 "Best phones under Rs 20,000 (Jan 2025): Poco X6 5G, OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite 5G to Realme P2 Pro 5G")
A budget of Rs 20,000 for a smartphone gives you access to a lot of options that address different needs. Whether you are looking for a phone with extra storage or a quality camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS) or even a sleek and stylish design, we have you covered. Sufficient processing power, high refresh rate AMOLED displays and 5G compliance is a given. So let’s look at the best smartphones you can buy under Rs 20,000 in India this month.
Best phones to buy under Rs 20,000 in India
Poco X6 5G
The Poco X6 5G remains a top pick in this budget courtesy of a solid mix of features and power. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC, which is great for this segment, and is accompanied by 12 GB RAM and up to a whopping 512 GB internal storage. This device has a vibrant 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a higher than Full HD resolution, support for 12-bit colour, 120 Hz refresh rate and 1800 nits peak brightness. The HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compliant display is protected against scratches by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus.
Photography is handled by a 64MP primary camera with OIS, an 8MP ultra-wide shooter and a 2MP macro camera. The 16MP front camera can handle selfies and video calls quite well. Its 5100 mAh battery lasts over a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 67W turbo charger promises to juice it up fully in less than 45 minutes. The Poco X6 5G runs Android 13 with MIUI 14 and is expected to get an Android 14 update with Xiaomi’s HyperOS, along with a couple more major Android updates going ahead.
Poco X6 5G price in India: Rs 19,999 for 12 GB RAM/ 512 GB storage
Motorola G85 5G
The Motorola G85 5G is another feature-rich phone you can strongly consider in this budget, and more so if you like a cleaner UI. It has a 6.67-inch Full HD+ pOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate and 10-bit colour depth. This phone has a 50MP primary camera with OIS and a Sony LYTIA 600 sensor for high quality captures. You also get an 8MP ultrawide camera with auto-focus, which can double up as a quality macro camera. Its 32MP front camera will have the selfie enthusiasts interested.
The phone has a water-repellent design and Gorilla Glass 5 protection for the screen. The Motorola G85 5G is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 chip which is a decent choice for the segment. You get 12 GB RAM and 256 GB internal (expandable) storage to go with it. A 5000 mAh battery keeps the phone powered for close to a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 33W fast charger juices it up quickly. It runs Android 14, and like most Motorola phones, the G85 has a near-stock Android user interface.
Motorola G85 5G price in India: Rs 19,999 for 12 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage
OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G
While the company hasn’t bothered changing the SoC even after two generations, the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G does get a couple of notable upgrades over its predecessor. Firstly, you get a 6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display instead of LCD with a 120 Hz refresh rate and 2100 nits peak brightness. Secondly, while the primary camera has a lower megapixel count (from 108MP to 50MP) as compared to the CE 3 Lite, it now gets OIS support. The support cast just has a 2MP depth sensor and a 16MP selfie camera.
The OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G continues to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chip and you get 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal (expandable) storage to go with it. A MicroSD card slot and a 3.5 mm headphone jack have been retained. A 5110 mAh battery keeps it powered for over a day and a half of moderate use and the bundled 80W fast charger can charge it fully in 50 minutes. The OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G runs Android 14 with OxygenOS 14 with 2 major OS updates and 3 years of security updates promised.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsOnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G price in India: Rs 17,999 for 8 GB RAM/ 128 GB storage
iQOO Z9s 5G
The iQOO Z9s is a very attractive phone that is just 7.5 mm slim and IP64 rated dust and water resistant too. It is powered by a Mediatek Dimensity 7300 chip and you get 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage along with it. You often get its 256 GB storage variant in this budget, so keep an eye out for a deal as this phone doesn’t have expandable storage. It has a 6.77-inch 10-bit, HDR10+ compliant, Full HD+ curved AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate and 1800 nits peak brightness.
The 50MP primary camera with Sony IMX882 sensor and OIS does most of the heavy lifting in photography, and has a 2MP depth sensor for company. You get the Aura Light flash at the back for a more even lighting and a 16MP selfie camera up front that does a more than decent job. Its 5500 mAh battery lasts over a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 44W fast charger claims to charge half its capacity in 30 minutes. The iQOO Z9s runs Android 14 with FunTouch UI 14 with the company promising two major Android updates and three years of security updates going ahead.
iQOO Z9s 5G 5G price in India: Rs 19,999 for 8 GB RAM/ 128 GB storage
Realme P2 Pro 5G
Last but by no means the least, the Realme P2 Pro 5G is another stylish and very good all-round option in this budget. It flaunts a 50MP primary camera with OIS that does a commendable job for the segment, and is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide shooter. Add to that a competent 32MP front camera to hook the selfie crowd. This phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC, and you can get its 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage variant in this budget.
The Realme P2 Pro 5G has a 6.7-inch Full HD+ curved OLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ compliance and 2000 nits peak brightness. The phone has a 5200 mAh battery that lasts over a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 80W SuperVOOC charger claims to charge 50% of it in just 19 minutes and fully in a little over 45 minutes. The Realme P2 Pro 5G runs Android 14 with Realme UI 5.0 with more updates expected.
Realme P2 Pro 5G price in India: Rs 19,999 for 8 GB RAM/ 128 GB storage
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