Now that 5G connectivity is official in India, most budget smartphones these days either offer better hardware without 5G radios or slightly compromised features with 5G connectivity. That said, there is plenty of choice available in the sub-Rs. 20,000 smartphone segment, whether you are looking for better cameras, decent battery life, faster charging or even an IP52 rating.
Our latest additions to this guide are the Moto G72 and the Moto G82 5G. Both the smartphones complement each other as they offer capable hardware with interesting designs. However, the Moto G72, which is priced at Rs. 17,999, only offers 4G connectivity while the Moto G82 adds 5G connectivity for a slightly higher price tag of Rs. 19,999. The latter recently received a price cut and is now a competitive offering in our sub Rs. 20,000 guide.
Below is Gadgets 360’s pick of the best phones under Rs. 20,000 in India, in no particular order.
| Phones under Rs. 20,000 | Gadgets 360 Review (out of 10) | Price in India (as recommended) |
|---|---|---|
| Moto G72 | 8 | Rs. 17,999 |
| Moto G82 5G | 8 | Rs. 19,999 |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | 8 | Rs. 18,999 |
| Realme 9 5G Speed Edition | 8 | Rs. 19,999 |
| Vivo T1 5G | 8 | Rs. 15,990 |
| Redmi Note 11T 5G | 8 | Rs. 16,999 |
| Realme 8s 5G | 8 | Rs. 17,999 |
Moto G72
The Moto G72 feels like the odd one out, especially since it launched after the Moto G82 5G and still doesn’t have 5G. The phone is quite capable and, on paper, offers impressive hardware specs, such as a 108-megapixel primary camera and a pOLED display with a high 120Hz refresh rate. It’s fairly light, has a slim design, and even offers an IP52-rating for splash resistance. In our testing, we found the 108-megapixel camera to deliver decent performance. The dual speakers and decent battery life make for a good entertainment package. However, the MediaTek Helio G99 SoC isn’t the most powerful processor available in this price range.
Moto G82 5G
Motorola’s Moto G82 5G offers plenty of bang for your buck, making it a solid offering. Its price has been recently cut and it offers everything you could want from a budget smartphone, along with 5G connectivity. There’s a capable Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 SoC, a high-refresh rate 120Hz display, a large 5,000mAh battery and an IP52-rated design that means it can withstand water splashes. Camera performance is also a strong point of the G82 5G, as the primary camera includes OIS for sharper photos in low-light conditions. The icing on the cake, of course, is the near-stock Android software with only a single third-party app pre-installed.
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G
Many fans have been waiting for a OnePlus phone under Rs 20,000 and in 2022, we finally have it. The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G is largely a cheaper version of the Nord CE 2 5G, but offers slightly better specs in some areas. The phone has a bright 120Hz display and runs the latest version of Android with little to no bloatware. It offers excellent battery life plus reasonably fast charging and good all-round performance for the price. If you’ve been itching to own a OnePlus smartphone or if long-term software updates are high on your ‘must-have’ list, you should consider the Nord CE 2 Lite 5G.
Realme 9 5G Speed Edition
The Realme 9 5G Speed Edition is a more powerful and certainly more attractive model than the Realme 9 5G. Starting at just under Rs. 20,000, this phone packs a powerful SoC, a 144Hz refresh rate display, and a large 5,000mAh battery. It also supports 30W fast charging, which is handy. The base variant, which we feel is the one to get, doesn’t have many direct competitors and offers the maximum bang for your buck if you’re looking for good performance in this segment. One thing to keep in mind is that this phone doesn’t have an ultra-wide angle camera and the video stabilization isn’t the best.
Vivo T1 5G
The first smartphone in Vivo’s T-series, the T1 5G is a solid contender that packs an impressive price for the base variant. You get a 120Hz display and a 5G-ready Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 SoC, all packed into a body that’s just 8.25mm thin. The dewdrop notch at the top of the display may feel a little dated, but this screen does have a 240Hz touch sampling rate, which should be good for gamers. The Vivo T1 5G lacks an ultra-wide camera and ships with a relatively slow 18W charger, but for those focused purely on performance it should be a good buy.
Redmi Note 11T 5G
Powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 810 SoC, this 5G-ready budget smartphone from Xiaomi offers good performance for gamers, along with decent battery life. Photographers might not be too happy with the Redmi Note 11T 5G’s dual rear cameras and their average performance. At the same time, its 90Hz LCD display with 240Hz touch sampling rate makes it a capable budget smartphone for gaming. There’s also a big 5,000mAh battery that can be quickly charged using the 33W charger that comes in the box. The device is IP53-rated for dust and water resistance, so it should be able to survive light splashes.
Realme 8s 5G
The Realme 8s 5G looks almost identical to the Realme 8 5G, save for a slightly thicker display chin. It’s powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 810 5G SoC and comes with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM depending on which variant you opt for. Battery life is one of this phone’s strong points, and the 5,000mAh battery easily lasts more than a day of normal usage. The 64-megapixel main camera took decent daylight photos in our tests, but the lack of an ultra-wide camera makes the 8s 5G less versatile than some rivals. Low-light camera performance was average, though Night mode helped improve output. Overall, the Realme 8s 5G is only a slight improvement over the 8 5G, but an improvement nonetheless.
