Best phones under 20,000
| phones under rs 20,000 | Gadgets 360 rating (out of 10) | price in india |
|---|---|---|
| samsung galaxy m31s | 8 | Rs. 20,499 |
| realme 7 pro | 8 | Rs. 19,999 |
| Motorola One Fusion+ | 8 | Rs. 16,999 |
| redmi note 9 pro max | 8 | Rs. 16,999 |
| 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 |
Samsung Galaxy M31s
Samsung launched the Galaxy M31s at Rs 19,499, but at the time of updating this guide, its price has increased to Rs 20,499 on the company’s online store. Samsung has a habit of constantly raising its prices, so by the time you read this article, we wouldn’t be surprised if its price went up or down.
We think the Galaxy M31s is a decent upgrade over its younger sibling, the Galaxy M31. Its starting price is higher, but for this extra money you get an Infinity-O AMOLED display, a charger with high charging support, and a slightly redesigned design. It retains many of the features that made the Galaxy M31 a success, such as the large 6,000mAh battery. Although some weak features have not been removed, such as the same old chipset. There is no doubt that this chipset cannot handle your daily tasks, but other smartphones at this price point offer more powerful chipsets.
The cameras are decent but video stabilization isn’t impressive and low-light images lack detail. However, if great battery life is important to you, then the Samsung Galaxy M31s is the best option for you.
Realme 7 Pro
The more premium model in Realme’s 7-series, the Realme 7 Pro packs some major upgrades over the Realme 6 Pro, such as an AMOLED display, 65W fast charging, and stereo speakers. With a great price tag of Rs 19,999, the new model packs a unique mix of features that only a few phones in this segment can offer. The 65W charging can charge the battery very quickly and the stereo speakers make any media experience great. The new phone is thinner and lighter than the 6 Pro, which is a nice bonus.
However, you do not get a 90Hz display, which is a bit disappointing. The 7 Pro also packs the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chipset as the 6 Pro, so there isn’t a huge difference in performance between the new phone and the previous model. The primary rear camera has improved slightly, but once again, you’ll miss out on the ultra-wide-angle selfie camera and rear telephoto camera of the 6 Pro.
While there is no doubt that the Realme 7 Pro is a good phone, however, it does take a step back in a few areas and that is why the Realme 6 Pro still remains an option worth recommending in this segment.
Motorola One Fusion+
Motorola One Fusion+ A great pick in the sub-20,000 price segment. While on the one hand it is very competitively priced, on the other hand Motorola has not shied away from the hardware side. Motorola One Fusion+ gets a big 6.5-inch notch-less display. This panel is HDR10 certified and has very good viewing angles. The speaker output is also quite loud, which coupled with the crisp full-view display makes for a decent movie experience. Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G chipset has been given to power the Motorola One Fusion +. This mid-range chipset is quite capable and it scored very well in our benchmarks. The One Fusion+ comes in only one configuration, with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. You can also expand the storage using its hybrid dual-SIM tray. Motorola has also provided a 5,000mAh battery and the phone comes with an 18W turbocharger.
It runs on clean stock Android and we did not encounter any bloatware. The good thing is that Moto Action gesture control options are available in it, which prove to be useful at times. The Motorola One Fusion+ sports quad cameras at the back and a pop-up selfie camera at the front. It has a 64-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, a 5-megapixel macro camera, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. Camera performance in daylight was decent and the phone was quick to lock focus and meter light correctly. Low-light shots were average but using the Night mode made a difference. Video recording can be done at a maximum of 4K. The footage turns out stable during the day.
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 16,999, 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.