Best smartphones in India under 20,000 rupees (April 2019)

Samsung Galaxy A50

A great indicator of how seriously Samsung is taking the budget-friendly segment in India is the fact that the company has not one, but two, devices on this list of best smartphones under 20,000 rupees. Between the Galaxy M and the Galaxy A series, Samsung has covered the entire price spectrum of affordable devices from the entry-level to the premium mid-range. Leading the charge is the fantastic Samsung Galaxy A50.
There are quite a few features that make the Galaxy A50 a great choice. Samsung’s display prowess shines through in the mid-range, with the 6.4-inch Super AMOLED panel of the phone ensuring an excellent viewing experience.
The Galaxy A50 is also the first Samsung smartphone to sport the Exynos 9610 processor. The phone ships in two variants with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. The lack of a higher storage option certainly seems like an odd choice, but the availability of a dedicated micro SD slot for expansion makes up for it to a degree. We found the performance of the device to be top-notch in our review, with it able to handle everything from daily talks to intensive gaming with easy.
The Galaxy A50, along with its affordable sibling, the Galaxy M30, is also one of the few to bring a triple rear camera setup to this affordable price range. The primary shooter has a 25MP, f/1.7 sensor, and you also get an 8MP wide-angle camera and a 5MP depth sensor. A 25MP front-facing camera is housed in the waterdrop notch.
Samsung has done a great job with refreshing its budget-friendly smartphone portfolio to better compete with Xiaomi, Realme, and others. The 4GB RAM variant is priced at 19,990 rupees (~$289) while the 6GB RAM version is available for 22,990 rupees (~$332).

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro

Xiaomi has enjoyed incredible success in India with its Redmi Note series. However, the quick turnaround between generations and a largely similar design language meant that a feeling of “more of the same” was beginning to creep in. Luckily, Xiaomi seems to have recognized this, with the latest addition to the series – the Redmi Note 7 Pro – featuring key changes that put the phone back on top.
To start with, you now get a glass sandwich design and a gradient color scheme that is a first for Xiaomi’s affordable offerings. Another first for the budget-friendly Note series is the availability of a USB-C port.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro also sports a 48MP Sony IMX568 sensor in the primary camera, paired with a secondary 5MP depth sensor. A slew of recently-launched smartphones – the Honor View 20, Vivo V15 Pro, Oppo F11 Pro, and more – come with 48MP cameras. The Redmi Note 7 Pro is, however, the most affordable device with such a camera set up.
Under the hood, you get a Snapdragon 675 chipset along with 4GB or 6GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of storage depending on the variant. A 13MP front-facing shooter is housed in the waterdrop notch while a 4,000mAh battery powers the phone.
Excellent hardware at affordable prices is Xiaomi’s mantra, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that this continues with the Redmi Note 7 Pro. You can get the 4GB RAM/64GB storage version for just 13,999 rupees (~$202), while the 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage variant will set you back 16,999 rupees (~$245). Unfortunately, this isn’t the easiest phone to get your hands on and you will have to brave Xiaomi’s flash sales to get your hands on one. The device goes on sale every Wednesday at 12PM.

Oppo K1

Oppo launched the K1 in China in November last year and it the first major 2019 release from the company in India. Oppo is looking to take on the likes of Xiaomi, Realme, Asus, and Samsung in the sub-20,000 rupees price range and the exciting new feature this phone brings to this segment is certainly a great way to do so.
The phone’s design language is reminiscent of other Oppo smartphones and utilizes a gradient style finish on the back that looks great. Up front is a 6.41-inch Full HD AMOLED display with a dewdrop notch that houses a 25MP shooter. Under the hood is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor, backed by 4GB of RAM, and keeping everything running is a 3,600mAh battery.
Of course, the USP of the OPPO K1 is the fact there is an in-display fingerprint sensor on the device, making it the first smartphone in the sub-20,000 rupees category to feature this technology. In a world where specs sheets and feature lists are starting to look the same, having such a unique feature (in this price range) is a fantastic way to stand out from the crowd.
The Oppo K1 is priced at 16,990 rupees (~$239) and is available exclusively on Flipkart.

Honor 10 Lite

Honor kicks off 2019 in India with the Honor 10 Lite, with the company hoping to replicate the fantastic run it enjoyed over the last couple of years. The Honor formula in India has been of beautiful designs, impressive specifications, and aggressive price points, and the Honor 10 Lite follows that formula to the tee.
The device comes with a beautiful gradient design on the back that looks great, particularly with the Sky Blue color option. Up front is a notched display, with the waterdrop notch the more subtle and the better-looking design choice. Under the hood is the Kirin 710 processor that powers every mid-range Honor and Huawei smartphone, backed by either 4GB or 6GB of RAM. A dual rear camera setup and an excellent 24MP wide-angle front-facing shooter round out the premium mid-range package.
The Honor 10 Lite actually has a lot in common with the Honor 8X that was released late last year. The latter gives you a bigger display, a slightly larger battery, and a better primary rear camera. However, the Honor 10 Lite features a better selfie shooter, is more premium looking, and also runs the latest version of Android. Both devices are priced similarly though so you can choose what features are more important for you.
Speaking of price, the Honor 10 Lite is priced at 13,999 rupees (~$197) and 17,999 rupees (~$254) for the 4GB and 6GB of RAM versions respectively.

Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2

Xiaomi may have set the trend, but companies like Realme, Asus, and others have made the affordable mid-range category an extremely competitive one. The Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1, released in May, proved to be an excellent smartphone. Now Asus is hoping to further build on its success with the latest addition to the series — the Zenfone Max Pro M2.
Sticking with the latest trend, the Zenfone Max Pro M2 comes with a notched display. Compared to its predecessor, it has a faster processor, a higher (6GB) RAM variant, improved cameras, and an equally large 5,000mAh battery. This phone is also the first in the budget-friendly category to feature the latest Gorilla Glass 6 protection. Asus has also dropped its Zen UI in favor of stock Android, and the device will receive the official update to Android 9.0 Pie early in 2019.
What remains the same is Asus’ extremely aggressive pricing. The Zenfone Max Pro M2 starts at just 12,999 rupees (~$183) for the version with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of built-in storage. The 4GB or 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage versions will set you back a still affordable 14,999 rupees (~$211) and 16,999 rupees (~$239) respectively.

9 April Hindi