Best Smartphones Under ₹20,000 (June 2020)
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 at 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 a good display 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. The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max works on Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chipset. Xiaomi has launched it in 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage options. They are priced at Rs 16,499, Rs 17,999 and Rs 19,999 respectively.
The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max has a 5,020mAh battery and it gives very good 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 quickly. The camera performance of the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max is quite good, but sometimes the pictures turn out a bit dull. Low-light camera performance is average, but the night mode gives better output.
Poco X2
The Poco X2 is a tall phone and has a large 6.67-inch display with a 20:9 aspect ratio. Its panel comes with a 120Hz refresh rate, which is not common in this range. The Poco X2 has a dual-camera punch-hole on the front, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. The Poco X2 feels big and bulky. It runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G, which is a powerful chipset and can handle gaming quite well.
There are several variants of the Poco X2. These include 6GB RAM + 64GB storage, 6GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 256GB storage options. The prices of the Poco X2 have increased since its launch and now these three variants are priced at Rs 17,499, Rs 18,499 and Rs 20,999 respectively.
Poco has packed a 4,500mAh battery in the phone and a 27W charger is also available in the box. This phone sports a quad rear camera setup and we noticed that the photo quality in daylight is quite good. Low-light photo quality was also relatively impressive, but lacked detail compared to daytime. The quality of low-light videos is also not that good.
Realme 6 Pro
The Realme 6 Pro has a 6.6-inch display with a dual-camera hole-punch for selfie cameras. It is powered by 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. The phone weighs 202 grams, which is a bit heavy. One of the highlights of the Realme 6 Pro is its 90Hz refresh rate screen. It also has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner that can unlock the phone easily and quickly.
Realme 6 Pro is offered in 6GB RAM + 64GB storage, 6GB RAM + 128GB storage, and 8GB RAM + 128GB storage options. They are priced at Rs 17,999, Rs 18,999, and Rs 19,999, respectively.
There is a quad-camera setup at the back. Camera performance was good in daylight and for close-ups, but camera performance in low light needs some improvement. The Realme 6 Pro has a 4300mAh battery, which isn’t as big as some of the other phones on this list, but it did deliver 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 colours and very good viewing angles. There is a quad-camera setup at the back with a 64-megapixel primary camera. It comes with a large 6,000mAh battery and a well-performing Exynos 9611 chipset.
The Samsung Galaxy M31 is available with 6GB of RAM and two storage options, 64GB and 128GB. These two variants are priced at Rs 16,499 and Rs 18,999. The big battery offers great battery life and the phone can easily last two days. The cameras perform well in daylight and with Night mode enabled, the Galaxy M31 also takes better low-light shots. We found the video stabilization to be average.
The Exynos 9611 chipset isn’t as powerful as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 720G that powers the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max and Realme 6 Pro, but it is capable of handling everyday tasks with ease.
Realme X2
The Realme X2 has a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with an in-display fingerprint scanner. It also runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor like the Poco X2. The phone performs well in day-to-day use. The Realme X2 has a quad-camera setup at the back and comes in various colors.
Realme has packed a 4000mAh battery in it and has provided a 30W fast charger in the box which makes charging faster. The Realme X2 can handle day-to-day tasks and gaming very easily, and its battery lasted for a day and a half in our test. Its 4GB RAM and 64GB storage variant is priced at Rs 17,999. Its 6GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variants are priced at Rs 19,999 and Rs 20,999 respectively.
The quad-camera setup lets you take good photos in daylight. We liked our portrait shots as the dedicated depth camera does good edge detection. Low-light camera performance is also good but there was a problem of noise in the output. The 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 runs on the 2018 flagship processor Snapdragon 845. This device has seen several price cuts. You can currently buy all variants of the Poco F1 under Rs 20,000.
The Poco F1 has a big notch and comes with a 6.18-inch display. It comes equipped with a 4,000mAh battery, which gives very good battery life. Its top variant with 8GB RAM and 256GB 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. The Poco F1 can record 4K videos but only for up to 8 minutes.
Asus ZenFone 5Z
The last phone on this list is the Asus ZenFone 5Z and this is also an older model. This smartphone is also a 2018 flagship and you get it with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset. Because the ZenFone 5Z was a flagship, its quality is better than some of the other smartphones on this list. It also offers good all-round camera performance.
There are three variants of ZenFone 5Z. These include 6GB RAM + 64GB storage, 6GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 256GB storage options. These three variants are priced at Rs 16,999, Rs 18,999 respectively. The battery capacity of ZenFone 5Z is the lowest here at 3,300mAh, but it gives decent backup.
Asus 5Z also has a dual camera setup at the back. The cameras were fast in fixing focus and taking exposure in daylight. Low light camera performance was good and noise was also under control.
