Automotive and Tech News

Best smartphones of 2019 (up to Rs 20,000)

Xiaomi – Redmi Note 7 Pro and Redmi Note 8 Pro

The Redmi Note series continues to prove that great-performing phones can be affordable. Currently, the Note 7 Pro starts at Rs 9,999, while the Note 8 Pro starts at 14,999.
In February 2019, the Redmi Note 7 Pro became the most affordable phone to launch with the then powerful Snapdragon 675 SoC and a 48MP camera. In October, the Redmi Note 8 Pro introduced the gaming-centric Helio G90T SoC to the world.
That’s not all, the Note 8 Pro also features a capable 64MP quad-rear camera setup and a big 4,500mAh battery. Indeed, for under Rs 20,000, the Redmi Note series remains unbeatable!

Realme – Realme 5 and Realme X2

Realme’s continuous quest to chase Xiaomi means that the company has launched loads of phones in 2019, in fact, they have launch way too many phones and confused many prospective buyers.
The recently-launched Realme X2 brings a lot of impressive kit – you get a 64MP quad-camera setup, AMOLED display with an optical fingerprint scanner, very powerful Snapdragon 730G chip, and a very fast 30W VOOC fast charging. All this for a starting price of Rs 16,999.
The Realme 5 brings quad-rear cameras, massive 5,000mAh battery, reasonably-powerful Snapdragon 665 chip and cool prism-inspired design for a starting price of Rs 8,999. For Rs 1,000 more, the Realme 5s (with a 48MP main camera) is also worth a look.

Samsung – Galaxy M30s and Galaxy A50

Because of the fierce competition from Chinese brands, Samsung completely revamped its A-series and also introduced its new M-series. However, Samsung’s software optimisation on its cheaper phones remains a hit or miss.
Anyway, from 2019 phones, the Samsung M30s is definitely worth a look because its packs a gigantic 6,000mAh battery (with fast charging) and an AMOLED display for a starting price of Rs 13,999.
Another good Samsung option to consider is the A50, which starts at Rs 16,999 and brings a very bright & vivid AMOLED display and a decent Exynos 9610 chip. The A50 was followed by the disappointing A50s in late 2019.

Vivo – Z1 Pro and Z1x

In general, Vivo is not known for its value for money smartphones. However, the Z-series which the company introduced in 2019 actually scores very well in the value department.
The Vivo Z1 Pro, for instance, is the only smartphone in this list with a hole punch display. It also gets a big 5,000mAh battery and a capable Snapdragon 712 chipset. It starts at Rs 12,990, which, for the kit on offer, makes it a really good deal.
The Z1x, on the other hand, is a slightly premium version of the Z1 Pro which comes with an AMOLED screen, in-display fingerprint reader and fast 22.5W charging, however, it trades the hole punch for a conventional waterdrop-style notch. It starts at Rs 15,990.

Other brands

Two other influential brands, Oppo and Honor, also launched some good phones in 2019. However, Oppo mid-range phones are generally overshadowed by those of its sister brand Realme. Honor is currently not launching many phones due to its troubles with USA-based companies (it cannot use Google services as of now).
2019 was not a very good year for Nokia. It launched a few mid-range smartphones, but they failed to get much attention and were completely overshadowed by competing Chinese phones.

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