Budget Buys: The Top 5 Smartphones Priced Under Rs 15,000

Looking for a sub-15K smartphone with the best performance, camera, battery and storage? This list has you sorted.

Under-15k handsets are always in demand. (Photo: The Quint)

Budget smartphones are always high on demand in India. Nobody wants to spend more than Rs 15,000 on a phone that, let’s be honest, will be their aankhon ka tara for a year at best.

And with brands like Xiaomi and Moto generating a buzz in the below-15,000 price segment every year, buyers have moved on from their affinity for Samsung and the other so-called big brands.

As someone who’s in the business of writing about phones, I get a lot of queries from would-be buyers about handsets priced under 15K.

So, to answer those questions, here’s a compact list that everyone in the market should definitely give a read.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4. (Photo: The Quint/@2shar)

With the Redmi Note 4, Xiaomi has brought out a phone that, to a large extent, rides on the coattails of the Note 3 but refines the user experience in many small yet discernible ways. You also get a phone that lasts long, helped by the 4100 mAh battery.

With the Note 4, Xiaomi has given us a device that’s relevant and competitive in 2017, without messing around too much though.

Price: Rs 12,999/Rs 14,999

Also Read: Review: Redmi Note 4 Is Xiaomi’s New Budget Benchmark

Moto G5 Plus

The Moto G5 Plus is a metallic upgrade of last year’s Moto G4 Plus. (Photo: The Quint)

The Lenovo-Moto combine recently unveiled the all-metal Moto G5 Plus. The latest Moto offering should be your pick if what you want a sorted, balanced phone which has good build quality and a refined software experience, not to mention the big design differentiator I mentioned.

It’s also the phone that’s more likely to be in stock if you should suddenly decide to make a purchase.

Price: Rs 14,999/Rs 16,999

Also Read: Moto G5 Plus Review: This All-Metal Phone Offers Balance And Style

Lenovo Z2 Plus

The Lenovo Z2 Plus. (Photo: The Quint/@2shar)

Lenovo’s Z2 Plus is still a contender in this segment, and the only phone among its rivals that packs in a Snapdragon 820 processor. For a phone priced under 15K, you get a compact device, with an efficient though okay-ish camera. The Z2 Plus is a pale imitation of the iPhone 5, but honestly, that’s not a bad thing at all.

It used to be a OnePlus 3 and Asus ZenFone 3 rival, though the price drop has made the Lenovo handset even more appealing.

Price: Rs 14,999

Also Read: Review: Lenovo Has Played All the Right Cards With the Z2 Plus

Asus Zenfone 3S Max

The Coolpad Cool 1. (Photo: Shiv Kumar Maurya/The Quint)

Asus ZenFone 3S Max is a smaller variant of the ZenFone 3 Max. For Rs 14,999, the ZenFone 3S Max is a battery contender that is right up there with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 and the Honor 6X. If battery is your primary concern, then the ZenFone 3S Max is the phone for you.

Price: Rs 14,999

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3S Max Review: Just Another Long Battery Warhorse?

Huawei Honor 6X

The Huawei Honor 6X. (Photo: The Quint)

The only phone in this range that packs in a dual camera, the Honor 6X is the younger sibling of the Honor 8. For under 15K though, you get a decent package. As for the camera, it doesn’t exactly wow you, but gets the work done effectively.

Price: Rs 12,999/Rs 15,999

Also Read: Huawei Honor 6X - Dual Lens Camera Phone for Everybody