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Many smartphones in 20K category, Here’s how to make a smart choice

In the last few weeks or so a number of smartphones in mid-range segment has been launched in the Indian market. We call the mid-range segment as upto or under Rs 20,000 or 20K category. These phones along with a few others have added to the bandwagon of best under Rs 20,000 phones right now because they offer the best value for money by combination of factors such as performance, looks and attractive design as well as great cameras. Some of these phones are Xiaomi’s Mi A2, Nokia 6.1 Plus, Xiaomi’s Poco F1, Huawei sub brand’s Honor Play and so on.

Xiaomi Mi A2 at Rs 16,999

Xiaomi has come a long way in order to justify introducing Mi A2 as a successor to Mi A1. By loading it up with a powerful mid-range chipset, improved cameras and 18:9 display, apart from offering stock Android Oreo Mi A2 has become one of the best Android One phones in the Indian affordable smartphone market.

The Mi A2 comes with a 6-inch FHD+ display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by a Snapdragon 660 chipset with 4GB of RAM as the base variant. The phone rocks a dual camera setup with a 12MP + 20MP configuration on the back and f/1.75 aperture and a 20MP selfie camera. Needless to say, the Mi A2 continues the trend set by the Mi A1 and offers some excellent photos for its price. The phone houses a 3,010 mAh battery.

Nokia 6.1 Plus at Rs 15,999

The recently launched new Nokia 6.1 Plus is one of the most impressive phone right now and the best value for money offering from the company. At Rs 15,999, this Android One phone comes with one of the best designs in this segment so far thanks to an edge-to-edge display and all-glass body. It also packs some impressive hardware and a stock Android experience that runs quite smoothly. However, its pricing is the strong competitor to Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 5 Pro.

The Nokia 5.1 Plus brings a 5.8-inch FHD+ (1080×2280) TFT display with a 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top and an aspect ratio of 19:9. Powering the device is an octa-core Snapdragon 636 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, which is expandable up to 400GB via microSD card. The Nokia 6.1 Plus bears a dual camera setup which includes a 16-MP primary sensor with f/2.0 aperture and a 5-MP secondary sensor with similar aperture.

The Nokia 6.1 Plus is an Android One device that runs stock Android 8.1 Oreo. The phone houses a 3,060mAh battery with support for fast charging via USB Type-C port.

Xiaomi Poco F1 at Rs 20,999

Pocophone, a new sub-brand from Xiaomi, has launched its first phone in India called the Poco F1. It comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, an 8GB RAM and 256GB version and 4000 mAh battery. It also has liquid cooling on board to make sure you can really push the boundaries when playing games like PUBG.

Xiaomi’s new sub-brand Poco rocked the affordable mid-range segment when it announced the Snapdragon 845-powered Poco F1 at Rs 20,999. This is the cheapest phone with a 2018 flagship processor that you can buy and it makes sure that every other phone out there looks expensive. Some users can get it for Rs 19,999 as Flipkart is offering a Rs 1,000 cashback if you buy it using an HDFC Bank credit or debit card. The phone goes on sale on August 29 on Flipkart and Mi.com/in.

The Poco F1 packs true flagship hardware with a Snapdragon 845 chipset and 4GB of RAM as the base variant. It comes with 64GB of internal storage which is expandable up to 256GB. The device sports a 6.2-inch FHD+ display and packs a large 4,000mAh battery. The dual camera setup on the back includes a 12MP + 5MP setup while the front gets a 20MP selfie sensor.

Honor Play at Rs 19,999

Huawei sub-brand Honor has launched Honor Play at a price starting at Rs 19,999. As the name suggests, this is a phone designed for gaming with an edge-to-edge display, large battery and GPU Turbo technology.

The Honor Play is is powered by Huawei’s Kirin 970 chipset coupled with 4GB of RAM s the base variant. It is offered with 64GB of internal storage which is expandable up to 256GB. The device comes with what the company calls GPU Turbo technology which boosts performance by up to 60 per cent and reduces battery consumption by up to 30 per cent.

The device sports a 6.3-inch FHD+ Fullview display with a 19:9 aspect ratio. It bears a dual camera setup on the back with a 16MP + 2MP and 16MP front-fcing camera with AI portrait mode and portrait lightning features. The Honor Play has a 3,750 mAh battery.

Redmi Note 5 Pro at Rs 14,999

Despite entry of other models in the 20K sub-category, Redmi Note 5 Pro still remains a strong choice for affordable buyers. The Redmi Note 5 Pro is an all-round device which is quite impressive with its performance, battery life and cameras.

The Redmi Note 5 Pro sports a 5.99-inch FHD+ display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by a Snapdragon 636 processor, which is coupled with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM along with 64GB of internal storage. Thanks to a powerful as well as a power efficient chipset, the Redmi Note 5 Pro is a smooth and fast phone.

Apart from a solid performance, the Redmi Note 5 Pro also comes with some of the best cameras in this segment. The 12MP + 5MP dual camera setup on the back manages to capture some crisp and detailed photos under good light and more importantly they also manage to hold well under low-light. While the Redmi Note 5 Pro ships with Android Nougat with MIUI on top, it can be upgraded to Oreo now. The phone also houses a large 4,000mAh battery that will keep you going for a good day and a half to two days.

Stay smart and wise while buying the right kind of smartphone for you keeping in view your choice of features, design and requirements!

Harpreet S

Harpreet is a senior Technocrat from Industry with penchant for blogging, product reviews. Apart from Technology, he covers sectors like Lifestyle, Luxury, Travel, Automobile, Fashion, Healthcare, Real Estate, Hospitality, Education and much more