Smartphone prices are going through the roof lately. Wiith the average selling price of market increasing, it’s becoming tough and tough to recommend a good phone for budget-conscious buyers in 2023. That is not to say that there are no good budget phones out there. But if you are expecting to be “wowed” by high-end specs at rock-bottom prices, well, that is not the case any more for phones under Rs 20,000, so unlike say a couple of years ago. What we can do is pick out some of the best “value” phones from the list that are worth buying.
Here are our top 5 picks from Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus and Motorola that are worth your time and money.
1. Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 5G
Price in India: Rs 17,999 (4GB/128GB), Rs 19,999 (6GB/128GB)
Redmi Note 12 has a 6.67-inch 1080p AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a hole punch cutout at the centre. The panel can top 1200nits. Under the hood, you get Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 processor. This is paired with up to 6GB of RAM and up to 128GB of storage. The phone runs MIUI 13 based on Android 12 and is guaranteed to get 2 years of major OS and 4 years of security updates. The phone is powered by a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging support baked-in. For photography, the Redmi Note 12 has a triple camera setup on the rear with a 48MP main, 8MP ultra-wide, and another 2MP macro. On the front, you get an 8MP selfie camera. The phone is also IP53 certified.
2. Realme 10 Pro 5G
Price in India: Rs 18,999 (6GB/128GB), Rs 19,999 (8GB/128GB)
Realme 10 Pro has a 6.72-inch flat LCD display with a 1080p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. You get a hole punch cutout at the centre housing a 16MP selfie camera in this phone. Under the hood, you get Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 695 processor. This is paired with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 128GB of storage. Software is a key differentiator of this phone. The phone runs Realme UI 4.0 based on Android 13. For photography, the phone has dual rear cameras with 108MP main and 2MP depth or portrait. Powering the phone is a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging.
Note: Realme is launching a “Coca-Cola” edition of the Realme 10 Pro in India on February 10. The pricing is not out just yet but it’s confirmed to have the same hardware as the regular model albeit with a “refreshing” new design. You might want to check on that once it’s official if you’ve been eying the Realme 10 Pro. Do know that only 6,000 units of the Realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola edition will ever be sold.
3. Motorola G82 5G
Price in India: Rs 18,999 (6GB/128GB)
Moto G82 was launched at a slightly higher price but has received a price cut since. (The 8GB/128GB model still costs above Rs 20,000 so we’re not listing that here).
Moto G82 has a 6.6-inch 1080p 10-bit pOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and hole punch cutout at the centre. Under the hood, you get Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 695 processor. Powering the package is a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging support. For photography, the Moto G82 has a triple camera setup on the rear with a 50MP main sensor behind an optically stabilised lens, 8MP ultra-wide, and another 2MP macro sensor. On the front, you get a 16MP selfie camera. An interesting thing to know about this phone is that its back is made of acrylic glass or polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) with IP52 water-repellent rating. You also get dual speakers with Dolby Atmos support in this phone in addition to near-stock Android 12 software.
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4. OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G
Price in India: Rs 18,999 (6GB/128GB)
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite was also launched at a slightly higher price but has received a price cut since. (The 8GB/128GB model still costs above Rs 20,000 so we’re not listing that here).
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G has a 6.59-inch 120Hz IPS LCD display with a 1080p resolution, and hole punch cutout at one end. The phone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 695 processor. Running the show is OxygenOS 12.1 based on Android 12. For photography, the Nord CE 2 Lite has a triple camera setup on the rear with a 64MP main and two 2MP sensors, one for macros and another for portraits. On the front, you get a 16MP camera. Powering the package is a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging.
5. Samsung Galaxy A14 5G
Price in India: Rs 16,499 (4GB/64GB), Rs 18,999 (6GB/128GB)
Samsung Galaxy A14 5G has a 6.6-inch LCD display with 720p resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. It is powered by the Exynos 1330 processor. The phone runs Android 13-based One UI 5.0 out of the box and is guaranteed to get four years of security and two major OS upgrades. This is a big USP of this phone. On the photography front, you get a 50MP main rear camera, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro camera. On the front, there is a 13MP selfie camera. Running the shows is a 5,000mAh battery with 15W fast charging support.
