Most hardware design marvels happen for top of the line flagship handsets. That is why we see the slimmest and lightest smartphones sold at hefty prices. Stubby, heavy and soap-box like phones were mostly pushed in the mid-range segment. Thankfully, now the mid-range segment is getting experimental and colourful.
This week, we bring you five handsets that measure just under 9 mm in terms of thickness and also cost less than Rs 20,000 to suit your budget. Slim phones are usually light, easy to slide into the pocket and comfortable to use. However, for the first time we are making an exception to the list and adding one 10 mm device because it is powerful and beats other models when it comes to performance. Take a look at the top five slim Android smartphones costing just under Rs 20,000.
Micromax Canvas 4 A210
Micromax has recently announced the 5 inch IPS LCD display bearing Canvas 4 A210 smartphone. This smartphone has native 1280 x 720 pixel resolution and its display has been constructed using Corning Gorilla Glass technology. Micromax has used a quad core 1.2 GHz Mediatek mobile processor with 1 GB RAM to run Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update smoothly.
The processor combines with a PowerVR SGX544 mobile processor. At the rear lies a 13 megapixel camera with LED flash and autofocus. This camera is capable of recording full 1080p HD video along with face-smile detection, HDR and panorama clicking modes. It also has a 5 megapixel front facing wide-angle camera that supports 720p HD video. Other features include FM radio, WiFi, 3G network support, A-GPS support, and has a Li-ion 2000 mAh battery to offer better run time. Do read our thoughts in the Canvas 4 A210 review.
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Celkon A118 Signature HD
Celkon also joined the 5 inch smartphone bandwagon with A118 Signature HD. Just 9 mm thick, the Celkon A118 Signature HD features a 720p HD resolution 5 inch IPS LCD display. The smartphone packs a quad core 1.2 GHz Mediatek processor with 1 GB RAM to power Android 4.2 Jelly Bean but it offers only 4 GB internal storage.
Thankfully, there is a Memory card slot to add up to a 32 GB micro SD card. At the rear, this phone has an 8 megapixel camera with LED flash and auto focus. In the front lies a 3 megapixel camera for video calling. It features dual SIM configuration to hold the 3G and 2G network SIMs together. Other features include WiFi, FM radio, GPS with A-GPS, and a 2000 mAh battery.
Gionee Elife E3
Gionee has offered a 4.7 inch IPS LCD display smartphone Elife E3 with native 720p HD display support. At merely 7.9 mm slim the Elife E3 smartphone packs a quad core 1.2 GHz Mediatek mobile processor with 1 GB RAM to power Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. By default, this smartphone offers 16 GB on-board storage, which is fantastic, and a Memory card slot to hold up to a 32 GB micro SD card. It features Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi, FM radio, and offers full HD video recording with its 8 megapixel camera and autofocus, as well as LED flash at the back. 
It has a 2 megapixel camera in the front for video calling and can click full HD images. This dual SIM handset also supports dual standby function. Gionee has packed a mere 1800 mAh battery with this device, which may not be enough for power users.
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Xolo Q1000
Xolo also joined the 5 inch display+quad core processor race with its Q1000 smartphone. Measuring 8.8 mm thin, it supports dual SIM configuration with 3G network SIM in one slot and 2G network SIM in another. The Q1000 has a 5 inch IPS LCD display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution to support great quality images. It is powered by a quad core 1.2 GHz Mediatek mobile processor with 1 GB RAM and 4 GB on-board storage space. At the rear, it has an 8 megapixel camera with Autofocus and LED flash to click high quality images in a variety of modes such as HDR. The front facing 1.2 megapixel camera supports video calling. 
There is a memory card slot that features Bluetooth 4.0 along with WiFi and FM radio. Xolo has offered a 2100 mAh battery, which is good enough to provide Talk time of about 10 hours even on 3G.
Spice Stellar Pinnacle Pro mi-535
This is apparently the only device that is over 10 mm but we are calling it slim based on several factors including performance. Spice Pinnacle Pro mi-535 is actually the upgraded edition of Spice Stellar Pinnacle. The Stellar Pinnacle Pro features a 5.3 inch LCD display with native qHD (960 x 540 pixel) resolution.
It supports dual SIM configuration and has a 1.2 GHz quad core Mediatek processor, 1 GB RAM and 16 GB built in memory. There is a memory card slot to hold up to 32 GB through a micro SD card. Spice provides Android 4.2 Jelly Bean preloaded on this device and offers an improved wide angle 5 megapixel front facing camera. At the rear, it has an 8 megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash. Other features include WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, and a Micro USB port.
It also has a Li-Polymer battery with 2550 mAh rating that claims to provide over four hours of talktime, which is fair considering that it supports dual 3G network SIM configuration. Yes, this Dual-SIM smartphone supports two 3G network SIM modules. Read our experience with the Pinnacle Pro here.
We also considered the freshly launched iBerry Auxus N1. But since we have not reviewed it yet, we were a little hesitant about adding it to this list.