The mid-range smartphone market has evolved much to the delight of buyers. Best phones under Rs 30,000, and even under Rs 25,000 in India include brands like Xiaomi, OnePlus Nord, and iQOO among others. You also have POCO chipping in with its new devices in the market. In this article, we are going to talk about the best phones you can buy for under Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000 in India. We have separated the two lists to give you five phones each, whether your budget is under Rs 25,000 or Rs 30,000. So, here are the phones that have made our list for August 2021.
5 best phones under Rs 25,000 in India (August 2021)
- POCO X3 Pro
- Xiaomi Mi 10i
- OnePlus Nord CE 5G
- iQOO Z3
- Realme X7
POCO X3 Pro
POCO X3 Pro is renowned for one thing and that is performance. Thanks to Snapdragon 860 you get top-end performance that will match up to your heavy needs, and that includes gaming as well. As gamers, you need reliable hardware, paired with a quality audio setup. And the POCO X3 Pro has both of these aspects covered. However, when you miss out on features like AMOLED display, and a quality camera system, the price of the phone starts making sense. Gaming phones are known for their beast-ly traits and that shows up in their overall design. If you need a gaming-centric phone for under Rs 20,000, POCO X3 Pro has to be right up there. For cameras and comfortable ergonomics, look for other options.
Why you should buy this phone – Excellent performance.
Xiaomi Mi 10i
Xiaomi launched the Mi 10i smartphone in January this year as one of the most affordable 5G devices in the market back then. The phone has a nice mix of features and a design that gives it a premium touch. Mi 10i also became one of the first under Rs 25,000 phones to use Snapdragon 750G chipset. Besides that, you also got the first device to come equipped with Samsung HM2 108MP camera sensor. For this price, you also get a device that offers long battery life, along with 33W fast charging. Even with stiff competition, Mi 10i fought well to become an ideal choice for smartphone buyers in this range.
Why you should buy this phone – Overall value and 5G support.
OnePlus Nord CE 5G
The original Nord got a sibling in the form of Nord CE 5G a few weeks back. This phone also uses Snapdragon 750G chipset that manages to pack in the desired performance levels. The design is a bright spot in an otherwise average device. The cameras are underwhelming, to say the least, and surprisingly, you don’t get a 5000mAh battery unit on the phone, even at this price range. The display is one of the strongest suits of OnePlus and the Nord CE 5G benefits from having a bright and colourful AMOLED screen.
Why you should buy this phone – Display and performance.
iQOO Z3 (8GB RAM)
iQOO made a splashing debut in this range with the Z3 this year and the device has stood up to most people’s expectations. Paired with a good-looking design, the device benefits from the use of the new Snapdragon 768G chipset that delivers in terms of raw performance and aids power management for better battery life as well. However, iQOO has cut costs by opting for an LCD panel instead of AMOLED, and using a plastic chassis at this price makes it less appealing. All in all, iQOO Z3 makes a decent shout but with quite a few shortcomings to note.
Why you should buy this phone – Performance and 55W fast-charging support
Realme X7
Realme X7 also puts itself in the ring, giving you another option in the sub Rs 20,000 bracket with its sheer value. The device comes powered by MediaTek Dimensity 800U chipset that brings 5G support. You get an AMOLED screen that features an on-screen fingerprint sensor. The primary rear camera works to a good effect when the light is available, but in low-light, it suffers from a lack of capability. However, it’s hard to understand the reason behind offering 50W charging support, when Realme 7 Pro came with 65W charging in the same price range earlier.
Why you should buy this phone – Decent performance and daylight camera quality.
5 best phones under Rs 30,000 in India (August 2021)
- Xiaomi Mi 11X
- OnePlus Nord 2
- Realme X7 Max
- POCO X3 Pro
- POCO F3 GT
Xiaomi Mi 11X
The Mi 11X covers up the price range base for Xiaomi with more devices in the sub Rs 30,000 bracket. This device wins laurels for its design and when you hold this phone, you will find it ergonomically comfortable and get that premium feeling as well. The 120Hz AMOLED display adds further charm to the front, especially when you notice the vibrant colours exhibited by the screen. And having punch-hole design gives you that immersive experience. During our review, we mentioned that Mi 11X “performs like a champ” and the Snapdragon 870 processor ensures that the phone doesn’t run into any hiccups even under heavy loads. However, Mi 11X shouldn’t be your pick if you need a quality shooter and hate bloatware.
Why you should buy this phone – Affordable phone with quality performance
OnePlus Nord 2
OnePlus Nord 2 is the successor to the original Nord that made its debut last year. And for an upgrade, Nord 2 has quite a few things that we’ve liked. The design borrowed from OnePlus 9 series gives it the premium appeal that buyers crave in this price range. Nord 2 is the first-ever OnePlus phone to come powered by MediaTek chipset and the results have been encouraging. Not only do you get decent performance, but it also translates into giving more efficiency to the device in many aspects. The camera sees a big improvement, so does the charging speed. Oxygen OS now has traits of Color OS and still manages to give you a fluid experience.
Why you should buy this phone – Overall value for money.
Realme X7 Max
Realme X7 Max also uses the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chipset which passes our tests with flying colours. It is hard to ignore how light the phone feels in hand, which is a rarity these days. Besides that, Realme X7 Max has a lot going in its favour. Be it performance, camera quality or battery life, this device manages to be an all-rounder that buyers would get without thinking for a second. The only major concerns we can highlight is the bloatware in the UI and the lack of an expandable storage slot.
Why you should buy this phone – Lightweight design paired up with performance.
POCO X3 Pro
POCO X3 Pro makes its appearance in this segment because of its higher variant. Like we’ve mentioned above, POCO X3 Pro delivers on the performance front, but the lack of AMOLED display and use of average cameras can be a deal-breaker for many. Even the overall design stature makes it hard to use with one hand. All these ingredients work as a treat for gamers, who crave performance, audio support in an affordable price range, which the POCO X3 Pro delivers aplomb.
Why you should buy this phone – Performance for gamers
POCO F3 GT
POCO F3 GT rounds up our popular smartphones list for August 2021 and deserves its place purely because of its refreshing design, gorgeous display, matched equally by the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chipset which has become a common sight in this price range. The 120Hz refresh rate screen, with a 480Hz touch-response rate, makes it a gamers delight. The cameras pale in front of the competition again, and that could tilt your interest, based on what you need from the phone.
Why you should buy this phone – Refreshing looks and performance.
