10 - Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo
OS: Android 5.0|Screen size: 5.5-inch|Resolution: 1280x720p|Memory: 2GB|Storage: 16GB|Battery: 3100mAh|Rear camera: 8MP| Front camera: 2MP | Price: Rs 18,999
Note 3 Neo is the poorer and affordable cousin of the powerful Note 3 that doesn’t lose out on the size-dimension quotient. It’s got a 720P Super AMOLED display that’s brighter than most of the other devices on this list, but it’s not preferred by everyone.
Same faux-pas leather coating cover on plastic completes the Note 3 Neo design. This device is packed with an Exynos 5260 hexa-core i.e. six core chipset clubbed with 2 GB RAM for top quality and smooth performance.
Unlike the octa-core, the all the six cores function simultaneously. Just like the Note 3, the Neo variant comes with S Pen stylus support that works exactly the same via Air Command. For this size, a stylus makes perfect sense, adding the aspect of productivity to its repertoire.
The camera has been downgraded to 8 MP on the Note 3 Neo and its imaging quality is not up to the mark with current competition. The battery will last you easily for a day, and possibly more depending on your use. The real draw here though is clearly the fact that it’s the only device on this list that comes with an S Pen. Good productivity at a low price.
9 - Huawei Honor 6
OS: Android 5.0|Screen size: 5-inch|Resolution: 1920x1080p|Memory: 3GB|Storage: 16/32GB|Battery: 3100mAh|Rear camera: 13MP| Front camera: 5MP | Price: Rs 14,999
It packs in a punchy octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, 5-inch full HD display, 13MP rear camera, 5MP front snapper and a 3100mAh battery. In terms of design the Honor 6 does little in the way of breaking any new ground. Front on it's simply just another black (or white) touchscreen smartphone, while round the edge a silver band hugs the plastic case.
The Honor 6 doesn't feel quite as sleek as the OnePlus, but its smaller size means it fits better in the hand and you shouldn't have any trouble reaching all corners of the screen. And before we forget, Honor 6 is a behemoth when it comes to battery life, never run out of it in a hurry.
8 - ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini
OS: Android 5.0|Screen size: 5-inch|Resolution: 1920x1080p|Memory: 2GB|Storage: 16GB|Battery: 2900mAh|Rear camera: 16MP| Front camera: 8MP | Price: Rs 16,999
In comparison to the Xiaomi Mi 4 or OnePlus One, Nubia Z9 Mini comes close to their quality with due consideration given to durability. The Nubia Z9 mini offers 16GB storage, expandable up to 128GB via microSD, which is a bonus. The phone supports 4G LTE bands compliant with India's frequency and there's also dual-SIM support.
The device isn't tailor-made for gaming (per say) but still offers enough for casual users. It's not graphic friendly either. Nubia went for the kill with its imaging features and it's hard to find any other phone maker who has replicated flagship-quality cameras on a mid-range device. We were very impressed with the cameras, not so much with the battery life. The UI needs a major overhaul for good.
7 - Microsoft Lumia 640XL
OS: Windows Phone 8.1|Screen size: 5.7-inch|Resolution: 1280x720p|Memory: 1GB|Storage: 8GB|Battery: 3000mAh|Rear camera: 13MP| Front camera: 5MP | Price: Rs 13,898
The lone non-Android phone in this feature and the laurel goes to Lumia 640XL. With a screen size of 5.7 inches (compared to the 5-inch display of the 640), the Lumia 640 XL is one of Microsoft's largest smartphones.
Despite its size the Lumia 640 XL is comfortable to hold, light and feels good in the hand, and the larger body accommodates 3000mAh battery with ease.
Running on Windows Phone 8.1 (upgradeable to Windows 10 mobile), Lumia has a select consumer base who have kept their affiliation with Windows as a cross-platform OS intact. Then there’s a small element of Nokia visibly showing up on the Lumia which carries its own loyal base of yesteryears.
6 - Samsung Galaxy J7
OS: Android 5.0|Screen size: 5.5-inch|Resolution: 1280x720p|Memory: 1.5GB|Storage: 16GB|Battery: 3000mAh|Rear camera: 13MP| Front camera: 5MP | Price: Rs 16,900
Samsung isn’t heavy loading this segment with phones but Galaxy J7 is a move in the right direction. It sports a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with 720p resolution which looks bright, sharp and very comparable to the levels of 1080p display but with less warm colours.
The edges have been given metallic finish but that's only the tip of iceberg and you end up warming your eyes to the plain-jane design that Samsung has seemingly adopted all these years. Powered by octa-core CPU, J7 is a decent bet for gaming without amazing us to the hilt. Samsung manages to offer quality snappers on the phone which is given for everyone nowadays, especially for this value.
5 - OnePlus One
OS: Android 5.0|Screen size: 5.5-inch|Resolution: 1920x1080p|Memory: 3GB|Storage: 16GB|Battery: 3100mAh|Rear camera: 13MP| Front camera: 5MP | Price: Rs 18,998
This is the smartphone everyone wanted to buy, and now that exclusivity factor is no longer an issue. OnePlus One has curves, metallic finish over plastic casing and rounded edges complete the overall package of this smartphone. The Sandstone back variant is different in all respect and thanks to matte finishing.
You can play games, watch movies, surf YouTube for your videos; anything you throw at the display, the results are too good for the price on the table. You get the 16GB model for under Rs 20,000 and you don’t get to expand the storage space further.
Images are crisp and well detailed, however, they looked slightly washed out when taking pictures in low light. This is precisely where; we found the optical image stabilization (OIS) factor missing. That said OnePlus One still is your perfect companion for long travels with its high value battery.
4 - Asus Zenfone 2
OS: Android 5.0|Screen size: 5.5-inch|Resolution: 1920x1080p|Memory: 2/4GB|Storage: 16/32/64GB|Battery: 3000mAh|Rear camera: 13MP| Front camera: 5MP | Price: Rs 18,999
The new Lollipop-based Asus phone features a hard plastic chassis, a 5.5-inch FHD display and weighs at 170 grams, heavier than most phones in this segment. Asus promises fast-charging feature which is at par with other smartphone brands, the back panel is removable to offer dual-SIM support.
Zenfone 2 offers a 13MP camera at the back and during our time with the device, images delivered were of high quality, for the price putting the phone at par with others like Xiaomi Mi 4i and even better than OnePlus One for that matter.
One of the few phones to come with 4GB RAM at this price point and with help of Intel, Asus has managed to bulge up the Zenfone 2 line up with over 16 models in the country. Battery life flatters to deceive in most conditions that we tested.
3 - Motorola Moto G 2015
OS: Android 5.0|Screen size: 5-inch|Resolution: 1280x720p|Memory: 1/2GB|Storage: 8/16GB|Battery: 2470mAh|Rear camera: 13MP| Front camera: 5MP | Price: Rs 11,999/12,999
Moto G is available in two options. While both the models pack a quad-core Snapdragon 410 CPU, the differentiation comes on the memory and storage front; 1GB RAM with 8G storage and 2GB RAM with 16GB storage. The 5-inch screen on Moto G isn't too bad but the quality difference due to its lower resolution is quite apparent.
We tested the phone via-a-vis the Xiaomi Mi 4i and the brightness quotient is on the higher side with the latter, while the former clearly falls short. With Moto G the marriage between software and hardware has been well distributed which translates into smooth, stable usage experience.
The 13MP rear camera is a definite improvement and the dual-LED flash offers high luminosity in low light. It's still lacking image stabilisation and the deficiency shows up (at times), but we're glad a Moto G can now click quality pictures for a change. The device gave us close to six and half hours on the PCMark battery test which on an average result in life between 12 to 15 hours which is rather acceptable and with help of IP57 surety, dip the phone into water and still you’re good as new.
2 - Xiaomi Mi 4i
OS: Android 5.0|Screen size: 5-inch|Resolution: 1920x1080p|Memory: 2GB|Storage: 16/32GB|Battery: 3120mAh|Rear camera: 13MP| Front camera: 5MP | Price: Rs 12,999/14,999
For a device with a 5-inch display, the Mi 4i is very compact. Even with the compactness and slim design, the Mi 4i manages to have the rear camera levelled with the back of the phone without any protrusion. The color reproduction and viewing angles of the display are decent, and Xiaomi packs in a new feature called Sunlight Display, where the screen adjusts to the level of light in your area.
The overall performance of the Mi 4i is pretty good and in most instances matches that of the higher-segment smartphones. The transition effects and animations are a little jerky and there are minor frame drops while gaming.
The rear camera of the Mi 4i is definitely one of the best in its price-segment. In daylight and outdoors, the photos capture great level of details and have accurate color reproduction. The low light and indoor shots are decent too, but not without some noise and over-saturation. Storage in non-expandable and you can choose between 16/32GB models.
1 - Motorola Moto X Play
OS: Android 5.0|Screen size: 5.5-inch|Resolution: 1920x1080p|Memory: 2GB|Storage: 16/32GB|Battery: 3630mAh|Rear camera: 21MP| Front camera: 5MP | Price: Rs 18,499
The second Moto device in this listing makes its way all because of value on offer. One of the biggest selling points of the Moto X Play is the battery 3,630mAh, which Motorola promises will last two days on a single charge. The phone comes with an "edge-to-edge" 5.5-inch screen with thin bezels on either side, yet comfortable to hold and use.
The curved back feels good, the rubberised material makes the device robust and easy to grip, and is also said to be water-repellent. For the first time, we got a Moto X phone with an option to expand storage, which is reassuring for many users. Although you get a 21MP camera at the back, the quality feels much closer to level of a 13MP sensor.
The phone breezed through all our performance-intensive tests and even the numbers that showed as a result, where more than convincing to project X Play as the top device to buy in the under 20,000 segment in India
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