A budget of Rs 20,000 offers a lot more choices for different use cases. Be it more premium aesthetics or extra storage or a superior camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS), there are smartphones that can provide you with some or even all of these features under 20K. Sufficient processing power, high refresh rate displays and 5G compliance is a given. So let’s look at the best smartphone options available within this budget at the moment.
Best phones to buy under Rs 20,000 in India
Motorola G96 5G
The stylish Motorola G96 5G ticks most of the boxes and is a great option in this budget, and even more so if you like a stock Android UI. It has a 6.67-inch Full HD+ curved pOLED display with 144 Hz refresh rate, 10-bit colour depth and Gorilla Glass 5 protection. This phone has a 50MP primary camera with OIS and a Sony LYTIA 700C 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 is bound to appeal to the selfie enthusiasts.
The phone has an IP68-rated ingress protection making it more than monsoon-proof. The Motorola G96 5G is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chip and you get 8 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage to go with it. A 5500 mAh battery keeps the phone powered for over a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 33W fast charger juices it up briskly. The phone runs Android 15, and like most Motorola phones, the G96 has a near-stock Android user interface. At least one major Android update can be expected for this device.
Motorola G96 5G price in India: Rs 19,999 for 8 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage
Realme P2 Pro 5G
The Realme P2 Pro 5G is another stylish all-rounder in this budget. This phone too flaunts a 50MP primary camera with OIS that does a great job, and is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide shooter. Add to that a competent 32MP front camera that clicks some crisp selfies. This phone is also powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC, which is still a good choice for this segment, and you can get its 12 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage variant comfortably in this budget. It has an IP65 rating against dust and water ingression.
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’s 5200 mAh battery lasts for 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 P2 Pro 5G launched with Android 14 with Realme UI 5.0 with more OS and security updates expected.
Realme P2 Pro 5G price in India: Rs 18,999 for 12 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage
Pro tip:
If you are willing to forego the ultra-wide camera in favour of a slightly faster processor (Mediatek Dimensity 7400), brighter display (4500 nits), higher capacity battery (6000 mAh) and Android 15 with Realme UI 6.0 out of the box, you should consider the Realme Narzo 80 Pro selling for just Rs 500 more on Amazon India currently.
CMF (by Nothing) Phone 2 Pro
The CMF Phone 2 Pro is the slimmest and lightest smartphone from Nothing to date. The 7.8 mm thickness and 185 grams weight give it a good hand feel. It has a unique design language with aluminium highlights around the cameras and stainless steel screws. Speaking of cameras, the main 50MP unit supposedly has the largest sensor in this segment. Giving it company is a second 50MP telephoto camera that offers 2X optical zoom (something quite rare in the sub-20K segment), an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 16MP selfie camera.
The CMF Phone 2 Pro has a large and bright 6.77-inch 10-bit Full HD+ flexible AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 3000 nits, 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate and 1000 Hz touch sampling rate. The phone is fitted with a 5000 mAh battery that supports 33W fast wired charging with the necessary charger bundled along for a change. The Phone 2 Pro is powered by a Mediatek Dimensity 7300 Pro chip with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal (expandable) storage. The phone runs Nothing OS 3.2 based on Android 15 and the company has promised 3 major OS updates and a staggering six years of security updates for this device, which is great.
CMF (by Nothing) Phone 2 Pro price in India: Rs 18,999 for 8 GB RAM/ 128 GB storage
Samsung Galaxy M36 5G
The Samsung Galaxy M36 5G is not just a good choice for the brand conscious users but also a good device overall. packed with impressive features. For starters, it is way slimmer than its predecessor at just 7.7 mm thickness. It has a sharp 6.7-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate which is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+. This phone offers a 50MP primary camera with OIS, an 8MP ultra-wide shooter and a 2MP macro camera. The 13MP selfie camera does its job pretty well.
The Samsung Galaxy M36 5G is powered by an Exynos 1380 SoC and you get its 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal (expandable) storage variant in this budget. A 5000 mAh battery keeps the phone running for close to a day and a half of moderate use and supports 25W fast charging. However, Samsung doesn’t bundle a charger along and needs to be purchased separately, unless you already have one. The phone runs Android 15 with Samsung’s One UI 7, with a whopping 6 major Android updates promised going forward.
Samsung Galaxy M36 5G price in India: Rs 18,999 for 8 GB RAM/ 128 GB storage
iQOO Z10x 5G
Just because you have a budget of 20K doesn’t mean you have to blow it all up. The iQOO Z10x 5G helps you save quite a bit without compromising much on features or performance. Among its striking features is a 6500 mAh battery that keeps the phone powered for two days of moderate use. And the company bundles a 44W fast charger to recharge it quickly. The phone runs Android 15, and the company has promised two more years of OS updates and three years of security updates, which is handy.
The iQOO Z10x 5G sports a sizable 6.72-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD display with 120 Hz refresh rate and 1050 nits peak brightness. It has a 50MP primary camera with PDAF and a 2MP depth sensor at the back and an 8MP camera up front for selfies and video calls. This phone is powered by a competent Mediatek Dimensity 7300 SoC, and you get 8 GB RAM and 256 GB internal (expandable) storage with it. The phone has an IP64-rated dust and splash resistance.
iQOO Z10x 5G price in India: Rs 16,499 for 8 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage
