💰 Need a good phone under 20k, tired of reading reviews

My phone has started lagging even with basic apps, and switching between apps reloads everything. So I'm looking for a phone under 20k that doesn't fall apart on performance. I'd rather hear from people who've used one than read another review. Every review online praises whatever phone it's reviewing. They all sound equally glowing to me. I mostly use it for messaging, social media, and a bit of casual gaming. Nothing heavy. I just want it to handle a few apps open without stuttering. Camera isn't a big deal for me. Decent photos are fine, I'm not a photographer. What matters is how smooth it stays after a year or 2, not how it feels on day 1. Every new phone feels fast in the first month. That honeymoon period is what reviews measure. I want to know what it's like in month 14, when the storage is full and the updates have piled up. Battery matters too, since I'm away from a charger for most of the day. I'd take solid all round over one great feature with everything else being mediocre. If you've owned a phone in this range for over a year, please tell me which one. What's it like now? Does it still open apps quickly, and how's the battery holding up? Is there anything you'd avoid in this price range? I don't mind an older model if the price drops. I'll read every reply properly, I promise, even the ones that disagree with each other.

Had a Redmi in this range for almost two years now, still handles daily use fine though it does show its age a bit during heavier multitasking with several apps open at once.

in ₹20k, I'd prioritize the chipset and overall software experience over camera specs. I've generally had better experiences with Motorola, Nothing, and Redmi/POCO in this range, depending on the model. If you share what matters most, gaming, battery, or everyday use, I can narrow it down. Also worth checking how many years of software updates the brand commits to at this price point, some budget phones get abandoned faster than others which affects long term value.

Under 20k, I'd look at Poco, iQOO and Motorola if smooth performance is what you need.