Not everybody can afford an Rs.50,000 smartphone. Good thing is that even with a 10,000 Rupees budget, you can get a pretty good deal these days. When I just started my career, I looked out for phones below Rs.10,000 because that was how much I could afford at that time. There are even more options for Rs.20,000, Rs.25,000, Rs.40,000 or even more today. But if you are looking for budget-friendly phones, then this is the list you’re looking for. I chose some of the best mobile phones below Rs.10,000. And trust me 2016 was a great year for budget-friendly mobile phones. I have seen features like the fingerprint scanner, dual sim, expandable memory, voice assistant, vibrant display screen, and ample pixel size for the cameras in phones below 10K. The list begins here:
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1. Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (2 GB RAM) Price: Rs 9,999
Review: Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is a very affordable mobile phone within the price range and it has all the features that someone is looking for like dual sim, aluminum unibody, curved edges, and powered by a 64-bit octa-core MediaTek Helio X10 processor. One thing that makes this device stand out in the market is its low price and a good feature. This mobile phone is available at Rs.9,999 in two variants – 16 GB internal storage, 2 GB RAM, and another with 32 GB internal storage and 3 GB RAM. The look and feel of this device are really premium and have a matte finish to the rear which does not attract fingerprints or dust. Moreover, the front screen has a scratch-resistant layer which helps you in saving money in buying a screen guard. The phone might seem to be a budget-friendly priced smartphone but the hardware inside is high end and will never disappoint you. More on the specifications are mentioned below:
- Performance – Snapdragon 650, 64-bit Hexa-core 1.8GHz
Adreno 510 - Memory & storage – 2 GB RAM
- Display – 5.5 inches, 1080p Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels)
- Camera – 16 MP rear camera and 5 MP front camera
- Battery – 4000mAh
Pros -One of the most attractive feature of Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is the metallic body. The screen display offers sunlight display technology from Xiaomi which allows users to change modes from reading to standard mode and more.
Cons -The hybrid slot for micro SD card and sim card is troublesome. In low lights, the camera performance is not that good. The security update is pretty fast from Xiaomi but the Android update takes a longer time.
2. Samsung Galaxy J2 Ace Price: Rs 7,590
Review: Samsung introduced its new budget-friendly smartphone called the Samsung Galaxy J2 Ace for Rs.8,490 in 2017. The users seem to be pretty excited about this device as it is affordable and the latest version. Furthermore, this device is powered by Android’s latest version – Android 6.0. Samsung Galaxy J2 also supports dual sim. Some of the connectivity options include 4G and WIFI. Also, this device comes with an expandable storage option, allowing you to insert a micro SD card (up to 256GB) to add additional storage. The look and feel of the phone are appreciated by many of the users. The rugged feel at the back gives a better grip to hold the device.
- Performance – Android 6.0, 1.4GHz Quad-core processor
- Memory & storage – 32 GB RAM
- Display – 5 inches , 540×960 pixels
- Camera – Rear: 8 MP, 5 MP front camera
- Battery – 2600 mAh
Pros – The phone comes with a built-in answering machine in S bike mode which means that if you can’t answer the phone, it will prompt the caller with a message so that you can leave a message.
Cons – The screen is relatively large but the resolution is really bad for the size. The camera is not very good.
3. Lenovo K6 Power Price: Rs 9,999
Review: Lenovo K6 Power was launched in the year 2016. The starting price of this mobile phone is Rs.9,999. This is powered by a 1.4 GHz Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor. The internal storage is up to 3 GB RAM which means that the user can smoothly run multiple applications spontaneously without any hassle or lag. The device also features a great camera quality of up to 13 MP shooter with face detection and autofocus. The front-facing camera is about 8 MP which is perfect for shooting selfies. The specifications are mentioned below:
- Performance – Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 Octa Core 1.4 GHz, Android 6.0, Marshmallow
- Memory & storage – 3 GB RAM
- Display – 5 inches
- Camera – 13‑megapixel front and 8 MP rear camera
- Battery – 4000mAh, Lithium battery
Pros – The battery is massively long-lasting. The gaming experience is great with the new Android 6.0 Marshmallow and enough storage space. Also, the Octa-Core processor gives a truly flawless performance.
Cons -The users have to be a bit careful about the screen as there is no Gorilla Glass protection. So be gentle! Also, the body seems to be a bit thicker and not very easy to handle.
4. Gionee P7 Price: Rs 9,800
Review: Gionee P7 was launched last year in December and the starting price for this device is Rs.9,800. Gionee is a China-based company that has a base not only in India but also in Taiwan, Myanmar, Thailand, and Middle Eastern countries. Launching a low-mid range segment of mobile phones is their specialty. Moving to the look and feel of Gionee P7, this mobile phone sports a glass back with a ribbed pattern. The mobile phone also sports a metal edge. The hardware of Gionee P7 is commendable. It is powered by Android 6.0 Marshmallow based on Amigo 3.2. Amigo 3.2 is one of the friendliest UI which beautifully compliments the Android Marshmallow 6.0 experience. If you are looking at a smartphone with a dual sim option, Gionee P7 could be one among your list. There is also sufficient internal memory space and packs a 2300 mAh battery that is supposedly going to last for at least 259 hours. Great! why don’t you take a look at the specifications below?
- Performance – 1.37 GHz Quadcore Processor,
- Memory & storage – 2 GB
- Display -5 inches HD display
- Camera – 8 MP rear and 5 MP front
- Battery – 2,300 mAh
Pros – The phone has a fair amount of RAM and internal storage space. The battery back up is also decent enough.
Cons – The phone is a bit bulky and the battery is irreplaceable.
5. LAVA X50 Plus Price: Rs 9,199
Review: LAVA is an International Indian company that manufactures mobile phones and tablets. The latest mobile phone introduced by LAVA is the LAVA X50 Plus which was launched in the year 2016. The starting price of this device is Rs.9,199. The phone packs a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor and has a storage of 2 GB of RAM. Its 8 GB internal memory ROM is very helpful for storing applications and data. But there seems to be a bit of trouble with the battery power. The 2800mAh battery seems to last only for 4-6 hours a day, which is quite unreasonable. The look and design of the phone are unbeatable and the huge screen display is perfect for playing games. There is going to be a tough competition between LAVA, Gionee, Xiaomi, and Intex who are trying hard to cater to the needs of the consumers at a low price and high productivity. If you have fixed your mind on LAVA X50 Plus, you may want to take a look at the specifications below:
- Performance – Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- Memory & storage – Internal Storage-3GB ROM, 2 GB RAM, expandable up to 32 GB
- Display – 5.5 inches display
- Camera – 8 MP rear and 5 MP front camera
- Battery – 2800 mAH
Pros -The smartphone features a screen shrink feature which allows the user to use the phone with one hand and continue to multitask.
Cons – The battery power is very low and needs to be charged after every 4- 6 hours.
6. ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser – ZE550KL Price: Rs 9,999
Review: The ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser was launched in the year 2015 and this is one of the bestselling smartphones in ASUS within this price range. The mobile phone price starts from Rs.9,999 and is available for buying on Flipkart and Amazon. What does this phone feature? Buyers have opined that one of the best features of this smartphone is its laser-powered autofocus which ejects an invisible laser pattern to the object making it properly focussed. The look and feel of this gadget are similar to that of ASUS Zenfone 2 and ASUS has not failed to keep up the constant concentric circle patterns towards the chin of the phone. Moving on to the specification part of this mobile phone, the only drawback that I could find the cheaper variants of ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser was using the Snapdragon 410 SoC with 2 GB RAM whereas the more expensive variant uses a Snapdragon 615 chipset with 3GB of RAM. The user interface is ZEN UI which offers a higher level of customization possibilities. Take a look at the specifications below:
- Performance – 1.2GHz quad-core, Qualcomm Snapdragon 410
- Memory & storage -RAM 2 GB, expandable up to 128 GB
- Display – 5.5 inches
- Camera – 13 MP rear & 5 MP front camera
- Battery – 3000 mAh
Pros – The primary camera is good enough to click high quality pictures. The buyers have strongly said that the UI customization is great with ASUS which includes customization in the form of what shows up on the quick settings bar, screenshot file format, etc.
Cons – The battery is irreplaceable and some of the users opined that the mobile phone is slightly bulky and difficult to handle.
7. Huawei Honor 4X Price: Rs 9,999
Review: Huawei Honor 4X was launched in India in the year 2014 and the price starts from Rs.9,999. The look and feel of the mobile have not made a lot of difference in terms of its earlier versions, but Huawei has introduced a textured rear cover to this phone which makes it unique. The phone is still a bit large and using it with one hand may not be a good option. The display panel is pretty sharp and so the text looks really crisp. Further into the UI of Huawei Honor 4x, the gadget carries Huawei’s new emotion 3.0 Skin which is wrapped around the Android 4.4.4 KitKat. This skin has got flat panels and a pastel color palette which is more pleasing to the eyes. There are a lot of customization options available to users. Hence, this is a very feature-rich mobile phone worth for this price.
- Performance -Android OS, v4.4.2 (KitKat), Qualcomm MSM8916 Snapdragon 410
- Memory & storage -RAM 2 GB, expandable up to 32 GB
- Display – 5.5 inches
- Camera – 13 MP rear, 5 MP front
- Battery – 3000 mAh, non removeable battery
Pros – There is a micro SD card slot available to expand the memory storage upto 32 GB.
Cons – There is no in built screen proetction for Huawei Honor 4 X and so dropping this phone might end up in spending a lot of money.
8. Moto E3 Power Price: Rs 7,999
Review: Moto E3 power is one of the latest Moto E series smartphones launched by Lenovo. This was launched in August 2016 and the price starts from Rs.7,999. This is a dual sim smartphone with 5.0 inches touch display screen. One unique feature about Moto E3 Power from the rest of the E series gadgets is that it is a lot more battery focussed. E3 Power carries a bigger battery which is about 3500mAh and the company claims that the battery can charge swiftly for delivering 5 hours of battery life in 15 minutes. Also this mobile phone sports twice the memory storage than that of Moto E3. The Moto E3 has 1 GB RAM whereas E3 Power has 2 GB RAM instead. Look at the specifications below for clarity:
- Performance – 1 GHz Quad-Core, Android 6.0.1
- Memory & storage -RAM 2 GB
- Display – 5 inches
- Camera – 8 MP rear & 5 MP front camera
- Battery – 3500 mAh
Pros – The display screen is decent and the images and texts appear very sharp. One another good thing is that at this price, you get a device with a Micro SD slot and expandable memory.
Cons – Performance wise this phone is not good enough. There are lags on daily usage. Playing games on this smartphone is not a pleasing experience. The rear camera can record the videos only at 720p resolution and not 1080p.
9. Lenovo Vibe K5 Price: Rs 7,999
Review: Lenovo Vibe K5 was launched in the year 2016 and comes at a very budget-friendly price. The starting price of this mobile phone is Rs.6,999. If you are looking for a really low budget but high performing phone, go for this one! The Lenovo Vibe K5 runs in Android 5.1 and 1.2GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 415 processor. The storage space is 2 Gb RAM which is decent enough and the good news is that this phone also comes with a micro SD slot with an expandable memory of 32 GB. If you are a music listener, go for Vibe K5 because this comes with twin speakers and state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos. Moving on to the display screen, the Lenovo Vibe K5 sports 5 inches HD display which is made for entertainment. The in-plane switching (IPS) offers about a 180-degree wide-angle view which is an add-on to this phone.
- Performance – 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 415 Octa-core 1.4GHz processor, Android 5.1 Lollipop
- Memory & storage -RAM 2 GB
- Display – 5 inches HD display
- Camera – 13 MP rear autofocus & 5 MP front camera fixed focus
- Battery – 2750 mAh
Pros -The Dolby sound enhancement system is a boon to this phone at this price. The display is very sharp and clear. The phone also sports a metallic body which adds to the premium look of this phone.
Cons -The gadget gets really hot when in use for a long time.
10. Microsoft Lumia 540 Dual Sim Price: Rs 7,603
Review: One thing I personally like about Microsoft Lumia 540 Dual Sim is the bright and colorful rear panels. It is sometimes really boring to have translucent or metallic body covers but in Microsoft’s case, Lumia brings out vibrant colors like electric blue, orange and yellow. The gadget does not look like a phone which is priced below Rs.10,000 because of the outstanding design. Another thing I liked about this phone is that there is no much space being wasted around the screen and this gives you a better hold of the phone. The look and feel are just like the typical Microsoft Windows mobile phone but I am sure you will totally love the interface. The sense apps, the Cortana which is the voice assistant and independent dialler and messaging system from each SIM gives you a very new experience than that of using an Android phone. I am sure getting used to a windows phone would be quite difficult but when you love it, you can never leave it. Let’s look at the specifications for better clarity:
- Performance – 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, Windows Phone 8.1
- Memory & storage -RAM 8 GB
- Display – 5 inches
- Camera – 8 MP rear & 5 MP front camera fixed focus
- Battery – 2200 mAh
Pros – It has a decent battery backup. The fun thing about the Lumia 540 is that you have the liberty to interchange the cases.
Cons – The biggest disadvantage of Lumia 540 dual sim is that it does not support 4G. The front camera has a very poor resolution. No gorilla glass protection.
So, that was my list. I hope you got a better insight on which one to choose and spend your money on. Let me know your views and experience in the comment section below.
