OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G, Poco X6 5G to Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G – Firstpost

I must admit that it was difficult to find real good deals on smartphones under 10K or 15K this month after the festive sales. But no more such problems as soon as you expand your budget to $20,000. There are many great options here, some of which sold for a lot more not too long ago. You get phones with ample processing power and storage, high refresh rate AMOLED displays, competent cameras, and all five with optical image stabilization (OIS). Let’s dive in and meet the best smartphones under Rs 20,000 this month.

Best Phones to Buy Under Rs 20,000 in India

Poco X6 5G

The Poco X6 5G not only retains its place in this list but now also offers a 512GB variant in this budget. The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC, which is ideal for this segment, and comes with either 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage or 12GB RAM with 512GB storage. Photography is handled by a 64 MP main camera with OIS, an 8 MP ultra-wide shooter, and a 2 MP macro camera. You get a 16 MP front camera for selfies and video calls.

It features a vibrant 6.67-inch AMOLED display with higher than Full HD resolution, supports 12-bit color, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a peak brightness of 1,800 nits. The HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compatible screen is protected against scratches by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. Its 5,100 mAh battery can last over a day and a half of moderate use, and the included 67W turbo charger promises to fully recharge it in less than 45 minutes. The Poco X6 5G was launched with Android 13 with MIUI 14 and can be upgraded to Android 14 with Xiaomi’s HyperOS.

Poco X6 5G Price in India:
Rs 17,999 for 8GB RAM/256GB storage;
Rs 19,999 for 12GB RAM/512GB storage

Motorola G85 5G

The Motorola G85 5G is another feature-rich phone that you should strongly consider in this budget, especially if you like a clean user interface. It features a 6.67-inch Full HD+ pOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 10-bit color depth. This phone also has a 50 MP primary camera with OIS and a Sony LYTIA 600 sensor for high-quality captures. You also get an 8 MP ultra-wide camera with autofocus, which can serve as a quality macro camera. Its 32 MP front camera will interest selfie enthusiasts.

The phone has a water-repellent design and Gorilla Glass 5 protection for the screen. The Motorola G85 5G is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 chip, which is a good choice for the segment. You get 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage (expandable) to go with it. A 5,000 mAh battery keeps the phone going for almost a day and a half of moderate use, and a 33W fast charger is provided to top it up quickly. It runs Android 14, and like most Motorola phones, the G85 has a near-stock Android UI.

Motorola G85 5G Price in India:
Rs 19,999 for 12GB RAM/256GB storage

Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G

The Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G was much more expensive at launch, but can now be had for under $20,000 and offers a great mix of features and performance. Just like the Poco X6 5G, this phone is also powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chip and you get 8GB of RAM with 256GB of internal storage. The display is also similar with a 6.67-inch AMOLED screen with higher than Full HD resolution, 12-bit color support, 120Hz refresh rate, 1,800 nits peak brightness, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compliance and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection. The phone sports an IP54 rating for dust and splash resistance.

It’s in the rear camera department that the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G edges out its Poco cousin. It’s driven by a 200 MP main camera with OIS that’s quite impressive for the segment, and accompanied by an 8 MP ultra-wide shooter and a 2 MP macro camera. A 16MP selfie camera does its job well. Its 5,100 mAh battery lasts more than a day and a half of moderate use, and the company offers a 67W fast charger to charge it quickly. The phone launched with Android 13 with MIUI and Xiaomi has promised three major Android updates for this device.

Redmi Note 13 5G Price in India:
Rs 19,940 for 8GB RAM/256GB storage

Realme Narzo 70 Pro 5G

Realme’s Narzo 70 Pro 5G is another phone that covers all the key bases in this budget. You get a 50 MP primary camera with OIS that does a commendable job for the segment, and is accompanied by an 8 MP ultra-wide shooter and a 2 MP macro camera. Add to that a competent 16 MP selfie camera on the front. This phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7050 SoC, and you can get its top variant with 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage comfortably within this budget with a few dollars to spare.

The Realme Narzo 70 Pro 5G features a 6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ compliance, and 2000 nits peak brightness. The phone’s 5,000mAh battery lasts more than a day and a half of moderate use, and the included 67W SuperVOOC charger claims to charge 50% in just 19 minutes and fully in just over 45 minutes. The Narzo 70 Pro 5G runs Android 14 with Realme UI 5.0.

Realme Narzo 70 Pro 5G Price in India:
Rs 16,998 for 8GB RAM/256GB storage

OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G

It was a pleasant surprise! The OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G may be a generation old, but it’s still better than anything with a Lite suffix from the company. You get a 6.7-inch Full HD+ Fluid AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ compliance. The photography department includes a 50 MP main camera with OIS, an 8 MP ultra-wide shooter, and a 2 MP macro camera. A 16 MP front camera handles selfies and video calls quite well.

This OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 782G chip, much better than the Snapdragon 695 found on all Lite variants. You get 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, along with a microSD card slot to expand it further. A 5,000 mAh battery keeps it powered for over a day and a half of moderate use, and the included 80W fast charger fully recharges it in double the time. The Nord CE 3 5G debuted with Android 13 with OxygenOS 13.1 and can be upgraded to Android 14 with OxygenOS 14.

OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G Price in India:
Rs 16,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage