Best phones under Rs. 25,000 in India

While the budget smartphone segment today offers phones with a decent mix of good software and hardware features, those looking for better camera performance or wanting extra features will often find themselves looking for smartphones in the mid segment. of range. The phones of our sub-Rs. The 25,000 price bracket is pretty much where the mid-range segment starts and some of them deliver impressive performance, in the camera department for example, considering their price.

Features like optical image stabilization (OIS) and high refresh rate OLED displays are becoming commonplace, with some manufacturers even offering curved-edge displays in this segment. The latest entrant is the Realme 10 Pro+ 5G which is priced at Rs. 24,999 and offers very good value for money in terms of hardware. Another new entrant on our list is the Samsung Galaxy M53 5G which recently received a price drop and is now available starting at Rs. 23,990 in India. There’s also the Xiaomi 11i 5G which we’ve added as a special mention as it’s virtually identical to the 11i HyperCharge (Review) except for the charging bit.

Here’s our list, in no particular order.

Phones under Rs. 25,000	Rating Gadgets 360 (out of 10)	Prices in India (as recommended)
Realme 10 Pro+ 5G	8	Rs.24,999
Samsung Galaxy M53 5G	8	Rs. 23,990
Motorola Edge 30	8	Rs.24,999
iQoo Z5	8	Rs. 23,990
Xiaomi 11i 5G	–	Rs.24,999

Realme 10 Pro+ 5G

The Realme 10 Pro+ 5G replaces the Realme 9 Pro+ 5G, a phone that also offered excellent value for money in the sub Rs. 25,000 price bracket and has now dropped below Rs. 20,000. The new Realme 10 Pro+ 5G takes style and performance a step further. Realme introduces its new “Hyperspace” design language which makes the phone both light and thin, while looking much better than its predecessor.

Inside there is a MediaTek Dimensity 1080 SoC, which offers enough performance for everyday tasks and is also suitable for gaming. It’s one of the few smartphones in this price range to offer a 120Hz curved-edge AMOLED display. It gets a 108-megapixel main camera which unfortunately doesn’t offer OIS, but does offer good overall performance. The 5,000mAh battery combined with 67W charging also provides good battery backup. Although the software experience is smooth and you get Android 13, the phone is loaded with bloatware which we hope will be fixed with updates.

Samsung Galaxy M53 5G

The Samsung Galaxy M53 5G recently received a price drop for the 6GB RAM variant, which is now Rs. 23,990 in India. At this price, you get Samsung’s punchy Super AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and a MediaTek Dimensity 900 SoC, which should be good for some mid-level gaming and entertainment. The phone is made of polycarbonate, but it looks premium with its matte finish back panel. Samsung is also promising two years of Android OS updates and four years of security updates, which should be helpful for those who don’t update their smartphones frequently.

The Galaxy M53 5G also sports a 108-megapixel primary camera that offers good performance in daylight as well as decent low-light performance. There’s a 5,000mAh battery which offers good battery life, but is limited to just 25W fast charging and takes a while to fully recharge. Samsung also doesn’t include a charger in the box.

Motorola Edge 30

The Motorola Edge 30 offers an interesting balance between design and performance. It features a slim but subtle design that uses a polycarbonate frame and an acrylic back panel instead of glass. This keeps the phone light enough at just 155g and also thin enough at 6.79mm. Performance is supported by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ SoC, which is good enough for routine tasks and gaming. The Motorola Edge 30 is also the only smartphone in this segment to offer a 144Hz refresh rate pOLED panel, which makes it more than ideal for gaming.

Motorola’s specialty has always been its software experience which remains free of bloatware and third-party apps. You get two years of Android OS updates and three years of security updates. The camera setup includes a 50-megapixel main camera with OIS, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, and even a 3X telephoto lens, which makes it well-equipped in terms of photography. Battery life isn’t its main feature, but the 4,020mAh battery should give most users a full day’s charge.

iQoo Z5

Although it has been replaced by the new Z6 series, the iQoo Z5 still leads the way in terms of value. It’s not as flashy as other smartphones in this segment and takes a more practical approach to design with a matte-finish polycarbonate back panel. The iQoo Z5 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G SoC which is suitable for daily tasks and gaming.

The base storage variant comes with 8GB of RAM and there is a 5000mAh battery which can be charged quickly using the supplied 44W charger. There is an LCD display with a refresh rate of 120Hz which is good for regular use and gaming, but it doesn’t look very modern due to the very thick chin. While the rest of its specs are on point, its 64-megapixel camera isn’t the best and struggles a bit in low light.

Xiaomi 11i 5G

The Xiaomi 11i 5G gets a special mention because although we didn’t review it, we did review its nearly identical sibling, the 11i HyperCharge (Review). For all intents and purposes, both phones should be identical when it comes to software, general performance, gaming, and camera quality.

Unlike the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge which supports 120W wired charging, the 11i 5G is limited to 67W. Battery capacity also differs, but the company promises all-day battery life. If you’re fine with slightly ‘slower’ charging, the 11i 5G offers plenty of features for the price. It offers a 108-megapixel main camera, 120Hz AMOLED display, dual balanced stereo speakers, and even has a 3.5mm headphone port. It also looks and feels premium with its smooth, anti-reflective glass back.

---