999 |
| Vivo V20 SE | Rs. 19,990 |
| Realme X7 5G | Rs. 19,999 |
| Realme 7 Pro | Rs. 19,999 |
| Samsung Galaxy M31s | Rs. 18,499 |
| Motorola One Fusion+ | Rs. 17,499 |
| Realme 6 Pro | Rs. 17,999 |
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