If you have a Rs 20,000 budget and are in the hunt for a new phone, let us help you a little by handpicking the 10 best phones under Rs 20,000 for this month available in India. We’ve considered the specs, as well as the brand value and after-sales service to give you the best phones 20k can get you.
This budget can get you features like 6GB RAM, 64GB storage, Snapdragon 660 processor and more. No, they won’t lag, hang or freeze up on you with those specs and will let you play the latest games at max settings without trouble, click great selfies and what not. Most of these phones are on Android 8.0. Also, read more about the camera specifications for these phones at the bottom of the post.
Just to clarify, phones with hybrid SIM slot allow you to either place a second SIM or a microSD card, but not both at the same time, so it’s a disadvantage (if you need a dual SIM phone with expandable storage).
Also, check the 10 best smartphones under Rs 18,000 and the 10 best smartphones under Rs 25,000.
You can jump to the summary right away if you don’t want to go through a myriad of specs. Click on any phone in the list below to see its detailed specs along with pros and cons below.
These are the 10 best smartphones under Rs 20,000 in India (2018):
- Oppo RealMe 2 Pro: 6.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 128GB ROM, Android 8.1, 16+2MP
- Xiaomi POCO F1: 6.2 inch, 6GB RAM, 64GB ROM, Android 9.0, 12MP+5MP
- Xiaomi Mi A2: 6.0 inch, 6GB RAM, 128GB ROM, Android 9.0, 16+20MP
- Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2: 6.3 inch, 3/4/6GB RAM, 32GB/64GB ROM, Android 8.1, 12MP+5MP
- Vivo V9 Pro: 6.3 inch, 6GB RAM, 64GB ROM, Android 8.1, 13MP+2MP
- Vivo V11: 6.4 inch, 6GB RAM, 64GB ROM, Android 8.1, 12MP+2MP
- Honor Play: 6.3 inch, 4GB RAM, 128GB ROM, Android 8.0, 16MP+2MP
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro: 6 inch, 6GB RAM, 64GB ROM, Android 8.1, 12+5MP
- Honor 8X: 6.5 inch, 4/6GB RAM, 128GB ROM, Android 8.0, 16MP+2MP
- Oppo F9: 6.3 inch, 4GB RAM, 64GB ROM, Android 8.1, 16MP+2MP
*Top 3 picks around Rs 20,000*
1. Oppo RealMe 2 Pro
4GB RAM/ 64GB storage
Buy on Flipkart @ Rs 13,9906GB RAM/ 64GB storage
8GB RAM/ 128GB storage
Notches are ugly, but smaller ones do help. Luckily the newest RealMe comes with a teardrop notch to give you enough screen area on the top. Oppo has also packed this phone with as much specs as it possibly could and the result is a phone that is miles ahead of anything in this budget. Great processor, ample storage, 8GB RAM, do we even need flagships anymore?
Find us one and we’ll call you out.
- OS
Android 8.1 Oreo - Weight
174g - Display
6.3 inch, IPS
1080 x 2340 pixels - Storage space
128GB - Expansion slot
Yes, dedicated - Processor
Snapdragon 660 octa-core 2.2GHzx4 + 1.8GHzx4 - GPU
Adreno 512 - RAM
8GB - Camera
16MP, f/1.7 + 2MP, f/2.4 - Secondary camera
16MP - Video
2160p@30fps rear
1080p@30fps front - Battery
3,500mAh, non removable - Connectivity
Dual SIM, (4G) - First announced
Sep, 2018
- Storage
- RAM
- Processor
2. Xiaomi POCO F1
6GB RAM, 64GB
6GB RAM, 128GB
Here is a solid OnePlus challenger that costs way less than it. Snapdragon 845 under Rs 25,000 is good enough to obliterate the competition. Think of a flagship feature and this phone has it. From dual cameras to 8GB RAM, to mammoth storage and a decent battery. We also have reports that it is getting the Android 9.0 update in India.
The name’s a bit silly, no? Also, no NFC or wireless charging.
- OS
Android 9.0 - Weight
180g - Display
6.2 inch, IPS
1080 x 2246 pixels - Storage space
64-128GB - Expansion slot
Yes, hybrid - Processor
Octa-core (4×2.7GHz Kryo 385 & 4×1.7GHz Kryo 385) Snapdragon 845 - GPU
Adreno 630 - RAM
6GB - Camera
Dual 12 MP, f/1.9 + 5 MP, f/2.0 - Secondary camera
20 MP, f/2.0 - Video
2160p 30FPS, 1080p@240fps rear
1080p 30FPS front - Battery
4,000mAh, non-removable - Connectivity
Dual SIM, 4G - First announced
Aug, 2018
- Android 9.0
- Processor
- Storage
- RAM
- Hybrid slot (either SIM2 or microSD)
3. Xiaomi Mi A2
4GB RAM, 64GB
Buy from Amazon6GB RAM, 128GB
The Mi A1 didn’t stay long enough in the market to make a lasting impression, but its successor is here to change that. Mi A2 comes with promising cameras and a decent processor. And hey, it got updated to Android 9.0 recently. There’s also a 6GB RAM variant with more internal storage.
There’s no expandable memory here.
- OS
Android 9.0 Android One - Weight
166 - Display
5.99 inch, IPS
1080 x 2160 pixels - Storage space
64GB/128GB - Expansion slot
No - Processor
Snapdragon 660 octa-core 2.2GHzx4 + 1.8GHzx4 - GPU
Adreno 512 - RAM
4/6GB - Camera
12 MP, f/1.8 + 20MP f/1.8 - Secondary camera
20 MP, f/2.2 - Video
2160p 30FPS rear
1080p 30FPS front - Battery
3,010mAh, non-removable - Connectivity
Dual SIM, (4G) - First announced
Aug, 2018
- RAM
- Storage
- Processor
- Android 9.0
- Non-expandable memory
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2
3GB RAM/ 32GB storage
4GB RAM/ 64GB storage
6GB RAM/ 64GB storage
Here’s what’s changed since the Max Pro M1: The processor is class leading for this budget, the cameras have gotten better, and for better or for worse, there’s a notch. The 5,000mAh battery, 6GB RAM have always been to our liking.
Seems like the prices have gone up.
- OS
Android 8.1 Oreo - Weight
175g - Display
6.26 inch, IPS
1080 x 2280 pixels - Storage space
32GB/64GB - Expansion slot
Yes, dedicated - Processor
Snapdragon 660 Octa-core (4×2.2GHz & 4×1.8GHz) - GPU
Adreno 512 - RAM
3/4/6GB - Camera
12 MP, f/1.8 + 5MP, f/2.4 - Secondary camera
13MP, f/2.0 - Video
2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps rear
1080p front - Battery
5,000mAh, non removable - Connectivity
Dual SIM, (4G) - First announced
Dec, 2018
- Processor
- Battery
- RAM
Vivo V9 Pro
V9 Pro is the improved version of the older V9. What’s changed is a much faster processor and 6GB RAM. Android 8.1, 64 gigs of internal memory, and decent looking cameras make it an attractive proposition.
Nothing really.
- OS
Android 8.1 - Weight
150g - Display
6.3 inches, IPS
1080 x 2280 pixels - Storage space
64GB - Expansion slot
Yes, dedicated - Processor
Snapdragon 660 Octa-core(4×2.2 GHz Kryo 260 & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 260) - GPU
Adreno 512 - RAM
6GB - Camera
13 MP, f/2.2 + 2 MP - Secondary camera
12MP, f/2.0 - Video
2160p@30fps front
1080p 30FPS rear - Battery
3,260 mAh - Connectivity
Dual SIM, 4G - First announced
Jun, 2018
- Processor
- RAM
Vivo V11
Hate notches but also need no bezels? Maybe the Vivo V11 would ease your pain as it comes with a minimal teardrop notch that’s noticeably smaller than those seen in competitor phones. We also like the RAM and a decent processor for the budget.
That’s hard to find for the moment.
- OS
Android 8.1 - Weight
164g - Display
6.3 inch, IPS
1080 x 2280 pixels - Storage space
64GB - Expansion slot
Yes, dedicated - Processor
MediTek P60 octa-core 2.0GHz - GPU
Adreno 512 - RAM
6GB - Camera
16 MP, f/2.0 + 5MP f/2.4 - Secondary camera
25 MP, f/2.0 - Video
1080p 30FPS rear
1080p 30FPS front - Battery
3,315mAh, non-removable - Connectivity
Dual SIM, (4G) - First announced
Sep, 2018
- RAM
Huawei Honor Play
The Honor Play sports a flagship processor which is seen in Huawei’s top of the line phones and comes with other great goodies like up to 6GB RAM and a large battery.
Maybe the hybrid slot?
- OS
Android 8.0 Oreo - Weight
176g - Display
6.3 inch, IPS
1080 x 2340 pixels - Storage space
64GB - Expansion slot
Yes, hybrid - Processor
Kirin 970 Octa-core (4×2.4GHz A73 & 4×1.8GHzA53) - GPU
Mali-G72 MP12 - RAM
4/6GB - Camera
16MP + 2MP - Secondary camera
16MP - Video
2160p@30fps rear
1080p front - Battery
3,750mAh, non-removable - Connectivity
Dual SIM, 4G - First announced
Jul, 2018
- Battery
- Processor
- Hybrid slot (SIM2 or microSD card)
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
4GB RAM
6GB RAM
The Redmi Note 6 Pro comes 8 months after its predecessor and manages to improve on the camera department mainly. It also gets a notch because every phone has it these days. We never really hated the storage options to begin with.
For a successor to such a popular phone, much hasn’t changed. You still get the same processor and battery. The competition hasn’t been sitting idle exactly. Also, the hybrid slot, if that bothers you.
- OS
Android 8.1 Oreo - Weight
182g - Display
6.26 inch, IPS
1080 x 2280 pixels - Storage space
64GB - Expansion slot
Yes, hybrid - Processor
Snapdragon 636 octa-core 1.8GHz (A53) - GPU
Adreno 509 - RAM
4GB/6GB - Camera
12 MP, f/1.9 + 5MP f/2.2 - Secondary camera
20 MP, f/2.0 + 2 MP, f/2.2 - Video
1080p@30fps rear
1080p front - Battery
4,000mAh, non-removable - Connectivity
Dual SIM, (4G) - First announced
Oct, 2018
- Battery
- Front camera
- Hybrid SIM slot (SIM2 or microSD)
Oppo F9
If you’re not a fan of large notches but are willing to make some compromise for the full screen, the F9 seems like a good bargain. It also comes with 4GB RAM and a promising 25MP front camera.
Looks like a decent phone so nothing really.
- OS
Android 8.1 - Weight
169g - Display
6.3 inch, IPS
1080 x 2340 pixels - Storage space
64GB - Expansion slot
Yes, dedicated - Processor
Octa-core (4×2.0 GHz A73 & 4×2.0GHz A53) MT6771 P60 - GPU
Mali-G72 MP3 - RAM
4GB - Camera
Dual 16 MP (f/1.8) + 2 MP (f/2.4) - Secondary camera
25MP, f/2.0 - Video
1080p 30FPS rear and front - Battery
3,500mAh, non-removable - Connectivity
Dual SIM, 4G - First announced
Jul, 2018
- Battery
Huawei 8X
Finally a sub-15k phone from Huawei that comes with a brand new processor. The Kirin 710 is a massive upgrade over the Kirin 659 and is on par with the Snapdragon 660. However, the Mali GPU is weaker compared to the one found on the 660. Although, built on 12nm fabrication, it should be less power hungry. Given the competition in this budget is SD636, the processor is definitely a plus. The phone also has a respectable battery and a likable design. The 6GB RAM variant, of course, adds more RAM and memory.
We will let you know once we find out.
- OS
Android 8.1 Oreo - Weight
175g - Display
6.5 inch, IPS
1080 x 2340 pixels - Storage space
64/128GB - Expansion slot
Yes, dedicated - Processor
Kirin 710 Octa-core (4×2.2GHz A73 & 4×1.7GHzA53) - GPU
Mali-G51 MP4 - RAM
4/6GB - Camera
20MP (f/1.8) + 2MP - Secondary camera
16MP, f/2.0 - Video
1080p@30fps rear
1080p front - Battery
3,750mAh, non-removable - Connectivity
Dual SIM, 4G - First announced
Sep, 2018
- Processor
- Storage
- RAM
Not to confuse you with the camera specs listed above. We’ve listed the specs as (megapixels),(aperture), (sensor size). Generally speaking, bigger the aperture and sensor size, better is the camera. Which means smaller the number in the denominator, the bigger the aperture or sensor size is. For example, f/1.9 is a bigger aperture and than f/2.0. Also 1/2.2″ is a bigger sensor than, say, 1/2.6″. A bigger aperture camera performs much better in low light situations and produces sharper images.
Standout features in the top smartphones under Rs 20,000:
Top of the line phones in this budget come with features like dual camera, 6GB RAM, and 64 gigs of internal memory. On the other hand, 4GB RAM, 3,000mAh+ battery, full HD display and Android 8.0 have become the norm rather than the exception.
As for the CPU performance, it’s something in the order of Snapdragon 845> Kirin 970> Snapdragon 660> Kirin 710> MediaTek P60=Snapdragon 636 > Exynos 7885. While the Kirin 710 beats the CPU performance of the SD 660, the GPU on the Snapdragon is better.
Also, features like Android 7.0, 3GB RAM, Snapdragon 4xx and 16GB internal memory are a no go.
- Best battery • Asus M1 (5,000mAh)
- Best processor • Huawei Honor Play
- Best value for money • RealMe 2 Pro
• Honor Play
