Asus Zenfone 2, Mi 4 and others: Best smartphones under Rs 25,000

If you neither have the kind of money to buy a high-end device nor want to settle down for a cheaper one, then the mid-range phone section is where you should look. This is the most exciting category, wherein along with new launches, you will also find a lot of flagships which were launched for a much higher price earlier. One of the most recent phones in this category is the Asus Zenfone 2, which seems to come with some great specs. However, before you take the plunge, here are some smartphones under Rs 25,000 worth taking a look at. Asus Zenfone 2 Asus has announced several variants of the **Zenfone 2** . Though we haven’t reviewed it yet, the ZenFone 2 ZE551ML with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage priced at Rs 22,999 seems very appealing, at least on paper. It comes powered by the 64-bit 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3580 processor. It runs Zen UI that is built atop Android 5.0 Lollipop. On the camera front, expect a 13MP rear camera with f/2.0 aperture and 5MP front facing camera. It features Real-Tone flash to ensure warm skin tones and accurate colours. On the battery front, it comes equipped with a 3,000mAh Li-polymer battery along with fast charging technology, which claims to charge the phone from 0-60% in 39 minutes according to Asus.  OnePlus One - Rs 21,999 This Cyanogen OS running smartphone was quite a head turner when it entered the Indian market. The CyanogenMod CM11 lets you tweak the phone to your liking. Thanks to CM11 a lot of the apps which would require rooting your device, work smoothly. Performance wise, we did not find any major issues. The Snapdragon 801 SoC and 3GB of RAM are great for most tasks. In our review, we found OnePlus One to be a great alternative for those looking for a top of the line phablet, but do not have the budget for the likes of the Apple iPhone 6 Plus or the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Read our **OnePlus One review** , to know more. [caption id=“attachment_240153” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  OnePlus One smartphone.[/caption] Xiaomi Mi 4 - Rs 21,999 The recent price cut makes the Mi 4 all the more attractive as the 64GB model is now up for grabs at Rs 21,999. The space constraint (only 16GB variant was available with 12GB usable space) was one of the biggest issues we noted in our review. With that problem now sorted, the device seems like a steal at the new price. The Xiaomi Mi 4 has a 5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) IPS display with 441 ppi resolution. It uses Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for protection. It is powered by a 2.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor and has 3GB RAM. Read our complete **Xiaomi Mi 4 review** , to know more. [caption id=“attachment_251967” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Xiaomi’s Mi 4[/caption] Apple iPhone 5c - Rs 21,999 After several price cuts, the iPhone 5c is now available across e-commerce sites for as low as Rs 21,999. It is a great way for users to switch to the iOS ecosystem without burning a hole in their pockets. The 16GB iPhone 5c was launched at Rs 41,900 in India and seemed overpriced then. But the drastic price drop now makes it a steal for those who always wanted to own an iPhone but didn’t have the budget. the iPhone 5c can be described as the plastic variant of the iPhone 5 with a larger battery. Read our **iPhone 5c review** , to know how it fares.  Samsung Galaxy S4 - Rs 21,800 Samsung’s Galaxy S4 is yet another great steal at a price as low as Rs 21,000, especially considering it was launched at Rs 41,500. Thought the device didn’t help Samsung get the numbers/revenue, it ironed out most of the chinks found in the S3’s armour with a fresh coat of polish. The phone looks a lot more refined and premium, and also packs in some great specs at that price point. Read our **Galaxy S4 review** to know more about its performance.  Besides these, if you are ready to pay a couple of thousands more, then the **Huawei Honor 6 Plus** is also a good bet.