Budget smartphones take up more than 90 percent of Indian smartphone market. While all the hype and rumours usually hover around flagships, it doesn’t really penetrate the Indian audience numbers. Good phones are getting cheap and cheap phones are getting good – as mentioned by Marquese Brownlee (MKBHD), it is probably the best way we can define the current scenario of budget smartphone category in India. While the threshold for a budget smartphone tends to increase every year, today, we have got you top 5 smartphones you can buy for Rs 15,000 or less.
Note that, the price for all the smartphones mentioned below might change over time, so this list is strictly based on the prices at the time of writing this story.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
There have been a bunch of new smartphones launched underRs 15,000 price point since Xiaomi launched its Redmi Note 4 back in January 2017, however, none of them has really managed to outgun it. The sheer traction and trust which Xiaomi has built over time helped the Note 4 to top the list from the beginning. The Redmi Note 4 comes in three variants i.e. 4GB RAM + 64GB internal storage variant which is priced at Rs 12,999, 3GB RAM + 32GB internal storage variant priced at Rs 10,999 and for 2GB RAM + 32GB internal storage model one has to pay Rs 9,999. Here is the complete list of specifications.
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>Display5.5-inch full HD (1920 x 1080) 2.5D curved glass
>Processor 2.0 GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 625 Processor with Adreno 506 GPU
>RAM/Internal Storage 2GB RAM/16GB | 3GB RAM/32GB | 4GB RAM/64GB
>Battery 4100 mAh Non Removable
>Camera 13-MP Rear + 5-MP Front
>Android 6.0 Marshmallow (to be upgraded to 7.0 Nougat)
>Connectivity 4G with VoLTE, Bluetooth 4.2, WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), GPS, Micro USB 2.0
>Additional Features Fingerprint Scanner (Rear Mounted), Dual Apps, Second Space
>Colours Gray, Gold, Black
>Dimensions 151 x 76 x 8.35mm | Weight 175 g
Huawei Honor 6X
Probably the first budget oriented dual-camera smartphone, Huawei’s Honor 6X is the device to choose, if the camera is your priority. Recently launched Lenovo’s K8 Note might be a tough competition to the Honor 6X, but, it’s too early to make a conclusion as of now. Also launched in January 2017, Honor 6X didn’t quite pick up initially, however, it has gradually come out as a winner for the Chinese smartphone giant. The main highlight, as mentioned before, is the rear mounted dual camera setup consisting a 12-megapixel sensor and a 2-megapixel sensor, primarily for adding natural bokeh effect. Currently, the 4GB RAM variant of Honor 6X is available for Rs 12,999 on Amazon India.
>Display 5.5-inch full HD (1920 x 1080) 2.5D curved glass
>Processor 2.1 GHz Kirin 655 Octa-Core Processor with Mali-T830MP2 GPU
>RAM/Internal Storage 3GB RAM/32GB | 4GB RAM/64GB
>Battery 3340 mAh Non Removable
>Camera 13MP + 2MP Rear | 8MP Front
>Android 6.0 Marshmallow (upgradable to Android 7.0 Nougat) EMUI 5.0
>Connectivity 4G, Bluetooth 4.1, WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), GPS, Micro USB 2.0
>Additional Features Fingerprint Scanner (Rear Mounted)
>Colours Gray, Gold, Silver
>Dimensions 150.9 x 76.2 x 8.2 mm| Weight 162 g
Lenovo Z2 Plus
Lenovo’s Z2 Plus was already one of the most underpriced smartphones for it specifications but a poor camera performance actually took the wave of customers to potential alternatives. However, thanks to constant price drops, the device is currently available for just Rs 10,999 on Amazon India. For that price, if you want the flagship specifications and are not considering your next buy to be photography friendly, the Z2 Plus should be in your basket. Besides, the device is also more compact than most of the devices in the market.
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>Display 5-inch full HD (1920 x 1080)
>Processor 2.15 GHz Quad-Core Snapdragon 820 Processor with Adreno 530 GPU
>RAM/Internal Storage 3GB RAM/32GB | 4GB RAM/64GB
>Battery 3500 mAh Non Removable
>Camera 13MP f/2.2 Rear | 8MP f/2.0 Front
>Android 6.0 Marshmallow (upgradable to Android 7.0 Nougat) ZUI 2.5
>Connectivity 4G, Bluetooth 4.1, WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), GPS, USB Type C
>Additional Features Fingerprint Scanner (Front Mounted)
>Colours: Matte Black
>Dimensions 141.65 x 68.88 x 8.45 mm | Weight 149 g
Moto E4 Plus
2017 has been a pretty busy year for Motorola so far. The company has already introduced 6 smartphones of which one of the recent addition was the Moto E4 Plus. A smartphone that banks heavily on battery, the Moto E4 Plus packs in a 5000 mAh battery and is just priced at Rs 9,999. The device also boasts a metallic build and takes a lot cues from the Moto G5. Baring the behemoth battery, Moto E4 Plus is also not bad in terms of other specifications. Further, we get Motorola’s near Stock Android experience which is always an added advantage, especially if you prefer vanilla over skinned Android. Other specs for the Moto E4 Plus include:
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>Display 5.5-inch HD (1080 x 720 pixels)
>Processor 1.3 GHz Quad-Core MediaTek MT6737 with Mali-T720
>RAM/Internal Storage 3GB RAM/16GB | 3GB RAM/32GB
>Battery 5000 mAh Non-Removable
>Camera 13MP f/2.0 Rear | 5MP f/2.2 Front
>Android 7.1 Nougat
>Connectivity 4G, Bluetooth 4.2, WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), GPS, Micro USB 2.0
>Additional Features Fingerprint Scanner (Front Mounted)
>Colours: Iron Gray, Fine Gold, Oxford Blue
>Dimensions 155 x 77.5 x 9.6 mm | Weight 198 g
Samsung Galaxy On Nxt
Samsung, which once ruled the budget smartphone market has` recently struggled to attract the masses. The recent wave of Chinese smartphone manufacturers coupled with some aggressive price strategy has somewhat diversified the budget smartphone market. Yet, Samsung doesn’t seem to have lost any ground. Last year’s Samsung Galaxy On Nxt boasts some impressive specifications coupled with Samsung’s reliable camera performance. The device is currently available for just Rs 14,900 and is a steal deal, in our opinion. If you are wondering about the detailed specs, here they are.
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>Display 5.5-inch Full HD (1080 x 1920 pixels)
>Processor 1.6 GHz Octa-Core Exynos 7870
>RAM/Internal Storage 3GB RAM/64GB
>Battery 3300 mAh Non Removable
>Camera 13MP f/1.9 Rear | 8MP f/1.9 Front
>Android Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
>Connectivity 4G, Bluetooth 4.1, WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), GPS, Micro USB 2.0
>Additional Features Fingerprint Scanner (Front Mounted)
>Colours: Black, Gold, Rose Gold
>Dimensions 151.7 x 75 x 8mm | Weight 167 g