If you’re planning to gift someone their first-ever smartphone, then you can have a look at our guide for entry-level Android phones. The following list includes devices that can be used as your secondary phone or a device for that teenager at home or your grandparents who may not have tried touchscreen smartphones to date.
The market for affordable phones in India is growing aggressively and almost every brand is launching value-for-money devices below Rs.10,000. Most importantly, these phone makers are aware of their budget-conscious consumers.
Hence, these new-age affordable smartphones are quite capable and come with exciting features - including an HD Plus display, multiple cameras, and robust battery capacity. Some of the latest smartphones here also come with high refresh rate displays of up to 90Hz.
You can also expect a good build, fingerprint sensor, and even fast charging in this price segment. While these can’t compete with the biggies in the market, they can still offer reasonably good performance for regular usage. The chipsets used are effective enough to let the user multitask and take good pictures.
This price segment includes all the 4G capable low-cost phones. Note that the 5G hasn’t gone fully commercial and it will take longer for the services to penetrate tier-3 cities and rural areas of the country where the sale of entry-level phones is considerably high.
There is no dearth of choices when it comes to buying an affordable smartphone in this price segment. However, finding the best ones could become a tad overwhelming. That’s why we have compiled a list containing the best options that you can decide to buy. The list includes phones from Samsung, Moto, Realme and Poco.
- Best smartphones under Rs 12,000
- Best smartphones under Rs 7,000
- Best affordable 5G phones under Rs 20,000
Motorola's Moto G22 is the company's entry-level G-series smartphone. Like any smartphone in this budget, it may be the best device for multitasking. However, the Moto G22 is a smartphone for someone who needs a device for basic messaging and calling purposes.
While the smartphone doesn’t come with the best hardware for mind-blowing intense performance, it can make do for basic internet browsing too. Smartphones in this price range struggle to provide superfast and smooth performance. Multitasking may not be lightning fast like devices priced under Rs 15,000.
Keeping the limitations of the chipset and the rest of the hardware, the smartphone will last you for a good two days. The battery is efficient and you get a 20W fast charger as well. Additionally, you get the latest Android 12 out of the box.
The Poco M2 Reloaded is the Poco M2 but with 4GB of RAM and a lower price tag. It is powered by MediaTek Helio G80 chipset, an eight-core chipset built on the 12nm process.
In terms of display, you are looking at a 6.53-inch IPS LCD display with Full HD+ resolution. The Poco M2 runs off a 5,000mah battery which supports 18W fast charging.
On the back, there is a quad-camera setup on the Poco M2 consisting of a 13MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 5MP macro shooter, and a 2MP depth sensor. Selfies are handled by an 8MP front camera. As for security, the device comes with a fingerprint scanner on the rear, located under the cameras.
While the smartphone may be priced a tad bit higher than Rs 10,000 at this time, you can take advantage of Flipkart's sale events for discounts and cashback.
The Samsung Galaxy F12 is primarily the Galaxy M12, but this one is only available on Flipkart and only comes in a 4GB/64GB option.
Rest everything seems to be the same - including the same Octa-core Exynos 850 SoC, 6000 mAh battery with 15W charging, Quad camera setup with a primary 48MP sensor.
In case you're loyal to Flipkart and want to purchase a phone below Rs. 10,000, then the Galaxy F12 could be an ideal device for you.
Motorola managed to contribute in the below Rs. 10,000 phone category this year with its E-series phone. The phone dubbed Moto E40 includes some interesting specifications for the price. It has an HD display with a 90Hz refresh. It is IP52 rated and has a dedicated Google Assistant button as well for quick assistance.
Under the hood, the phone is powered by an octa-core Unisoc T700 clocked at 1.8GHz, paired with 4GB RAM. The phone includes 64GB of onboard storage that can be expanded further using a microSD card.
It is fueled by a 5,000mAH battery, which is considerably large to run for longer usage. However, it doesn't include fast charging. The phone has received an overall good reception from those who bought it.
The Realme C31 is an affordable Android phone that is aimed at users looking to upgrade from a feature phone to a smartphone.
The phone comes with a large touch screen display, a triple camera setup at the back and a 5000 mAh battery that should ideally last for a day.
Powering the phone is a UniSoc T612 SoC that is coupled with up to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage
