Indian smartphone market never rests; we see new smartphones launching every other day giving users choice of options to choose from. We mean, in the sub Rs 20,000 price segment we have tons of phones specializing in various departments. Don’t be surprised when we say India is now the second largest smartphone market in the world next to China and above the USA. The reason for this drastic change is because of the availability of the flagship range features even on budget segment phones.
Among the many features, the camera has always been the primary requirement for Indian users which earlier was a point of focus for flagships and upper mid-range smartphones. This change made manufacturers focus on camera more than anything. A typical Indian smartphone buyer looks for a good camera combined with satisfactory performance. In fact, there brands in India that are actually marketing their devices as camera phones to target the niche customers.
With tons and tons of smartphones being available in the sub Rs 20,000 price segment, it often becomes a tough task to pick that one phone which fits all your needs. So to help with this confusion, we are here with a list of top 10 phones in the sub Rs 20,000 segment which shines with great cameras and decent performance as well. Let’s get started.
Here are the top 10 phones in the sub Rs 20,000 price segment with great cameras:
#1 Xiaomi Mi A2: A 12MP + 20MP rear camera with LED flash, f/1.75 aperture, Sony IMX486 sensor, 1.25μm pixel size, EIS. A 20MP front-facing camera with Sony IMX376 sensor, and soft LED flash. Price: Rs 16,999.
Coming as a successor to the very successful Mi A1 which also had great cameras, the Mi A2 is one of the best options in the segment if you are looking for good cameras on smartphones. It is a device that is launched in partnership with Google’s Android One program packing improved design, upgraded processor, great cameras as well. However, there are also step backs; it packs slightly lower battery capacity and lacks a 3.5mm audio jack. However, the pros of the device being good low-light and front camera photography and great performance making it our top pick in the Rs. 20,000 segment.
#2 Honor Play: A 16MP + 2MP rear camera with LED flash, f/2.2 + f/2.4 aperture, PDAF, CAF, EIS, and a 16MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture. Price: Rs 19,999 – Rs 23,999.
Usually, Honor phones are known to pack some great optics that satisfy casual users as well. Despite its average camera UI, the camera performance of the Honor Play thanks to AI enhancements is simply brilliant. The AI enhancements recognize the scene, objects in the frame and adjust the settings to take a stunning photo that is shareable on social media. And, thanks to GPU Turbo functionality, it improves gaming and performance than usual by 30%. It packs a massive 3,750mAh battery which can last more than a day if you are a casual user. Since it runs on the custom skin, updates might be slow, so if you are fine with that, you can blindly go with the Honor Play.
#3 Redmi Note 5 Pro: A 12MP + 5MP rear camera with dual-tone LED Flash, Sony IMX486 sensor, 1.25μm pixel size, f/2.2 aperture, PDAF. A 20MP front-facing camera with Sony IMX376 sensor, LED flash, 1080p video recording. Price: Rs 14,999 – Rs 16,999.
Another Xiaomi phone in the sub-Rs 20,000 segment with great cameras combined with decent performance. Xiaomi within the short span since launch has sold over 4 million Redmi Note 5 Pro units in India. It packs a major improvement in terms of design, cameras, and processor. It is capable of producing punchy, warm, and vivid images in good lighting conditions. It is no exaggeration when we say that the phone can give many Samsung phones priced above Rs 25,000 a run for their money. The low-light shots are reasonably well lit. As for the performance, it is powered by the latest Snapdragon 636 combined with 4,000mAh battery that offers all-day battery life.
#4 Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1: A 13MP/16MP + 5MP rear camera with LED Flash, PDAF, f/2.2 aperture. An 8MP/16MP front-facing camera with soft LED flash, f/2.2 aperture. Price: Rs 10,999 – Rs 14,999.
Asus didn’t have a good year in 2017 with phones failing to put up a decent show. The company was in dire need of a comeback- here comes the Zenfone Max Pro M1 which packs brand new design compared to previous Zenfones, a powerful Snapdragon 636 chipset, and dual rear cameras. While the camera performance might not be as good as the models mentioned above, it definitely is up there among the best. The camera app needs a proper refinement and the company is consistently pushing updates for the same. The 5,000mAh battery is a huge USP.
#5 Apple iPhone SE: A 12-megapixel iSight camera with 4K video recording, 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera with Retina Flash. Price: Rs 18,999.
We agree that the phone might be a little old and outdated for today’s day and age, but camera performance still stays relevant even today and this is why we are not thinking twice to add the iPhone SE in the list. It features the same boxy design as the old iPhone 5S, so if looks are important to you more than the camera, then you are better off scrolling down to check other phones on the list. If you can make peace with the tiny display, the iPhone SE is still a great phone for the price.
#6 Honor 9N: A 13MP + 2MP rear camera with LED flash and 16MP front-facing camera. Price: Rs 11,999 – Rs 17,999.
Honor, of lately, is producing some great phones in the segment, one among them is the Honor 9N. It packs a 5.84-inches FHD+ display, powered by the Kirin 659 SoC, 13MP + 2MP rear camera, and 16MP front cameras. At a starting price of Rs 11,999, the Honor 9N is definitely a worthy phone for the images it produces and glass-like design. Since the phone is available openly, it has an advantage. Though we are not the biggest fans of the EMUI, for the kind of value for money it brings, we can’t argue much.
#7 Vivo V9: A 16MP + 5MP rear camera with LED flash and a 24MP front-facing camera. Price: Rs 18,990.
Vivo slowly yet steadily from being just any other smartphone brand in India climbed up to be the third biggest smartphone vendor in India. The primary reason for this success must be attributed to its focus on the camera. Since the day of starting its phase two, the company never missed a chance to launch phones targeting a niche audience and with proper planning, it did succeed in doing so. The Vivo V9 is a prime example of the same. The phone is a combination of beauty with an impressive set of cameras. While it struggles a bit in low-light, the day-light and landscape shots it takes are good enough. As an added bonus, the 24MP selfie shooter on the front is yet another advantage. Though the phone was launched at Rs 23,000, it got a price cut and is now available for Rs 19,000.
#8 Samsung Galaxy J8 (2018): A 16MP + 5MP rear camera with LED flash, f/1.7 aperture. A 16MP front-facing camera with LED flash, f/1.9 aperture. Price: Rs 18,990.
Samsung has long enjoyed being the number one smartphone brand in India, but things change, Xiaomi claimed the spot and pushed Samsung to number two spot. This made Samsung focus on mid-range and budget segment phones and the result is Galaxy J8 (2018) which is a perfect package for the price. Yes, when compared to other models in similar price segment, the J8 might look a little overpriced, but the cameras are right up there against the competition. It never goes wrong with Samsung’s SUPER AMOLED panel and the kind of after sale support it provides. Thanks to f/1.7, the phone can take impressive low-light shots. So, if you are fine with slightly underpowered SoC for the price, the Samsung Galaxy J8 (2018) is a worthy smartphone to check out just for the cameras.
#9 Moto G6: A 12MP + 5MP rear camera with LED Flash, f/1.8 aperture. A 16MP front-facing camera with LED flash, f/2.0 aperture. Price: Rs 13,999 – Rs 15,999.
After being acquired by Lenovo, Motorola has been a little slow in terms of launch cycles, but when it does launch a phone, the company makes sure it ticks all the right boxes. This time too, Motorola repeated the feat with Moto G6 which is the successor to the successful Moto G5/G5 Plus. While the cameras may not be as ground-breaking as few above-mentioned models, it does get the job done. It fails to put up a decent show in night shots, but the daylight images turn out good and worth for the price paying.
#10 Realme 2: A 13MP + 2MP rear camera with LED flash, f/2.2 aperture, secondary. An 8MP front-facing camera, f/2.2 aperture, 1.12μm pixel size. Price: Rs 8,990 – Rs 10,990.
Oppo’s sub-brand Realme has been in the news for quite some time for all the good reasons. The Realme 2 which was launched in India a while ago is one of the best budget segment phones in India to buy right now. Not just for the looks, price, hardware, but for the cameras as well. Though the specs might be lower in terms of numbers, the performance is well worth the price it is asking. It clicks good daylight shots combined with decent selfies in semi-good lighting conditions. However, it is available via flash sale, so good luck getting one.
Conclusion: So, these were our picks for 10 smartphones with great cameras under the sub Rs 20,000 price segment. Though each phone has its own strengths, we’ve focused more on the camera and jotted out the list in order of their price-to-performance ratio. If you are the one who is looking for a balanced phone with good cameras and performance, we suggest you pick the Honor Play, thanks to its GPU Turbo technology as it offers flagship-level performance.
