Best Smartphones Under Rs. 25,000 in India

The lower end of the mid-range segment has always been about good value and balanced performance. We’ve generally seen a greater focus on design in the next category up, the sub-Rs. 30,000 segment, but of late there have been a few design-focused entries in the lower end of the mid-range segment as well. From optically stabilized primary cameras to OLED displays, it’s easy to justify their price tags against some high-end budget smartphones.

One of our recent additions is the Poco X5 Pro 5G, which gets a slim and light design along with a good dose of mid-range performance thanks to its Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G SoC, making it an attractive choice for gamers. The recent Realme 10 Pro+ 5G has now been replaced by the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G, but it still offers excellent value and is one of the few devices to feature a curved AMOLED panel.

Below is Gadgets 360’s pick of the best phones under Rs. 25,000 in India, in no particular order.

Poco X5 Pro 5G

The Poco X5 Pro 5G offers a great multimedia experience, solid performance and good battery life. The design is subjective and if you ask us, we are not big fans of the looks. However, the light and slim design could attract many buyers.

The primary rear camera and the front-facing camera offer good daylight performance and decent low-light output, but the other two could be a bit better. Meanwhile, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G also makes it a great smartphone for gamers. Battery life from the large 5,000mAh battery is pretty good and so is the 67W fast charging. All in all, if you want a phone that offers good performance and is a decent overall package, then you can definitely consider the Poco X5 Pro 5G.

Realme 10 Pro+ 5G

The Realme 10 Pro+ 5G has now been replaced by the recently launched Realme 11 Pro+ 5G, but there will still be some buyers given its slightly lower price tag. The new Realme 10 Pro+ 5G is big on style and performance. Realme’s ‘Hyperspace’ design language makes the phone both light and thin, while still looking miles better than its predecessor, and to some, its successor too.

Inside, there’s a MediaTek Dimensity 1080 SoC which offers enough performance for day-to-day tasks and is decent for gaming as well. It’s one of the few smartphones in this price range to feature a 120Hz AMOLED curved edge display. It has a 108-megapixel primary camera which unfortunately doesn’t offer OIS but delivers good overall performance. The 5,000mAh battery coupled with 67W charging also offers decent battery backup. While the software experience is smooth and you get Android 13, the phone is packed with bloatware.

Samsung Galaxy M53 5G

The Samsung Galaxy M53 5G recently received a price cut for the 6GB RAM variant, which is now available for around Rs. 24,900 in India. For this price, you get Samsung’s powerful Super AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and a MediaTek Dimensity 900 SoC, which should be good for some mid-level gaming and entertainment. The phone is made of polycarbonate but certainly looks premium with its matte finish on the back. Samsung also promises two years of Android OS updates and four years of security updates, which is handy for those who don’t upgrade their smartphones often.

The Galaxy M53 5G also has a 108MP primary camera which offers decent daylight performance, but its low-light performance isn’t the best we’ve seen in the segment. There’s a 5,000mAh battery which offers decent battery life, but is limited to only 25W fast charging and takes a while to fully charge. Samsung also doesn’t include a charger in the box.

Motorola Edge 30

The Motorola Edge 30 has now been replaced by the recently launched Edge 40 smartphone, but it still offers an interesting balance between design and performance. It has a super-slim design with a polycarbonate frame and an acrylic back panel instead of glass. This makes the phone quite light at just 155 grams and also thin at 6.79 mm. Performance is taken care of by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ SoC, which is good enough for routine tasks and gaming.

On the software side, users get two years of Android OS updates and three years of security updates without bloatware or third-party apps. The triple camera setup on the back includes a 50MP primary camera with OIS, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, and even a 3x telephoto camera, making it well-equipped in the photography department. Battery life isn’t stellar, but the 4,020mAh battery should be able to get most users through a full day of charging.

iQoo Z5

Despite being replaced by the newer Z7 series, the iQoo Z5 still comes out on top in terms of value. It’s not as flashy as other smartphones in the segment and takes a more practical approach to design with a matte-finished polycarbonate back panel. The iQoo Z5 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G SoC which is good for day-to-day tasks as well as gaming.

The base storage variant comes with 8GB of RAM and there’s a 5,000mAh battery that can be fast-charged using the bundled 44W charger. It’s the only smartphone on this list to feature an LCD display but it offers a 120Hz refresh rate which is good for regular usage as well as gaming. While the rest of the specs are good, the 64MP camera isn’t the best out there and struggles quite a bit in low-light conditions.

Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G

The Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G is now available for a lowered price of Rs. 25,999 for the 8GB RAM variant. The highlight of the phone is obviously the 120W wired charging but the rest of the package is pretty good too. There’s a MediaTek Dimensity 920 SoC which is good for not only casual usage but also some mid-level gaming. There’s a 108-megapixel primary camera which offers good daylight performance but decent low-light output. Also present is a 120Hz AMOLED display, dual symmetrical stereo speakers and even a 3.5mm headphone jack. It also looks and feels premium with its smooth, anti-reflective glass back.