Mobile gaming has become one of the fastest growing industries in India. According to a recent study by KPMG, the Indian mobile gaming industry raked in over INR 13,600 crore in revenue last year and it is expected to reach INR 29,000 crore in the next year or two.
India has over 750 million smartphone users and is projected to reach 1 billion smartphone users by 2026. At the current adoption rate, India is witnessing an unprecented growth in the mobile gaming sector. For instance, India accounted for 25% of the downloads for PUBG mobile game, with over 50 million active users per month. Not to mention, there are now over 920 gaming start-ups and over 100 million active users on YouTube gaming in India.
Needless to say, mobile gaming has become more mainstream and as a result, smartphones capable of achieving decent gaming performance have become much cheaper. You don't really need a flagship smartphone to enjoy the latest mobile games like Battlegrounds Mobile India or Apex Legends Mobile.
You can find pretty decent smartphones with powerful chipsets capable of delivering 30fps at medium to high settings under INR 20,000. These phones can also deliver 60fps in some select games like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang for example.
We have compiled a list of five android phones under INR 20,000 that can provide a decent gaming experience. We have chosen phones that have a powerful SoC, good battery life, fast-charging support, high refresh rate displays and efficient RAM.
This phone comes with a powerful Snapdragon 778G chipset and that alone makes it a great option for your gaming needs. It also comes with a 6.6 inch FHD+ 144 Hz display, 8GB RAM and 5000 mAh battery.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| 144Hz refresh rate | No Stereo Speakers |
| 30W Fast Charging option | Average camera performance |
| Excellent battery life | Low display brightness |
| Snapdragon 778G processor | Selfie camera is average |
| Widevine L1 support | Low-light photography is weak |
| 3.5mm audio jack | LCD display |
This smartphone comes with Snapdragon 695 SoC, 5000mAh battery, OxygenOS 12 and a triple camera setup. It comes in 6GB/8GB RAM with 128GB internal storage options and features a 6.59-inches IPS LCD display panel with support for 120Hz refresh rate.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| 120Hz refresh rate | No Stereo Speakers |
| 33W Fast Charging support | Average camera performance |
| Excellent battery life | Screen brightness is average |
| Snapdragon 695 SoC | Build quality is average |
| Supports six 5G bands | Low-light photography is bad |
| Android 12 out of the box | LCD Display |
| Widevine L1 support | Ultra-Wide Lens is missing |
| 3.5mm audio jack | Average selfie camera |
The Moto G82 5G is a good option for regular day-to-day usage as well as heavy gaming. It is powered by the Snapdragon 695 chipset and features an excellent 6.6-inches FHD+ pOLED Display with support for 120Hz refresh rate. It also has a 5,000 mAh Battery with 33W fast charging support. It is also the only phone to come with optical image stabilisation (OIS) in this price segment.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| 120Hz 10-bit pOLED Panel | A bit expensive |
| 33W Fast Charging support | Hybrid SIM slot |
| Excellent battery life | Side-mounted fingerprint sensor |
| Snapdragon 695 SoC | Build quality is decent |
| Clean Android experience | Low-light photography is average |
| Android 12 OS out of the box | No 4K video recording |
| Widevine L1 support | Ultra-wide lens is missing |
| 3.5mm audio jack | Average selfie camera |
| Optical Image Stabilization | Issues with the dynamic range |
| Dual Stereo Speakers |
The Poco X3 Pro is hands down the most powerful gaming device in this price segment simply because of the Snapdragon 860 chipset under its hood. Along with the powerful flagship processor, the phone also features 120Hz IPS LCD display, 8GB RAM/128GB of fast UFS 3.1 storage, 5,160 mAh battery with 33W fast charging support.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Excellent gaming performance | Average camera performance |
| 33W Fast Charging support | Bad UI experience |
| Great battery life | Very bulky and heavy |
| Snapdragon 860 SoC | Build quality is okay |
| 120Hz refresh and HDR10 support | Low-light photography is average |
| 3.5mm audio jack | No 5G support |
| Stereo Speakers | Average selfie camera |
The iQOO Z3 5G is one of the most-balanced offerings in this price segment with a powerful Snapdragon 768G 5G processor. It also features a 6.58-inches LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a 4,400 mAh battery with massive 55W fast charging support.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Excellent gaming performance | Average camera performance |
| 55W Fast Charging support | Lot of bloatware |
| Great battery life | Very old design |
| Powerful Snapdragon 768G SoC | Build quality is okay |
| 120Hz screen refresh rate | Low-light photography is average |
| 3.5mm audio jack | No AMOLED display |
| No Stereo Speakers |