Best Smartphones You Should Buy Under Rs 10,000 In India - April 2019

Not like the global smartphone market slowing down, the Indian phone market has been growing at a significant rate. To be specific, the IDC report indicates that the market saw a 14.5 percent growth at the end of Q4 last year. Chinese OEMs have been occupying 50% market share with Xiaomi leading and Realme, Samsung, Oppo, Vivo following behind. The market has been flooded with a ton of phones in every price range, especially the price of under Rs. 10,000. If you are tight on the budget, you can take a look at this list to choose the best smartphones that you can purchase for Rs. 10,000.

Samsung Galaxy M10

Samsung has been trying really hard to win back the budget and mid-range segments by launching a series of smartphones. The Galaxy M10 is one of the new addition to the revamped Galaxy M series. It is a direct competitor against the Redmi Note 7 and Realme 3.

The handset sports a 6.22-inch HD+ panel with Samsung’s Infinity-U notch and a 19:9 aspect ratio. Powering the phone is a Samsung-made Exynos 7870 processor, paired with 2/3GB of RAM and 16GB/32GB of storage which is expandable via a dedicated microSD slot up to 512GB.

On the imaging front, it comes with a dual camera setup at the back and a single 5MP selfie camera with an f/2.0. The rear camera cluster includes a 13MP primary sensor with an f/1.9 aperture and a 5MP secondary f/2.2 ultra-wide camera. For unlocking the phone, the Galaxy M10 only has Face ID feature for biometric authentication. Keeping the phone running is a 3,400mAh cell with no fast charging support. It still runs the dated Android 8.1 with Samsung’s Experience UI 9.5 on top.

Moving to the pricing, its price is set at Rs, 7,990 for the 2GB RAM/16GB of storage and Rs. 8,990 for the option with 3GB of RAM/32GB of storage. The handset comes in two color variants, including Ocean Blue and Charcoal Black.

Realme 3

The handset was launched early in April as the Realme 2’ successor and also the third offering in the series. The phone represents the strength of the company against Chinese rival Xiaomi. It is offered in three color options which are Black, Dynamic Black, and Radiant Blue.

The phone sports a 6.22-inch HD+ water-drop notched display with a 19:9 aspect ratio and Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It is powered by an MTK Helio P70 SoC, paired with 3GB/4GB RAM,32GB/64GB of storage, and Mali-G72 MP3 GPU. Its storage is expandable via a microSD slot up to 256GB. For unlocking the phone, there is a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.

On the imaging front, it comes with a dual camera system on the rear, including a 13MP primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture and a 2MP secondary depth sensor. On the front, there is a 13MP selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture. The cameras come with Nightscape mode to further improve its low-light photography. As for software, it runs the latest Android 9 Pie with ColorOS 6.0 op top. Users can unlock the phone with a fingerprint scanner mounted on the rear.

The phone is up for sale for Rs. 8,999 for the variant with 3GB RAM and Rs. 10,999 for option with 4GB RAM. The company said that they have sold more than 2 lakh devices since its first sale.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7

Even with the strong competition from Realme and Samsung, the Chinese phone market Xiaomi still manages to keep its position as the leader in the price range of under Rs. 10,000. With how successful the Redmi Note 7 and Note 7 Pro have been, it is unlikely that other brands can claim the current position of Xiaomi this year. The Redmi Note 7 was announced in the Indian market in March, and it is already up for sale from Rs. 9,999 for the option with 3GB of RAM and Rs. 11,999 for the 4GB RAM variant. Users have three color choices with the Redmi Note 7, including Blue, Black, and Twilight Gold.

The Redmi Note 7 in India runs on MIUI 10 which is based on the latest Android 9.0 Pie, and it is powered by the Snapdragon 660 processor. The device sports a 6.3-inch FHD+ panel with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9.

In the camera department, the device features a dual camera setup on the rear, including a 12MP main shooter, and a 2MP secondary shooter. On the front, the device comes with a 13MP selfie camera with AI Portrait feature and Face Unlock support.

Powering the handset is a 4,000mAh cell with the Quick Charge 4 technology of Qualcomm. The handset has various connectivity options like Wifi, 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth, GPS, a 3.5mm headphone jack and USB-C port. As for security, it comes with a fingerprint scanner for unlocking the phone.

Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1

Sometimes it is better to buy an older phone at an attractive price than purchasing a newer smartphone with the original price. The Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 is a prime example of why that is true as it is one of the best choices for less than Rs. 10,000. After being discounted for several times, the price of the phone now stays at Rs. 7,999 for the 3GB of RAM and Rs. 9,999 for the 4GB RAM model. It comes in two color variants, Meteor Silver and Deepsea Black.

The phone packs a 5.99-inch LCD panel with an FHD+ resolution and an 18:9 aspect ratio. Powering the phone is a Snapdragon 636 processor with 3GB/4GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB of RAM. Its dual camera setup comprises of a 13MP primary camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a 5MP secondary depth sensor with an f/2.4 aperture. Up front, there is a 5MP camera for taking selfies and video calling. One of its key highlights is the massive 5,000mAh cell with 10W fast charging support. Even though it ships with the dated Android 8.1, users can now update the phone to the latest Android 9 Pie.

Xiaomi Redmi Go

The Xiaomi Redmi Go is the first phone from the company to be a part of Google’s Android Go programme. The phone is a perfect choice for those who want to upgrade from a feature phone.

It sports a 5.0-inch LCD panel with a 720 x 1,280p resolution and an aspect ratio of 16:9. Powering the phone is a Snapdragon 425 processor with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. Don’t worry when you see that it only has 1GB of RAM as its Android Go OS is highly optimized to use much less memory than the standard OS, and its included apps are also optimized as well.

As for cameras, it comes with a single 8MP rear camera with an f/2.0 aperture and a 5MP selfie camera with an f/2.2 aperture. The selfie camera also has HDR feature which is the first for an entry-level device. Powering the phone is a 3,000mAh cell with no fast charging support. The Chinese also touts that the Redmi Go has support for over 20 Indian languages along with Google Assistant in Hindi and Hinglish.

Xiaomi only offers a single variant of the Redmi Go with 1GB RAM/8GB storage for Rs. 4,499 and two color options which are Black and Blue.