Smartphones under ₹25,000 these days offer the kind of performance and features that we would have expected from flagship smartphones a couple of years ago. Today, we have so many options within the ₹25,000 price bracket that it is difficult to square-in on one device that suits you best. Now while there are a slew of very good smartphones under ₹25,000, the OnePlus Nord CE 3, Redmi Note 12 Pro, Motorola Edge 40 Neo, Infinix Zero 30, and iQOO Z7 Pro are some of the best mobile phones that you can get your hands on. Under ₹25,000, you need to be mindful of the processor your phone has to keep up with day-to-day tasks, your camera configuration to take good quality pictures, and the phone’s battery capacity and efficiency. In this list of best smartphones under ₹25,000, we have narrowed it down to 10 mobile phones that offer one of the most complete experience.
Priced at INR 23,999 in India, the Nothing Phone (2a) is like a breath of fresh air in the fiercely contested sub-₹25,000 market segment. It distinguishes itself by delivering a seamless, bloatware-free user experience, a rarity in this space. While its design be a bit risky, it reflects Nothing’s bold determination to stand out. Boasting an excellent primary camera, decent battery life, and smooth performance, the Nothing Phone (2a) has the potential to capture the attention of the Indian masses. The cameras are superb for the price as well, delivering some fantastic daylight and low-light shots. Overall, a great option for anyone looking for a smooth experience.
The POCO X6 5G is surprisingly good for its price. Its Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset brings out its performance chops whether you’re playing games or just using it to browse the web. The camera stands out as well with fantastic performance, even in tricky low light situations. The battery life could be improved though, since it is not the best for the price. However, with other features such as fast charging, an AMOLED screen, and Dolby Atmos support, the POCO X6 5G makes a strong case for itself in the mid-range smartphone market.
The OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G stands out as a solid contender in the mid-range market, offering impressive features across the board. With its impressive battery life, rapid charging capabilities, decent performance, good primary camera, and captivating display, it covers many bases effectively. However, while it performs well overall, it lacks the exceptional prowess seen in some top performers within its price range. Additionally, it doesn’t particularly stand out in terms of design and build quality. Ultimately though, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G offers a dependable and balanced choice for the general audience, if power isn’t your main concern.
The Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G is the middle child in Xiaomi’s latest Redmi Note series. The Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G has a mid-range MediaTek Dimensity 1080 SoC with up to 8GB RAM, which gives the smartphone enough power to take on all kinds of tasks you throw its way. The Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G also comes with a triple rear camera setup that includes a 50-megapixel primary Sony IMX766 shooter with optical image stabilisation and an f/1.8 aperture, meaning that it can take in sufficient light, which can be adjusted by the user. Further, smaller aperture also means a faster shutter speed. Up front, there is a 16-megapixel selfie shooter on the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G. Battery on the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G is a 5,000mAh unit, which is good for a 1.5 days backup in all scenarios. With the 5,000mAh battery, you get 67W fast charging, meaning that the smartphone will charge from 0-100 in under 1 hour, which is great charging speed. The Redmi Note 12 5G tops our list of the best smartphones under ₹25,000 since it offers one of the most complete package of features, reliability, design, and performance.
The Motorola Edge 40 Neo is an incredibly well-rounded smartphone under ₹25,000. The phone has a nearly bloatware-free user interface, a stylish and premium design, and a very bright display. While it is not the most powerful performer, with phones such as the Infinix Zero 30 and iQOO Z7 Pro beating it in most benchmarks, it still manages to perform smoothly in most instances apart from heavy gaming. Motorola has priced the phone just right as well; making it one of the most value-for-money phones in this price segment.
The Infinix Zero 30 5G is one of the fastest smartphones you can get under ₹25,000. But that’s not all; everything from the vegan leather design to the dust and water resistance to the bright AMOLED display is well-implemented. The Dimensity 8020 processor blows most of the competition including the Vivo V29e, OnePlus Nord CE 3, and Realme 11 Pro out of the water. Infinix’s XOS skin has also been improved and now looks less cluttered. The cameras are pretty decent and 4K video recording on the front camera is a nice addition to the mix. Battery life is decent, although we’ve seen better. The most annoying pain point is that only 1 guaranteed major Android update will be provided by Infinix for the Zero 30.
The iQOO Z7 Pro oozes of iQOO DNA. The phone has superb price-to-performance ratio and surprisingly, you also get a pretty decent camera setup. The phone’s design is also beautiful with a curved glass on the front and back. Sporting the MediaTek Dimensity 7200 chipset, the phone smashes the competition out of the park with incredible benchmarks scores. The phone scored over 700,000 in AnTuTu – making it one of the fastest in the segment. There are a couple of shortcomings though such as low display brightness, and no ultra-wide lens.
The Realme 12 Pro delivers on its promises, presenting top-notch design and remarkable cameras at a price point below ₹25,000. Though its performance in low-light conditions could be improved, its design is nearly flawless. This phone is undeniably eye-catching and is sure to turn heads. Yet, it isn’t a jack of all trades. Performance-wise, it matches up with its 2023 predecessor, making it less appealing to power users who might find better options in the iQOO Z7 Pro or POCO X6 Pro. Moreover, while its battery life is satisfactory, it doesn’t stand out notably. Nonetheless, it excels in the areas it promises to. For those in search of a well-built device with a great display and impressive camera prowess, the Realme 12 Pro emerges as an outstanding choice.
One of the best smartphones for gaming in our list is the Poco X5 Pro. The Poco X5 Pro was launched back in February this year. In our review, we liked the smartphone’s design, performance, battery, and the display. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G chipset, the Poco X5 Pro offers a good gaming experience at a fairly affordable price. The display on the Poco X5 Pro is also a nice AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. This is one of the only smartphones in this range to offer support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+, meaning that not just gaming, watching content on the Poco X5 Pro is also a great experience. For optics, we get a triple rear camera setup with a primary 108-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL HM2 shooter. The camera performance on the Poco X5 Pro is just about average. We experienced the highlights being overblown and shadows being crushed in tricky lighting conditions.
Curved displays are becoming increasingly popular in the sub-₹25,000 price range and the Lava Agni 2 incorporates the same. The phone has a curved glass front and back, which makes it look quite attractive. You get a solid Full HD+ AMOLED screen that gives the illusion of almost spilling over the edges. Content on OTT platforms looks superb on this screen – very vivid and crisp. The phone houses the powerful Dimensity 7050 processor that performs pretty well – it sits in the middle of the pack in terms of performance. The cameras are decent but the colour science could use some work.
Smartphones under ₹25,000 are usually pretty good. A ₹25,000 budget means that you can get yourself a device that will do everything that a flagship can, just not with the same level of smoothness or premium feel that a flagship smartphone offers. In 2023, a good sub-₹25,000 smartphone should have pretty much all the bells and whistles - an AMOLED display with high refresh rate, a powerful chip, a decent camera and of course, good battery. Smartphones like the Redmi Note 12 Pro, Realme 10 Pro+, iQOO Neo 6, Moto Edge 30, and more are some of the most popular devices under ₹ 25,000.
Which phone is best for long term use under 25000?Smartphones under Rs 25,000 are often built using solid materials and given certain IP-ratings, along with Corning Gorilla Glass or Panda scratch resistance, allowing the devices to last longer than the ones without these features. Further, brands like Samsung, and OnePlus offer software updates for at least a couple of years for their mid-range devices, meaning that on the software front as well, devices from OnePlus or Samsung will get updates for a longer period of time.
Which phone is best value for money under 25000?Under a ₹25,000 budget, best value for money is determined by keeping in mind not just the longevity, but also the overall experience. A good mix of performance, camera, battery, display, under a budget is what determines value for money. This segment has many such options - be it the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, the Realme GT Neo 3T, or the Moto Edge 30, all these devices offer good value for money under ₹25,000.