The Indian smartphone market is quite tricky. Extending your budget by a bit gives you a better device and if you keep on extending it, you end up paying a lot more than you thought you would for a smartphone. This confusion reaches its peak in the mid-range segment where there are so many different devices at really small price intervals.
The buyers more often than not end up being in a dilemma as to what should they go in for. They want to go in for devices which are better than the entry level/lower mid-range smartphones and but don't want to go in for an upper mid-range/flagship smartphone due to budgetary contraints. So hitting the sweet spot is quite the tough call.
Today we have for you the top 5 smartphones between the Rs 15,000-20,000 price segment. The segment gives you just enough bang for your buck to be happy with a flagship-like performance (in some cases) without burning a hole in your pocket. Let us take a look at these 5 smartphones.
Xiaomi Mi 4 (Rs 17,999)
The current Xiaomi flagship for India costs just Rs 17,999 for India and that price, delivers quite a lot as far as the performance is concerned. It has yesteryear flagship specs but they are still go enough for taking on a mid-range. However, the internal storage for this variant is 16GB ans shelling out Rs 21,999 can get you the 64GB version. Here are its specifications:
- 5.0-inch IPS LCD, 1920 x 1080 pixels, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
- Android 4.4 KitKat based MIUI 6.0
- Qualcomm MSM8974AC Snapdragon 801 SoC, 2.5 GHz quad-core CPU, Adreno 330 GPU
- 3GB RAM
- 16GB/64GB of non-expandable internal storage
- 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 8-megapixel front camera
- 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Buetooth 4.0 with A2DP, GPS with GLONASS
OnePlus One (Rs 18,998)
The flagship killer's 16GB variant will cost you Rs 18,998 and it is quite a good smartphone for that price. Amazon is also throwing in a Rs 2,000 gift card with it so essentially the price comes down to Rs 16,998 and that price, it is nothing less than a bargain. Here's a quick look at its specifications:
- 5.5-inch IPS LCD, 1920 x 1080 pixels, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
- Android 5.0.2 Lollipop based Cyanogen 12s
- Qualcomm MSM8974AC Snapdragon 801 SoC, 2.5 GHz quad-core CPU, Adreno 330 GPU
- 3GB RAM
- 16GB/64GB of non-expandable internal storage
- 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front camera
- 4G, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Buetooth 4.0 with A2DP, GPS with GLONASS
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML (Rs 18,999/Rs 19,999)
- 5.5-inch display, 1920 x 1080 pixels, Corning Gorilla Glass 3, Glove Touch support
- Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system with new Zen UI
- Intel Atom 3560 SoC, 1.8GHz quad-core CPU
- 4GB RAM
- 32GB of internal storage which is expandable with a microSD card (up to 64GB)
- 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front camera
- Dual-SIM, 4G LTE, 3G HSUPA, FM Radio, GPS with 5 satellite connectivity
- Wi-Fi ac/a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, Micro-USB port with USB Host, and 3.5 mm headphone jack
- 3,000 mAh battery; 152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9 mm; 170 grams
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo (Rs 19,299)
The Galaxy Note 3 Neo was launched in India about 15 months ago for Rs 41,000 and constant price drops have made this smartphone quiet a value for money device if you are a fan of using a stylus. Here's a quick look at its specifications:
- 5.5-inch, 1280 x 720 pixels, Super AMOLED display
- 1.7 GHz Dual Core + 1.3 GHz Quad Core Exynos processor
- 2GB RAM
- Android 4.4 KitKat
- 8MP rear camera with BSI sensor, 2MP front camera with BSI sensor
- 16 GB internal memory, 64 GB expandable memory
- 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS with GLONASS, NFC
- 3,100 mAh Battery
Huawei Honor 6 (Rs 18,999)
The smartphone is quite the capable unit and comes with a host of offers too on Flipkart. Here's a look at its specifications.
- 5-inch LTPS IPS LCD display from JDI, 1920 x 1080 pixels, 445 ppi, 10-point capacitive multitouch
- Android 4.4.2 KitKat with Emotion UI v2.3
- octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 920 processor (4 x 1.7GHz Cortex A15 + 4 x 1.3GHz Cortex A7)
- 3GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, microSD card slot
- 13-megapixel primary camera, Sony BSI sensor, autofocus, LED flash
- 5-megapixel secondary camera
- Single-SIM, 3G HSPA+, dual-band Wi-Fi b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth v4.0, NFC, A-GPS and microUSB v2.0 port
- 3,100 mAh battery
