Premium smartphones have their glamour in the plethora of features they come with, however, what really wins the market in terms of overall share and popularity is the budget segment. Now, a budget segment tends to vary from person to person depending on their preferences which are directly aligned with the features and price. A sub-Rs 15K smartphone is considered a budget smartphone these days, however, that doesn’t apply to the masses. A lot of customers in India still don’t want to go beyond Rs 7,000 mark. So in this era of flagship handsets, if you are looking to buy a smartphone under Rs 7,000, read through to find out which smartphones managed to fit in our this week’s top 5.
Xiaomi Redmi 4 – Rs 6,999
Well, this was an obvious pick here. After thrashing the entire budget segment with Redmi 3S and 3S Prime last year, Xiaomi launched it’s Redmi 4 earlier in May this year. The smartphone is the successor the Redmi 3S and comes in three variants. Due to price constraints, the 2GB/16GB variant falls under today’s price bracket. Apart from an expected poor software update cycle, Xiaomi Redmi 4 ticks all the right boxes. To buy one, you will have to be quick on your fingers as the smartphone is known to get ‘out of stock’ in seconds on Amazon India where the company is currently selling the device. Here are the detailed specifications for the Redmi 4 –
>Display 5-inch HD (720 x 1280 pixels) with 2.5D curved glass
>Processor 1.4 GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 435 Processor with Adreno 505 GPU
>RAM/Internal Storage 2GB RAM/16GB | 3GB RAM/32GB | 4GB RAM/64GB
>Battery 4100 mAh Non Removable
>Camera 13-MP Rear f/2.0 + 5-MP Front f/2.2
>Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with MIUI 8
>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 139.2 x 70 x 8.7 mm| Weight 150 g
Moto C Plus – Rs 6,999
If Xiaomi is not your taste and you are inclined more towards stock Android, Motorola’s latest offering – Moto C Plus has the potential to become your next favourite budget smartphone. Available at Rs 6,999 on Flipkart, the smartphone banks heavily on its 4000 mAh battery and the design, which it has borrowed from the Moto G5, along with the software which has highly been appreciated for its close resemblance to stock Android. Stock Android also means you get Google Assistant right out of the box as the device runs on Android 7.0 Nougat. Also, Motorola has a solid reputation for rolling out timely software updates and you don’t have to queue up, unlike the one from Xiaomi, to buy the Moto C Plus.
>Display 5-inch HD (720 x 1280 pixels) with 2.5D curved glass
>Processor 1.3 GHz Quad-Core MediaTek MT6737 processor with Mali-T720MP2
>RAM/Internal Storage 2GB RAM/16GB
>Battery 4000 mAh Non-Removable
>Camera 8 MP Rear f/2.2 + 2 MP Front f/2.9
>Android 7.0 Nougat
>Connectivity 4G with VoLTE, Bluetooth 4.2, WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), GPS, Micro USB 2.0
>Additional Features Decent build quality, Google Assistant
>Colours Metallic Cherry, Pearl White, Fine Gold, Starry Black
>Dimensions 144 x 72.3 x 10 mm| Weight 162 g
Samsung Galaxy On5 – Rs 6,999
This device was hovering in and out while we are picking our top 5 for today, however, its sheer popularity among customers and Samsung’s brand value pushed it on this list. Samsung Galaxy On5 comes with an MRP of Rs 8,990 but is currently available on Flipkart for Rs 6,990. Although a sub-standard 1.5GB RAM with Samsung’s sluggish software might be a problem for some, the Galaxy On5 promises to be a decent overall buy under Rs 7,000 price point. Also, an added advantage here is a dedicated microSD card slot which has become a rarity after the introduction of dual hybrid SIM slots. Here are the detailed specifications-
>Display 5-inch HD (720 x 1280 pixels)
>Processor 1.3 GHz Exynos 3475 processor with Mali-T720MP1
>RAM/Internal Storage 1.5GB RAM/8GB | Expandable upto 128GB (dedicated slot)
>Battery 2600 mAh Non Removable
>Camera 8 MP Rear + 5 MP Front
>Android 6.0 Marshmallow
>Connectivity 4G with VoLTE, Bluetooth 4.1, WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), GPS, Micro USB
>Colours Black, Gold, White
>Dimensions 142.3 x 72.1 x 8.5 mm| Weight 149 g
Note – Samsung Galaxy On5 Pro which is priced at just Rs 7,490 will give you 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage making it a better choice any day.
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Infocus Turbo 5 – Rs 6,999
If battery life is on top of your priority list for your next smartphone, Infocus Turbo 5 could possibly be the best option under Rs 7,000. The device comes with a massive 5000 mAh non-removable battery inside and also doesn’t shy in terms of other specifications. The 16GB variant is priced at Rs 6,999 while the 32GB variant is priced at Rs 7,999 on Amazon India. The company has also given in the latest Android 7.0 Nougat inside which means you do get Google Assistant baked in. However, we are not sure about the future software updates.
>Display 5.2-inch HD (720 x 1280 pixels) with 2.5D Curved Glass
>Processor 1.25 GHz MediaTek MTK 6737 processor with Mali-T720MP1
>RAM/Internal Storage 2GB RAM/16GB | Expandable upto 32GB
>Battery 5000 mAh Non Removable
>Camera 13 MP f/2.2 Rear + 5 MP f/2.2 Front
>Android 7.0 Nougat
>Connectivity 4G with VoLTE, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), GPS, Micro USB 2.0
>Colours Glittering Gold, Mocha Gold
>Additional Features Fingerprint Scanner (Rear Mounted)
>Dimensions 150 x 74 x 9 mm| Weight 163 g
Micromax Evok Power – Rs 6,999
In the midst of the controversial Dual 5 and Yu Yureka Black, Micromax also launched a couple of other smartphones named Evok Note and Evok Power. The Evok Power, which is of our interest today, is priced at Rs 6,999 and share a lot of specifications with most of the other options mentioned in this list. The device scores decent marks in the battery department, build quality and also sports a fingerprint scanner at the back. It still runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which is, of course, a drawback in 2017, but you will not get a better device in this price range from an Indian smartphone manufacturer.
>Display 5.0-inch HD (720 x 1280 pixels)
>Processor 1.3 GHz MediaTek MTK 6737 processor with Mali-T720MP1
>RAM/Internal Storage 2GB RAM/16GB | Expandable upto 32GB(Hybrid)
>Battery 4000 mAh Non Removable
>Camera 8 MP Rear + 5 MP Front
>Android 6.0 Marshmallow
>Connectivity 4G with VoLTE, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), GPS, Micro USB 2.0
>Colours Champagne Gold
>Additional Features Fingerprint Scanner (Rear Mounted)
>Dimensions 144.3 x 72.4 x 9.7 mm| Weight 167 g