In 2020, we saw most smartphone models released by the leading brands in India were mostly models priced below INR15000, showing that this segment still commands the market. In India’s entry-level handset market segment, Oppo’s sub-brand Realme and Transsion’s local brand had stronger on-year sales growths than most other vendors in 2020, enabled by their strategies of flooding the market with multiple different-spec models.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the Indian government raising goods and service tax (GST), India’s smartphone sales went down only slightly in 2020 compared to a year ago.
Smartphones with 5G support also entered the Indian market and are gradually becoming more price-friendly. The release of OnePlus’ Nord series 5G devices in the third quarter triggered a price decline in the entry-level segment. But 4G will remain the mainstream telecom technology in India in 2021-22, as 5G commercialization and infrastructure construction are still progressing slowly.
Given the growth of mobile commerce, it’s become increasingly important for ecommerce business owners to focus their efforts on mobile marketing. In order to understand how many people have smartphones, let’s look at the available smartphone user statistics.Latest figures show an increasing number of smartphone users year after year. In 2020, the number of global smartphone users is projected to total 3.5 billion, marking a 9.3 percent increase from 2019.
Today, one can get a phone with fast charging, good displays, big batteries, powerful processors and other perks in phones under 15,000. However, if you’re looking to buy a phone in this segment, the sheer amount of options can often be overwhelming.
Here is a curated list of the best phones in the segment under Rs 15,000
1.Realme C25 Rs. 9,999.
Realme C25 smartphone recently launched on 23rd March 2021. The phone comes with a 6.50-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 720×1600 pixels and an aspect ratio of 20:9. Realme C25 is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio G70 processor. It comes with 4GB of RAM. The Realme C25 runs Android 11 and is powered by a 6000mAh battery.
As far as the cameras are concerned, the Realme C25 on the rear packs a 13-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture; a 2-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture, and a 2-megapixel camera. The rear camera setup has autofocus. It sports an 8-megapixel camera on the front for selfies with an f/2.0 aperture.
The Realme C25 runs Realme UI 2.0 is based on Android 11 and packs 64GB of inbuilt storage that can be expanded via microSD card (up to 256GB) with a dedicated slot. The Realme C25 is a dual-SIM (GSM and GSM) smartphone that accepts Nano-SIM and Nano-SIM cards. The Realme C25 measures 164.50 x 75.90 x 9.60mm (height x width x thickness) and weighs 209.00 grams. It was launched in Watery Blue and Watery Grey colours.
Connectivity options on the Realme C25 include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS, Bluetooth v5.00, USB Type-C, 3G, and 4G (with support for Band 40 used by some LTE networks in India). Sensors on the phone include accelerometer, ambient light sensor, compass/ magnetometer, proximity sensor, and fingerprint sensor.
2. Redmi Note 10 – Rs11,999
The Redmi Note 10 isn’t pathbreaking in terms of features and specifications for the sub-Rs. 12,000 segment, but it does cover all the bases and offer a few nice extra touches. It’s slimmer and lighter than the Redmi Note 9, and debuts a new ‘Evol’ design language which makes it look quite smart. The 6.43-inch full-HD+ AMOLED screen is a major highlight, producing crisp details and colours that pop. You get a Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 SoC which is powerful enough for casual gaming as well as everyday tasks. Battery life is good enough to get you through at least a full day, and charging is quick. The cameras are quite ordinary, with the 48-megapixel primary one taking good shots in the daytime ad acceptable ones at night. The ultra-wide and selfie cameras are also serviceable, but the macro one is just for amusement. MIUI is still full of promotional content and ads, but the company promises to remove these with a future update.
3.Motorola G30 – Rs 10,999
Motorola G30 was alongside the Moto G10 Power and is targetted at the budget segment in India. The Motorola Moto G30 has a new design, it has a 6.5-inch display with a dewdrop notch at the top. The frame of the Moto G30 is made of plastic and all the buttons are on the right side.Its volume buttons are higher, and the Google Assistant button is right on top, making it somewhat hard to reach, Motorola offers an IP52 rating for water resistance and the SIM tray has a rubber seal.
Motorola has picked the Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 SoC and offers 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. You can expand storage using the hybrid SIM slot. The Moto G30 has an HD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate. It has a 5,000mAh battery and gets a 20W charger in the box. Motorola ships the G30 with Android 11 out of the box with a few customisations. The software is clean with no bloatware apps preinstalled on it. Battery performance too is good and the phone can go beyond a day and a half quite easily.
Motorola has equipped the Moto G30 with a quad-camera setup consisting of a 64-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle camera, a 2-megapixel macro camera, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor.. Daylight photos clicked from the primary camera had good detail. The ultra-wide angle camera offered a wider field of view but at a loss in details.. the Macro camera lets you go close to the subject but was limited in terms of resolution. Lowlight camera performance was decent in regular mode with some loss in details in the shadows. Night mode was too aggressive making the image unusually bright with blown-out highlights. Video recording tops out at 1080p for the primary as well as the selfie shooter and had stabilisation.
4. Realme Narzo 20 Pro- Rs 13,999
The Realme Narzo 20 Pro shares the same design as the Realme 7. It sports a 6.5-inch 90Hz full-HD+ display with a camera hole in the top left corner which some might find to be distracting. The Narzo 20 Pro has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner placed on the power button. The volume buttons are moved over to the other side of the device, which makes them easy to hit.
The Narzo 20 Pro has a quad-camera setup and the back panel has a V-shaped pattern that shines when light bounces off it at the right angle Realme has used a 4,500mAh battery for the Narzo 20 Pro, consisting of two 2,250mAh cells, in order to enable faster charging. It supports Realme’s proprietary 65W SuperDart charging, with a suitable charger bundled in the box. The Narzo 20 Pro weighs 191g which is acceptable given its size and the battery it packs in.
Realme has opted for the same MediaTek Helio G95 for the Narzo 20 Pro. It has two variants with 6GB of RAM with 64GB of storage, and 8GB of RAM with 128GB of storage, The Narzo 20 Pro gave me no reason to complain in everyday use. It was quick to load apps, and switching between them was a breeze. The fingerprint scanner and face recognition were quick to unlock the device.
The quad-camera setup on the Narzo 20 Pro consists of a 48-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, a 2-megapixel black-and-white portrait camera, and a 2-megapixel macro camera. the phone clicks 12-megapixel shots by default and had good dynamic range. Photos from the ultra-wide-angle camera had a lower resolution output. Close-ups were good, and the Narzo 20 Pro managed sharp results with a soft blur for the background. Portrait shots were decent.
Low-light camera performance was strictly average but switching to Night mode returned slightly brighter results. Selfies taken with the Realme Narzo 20 Pro were decent, and the output was smoothened. Video recording tops out at 4K for the primary camera, while the selfie camera can shoot up to 1080p footage. Daylight videos shot at 1080p had a mild shimmer while 4K footage wasn’t stabilized.
5. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 128GB– Rs 13,999
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 128GB comes with a Super AMOLED display, a capable processor, and impressive optics, Redmi Note 10 presents itself as one of the best options below Rs 15,000 that you can buy in India right now. While this series has always aimed at delivering good value for money, with the rising competition, it is especially impressive that Redmi Note 10 manages to stand out in the way that it does. With a neat design, good battery backup, and fast charging support, the phone leaves little to no room for complaints.
6. Samsung Galaxy M12– Rs 10,999
If Samsung would have opted to call Galaxy M12 a fan edition smartphone, we would have had zero qualms. The brand’s aim with this phone seems pretty straightforward and simple – Hit all the right points and keep the price as low as possible. As a result, you get a powerful and power-efficient chipset, 90Hz display, massive battery capacity, and capable cameras at an affordable price point. Is it the best value for money phone on market, maybe not, is it the best value for money Samsung phone, most likely yes.
7. Poco X3- Rs 14,999
The Poco X3 (review) is the first surprise entry on this list. It is arguably the best all-around phone in this budget in terms of features and performance. It has a 6.67-inch Full HD+ display with a 120 Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling and a flicker-free experience incompatible apps. The screen is protected against scratches by a layer of Gorilla Glass 5. A small punch-hole at the top hosts a 20 MP camera for selfies and video calls. The phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G chip that is quite powerful for day-to-day tasks, and more than handy for gaming, too.
6 GB RAM variant with 64 GB internal (expandable) storage in this budget. The Poco X3 has quad cameras at the back, with a combination of a 64 MP primary camera, 13 MP ultra-wide camera, 2 MP macro camera, and a 2 MP depth sensor. Image quality is impressive for the segment. The battery capacity is a whopping 6,000 mAh that can comfortably last two days of moderate use. The company also bundles a 33 W fast charger to juice it up quickly. The phone runs Android 10 with MIUI 12 on top. The only drawback is the phone is bulky and on the heavier side, weighing in at 225 grams.
8. OPPO A9 2020 – Rs14,599
OPPO A9 2020 4GB RAM variant falls in the mid-range budget and brings some of the impressive features while lacking a few useful specs. On the downside, users would not get a full HD resolution screen and no fast charging supports that would have made the work easier. On the other hand, it is an amazing option for gamers and camera freaks, provided a strong processing front, huge battery capacity, and high-resolution camera respectively. Overall, it is a good handset with reasonable pricing.
OPPO A9 2020 4GB RAM flaunts a waterdrop display that stands 6.5-inch. It bears a screen resolution of 720 x 1,600 pixels along with a pixel density of 270 PPI. There is a Corning Gorilla Glass v3 protection that keeps away scratches and marks.
In terms of optics, the smartphone fits quad-rear lenses of 48MP main camera with ultra-wide-angle finish and night mode shooting, 8MP high-resolution lens, and a couple of 2MP sensors. At the front, there is a 16MP lens with an AI-powered beauty mode that smoothens the pictures automatically hiding flaws.
9. Vivo Y19 – Rs14,999
It is an attractively designed smartphone that has a waterdrop display with amazing resolution. It has triple primary cameras and a superb front camera both producing admirable pictures. Inside, it has a huge storage capacity and a strong battery life with a quick charging facility. Overall, it shows no sign of a major drawback that makes it perfect in its segment.
Vivo Y19 has been provided with a display of 6.53-inch, which yields a resolution of 1,080 x 2,340 pixels. It has a bezel-less display with an attractive waterdrop notch. It also has an IPS LCD type display with a pixel density of 395 PPI.
In terms of performance, it bears a MediaTek Helio P65 chip and an octa-core processor, which functions with the frequency of 2GHz. It also provides a Mali-G52 which gives gorgeous graphics effects. It renders a 4GB RAM, which allows the device to work smoothly.
It has triple primary cameras of 16MP, 8MP and 2MP resolution. It supports the features of LED flash, autofocus, digital zoom, auto flash, face detection, etc. It also supports ISO control and exposure compensation settings. It has two types of shooting modes- continuous shooting and High Dynamic Range mode (HDR). A 16MP front camera clicks nice selfie pictures.
It runs on a 5,000mAh Li-ion battery with quick charging support that would fuel the phone faster than the other models. Vivo Y19 has been provided with an internal storage of 128GB that can store unlimited files, notes, documents, pictures, videos, games, etc. It also supports the expansion of memory up to 256GB.
10. Lava ZX- Rs9,999
The Lava ZX comes at an affordable price, filling the spec sheet with some of the amazing features. The device follows the latest trend of design, featuring a bezel-less display with a notch on top that carries the front cam and a number of sensors. Moving inside, there is a great set of the processor with suitable graphics that makes the device a complete performer. To power the device, it has a sufficient battery capacity, which can keep the entertainment going. There is a good pair of cameras to offer users satisfactory photography. It is powered by Android v8.1 (Oreo). Below are the details of the smartphone that will let you decide whether this is worth purchasing or not. The Lava ZX comes with a screen resolution of 720 x 1,520 pixels and a density of 281 PPI. Although it is good, the lack of the Full HD display can be a drawback for this device considering the budget.
11. itel Vision 2 Smartphone with Dot-In Display
itel Vision 2 smartphone priced at INR 7499 comes with 16.76 cm (6.6-inch) HD+ IPS Dot-In Display is bundled with trendy features like 13 MP Triple AI Camera, premium design, powerful battery, dual security with faster unlock capability. It also comes with an exclusive VIP offer where consumers can avail free one-time screen replacement of a broken screen within 100 days of purchase. It has 2.5D curved fully laminated display topped with 450 nits brighter screen for higher transmittance that provides an extra tint and better outdoor viewing experience. The device is further enhanced with a 20:9 aspect ratio and 1600*720 pixels resolution for HD+ viewing capabilities and provides a fuller experience to the consumers.
This all-rounder device comes with ultimate premium looks that prove to be a head-turner for the consumers. The smartphone is adorned with 8.3mm slim design with a stylish look that comes with a gradient glossy finish. The smartphone comes equipped with AI Triple camera with 13MP Primary, a 2MP Macro Camera along with LED-flash and a depth-sensing camera to create an ultimate bokeh effect to the pictures clicked at any time of the day. The tones provided by the cameras define serenity in every image that is being clicked. The front 8MP selfie camera with AI Beauty Mode and f/2.0 aperture ensures that the front camera captures the tiny details for a bright and blooming selfie. It would not be wrong to say that Vision 2 will be a must-have for selfie lovers.
Vision 2 is powered by a powerful 4000 mAh non-removable battery to provide the user with unstoppable usage with watch 7 hours of videos, enjoy 35 hours of music, and 25 hours of calling and standby time of 300 hours. With Updated AI Power Master, the device increases 10% efficiency more than before in the overall process by offering a more Intelligent and automatic power management. It not only understands the consumer usage patterns but also optimizes the battery performance to provide maximum output.
itel Vision 2 is available on amazon at INR 6999 for limited period offer.
Finally :
Smartphone Brands, Below INR 15,000 Segments Is Still the main Focus in India. Affordable Smartphones that come with the best connectivity, excellent displays, and battery life.
There are budget smartphones for users who desire good battery life, or for those who wish to game without breaking the bank, or even for those who consume a lot of content on their phones. The best smartphone under 15000 should offer a good balance between powerful hardware and useful features.