The sub-Rs. 25,000 segment, better known as the lower-end of the mid-range, is a great place to start looking for an exciting smartphone. It is not only ideal for budget smartphone upgraders looking for something fancier, but also for first-time smartphone buyers looking to go whole hog into the world of smartphones. The mid-range is a rather exciting place to start shopping for someone's first smartphone, as it's more exciting than the rather restrictive and curtailed budget smartphone experience. There are also fancy designs with IP ratings, high-quality cameras that actually perform well, and jaw-dropping standing power with massive batteries.
Not all phones are built equal. But 2025 has been a rather exciting year to up the ante as Nothing disrupted the segment by launching its Phone 3a, which not only looks unique but also has three rear-facing cameras and an IP rating. Vivo's T4 5G offers the best battery life, but comes with some shortcomings. So, read on to know which could be your next smartphone. Samsung's Galaxy A26 did not make it to this guide, as all of Samsung's attempts to play catch-up with Chinese brands came up a bit too short.
| Phones under Rs. 25,000 | Gadgets 360 rating (out of 10) | Price in India (as recommended) |
|---|---|---|
| Motorola Edge 60 Fusion | 8 | Rs. 22,999 |
| Vivo T4 5G | 8 | Rs. 21,999 |
| iQOO Neo 10R | 8 | Rs. 23,800 |
| Nothing Phone 3a | 8 | Rs. 24,999 |
| Honor 200 | 8 | Rs. 23,999 |
| OnePlus Nord 4 | 8 | Rs. 26,999 |
Motorola's Edge 60 Fusion comes with some meaningful upgrades over its successor. The Fusion has a slim design with a “standard” 5,500mAh battery (compared to some of the other listings you will see below). Its slim design also offers some faux leather finishes, and these, along with the curved-edge display, do make the phone feel very premium.
Premium design aside, the phone offers good performance, which is also fine for some mid-level gaming. What we found very impressive, apart from its design and price tag, are its cameras. The Edge 60 Fusion impressed us with its daylight and low-light still imaging performance. Battery life is also excellent, considering its slim design. And if you do fall short on battery life, the phone comes bundled with a 68W charger in the box, offering fast charging.
Vivo's T4 5G did impress us with its graceful design, which felt very much like its premium siblings from the X series. Its massive battery dropped our jaws during the testing process. While squeezing that high-capacity 7,300mAh battery into a slim (7.9mm) and rounded package is nothing short of a miracle, it also has a premium-looking quad-curved display and weighs under 200 grams!
Qualcomm's Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 has been the go-to chip for most brands at this price point, and it does not disappoint on the Vivo T4 either, offering enough performance for everyday tasks and a bit of gaming. What did not impress us were its camera chops, which seemed to underperform compared to the competition. But if you are looking for a road warrior with grace, the buck stops at the Vivo T4.
If you are looking for a smartphone solely for playing games in this budget, you will be content with the iQOO Neo 10R. The mid-ranger retails just under Rs. 25,000 but offers a premium Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC. Whether it's BGMI, CODM or even Genshin Impact, this phone can handle it all, without breaking the bank.
Like most gamer-oriented phones, its cameras are decent but far from the best in the segment, and so, it's not the ideal choice if you have photography on your mind. At the same time, its 6,400mAh battery performs better than expected (1.5 days in our video loop test) and even charges up really fast at a blistering 80W.
Aside from the Motorola Edge 60 Fusion, the only other phone that wins in the looks department is the Nothing Phone 3a. It goes with Nothing's rather unique, transparent and retro-industrial design philosophy and this results in a cool-looking smartphone that looks strikingly different from your typical slab of glass. Add to this a cool IP64 rating for dust and water, and we have a winner.
But there's more. The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 and offers enough performance to smoothly run its Nothing OS software, which is also very unique compared to all the other Android skins from various manufacturers. And there's more! The phone also offers three rear-facing cameras, one of which is a 2X telephoto camera ideal for shooting portraits and close-ups, a rarity at this price point. Battery life is on point, but the Phone 3a is the only phone on this list which comes close to being an all-rounder.
A new entry in this segment is the Honor 200, which is a watered-down version of the Honor 200 Pro. The phone has a rather stylish and classy appearance with a uniquely styled camera module, but no official IP rating, which can be a deal breaker for some, especially given that all of the smartphones in this guide have one.
The Honor makes up for this with some interesting camera capabilities. Its primary camera performance is good both in daylight and low light, and just like the Nothing Phone 3a, we have a 2.5X optical telephoto camera, which is good for portraits and zooming in. Battery life is sorted as well with a new-age 5,200mAh silicon-carbon battery that will easily get you through a day of regular use and also supports 100W charging. The important bit about the Honor 200 is that it was launched as a high-end mid-ranger, but is now retailing from Rs. 23,999, making it a solid deal.
The OnePlus Nord 4 is actually priced a bit above Rs. 25,000. At a starting price of Rs. 26,999 (down from a previous Rs. 29,999), it offers a proper high-end mid-ranger for the price of a low-end model. It's already been replaced by the OnePlus Nord 5, but it's no slouch in terms of performance and even has a sleek all-metal unibody design, which appears minimalist and feels special because it's the only smartphone in existence to offer the same.
For a phone that's a year old, its performance remains quite impressive, thanks to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 SoC. The chipset is more than capable of handling everyday tasks, but can also run heavy 3D games like Genshin Impact with no issues. Cameras perform like a thoroughbred mid-ranger, and the 5,500mAh battery includes a 100W charger in the box, which takes just 33 minutes to fully charge. If you can afford its slightly higher price tag, grab this one before it goes out of stock!