We’ve already seen what are the top 10 smartphones you can buy for under Rs 10,000. But what if you have a bit more cash lined up for your next smartphone? What are your options then? Let’s find out.
Click on any of the handset models to get the full list of specifications.
Although most phones on this list haven’t been sorted in any order, the Redmi Note 3 is still perhaps the best among the bunch in terms of value for money and that is why we have decided to include it first. It is also the latest amongst all the smartphones in the list and that definitely does come with its own perks. Check our review of the Redmi Note 3 here.
- What’s Good: The smartphone has a large 5.5″ 1080p display and for the first time in a Redmi Note phone, it also has a metal design that is quite rugged. It has a 16 Megapixel camera with fast PDAF and f/2.0 aperture. It supports 4G LTE and has a Hybrid DualSIM slot. One of the most powerful processors in this segment thanks to the Snapdragon 650 chipset. 4000 mAH battery that can charge up to 50% in one hour. It is also the only one under Rs. 10,000 for the 16GB variant.
- What’s Bad: Almost nothing save for the slightly buggy software.
- How much does it cost?: The Redmi Note 3 will set you back Rs 9,999 for the 16GB version while the 32GB version will set you back Rs 11,999. While it does have a Hybrid DualSIM slot that can replace one of the SIM slots with a microSD, make sure you get the right storage version especially if you want to use both the SIM card slots. Additionally, the 16GB version comes with 2GB of RAM which the 32GB version has 3GB of RAM. The smartphone will be available through flash sale on Mi.com and Amazon.in starting today. Flipkart and Snapdeal will also receive the phone in time.
The Lenovo K4 Note is the successor to the popular K3 Note and it brings quite a lot of improvements to the table. While, it may not steal as much of the limelight from its competitors as its predecessor did, it still is quite an impressive device. Check out our review of the device here.
- What’s Good: The rounded design makes the handling of the K4 Note much better than that of the K3 Note which did feel a bit awkward to handle at times. The smartphone also gets added protection in the form of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 while the K3 Note didn’t. The RAM gets a bump upto 3GB and the microSD support has been increased from 32GB on the K3 Note to 128GB on the K4 Note. The build quality too gets a big improvement and the audio too is really good. You also have 2 dedicated SIM slots as well as a dedicated microSD slot.
- What’s Bad: The battery life isn’t that great and the gaming performance too isn’t very good. The smartphone also has a bigger footprint than its predecessor despite having the same screen size. The thickness too has been increased by 1.2mm.
- How much does it cost?: The K4 Note retails at a price of Rs 11,999 and comes in either Black or White colours with 16GB of on-board storage. The ANT VR bundle that retailed for Rs 12,499 is no longer available and customers who want to buy one will have to get one separately for a price of Rs 1,299.
The Vibe P1 maybe a handset from 2015 but it has a lot going for it still. When it launched, it was an offering that could beat down handsets that costed 2k-3k more than what it did. We were quite impressed with the device and you can read our impressions in this review here.
- What’s Good: The Vibe P1 is fitted with a 5000 mAH battery that performs really well in real life too. It has enough juice in the battery to last even the heaviest of smartphones users more than a day of use. The build quality is solid thanks to a metal back design and you also get dedicated slots for your SIMs and microSD. The camera too is quite good and you get a fast and responsive fingerprint sensor in the home button as well. It also offers 32GB of storage by default instead of having a 16GB model too.
- What’s Bad: Not many negatives on this phone but if we were to be picky, it would be the mono speaker as well as the now slightly older Snapdragon 615 processor since entrants such as the Redmi Note 3 bring in the Snapdragon 650.
- How much does it cost?: The Vibe P1 will set you back Rs 14,999 and comes in Grey and Silver. If you are looking for a good mid-ranger with a really great battery life, this might be your ideal device.
The Honor 5X too is one of the smartphones that offer most value for money in this list. It offers superior specifications to the Vibe P1 in almost all aspects except for battery life and capacity. Check our review to find out more.
- What’s Good: The design of the Honor 5X is worthy of flagships. A lot of attention and work has gone into improving the details. The smartphone also comes with a slightly newer Snapdragon 616 processor that can outdo the likes of the Lenovo Vibe P1 when it comes to performance. The camera too is a more capable 13 MP unit with f2.0 aperture as well as a 28mm wide FoV (Field of View) lens.
- What’s Bad: The battery life seems to be the only real chink in the armour of the phone. It still performs decently but falls short of the Vibe P1 which remains its closest competitor.
- How much does it cost?: The Honor 5X is very attractively priced at Rs 12,999 and is available in Silver, Grey and Gold colours with 16GB of on-board storage that is expandable using microSD cards.
The Le 1s was the most attractive offering in the sub 15k segment till the Redmi Note 3 showed up. Even then, the Le 1s has a few tricks up its sleeve that could tempt people into getting it over the Redmi Note 3.
- What’s Good: The main advantage of the Le 1s is probably the USB Type-C port. No other smartphone on this list has it and that is one feature that will make the phone compatible with many future accessories that are based on the USB Type-C port. The build quality is stellar and you also get a fast fingerprint scanner at the back.
- What’s Bad: The lack of a microSD card slot is mitigated to a certain extent by the 32GB of on-board storage but many of the phones on this list provide both.
- How much does it cost?: The Le 1s retails at a price of Rs 10,999 and is available in Silver and Gold colour variants with 32GB of on-board storage.
Motorola pioneered the low priced mid-range smartphone segment with the original Moto G. In 2015, we got the 3rd generation of the Moto G and then we got the Moto G Turbo which is like a Moto G on steroids offering improved performance.
- What’s Good: The Moto G Turbo comes with an IP67 rating for protection against dust and water. The device can be submerged underwater at a depth of 1 meter for upto 30 minutes. That’s something that no other smartphone on this list can boast about. It also comes with a near stock Android experience that also gets updates very quick. The smartphone has already received the update to the latest Android Marshmallow as of January 2016. The turbo charging also allows users to top up the battery in no time.
- What’s Bad: Most of the phones on this list come with 5.5 inch screens while the Moto has a smaller 5 inch screen with 720p resolution. For some, that may be a deal breaker.
- How much does it cost?: The smartphone retails at a price of Rs 12,999 and is available in both Black and White variants.
The Mi 4i is a really interesting device especially in terms of the design and engineering. It took a lot of effort to cram all of the internals into such a compact body without compromising on performance and features. Check out our review here.
- What’s Good: The Mi 4i is really well designed, compact and has good ergonomics. It has a good display and has dualSIM 4G LTE capabilities. The camera quality is good and the battery life is pretty decent as well thanks to the 3120 mAH battery.
- What’s Bad: The smartphone has ben known to be prone to heat quite easily. Although a fix was rolled out via a software update, it still has a tendency to get heated up quicker than most other phones. There is only 16GB of on-board storage that cannot be expanded.
- How much does it cost?: The Mi 4i will set you back Rs 11,999 and comes in a wide variety of colours including Grey, White, Blue, Yellow and Pink.
There needs to be a smartphone for the wants of every user out there and the Zenfone 2 Selfie as its name suggest is one that is aimed at impressing the selfie fanatics among us. Check out our review here.
- What’s Good: The primary attraction of the Zenfone 2 Selfie are the cameras. You have a 13 Megapixel camera at the back and front with dual-tone LED flashes and Laser AF on both sides. The camera at the front has an f2.2 aperture while the one at the back has an aperture of f2.0. It has a large and nice 5.5″ Full HD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 for protection.
- What’s Bad: The 16GB variant that is priced below 15k comes with 2GB of RAM only as opposed to the 32GB model with 3GB of RAM. The battery life too is just decent and falls short of most others in this list.
- How much does it cost?: The 16GB Zenfone 2 Selfie with 2GB RAM will set you back Rs 14,999 while the higher end 32GB variant with 3GB RAM will cost you Rs 16,999 and that puts it over the 15,000 budget line. If your budget is stretchable then we would recommend going for the 32GB variant.
The Mi 4 is probably one of the oldest phone here on this list. But it is still a very powerful one at that and can still put up a fight with most of the phones here. While it may not be everyones cup of tea, it still has some features to impress the crowd. Check out our review here.
- What’s Good: The 5 inch Full HD display is really beautiful and the phone has a capable 13 Megapixel f1.8 camera with a large sensor and 4K video recording. The Snapdragon 801 processor is quite powerful and has been tried and tested as a reliable processor on many devices in the past. The smartphone also has an 8 megapixel camera up front along with Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0 to refuel its 3080 mAH battery in no time.
- What’s Bad: Only the 16GB variant falls under the Rs 15k price range while the 64GB variant goes over it. Since there is no card slot for memory expansion, users who are doubtful would like to go for 64GB rather than the 16GB model.
- How much does it cost?: The 16GB model will cost you Rs 14,999 while the 64GB variant will set you back Rs 17,999. The phone is available in White and Black colours.
The Lumia 640XL still remains the only offering running Windows as of now under the 15k price range. You also have the Lumia 640 but none can offer even a remote fight against the competition other than the 640XL at least until the 650 arrives. Check out our review here.
- What’s Good: The large screen is good for people who read a lot and also offers deep blacks thanks to the Clear Black Display technology that is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The camera quality is pretty good too thanks to the Carl Zeiss optics,13 MP resolution, f2.0 aperture, 28mm FoV and 1/3″ sensor size. It also has pretty decent battery life.
- What’s Bad: There are a lot of negatives for this phone such as the lack of LTE support on either sim, the lack of Full HD resolution on such a big screen and a low end processor with just 1GB RAM and 8GB internal storage.
- How much does it cost?: The Lumia 640XL comes in several colours such as White, Black, Blue and Orange at a price of Rs 13,999.