Best gaming phones under Rs 20,000 in India [September 2024]: iQOO Z9, CMF Phone 1, Vivo T3, and more

Published On: September 4, 2024

With each passing day, smartphones are getting more capable with remarkable hardware configurations. Gone are the days when you need a flagship phone to handle heavy game titles. Even with mid-rangers around Rs 20,000, you can expect an enjoyable gaming experience.

Team 91mobiles has been testing the gaming performance of multiple phones under Rs 20,000 to compile a list of the best gaming smartphones in India in this price range based on their gaming performance.

Table of Contents

Gaming phones under Rs 20,000

Smartphone	Launch date	Price
iQOO Z9	March 12th, 2024	Rs 19,999
Vivo T3	March 21st, 2024	Rs 19,999
iQOO Z9s	August 21st, 2024	Rs 19,999
CMF Phone 1	July 8th, 2024	Rs 15,999
Realme Narzo 70 Pro	March 19th, 2024	Rs 19,999

iQOO Z9

The iQOO Z9 (review) is one of the best camera phones under Rs 20,000 in India. It starts at Rs 19,999 and comes with 8GB RAM and up to 256GB storage options. Powering the device is a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 SoC that resulted in impressive AnTuTu scores of 7,28,534 and Geekbench scores of 1,190 for single-core and 2,681 for multi-core. It can easily run any graphically demanding games, including Call of Duty Mobile on Very High graphics.

BGMI graphics settings	HDR
BGMI FPS	60
Temp before gaming	32
Temp after 30 min of gaming	39.4
Battery drop percentage	6 percent

During our tests, the temperature of the iQOO Z9 rose from 32 to 39.4 after 30 minutes, and the battery health dropped by 6 percent. The device offers a remarkable gaming experience with negligible battery drop while maintaining the thermals.

Vivo T3

The Vivo T3 (review) starts at Rs 19,999 and is one of the best-performing phones under Rs 20,000 in India. Under the hood, It features the MediaTek Dimensity 7200 chipset aided by 8GB RAM and up to 256GB storage. The device scored 7,15,922 points on AnTuTu and 1,177 single-core scores with 2,646 multi-core scores on Geekbench. The Vivo T3 is an excellent gaming device, smoothly running demanding titles like Call of Duty Mobile with very high graphics settings.

BGMI graphics settings	HDR
BGMI FPS	60
Temp before gaming	29.9
Temp after 30 min of gaming	37.6
Battery drop percentage	6 percent

During a 30-minute gaming session, the temperature increased from 29.9 to 37.6, with a battery level drop of 6 percent. Overall, the Vivo T3 maintains a decent temperature with minimal battery drain.

iQOO Z9s

The iQOO Z9s retails with a starting price of Rs 19,999 and is a pretty capable phone in its segment. It draws power from the MediaTek Dimensity 7200 SoC paired with up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. It bagged a score of 7,02,347 on AnTuTu with 1,044 for the single-core test and 3,011 for the multi-core test on Geekbench. The iQOO Z9s performed well while playing BGMI at HDR graphics and Extreme frame rate settings.

BGMI graphics settings	HDR
BGMI FPS	Extreme
Temp before gaming	28.4
Temp after 30 min of gaming	31.3
Battery drop percentage	5 percent

After a 30-minute gaming session, the temperature of the iQOO Z9s went from 28.4 to 31.3, with only a 5 percent battery drop. Based on these results, the iQOO Z9s maintains a stable temperature with minimal battery drain.

CMF Phone 1

The CMF Phone 1 (review) starts at Rs 15,999 and is one of the phones with the highest AnTuTu score in its segment. It comes equipped with the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 and paired with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Its benchmark scores speak for its performance, as the CMF Phone 1 scored 6,42,187 on AnTuTu, 1,015 for single-core, and 2,867 for multi-core on Geekbench. Even with BGMI, the device can run the game at HDR graphics and Ultra frame rate settings seamlessly.

BGMI graphics settings	HDR
BGMI FPS	Ultra
Temp before gaming	27.9
Temp after 30 min of gaming	31.4
Battery drop percentage	7 percent

During our testing, the CMF Phone 1’s temperature increased to 31.4 from 27.9, with a 7 percent drop in battery level. Overall, the device maintains thermal throttling well during gaming with a reasonable battery drain.

Realme Narzo 70 Pro

The Realme Narzo 70 Pro (review) starts at Rs 19,999 and is one of the fastest-charging phones under Rs 20,000 in India. At the heart of the device is a MediaTek Dimensity 7050 SoC aided with 8GB RAM and up to 256GB storage. With this arsenal at its helm, the Narzo 70 Pro achieved 6,11,860 points on AnTuTu, 945 single-core points, and 2,356 multi-core points on Geekbench. The Realme Narzo 70 Pro also performs well with graphically demanding games such as Call of Duty, BGMI, and Real Racing.

BGMI graphics settings	HDR
BGMI FPS	60
Temp before gaming	29.4
Temp after 30 min of gaming	37.4
Battery drop percentage	7 percent

After 30 minutes of gaming, the Narzo 70 Pro’s temperature goes from 29.4 to 37.4, the highest temperature increase witnessed on this list. Moreover, the battery also dropped by 7 percent. While that’s a reasonable battery drop, the temperature increase of the Narzo 70 Pro can be a bit concerning if you plan to play heavy gaming for a long duration on it.