Best phones under 20,000
| phones under rs 20,000 | Gadgets 360 rating (out of 10) | price in india |
|---|---|---|
| redmi note 9 pro max | 8 | Rs. 16,499 |
| Poco X2 | 8 | Rs. 17,499 |
| realme 6 pro | 8 | Rs. 17,999 |
| samsung galaxy m31 | 8 | Rs. 16,499 |
| realme x2 | 8 | Rs. 17,999 |
| Poco F1 | 8 | Rs. 17,999 |
| asus zenfone 5z | 9 | Rs. 16,999 |
Redmi Note 9 Pro Max
The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max is currently the top pick in our list under Rs 20,000. When Xiaomi launched this smartphone, its price started from Rs 15,000, but due to the increase in GST rate, the prices have increased. The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max comes with a 6.67-inch display, which is good for watching videos but a bit big for one-handed use.
The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, so you can unlock it quickly. The smartphone comes equipped with four rear cameras. Redmi Note 9 Pro Max works on Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chipset. Xiaomi has launched it in 6GB RAM + 64GB storage, 6GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 128GB storage options. Their price is Rs 16,499, Rs 17,999 and Rs 19,999 respectively.
The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max houses a 5,020mAh battery and it gives great backup. It also did very well in our HD video loop test. Xiaomi has provided a 33W charger in the box, which charges the phone fast. The camera performance of the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max is quite good, but sometimes the pictures get a bit fuzzy. Low-light camera performance is average, but thanks to the night mode, better output is achieved.
Poco X2
The Poco X2 is a tall phone and features a large 6.67-inch display with 20:9 aspect ratio. Its panel comes with a 120Hz refresh rate, which is not common in this range. The Poco X2 sports a dual-camera punch-hole at the front, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. Poco X2 feels big and heavy. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G, which is a powerful chipset and can handle gaming quite well.
There are many variants of Poco X2. These include 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage options. Poco X2 prices have increased since its launch and now the price of these three variants is Rs 17,499, Rs 18,499 and Rs 20,999 respectively.
Poco has given 4,500mAh battery in the phone and a 27W charger is also available in the box. The phone sports a quad rear camera setup and we observed that the photo quality is decent in daylight. Low-light photo quality was also relatively impressive, but detailing was lacking compared to the daytime. The quality of low light video is also not that good.
Realme 6 Pro
The Realme 6 Pro sports a 6.6-inch display with a dual-camera hole-punch for the selfie cameras. It works on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chipset just like the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max. The device is well designed but a bit slippery as it has a glass back. This phone comes with a weight of 202 grams, which is a bit heavy. One of the highlights of Realme 6 Pro is its 90Hz refresh rate screen. There is also a side-mounted fingerprint scanner which makes unlocking the phone smoother and faster.
Reality 6 Pro has been introduced in 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage options. Their price is Rs 17,999, Rs 18,999 and Rs 19,999 respectively.
There is a quad-camera setup at the back. Camera performance was decent in daylight and for close-ups, but the camera performance in low light needs some improvement. The Realme 6 Pro packs a 4300mAh battery, which isn’t as large as some of the other phones on this list, but it delivered great battery life when we tested it.
Samsung Galaxy M31
This Samsung model has a 6.4-inch full-HD + AMOLED display, which comes with vivid colors and very good viewing angles. There is a quad-camera setup at the back with a 64-megapixel primary camera. It comes with a big 6,000mAh battery and the well-performing Exynos 9611 chipset.
Samsung Galaxy M31 has 6 GB RAM and two storage options, 64 GB and 128 GB available. The price of both these variants is Rs 16,499 and Rs 18,999. The large battery gives great battery life and this phone can easily last for two days. The cameras perform well in daylight and with Night Mode enabled, the Galaxy M31 takes better low-light shots as well. We found the video stabilization to be average.
The Exynos 9611 chipset isn’t as powerful as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 720G, which powers the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max and Realme 6 Pro, but it’s more than capable of handling everyday tasks with ease.
Realme X2
Realme X2 has a 6.4-inch AMOLED display, which has an in-display fingerprint scanner. It also runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor just like Poco X2. The phone performs well in day-to-day usage. The Realme X2 sports a quad-camera setup at the back and comes in various colours.
Realme has given a 4000mAh battery in it and has given a 30W fast charger in the box which makes charging faster. The Realme X2 handled day-to-day tasks and gaming with ease, and its battery lasted a day and a half in our tests. Its 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage variant costs Rs 17,999. Its 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage variants cost Rs 19,999 and Rs 20,999 respectively.
The quad-camera setup lets you take decent pictures in daylight. We liked our portrait shots, as the dedicated depth camera does decent edge detection. Low-light camera performance is also good but noise was a problem in the output. Nightscape mode helps improve low-light photography.
Poco F1
The Poco F1 is one of the oldest devices on this list, but its performance is commendable for the price. It works on 2018 flagship processor Snapdragon 845. The device has seen multiple price cuts. You can now buy all variants of Poco F1 under Rs 20,000.
The Poco F1 sports a large notch and comes with a 6.18-inch display. It comes equipped with a 4,000mAh battery, which offers great battery life. Its top variant with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage is currently priced at Rs 17,999.
Since the Poco F1 is an older model, it comes with a dual rear camera setup. Low-light photos were average, while daylight camera performance was better. Poco F1 can record 4K videos but only for 8 minutes.
Asus ZenFone 5Z
The last phone in this list is the Asus ZenFone 5Z and it is also an older model. This smartphone is also a 2018 flagship and you get it with Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset. Because the ZenFone 5Z was a flagship, its build quality is better than some of the other smartphones on this list. It also delivers good all-round camera performance.
There are three variants of ZenFone 5Z. These include 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage options. The price of these three variants is Rs 16,999, Rs 18,999 respectively. The ZenFone 5Z has the smallest battery capacity here at 3,300mAh, but it offers decent backup.
The Asus 5Z also sports a dual camera setup at the back. The cameras were quick to lock focus and pick up exposure in daylight. Low-light camera performance was decent and noise was also under control.