With most flagship phones being too expensive, smartphones under the sub-20k price bracket have capitalised on price-to-performance ratios, to sell more units than ever. Most of the phones in this category perform marginally weaker than their flagship counterparts, and emulate the flagship's designs and build qualities quite well. Heere's our pick of seven smartphones in the sub-20k price bracket that you may consider buying, if the sky is not your smartphone budget limit.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 32GB
Price: Rs. 11,998
Xiaomi re-entered the Indian smartphone segment this year with a bang. The Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 3 is the smartphone to buy if you are looking for a budget smartphone with flagship grade performance. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 combined with 3GB of RAM can handle all tasks with ease. The smartphone also features an outstanding battery life which will last you for a day and a half, at least. The camera might be a little lacklustre when compared to the performance of the smartphone, but unless you have an eye for precision, you won't mind the image quality.
SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 650
RAM: 3GB
Display: 5.5-inch, 1920x1080 pixels
Storage: 32GB
Camera: 16MP, 5MP
Battery: 4000mAh
OS: Android Lollipop 5.1
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Lenovo Vibe x3
Price: Rs. 19,999
Lenovo Vibe x3 leaves the competition behind with its outstanding performance and superb sound quality. The Vibe x3 is currently Lenovo’s best phone in the market and has one of the best displays we have seen on a sub-20k smartphone. For this smartphone, Lenovo has taken design cues from its sub-brand Motorola.
SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 808
RAM: 3GB
Display: 5.5-inch, 1920x1080 pixels
Storage: 32GB
Camera: 21MP, 8MP
Battery: 3500mAh
OS: Android Lollipop 5.1
Moto X Play
Price: Rs. 19,999
Instead of releasing the third iteration of the Moto X, Motorola came up with two phones in the X range. The Moto X Play, priced under Rs. 20,000, is the one we are talking about here. Offering 32GB of storage, a 21-megapixel rear camera, and an 'almost-stock' Android experience, the Moto X Play makes for a brilliant offering in this segment.
SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 615
RAM: 2GB
Display: 5.5-inch, 1920x1080 pixels
Storage: 32GB
Camera: 21MP, 5MP
Battery: 3440mAh
OS: Android Lollipop v5
OnePlus X
Price: Rs. 14,999
OnePlus X is essentially a reincarnated Oneplus One in a smaller 5-inch body. The device comes with a brilliant AMOLED display and a very good 13MP rear camera. It is also one of the better looking smartphones in the sub-20k category but there is a one drawback - 16GB of storage only.
SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 801
RAM: 3GB
Display: 5-inch, 1920x1080 pixels
Storage: 16GB
Camera: 13MP, 8MP
Battery: 2525mAh
OS: Android Lollipop 5.1
LeEco Le1s
Price: Rs. 10,999
If you don't have the budget to buy the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 or don't want to wait for the next flash sale, then the Le 1s serves as the best alternative. It is a well built smartphone which offers good overall performance without many compromises.
SoC: MediaTek Helio X10
RAM: 3GB
Display: 5.5-inch, 1920x1080 pixels
Storage: 32GB
Camera: 13MP, 5MP
Battery: 3000mAh
OS: Android Lollipop 5.1
Asus Zenfone 2
Price: Rs. 19,999
There is no denying that the Asus Zenfone 2 is one of the best performing smartphones in the market, even after a year. It boasts of 4GB RAM, a powerful processor and a respectable camera.
SoC: Intel Z3580
RAM: 4GB
Display: 5.5-inch, 1920x1080 pixels
Storage: 32GB
Camera: 13MP, 5MP
Battery: 3000mAh
OS: Android Lollipop v5
Lenovo Vibe P1
Price: Rs. 16,999
Recently launched, the Lenovo Vibe P1 is the best smartphone to own if a long lasting battery is what you want on a smartphone. Featuring a 5000mAh battery, the Lenovo Vibe P1 can not only withstand a day’s worth of abuse, but also charge other devices, when required.
SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 615
RAM: 2GB
Display: 5.5-inch, 1920x1080 pixels
Storage: 32GB
Camera: 13MP, 5MP
Battery: 5000mAh
OS: Android Lollipop v5