Poco X3, Realme 7 Pro to Samsung Galaxy M31s: Best phones under Rs 20,000 (Nov 2020)

A budget of Rs 20,000 gets you good all-round phones with ample processing power, 64MP cameras, a choice between AMOLED or high refresh rate displays, solid battery backup and more. Not all phones may have each of those features, hence we offer you five options to choose from this month. Select the ones that suit you best.

Best phones to buy under Rs 20,000 in India

Poco X3

The Poco X3 (review) is arguably the best all-round phone in this budget in terms of features and performance. It has a 6.67-inch Full HD+ display with a 120 Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling and a flicker-free experience in compatible apps. The screen is protected by a layer of Gorilla Glass 5. The dual-camera cutout on the Poco X2 has been replaced with a single punch-hole at the top centre for a 20MP camera, which we believe is a good decision. The phone is powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G chip, that is quite powerful for day to day tasks, and good for gaming too. You get either 6 GB or 8 GB RAM and 128 GB of internal storage.[caption id="attachment_8896041" align="alignnone" width="960"] Poco X3 Image: Sheldon Pinto[/caption]The Poco X3 has a quad-camera combination at the back with a 64 MP primary camera, 2 MP macro camera and a 2 MP depth sensor. The 8 MP ultra-wide snapper in its predecessor (the Poco X2) has been replaced with a 13MP ultra-wide camera to capture better detail. The image quality is quite impressive for the segment. The battery capacity has been bumped up to a whopping 6000 mAh, that can comfortably last up to two days of moderate usage. And the company has bundled a 33W fast charger to juice it up quickly. The phone runs Android 10 with MIUI 12 on top.Poco X3 price in India: Rs 18,499 for 6 GB RAM/128 GB storage; Rs 19,999 for 8 GB RAM/128 GB storage

Realme 7 Pro

Realme’s top dog from their 7 series is quite an impressive phone. The Realme 7 Pro (review) looks stylish, with a two-tone back and the rectangular 2x3 camera array. It has a 6.4-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display that’s bright and vibrant, with a punch-hole for the front camera. It has a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3+ for protection against scratches, but the 90 Hz refresh rate present on some other cheaper Realme phones has been given a skip. The main attraction here is the bundled 65-watt SuperDart charger that takes its 4500 mAh battery from 0 to 100% in close to 35 minutes; one of the fastest around.[caption id="attachment_8814041" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Realme 7 Pro. Image: Tech2/ Sheldon Pinto[/caption]The Realme 7 Pro is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 720G SoC that remains a good choice in this segment. You get 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal memory that can be expanded further using a MicroSD card. It has a quad-camera combination at the back. It sports a 64MP primary camera with the new Sony IMX682 sensor that does a good job in various lighting conditions and has some interesting low light filters too. Giving it company are an 8MP ultra-wide shooter, a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth sensor. The 32MP front camera does a good job with selfies and video calls. The phone runs Android 10 with Realme UI on top.Realme 7 Pro price in India: Rs 19,999 for 6 GB RAM/128 GB storage

Motorola One Fusion+

The Motorola One Fusion+ is another excellent choice in this budget. This too has a great feature list in this segment, and performance to match. This phone is powered by a Snapdragon 730G chip and is accompanied by 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage. It has a 6.5-inch Full HD+ all-screen display with HDR10 support. There is no notch or cut-out on the screen and the 20MP front camera is hosted on a motorised pop-up mechanism. Full-screen displays and popup cameras still look cool and don’t think they are going out of fashion anytime soon.[caption id="attachment_8487771" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Motorola One Fusion+[/caption]The rear camera module is stacked with a 64MP primary camera, 8MP ultrawide shooter, 5MP macro camera and 2MP depth sensor. Battery backup is also robust, with a 5000 mAh battery keeping the phone powered comfortably for over a day and a half of moderate usage. You also get an 18-watt turbocharger in the bundle to charge it quickly. It runs Android 10, and like most Motorola phones, you get a near-stock Android UI. The price has dropped by a thousand Rupees in the ongoing Flipkart sale.Motorola One Fusion+ price in India: Rs 16,499 for 6 GB RAM/128 GB storage

Samsung Galaxy M31s

The Samsung Galaxy M31s (review) brings forth minor, but useful upgrades over the M31. The striking feature of this phone is its sharp and slightly larger 6.5-inch sAMOLED Full HD+ display. The drop notch for the front camera has been replaced by a tiny cutout at the top centre. This phone too has a jumbo 6000 mAh battery that can go on for two full days of moderate usage. You also get a 25W fast charger in the package that’s a necessity to charge such a high capacity battery reasonably quickly.[caption id="attachment_8709541" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Samsung Galaxy M31s. (Representational Image)[/caption]It offers four cameras at the back with a 64MP primary shooter, an upgraded 12MP ultrawide camera with 123 degrees FOV, a 5MP macro camera and a 5MP depth sensor. There’s a 32MP selfie camera at the front. The Samsung Galaxy M31s is powered by an Exynos 9611 SoC, and you can purchase its 6 GB RAM/128 GB storage variant comfortably within this budget. The selling price is Rs 18,499, but Amazon is offering Rs 1000 cashback on all prepaid transactions currently. The phone runs Android 10 with Samsung’s One UI on top.Samsung Galaxy M31s price in India: Rs 17,499 for 6 GB RAM/128 GB storage

Oppo Reno2 F

Oppo Reno2 F may be almost a year old, but is still a great choice for those looking for a stylish phone with ample storage, especially given its current sale price, and an additional Rs 1,000 discount on using any credit or debit card on Flipkart. It is the only phone in this list that boasts of a glass back, aluminum body and 256 GB of internal storage. It is powered by a modest Mediatek Helio P70 SoC along with 6 GB of RAM. It has a 6.5-inch Full HD+ full-screen AMOLED display protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5, and the protection extends to its glass back too.[caption id="attachment_7450531" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Oppo Reno 2f[/caption]The 16MP front camera is hosted on a pop-up mechanism, and doesn’t take up any screen real estate. At the back, you get four cameras with a combination of 48MP primary, 8MP ultra-wide, 2MP monochrome and 2MP depth sensor. The Oppo Reno2 F has an in-display fingerprint scanner that does its job well. Its 4000 mAh battery goes beyond a day of moderate usage, and can be charged briskly using the bundled VOOC 3.0 fast charger. The phone launched with Android Pie with ColorOS 6.1 on top. A stable Android 10 update with ColorOS 7 was released for the phone a few months ago.Oppo Reno2 F price in India: Rs 15,990 for 6 GB RAM/256 GB storage