Best phones under Rs 25,000 (Jan-Feb 2023): Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, Realme 10 Pro+ 5G to iQOO 7 5G

A budget of Rs 25,000 gives you access to a handful of high-end features, if not in the new phones, then in some slightly older ones that were launched for a much higher price but are now available within this price bracket. Be it extra processing power or impressive cameras with optical image stabilisation (OIS) or even some fancy displays, we have it all here. And of course, all of them are 5G ready. Let’s get down to business and take a look at the top 5 phones you can buy under 25K this month.

Best phones to buy under Rs 25,000 in India

iQOO 7 5G

Speaking of more expensive phones currently available under 25K, the iQOO 7 5G tops that list. That makes it arguably the best all-round phone in this price range, and a great option to spend your money on while the stocks last. It is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 870 chip, and you can buy its 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage variant in this budget. It has a 6.62-inch HDR10+ compliant Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1300 nits.

The rear camera department is impressive too, starting with a 48MP primary camera with OIS. Giving it company are a 13MP ultra-wide camera and a 2MP depth sensor. Its 4400 mAh battery lasts over a day of moderate use, and the bundled 66W fast charger promises to charge it fully in less than half an hour. The iQOO 7 5G launched with Android 11 and FunTouch OS 11 UI, and the company has promised two more major Android updates in the future for this device. The Android 12 update should already be available by now.

iQOO 7 5G price in India: Rs 24,990 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage

Motorola Edge 30

The Motorola Edge 30 is another great phone to consider in this budget. This phone is powered by a Snapdragon 778G chip, which is more than decent for this segment, and you get up to 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage. It flaunts some truly impressive features starting with a 6.5-inch Full HD+ OLED display with a 144 Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ compliance and the capability to display over a billion colour shades. The screen has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection against scratches.

The photography department on the Motorola Edge 30 boasts of two 50MP cameras, with the primary offering OIS and the secondary camera letting you capture some high-quality ultra-wide shots. There’s also a 2MP depth sensor (if you care). The 32MP front camera is bound to impress selfie enthusiasts. Its 4020 mAh battery lasts for a little over a day of moderate use and supports 33W fast charging. This phone runs Android 12, and like most Motorola phones, you get a clean and near-stock user interface.

Motorola Edge 30 price in India: Rs 22,999 for 6GB RAM/128GB storage; Rs 24,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage

Realme 10 Pro+ 5G

At launch, we were a little disappointed with the company for dropping OIS from the Realme 10 Pro+ 5G’s primary camera, which was present in its predecessor, but at the end of our thorough test process, we didn’t miss it as much. The 108MP primary camera captures some great images across varied lighting. It is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 2MP macro camera. The 16MP front camera is more than decent for selfies and video calls. Camera aside, this phone offers a lot of cool elements, starting with the display.

The Realme 10 Pro+ 5G has a 6.7-inch curved Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate. A curved display is extremely rare in this budget, and on top of that, it is HDR10+ compliant and can display over a billion colour shades. The curved display also adds oodles of style to the design. The phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 1080 SoC, which is decent enough for the segment. You get the 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage variant in this budget.

The battery life of this phone is quite impressive too. Thanks to some neat power management and an efficient SoC, its 5000 mAh battery lasts longer than usual even under heavy load. The company bundles a 67W fast charger that manages to juice it up fully in about 50 minutes. The phone runs the latest Android 13 with Realme UI 4.0.

Realme 10 Pro+ 5G price in India: Rs 24,999 for 6GB RAM/128GB storage

Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G

The new Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G is another solid all-round option in this budget. Just like the Realme phone above, this too is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 1080 SoC and is equipped with 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage. It has a 6.67-inch 10-bit Full HD+ OLED display, and though it is not curved, it is compliant with Dolby Vision as well as HDR10+. It has a 120 Hz refresh rate and is protected against scratches by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

Photography is handled by three cameras at the back, and interestingly the 50MP primary camera here does have OIS. You also get an 8MP ultrawide snapper and a 2MP macro camera to support it. There’s a more than decent 16MP selfie camera up front. This phone too has a 5000 mAh battery and a 67W fast charger that claims to charge 50% of it in just 15 minutes. The Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G runs Android 12 with MIUI 13.

Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G price in India: Rs 24,999 for 6GB RAM/128GB storage

Redmi K50i 5G

Last but by no means least, the Redmi K50i 5G is a great choice for gamers looking for powerful processing hardware under Rs 25,000. It is powered by a flagship-grade Mediatek Dimensity 8100 SoC that is found in much more expensive phones like the OnePlus 10R. You get its 6 GB RAM and 128 GB UFS 3.1 internal storage variant under 25K. The photography department isn’t bad either with a combination of a 64MP main camera, an 8MP ultrawide shooter and a 2MP macro camera. A 16MP front camera takes care of selfies and video calls pretty well.

The Redmi K50i 5G has a 6.6-inch Full HD+ Liquid FFS display that’s HDR10 and Dolby Vision compliant. It is protected against scratches by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5, and supports 144 Hz refresh rate for a smooth experience in compatible apps. A 5080 mAh battery keeps the phone running for close to a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 67W turbo charger claims to charge half the battery in just 15 minutes. This Redmi phone runs Android 12 with MIUI 13.

Redmi K50i 5G price in India: Rs 23,999 for 6GB RAM/128GB storage