When you’re looking for an affordable smartphone, you’re bound to have a lot of choices. The segment of phones under a price band of Rs. 15,000 is generally considered the fastest moving segment in the smartphone industry.
It also is the segment where users get the best value for money - hence with the number of options available, users are often spoilt for choice.
Unfortunately, the price increase due to various reasons including chipset shortage, GST components and supply chain constraints and others - this segment isn't as competitive as earlier. As a result, you'd find more action in the sub-Rs. 20,000 price range.
While there have been a few launches over the past few months, very few devices can be considered replacements to the existing list. Some smartphones have been added to the list if you factor in the exchange discounts that could lower the price. Surprisingly, we're slowly seeing companies offer features like AMOLED and pOLED displays too on their devices.
The current list has phones from Xiaomi, Realme, Motorola and Poco offering features like a large display that is apt for gaming and multimedia consumption, a large battery with support for fast charging, a more than capable camera setup and a powerful CPU at the core. Of late, even a display with a high refresh rate has also become a core requirement for users looking to buy an affordable Android phone.
If you’re ok to shell out a bit extra, do check out our list of phones under Rs. 20,000, in case a camera on a phone is your primary requirement then we have a list for the same too. Last but not the least, we’ve also listed out phones for people who are looking for affordable 5G phones.
The Redmi Note lineup has offered excellent value for money devices and the Redmi Note 11 is no exception. It has an excellent display, offers good performance and has reliable battery life. As for the optics, the quad-camera setup comprising of a 50MP primary sensor, an 8MP, and a couple of 2MP sensors takes care of the optics part. This rear camera module performs well in the daylight though struggles a bit in low light. Selfies come out just above average here.
In terms of battery life, the device packs a 5000 mAh battery and will easily last a day. Moreover, Redmi is now offering a 33W fast charger in the box – which means juicing up this battery is also not a major hurdle. The Redmi Note 11 has an AMOLED panel and is easily one of the best-looking phones in the segment.
Motorola added a good budget phone in the segment with the launch of the Moto G40 Fusion in India. The Moto G40 Fusion is powered by a capable Snapdragon 732G processor which is among the best gaming chipsets in the segment. In addition, you also get a big 6.8-inch 120Hz LCD screen with HDR10 certification - which makes gaming and content consumption a delight.
In terms of battery life, the device also packs in a massive 6,000mAh battery which should last a couple of days. But for charging the device, you will have to settle for a 20W fast charging, which takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes.
The device runs on near-stock Android 11 out of the box and in the camera department, you get a 48MP main camera on the back and a 16MP selfie camera.
One the first smartphones in the country to ever feature a pOLED display, the Moto G52 can be a good steal at the right price. You may be able to bring down the price of the 6GB RAM variant from Rs 16,499 by exchanging your older device.
The 6.6-inch 90Hz FullHD+ pOLED display provides a similar experience as an OLED display. The advantage is that the panel is slimmer and lightweight. This helps to reduce the bezels around the display and also reduce the overall weight of the device.
The smartphone also features a 50MP primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide camera and a 2MP macro lens as well. You also get Motorola's My UX based on Android 12. All of the hardware is powered by a 5,000 mAh battery pack with support for 33W fast charging.
Samsung Galaxy M32 was Samsung’s first budget device to come with a Super AMOLED display and a high refresh rate. The phone sports a 6.4-inch Full HD Plus Super AMOLED display along with a 90Hz refresh rate. The Samsung Galaxy M32 is packed with a massive 6,000mAh battery. However, the company is offering a 15W fast charger in the box though the phone supports 25W fast charging.
For optics though, the Galaxy M32 sports a 64 MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 2MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor. You get a 20MP selfie shooter on the front, which is placed inside a dew-drop notch. For performance, the Samsung Galaxy M32 is powered by a MediaTek Helio G80 一 which is probably the weakest link of the device.
If you are someone who is looking out for a unique looking smartphone, the Poco M4 Pro is the one to go for. It comes with a new design and some eye-popping colour options.
The two-tone design is one of the key selling points of this phone. In terms of display, the Poco M4 Pro 5G sports a 6.6-inch Full HD Plus LCD panel with a 90Hz refresh rate.
The Poco M4 Pro is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 810 chipset and succeeds the Poco M3 Pro that came last year. In terms of optics, the Poco M4 Pro 5G sports a 50MP primary camera coupled with an 8MP macro sensor. For selfies, the phone comes with an 16MP camera.
Lastly, the device packs a 5,000mAh battery with support for 33W charging. The phone ships with Android 11-based MIUI 12.5.
The Realme 9i is one of the many phones introduced by the company under the Realme 9 lineup. It comes with up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage which can be further expanded via a micro SD card. The Realme 9i comes with a 6.6-inch LCD display with a 90Hz screen refresh rate and Full HD Plus resolution.
The device draws power from a 5,000mAh battery unit which is backed by a 33W fast charging. In the camera department, the Realme 9i sports a 50MP main camera, a 2MP mono lens, and a 2MP macro shooter.
Selfies are handled by a 16MP punch-hole camera on the front. However, the camera is not the best in the segment and the device also misses out on a wide-angle camera.
Out of all the existing T1 series smartphones from Vivo, the T1 44W makes its entry into this list. The smartphone features a 6.44-inch AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. The Vivo T1 and T1x both come with the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 chipset. The chipset is a capable budget chipset and will be able to handle most day-to-day tasks.
In terms of the camera specifications, you get a 50MP primary lens, a 2MP macro lens and another 2MP bokeh lens. The smartphone runs on Funtouch OS 12 based on Android 12 which may be the major downside for anyone who wants a good Android experience.
The smartphone gets a 5,000 mAh battery pack and will get a 44W charger in the box. It is capable of charging the device to 50% in 28 minutes.
