Best Mobile Phones You Can Buy Under Rs. 20,000 In India
The sub-Rs. 20,000 price segment today features a range of powerful smartphones which offer everything that most people will want or need for everyday use. You can get features that were once restricted to much more expensive phones, such as multiple high-quality cameras, fast charging, loads of RAM and storage, and gaming-grade processors. We have recently reviewed several excellent phones priced below Rs. 20,000 that offer great value for money.
If you have a budget of Rs. 20,000, here are some of the best smartphones that you should be considering for your next purchase.
Best phones under 20,000
| Phones under Rs. 20,000 | Gadgets 360 rating (out of 10) | Price in India (as recommended) |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy M31s | 8 | Rs. 19,499 |
| Redmi Note 9 Pro Max | 8 | Rs. 16,999 |
| Samsung Galaxy M31 | 8 | Rs. 15,999 |
Samsung Galaxy M31s
Samsung launched the Galaxy M31s at Rs. 19,499, and thought there have been some fluctations, it’s still available for this price. Samsung has a habit of tweaking prices, so by the time you read this article, we wouldn’t be surprised if the price has changed.
We think the Galaxy M31s a decent update to the Galaxy M31. It has a higher starting price, but for this extra money you get an Infinity-O AMOLED display, a higher capacity bundled charger, and a slightly tweaked design. It retains many of the things that made the Galaxy M31 great, such as the large 6,000mAh battery, but also carries forward some negatives such as the dated SoC. That’s not to say that the phone can’t handle Android well, but compared to what the competition offers at around this price, the processor definitely feels weak.
The cameras are decent but video stabilisation is not great, and low-light photos don’t have the best detail. However, if battery life is the top priority for you, then the Galaxy M31s is still among the best in its class.
Redmi Note 9 Pro Max
The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max was launched starting under Rs. 15,000, but a GST hike caused prices to go up. The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max shares a lot of hardware with the Redmi Note 9 Pro – both phones sport 6.67-inch displays which are good for video watching but not for single-handed use.
The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner that lets you unlock it quickly. Sticking to current trends, the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max has four rear cameras but the module protrudes quite a bit. The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G SoC. Xiaomi offers it in three variants: the base variant has 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage and is priced at Rs. 16,999; the middle one offers 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage and is priced at Rs. 18,499. The top variant is priced at Rs 19,999 which is barely under the upper limit for this list.
The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max packs in a 5,020mAh battery and delivers very good battery life. Xiaomi bundles a 33W charger in the box. The camera performance of the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max is quite good, but photos tend to be oversharpened at times. Low-light camera performance is average but Night mode helps capture better output.
Samsung Galaxy M31
Samsung has been focusing on the sub Rs. 20,000 market with its Galaxy M-series, and the Galaxy M31 is still a compelling option. This model has a 6.4-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display that delivers vivid colours and very good viewing angles. There is a quad-camera setup at the back with a 64-megapixel primary camera. It also packs a big 6,000mAh battery and a capable Exynos 9611 SoC.
Samsung offers the Galaxy M31 with 6GB of RAM and two storage options, 64GB and 128GB. Prices start at Rs. 15,999 for the base model while the higher model is priced at Rs. 16,499. The big battery offers fantastic battery life and this phone could easily go on for two days. The cameras are good in daylight, the wide-angle one offers a wider field of view but loses out on details compared to the primary camera. We did notice that the camera AI can go overboard in terms of saturating colours. The primary camera is a little slow while focusing and you can see minor grain in the output. With Night mode enabled, the Galaxy M31 delivers better low-light shots. We found video stabilisation to be average as well.