The most crowded smartphones segment in the Indian market is the sub-Rs 15,000 price bracket. Most of the smartphone sale contributions happen here. Since last few months, the smartphone launches and sales have gone up thanks to multiple sales hosted by Amazon and Flipkart.
Some of the phones launched early in 2020 have also received price cut which makes them more affordable than ever before. With the change in price, now in this sub-Rs 15,000 segment, we have a bunch of new devices from Poco and Realme. These are the best value for money smartphones available currently that are priced under Rs 15,000.
Best phones under Rs 15,000
1. Realme Narzo 20 Pro
2. Poco M2 Pro
3. Redmi Note 9 Pro
4. Realme 7i
5. Moto G9 Power
6. Samsung M21
7. Nokia 5.3
In the list, we have smartphones from Poco, Realme, Xiaomi’s legendary and Redmi Note series. A couple of near-stock Android devices from Nokia and Moto also makes to the cut. And, then, we have a big battery phone from Samsung. Let’s take a look at the best smartphones under Rs 15,000 in India for 2020.
If you are looking for over Rs 15,000, have a look at our under Rs 20,000 guide.
Poco M2 Pro
Specifications
Display: 6.67-inch Full HD+
Processor: Snapdragon 720G
RAM: 4GB/6GB
Storage: 64GB/128GB
Rear camera: 48MP + 8MP + 5MP + 2MP
Front camera: 16MP
Battery: 5000mAh, 33W charging
Reasons to buy
+Insane battery life+Solid performance+Built and design+Fast charging
Reasons to avoid
–Bulky–60Hz display
Poco M2 Pro is the company’s mid-range with powerful internals that is more or less same as the Redmi Note 9 Pro. But, it offers slightly better design, Ad free experience, and faster-charging speed for the same price. The Poco M2 Pro features a 5,000mAh pack will easily last you over a day and also supports 33W fast charging.
On the inside, you get the Snapdragon 720G chipset, which is the most reliable silicon available at this price. Combine that with a 48MP quad-camera setup and a big 6.67-inch Full HD+ screen, and you get a very easy-to-recommend phone.
Check out Poco M2 Pro on Flipkart
Read our Poco M2 Pro review
Realme Narzo 20 Pro
New kid on block
Specifications
Display: 6.5-inch Full HD+, 90Hz
Processor: MediaTek Helio G95
RAM: 6/8GB
Storage: 64/128GB
Rear camera: 48MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP
Front camera: 16MP
Battery: 4500mAh, 65W fast charging
Reasons to buy
+65W fast charging+90Hz display
Reasons to avoid
–Inconsistent performance
The first “Pro” variant in the Realme Narzo series comes with the segment-first 65W fast charging. With this super Dart charger, the 4,500mAh battery can be filled in just 38 minutes. On the front, there is a 6.5-inch Full HD+ LCD panel with 90Hz refresh rate, 120Hz touch sampling, 480 nits brightness, and 90.5% screen to body ratio. Under the hood, the device is powered by MediaTek’s gaming-centric Helio G95 chipset.
The device is available in two configurations with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. You are looking at a quad-camera stack on the Narzo 20 Pro with primary 48MP Samsung GM1 sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide shooter, a macro lens and a mono portrait lens. To the front, you get a 16MP selfie camera.
Check out Realme Nazro 20 Pro on Flipkart
Redmi Note 9 Pro
Specifications
Display: 6.67-inch FHD+ LCD
Processor: Snapdragon 720G
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64/128GB
Rear camera: 48 + 8 + 5 + 2MP
Front camera: 16MP
Battery: 5020mAh, 18W fast charge
Reasons to buy
+Great battery life+Reliable performance+Built and design+Big and vibrant display
Reasons to avoid
–60Hz display–Relatively slow charging–Bulky
The Redmi Note 9 Pro still holds up even after 9 months after the launch. You get one of the most reliable experience on a phone under Rs 20,000. Its battery life is unmatchable, the performance was always consistent and the large display is a joy to use.
The phones come with a unibody glass design that looks better than what the price tag may suggest. You get a 6.67-inch LCD panel with a resolution of 2,400 x 1,080, resulting in an aspect ratio of 20:9. The Snapdragon 720G strikes a beautiful balance between performance and battery life. It does fall behind in GPU-driven tasks such as gaming, but in almost every other scenario, we are looking at a champion here.
Read our Redmi Note 9 Pro review
Check out Redmi Note 9 Pro on Amazon
Realme 7
90Hz display on budget
Specifications
Display: 6.5 inch Full HD+, 90Hz
Processor: MediaTek Helio G95
RAM: 6/8GB
Storage: 64/128GB
Rear camera: 64MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP
Front camera: 16MP
Battery: 5000mAh, 30W fast charging
Reasons to buy
+Great for gaming+Reliable battery life+90Hz display+Fast charging
Reasons to avoid
–Camera needs work–Inconsistent performance
With Realme 7, you get a smooth 6.5-inch 90Hz display, a feature that most of its competitors haven’t been able to catch up on. It is adequate for most uses such as gaming and media consumption but can feel insufficient for outdoor usage. The big talking point was the inclusion of the new MediaTek Helio G95 processor which brings better graphics performance than its predecessor, which was already great at gaming. It does bring very consistent gameplay.
Realme 7 is one of the marathon runners in this segment. The battery life was so great that it lasted us till the next day on almost every charge cycle. 30W Dart charging also makes the cut to take care of the refuelling when needed. The camera lacks tuning but it is still an above-average camera and can click good pictures.
Check out Realme 7 on Flipkart
Moto G9 Power
64MP on budget
Specifications
Display: 6.78 inch HD+, 60Hz
Processor: Snapdragon 662
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64GB
Rear camera: 64MP + 2MP + 2MP
Front camera: 16MP
Battery: 6000mAh, 20W fast charging
Reasons to buy
+Massive display+Battery life+Decent over-all performance
Reasons to avoid
–Bulky–Average camera performance
As the name suggests, teh Power in the name stands for the battery that teh device packs in. The Moto G9 Power is packed with a 6000mAh battery and to back that, the device also supports 20W fast charge. With this battery, you can expect over one and a half day life on a single charge.
On the inside, the Moto G9 Power sports Snapdragon 662 chipset and is paired with 4GB of RAM and 64 of onboard storage. On the front, you get a 6.78-inch HD+ Max Vision IPS display with 20.5:9 aspect ratio. As for the optics, the Moto G9 Power sports a triple rear camera setup with a 64 MP primary shooter with f/1.8, a 2MP macro lens and a 2MP depth sensor both with f/2.4 aperture. This is also one of the cheapest phones to offer a 64MP camera setup. To the front, there is a 16MP punch-hole selfie camera with f/2.2 aperture.
Check out Moto G9 Power on Flipkart
Samsung Galaxy M21
Specifications
Display: 6.4 inch HD+ AMOLED, 60Hz
Processor: Exynos 9611
RAM: 4/6GB
Storage: 64/128GB
Rear camera: 48MP + 8MP + 5MP
Front camera: 20MP
Battery: 6000mAh, 15W fast charging
Reasons to buy
+Big AMOLED screen+Battery life+Decent over-all performance
Reasons to avoid
–Relatively slow charging
One from Samsung and of course, it has to be from the most popular M series. The Galaxy M21 makes into the after recent price changes. The base variant with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage is now available for Rs 13,999. It features Super AMOLED screen with a U-shaped notch cutout for the front-facing camera. Th device is packed with a 6,000mAh battery that will provide ample power that lasts more than a day. The phone also supports 15W fast charging.
It comes with a triple camera setup on the back with a 48MP primary camera, followed by a 20MP selfie camera on the front. The smartphone is powered by the Exynos 9611 chipset paired with up to 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage.
Check out Samsung Galaxy M21 on Amazon
Nokia 5.3
Specifications
Display: 6.55-inch HD+
Processor: Snapdragon 665
RAM: 4/6GB
Storage: 64GB
Rear camera: 13 + 5 +2 +2MP
Front camera: 8MP
Battery: 4000mAh
Reasons to buy
+Stock Android+On-time software updates
Reasons to avoid
–No fast charging–HD+ display
For those of you, who are loyal Nokia fans, we have got a Nokia device in the list. The Nokia 5.3 comes with near-stock Android with no bloatware. This phones also falls under the Android One program, so you will get two Android version upgrades and three years of security updates from the HMD global. The device will be one of the first in the line to get the Android 11 update.
The handset packs in an average 4,000mAh battery that doesn’t support fast charging with Type-C port. However, it misses out on the fast charging. Also, you will have to compromise with an HD+ screen here.
You get quad-camera stack at the rear with a 13MP primary camera followed by a 5MP wide-angle lens, 2MP depth and a 2MP macro lens. There is also a dedicated Google Assistance button and a fingerprint scanner at the rear.
Check out Nokia 5.3 on Amazon
Best smartphones under Rs 15,000
| Device | Price |
|---|---|
| Poco M2 Pro | Rs 13,999 onwards |
| Realme Narzo 20 Pro | Rs 14,999 onwards |
| Redmi Note 9 Pro | Rs 12,999 onwards |
| Realme 7 | Rs 14,999 onwards |
| Moto G9 Power | Rs 11,999 |
| Samsung Galaxy M21 | Rs 13,999 onwards |
| Nokia 5.3 | Rs 11,999 onwards |
