Best phones under Rs 20,000 (May 2025): Nothing Phone (2a), Realme P2 Pro 5G to iQOO Z10x 5G

A budget of Rs 20,000 opens doors for some quality midrange smartphones in India. Be it extra storage you seek or a quality camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS) or even a sleek and stylish design, there are options that can address all those needs. Sufficient processing power, high refresh rate AMOLED displays and 5G compliance is a given. And on top of that, we have made sure all the handsets have 256 GB storage. So let’s look at the best smartphone options under Rs 20,000 this month.

Best phones to buy under Rs 20,000 in India

Nothing Phone (2a)

This was a very pleasant surprise! The Nothing Phone (2a) is now available in this budget and that too its 256 GB storage variant. It sports the company’s trademark design with a transparent back and LEDs. The Glyph lights at the back provide a handful of functionality and customisation in addition to the aesthetics. The processing power is quite good with a Mediatek Dimensity 7200 Pro chip taking centre stage, accompanied by 8 GB RAM.

The Nothing Phone (2a) has a 6.7-inch Full HD+ 10-bit AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 1300 nits, HDR10+ compliance and 120 Hz refresh rate. Photography department comprises a 50MP primary camera with OIS and a 50MP ultra-wide shooter which offer commendable performance in this segment. Its 32 MP front camera is bound to appeal to the selfie enthusiasts.

A 5000 mAh battery keeps the phone powered for a day and a half of moderate use. It supports 45W fast charging, however, no charger has been provided with the phone and needs to be purchased separately. A good 45W USB-PD/PPS charger can juice it up fully in about an hour. The phone launched with Android 14 with Nothing OS 2.5.x, and the company had promised more software updates going forward.

Nothing Phone (2a) price in India: Rs 18,999 for 8 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage

Realme P2 Pro 5G

The Realme P2 Pro 5G is another stylish and very good all-round option in this budget. This phone too flaunts a 50MP primary camera with OIS that does a great job, and is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide shooter. Add to that a competent 32MP front camera to woo the selfie crowd. This phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC, which is a great choice for this segment, and you can now get its 12 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage variant in this budget.

The Realme P2 Pro 5G has a 6.7-inch Full HD+ curved OLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ compliance and 2000 nits peak brightness. The phone has a 5200 mAh battery that lasts over a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 80W SuperVOOC charger claims to charge 50% of it in just 19 minutes and fully in just over 45 minutes. The Realme P2 Pro 5G launched with Android 14 with Realme UI 5.0 with more OS and security updates expected.

Realme P2 Pro 5G price in India: Rs 18,999 for 12 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage

Motorola G85 5G

The Motorola G85 5G is another feature-rich phone you can strongly consider in this budget, especially if you like a stock Android UI. It has a 6.67-inch Full HD+ pOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate and 10-bit colour depth. This phone has a 50MP primary camera with OIS and a Sony LYTIA 600 sensor for high quality captures. You also get an 8MP ultrawide camera with auto-focus, which can double up as a quality macro camera. Its 32MP front camera can click some crisp selfies too.

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 and you get 12 GB RAM and 256 GB internal (expandable) storage to go with it. A 5000 mAh battery keeps the phone powered for close to a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 33W fast charger juices it up briskly. It runs Android 14, and like most Motorola phones, the G85 has a near-stock Android user interface.

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

Samsung Galaxy M35 5G

The Samsung Galaxy M35 5G is not a bad choice either for the brand conscious. It is another solid allrounder that is packed with impressive features, starting with a sharp 6.6-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate which is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. This phone too offers a 50MP primary camera with OIS, an 8MP ultra-wide shooter and a 2MP macro camera. The 13MP selfie camera does its job pretty well.

The Samsung Galaxy M35 5G is powered by an Exynos 1380 SoC and you get its 8 GB RAM and 256 GB internal (expandable) storage variant under 20K. A 6000 mAh battery keeps the phone running for close to two days of moderate use and supports 25W fast charging. However, Samsung doesn’t bundle a charger along and needs to be purchased separately, unless you already have one. The phone runs Android 14 with Samsung’s One UI 6.1, with more updates expected going forward.

Samsung Galaxy M35 5G price in India: Rs 19,499 for 8 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage

iQOO Z10x 5G

The newly launched iQOO Z10x 5G is an option for those who wish to save a few bucks without compromising much on features or performance. Among other things, this phone flaunts a 6500 mAh battery that keeps the phone powered for two days of moderate use. Even better, the company bundles a 44W fast charger to recharge it quickly. The phone runs Android 15, and the company has promised two more years of OS updates and three years of security updates, which is always handy.

The iQOO Z10x 5G sports a sizable 6.72-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD display with 120 Hz refresh rate and 1050 nits peak brightness. It has a 50MP primary camera with PDAF (no OIS here) and a 2MP depth sensor at the back and an 8MP camera up front for selfies and video calls. This phone is powered by a Mediatek Dimensity 7300 SoC, which is quite good for the segment, and you get 8 GB RAM and 256 GB internal (expandable) storage with it. The phone has IP64 rated ingress protection.

iQOO Z10x 5G price in India: Rs 16,499 for 8 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage

Pro tip:

For a thousand Rupees extra, you may also consider the slightly older iQOO Z9 5G with lower capacity battery (5000 mAh) and Android 14 but with a better primary camera with a Sony IMX882 sensor and OIS, a 16MP front camera and a more vibrant 6.67-inch AMOLED display.