The mid-range smartphone segment isn’t as crowded as the sub-Rs. 20,000 or even the sub-Rs.15,000 segments and that’s a very good thing, because it makes our job that much easier. While there might be a lot of phones in the sub-Rs. 25,000 segment, only a handful have made it to our list.
The OnePlus Nord CE 2 is the latest and most affordable OnePlus smartphone currently available and replaces the original Nord CE on our list as it offers much better value and features. The Realme 9 Pro+ is yet another power-packed smartphone which offers really good stereo speakers and a flagship-grade main camera.
Here are Gadgets 360’s top picks of the best phones under Rs. 25,000 in India, in no particular order. We have reviewed all the phones on this list and have tested them in depth, including their raw performance, camera capabilities, software and ease of use, physical design, battery life, and charging speed. There’s also the Xiaomi 11i 5G which we haven’t tested, but is virtually identical to the 11i HyperCharge (Review), so it makes it onto our list because of its price.
Best Phone under Rs. 25,000 to buy in India
| Phone under 25,000 | Gadgets 360 rating (out of 10) | Price in India (as recommended) |
|---|---|---|
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 | 8 | Rs. 23,999 |
| Realme 9 Pro+ | 9 | Rs. 24,999 |
| Motorola Edge 20 Fusion | 8 | Rs. 21,499 |
| iQoo Z5 | 8 | Rs. 28,999 |
| Mi 10i | 8 | Rs. 23,990 |
| Xiaomi 11i 5G | – | Rs. 24,999 |
OnePlus Nord CE 2
The OnePlus Nord CE 2 is good update to the original and is basically a lower-priced Oppo Reno 7 5G (Review) without the spammy apps, which is not a bad deal. The Nord CE 2 offers a premium design, good performance, solid battery life, very fast charging, and decent cameras for still photography. Video recording is not its strongest suit, but other than that, it’s hard to complain. OxygenOS remains one of the best Android skins and is one of the reasons that OnePlus smartphones are easy to use. While not everybody is in favour of Oppo’s influence over the brand these days, the fact that OnePlus promises two years of Android updates even for its most affordable phone is even more of a reason to consider it.
Realme 9 Pro+
If you’re looking for a bonkers value-for-money offering under Rs. 25,000, it’s really hard to beat the Realme 9 Pro+ at the moment. Besides having the expected features such as a current-gen 5G SoC, great display, and very fast charging, the 9 Pro+ is one of the very few (if not only) smartphones in this segment to have a flagship camera sensor (Sony IMX766) along with optical stabilisation. The result is fabulous-looking pictures and video when shooting during the day and at night. The only real annoyance, if you ask us, is that Realme UI ships with way too many apps, most of which you’ll probably never use. On the whole, the Realme 9 Pro+ is a high-quality smartphone that’s priced very aggressively.
Motorola Edge 20 Fusion
The Motorola Edge 20 Fusion strikes a good balance between performance and software. It sports a 6.7-inch OLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. It has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, a dedicated Google Assistant button, and even an IP52 rating. This smartphone packs in powerful hardware, plus a clean near-stock Android UI which will appeal to Android purists. There’s very little to complain about here, other than its relatively average low-light camera performance. The Edge 20 Fusion is built well, performs well, and is capable of good battery life.
iQoo Z5
The iQoo Z5’s design is a slight improvement over that of its predecessor, making it more comfortable to hold and use. It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G SoC which performs very well in games and when multitasking. You get a 6.67-inch LCD panel with a 120Hz refresh rate as well as stereo speakers, which worked well both for watching movies and playing games. Camera performance is decent in daylight but not great in low light. Battery life is excellent and this phone supports 44W fast charging, which is fairly quick. The iQoo Z5 might not be a major improvement over the iQoo Z3, but it’s still a decent step up and something you should consider.
Mi 10i
The Mi 10i from Xiaomi is a little over a year old now, but it’s still on sale and still quite a popular phone. There are currently two variants on offer, and both are priced under Rs. 25,000. The specifications of the Mi 10i are still very competitive. You get a decently powerful 5G SoC, a 108-megapixel main camera, and a 120Hz display. The phone only supports 33W fast charging, which while still quick, isn’t as attention-grabbing as what the competition offers today. This is a good-looking phone too and is available in some interesting colours.
Special mention
Xiaomi 11i 5G
The Xiaomi 11i 5G gets a special mention because even though we haven’t reviewed 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. The main difference lies in the fast charging speed: the standard 11i supports up to 67W fast charging, while the 11i HyperCharge supports 120W. Battery capacity is also slightly different but the company still promises good battery life. If you’re okay with slightly ‘slower’ charging, then at Rs. 24,999, the 11i packs in a lot of features for the price. There’s a 108-megapixel main camera, 120Hz AMOLED display, stereo speakers, a powerful 5G SoC, and a classy design.
