10 Best Phones Under Rs. 15,000 To Buy In 2020

Smartphones in the premium segment saw healthy growth last year in 2019, still, we get to witness most action in the under ₹15,000 (approx. $210) price segments. While compromises are always involved when it comes to affordable phones, the price segment around ₹15,000 gives enough headroom for manufacturers to make the right tradeoffs and to deliver the best possible and distinguished experience to their consumers.

Also, this segment has primarily been Xiaomi’s stronghold, but Realme, Vivo and Samsung are now moving in with competitive products.

What to expect from a phone priced under Rs. 15000 in 2020?

Thanks to the cut-throat competition, budget phone experience has shown tremendous growth in the last year.

The good:

For a budget of Rs. 15,000, You can expect capable gaming hardware (Snapdragon 7-series chipsets, UFS storage, LPDDR4x RAM), attractive glass body or glass finish, AMOLED displays, and 4000mAh+ batteries with fast charging support.

The Bad:

With the arrival of quad-Bayer sensors (48MP, 64MP) camera performance has shown significant improvement, but there’s still a lot to be desired when it comes to indoor or lowlight photography. The phone have also gotten bigger and bulkier in general.

The Ugly:

Brands that offer the best hardware have resorted to showing ads in the interface to make up for the bottom line. Expecting clean, bloat-free software that’s also appealing would be asking too much.

Best Phones Under Rs. 15,000 In 2020

If you are looking for the best phones available under ₹15,000, the following list should help.

Also Read: 10+ Best 5G Phones to Buy in 2020

1. Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro

Xiaomi’s Redmi series has been the chartbuster over the years in the budget segment. The latest offering Redmi Note 8 Pro (review) will be topping the charts for a while now and for good reason. In fact, the Redmi Note 8 Pro is currently the best Redmi phones under ₹15,000 in India.

The Redmi Note 8 Pro includes a 19.5:9 display and is the first phone to be powered by MediaTek G90T chipset paired with up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM. It also has a powerful set of camera hardware, including a 20MP selfie sensor on the front and 64MP sensor led quad rear camera setup.

Other highlights include an assuring 4000mAh battery, up to 256GB of UFS 2.1 storage, and MIUI 10 software. On the downside, System-level ads are a letdown.

2. Realme XT

Oppo’s spin-off brand is keeping other smartphone makers on their toes with its aggressive launch strategy. The Realme XT (review) is one such exciting offering from the young brand which is available under Rs. 15,000 in India.

Realme’s first-ever phone with a real glass back is powered by Snapdragon 712 chipset, assisted by Adreno 616 GPU and up to 8GB of RAM. The top variant of the Realme XT comes with 256GB storage. For those who don’t mind spending a couple of thousand extra, Realme X2 powered by Snapdragon 730G is also an option.

3. Samsung Galaxy M30s

Samsung consolidated its Galaxy M-series with the M30s (review) which clicked well with the buyers under Rs 15,000. Its marquee feature is its 6000mAh battery. And despite harbouring a massive battery the Galaxy M30s weighs just 188grams which works in its favor.

The M30s employs Exynos 9611 SoC which is Samsung’s own 10nm process-based chipset. It houses a triple camera setup at the rear including a 48MP wide sensor, 8MP ultra-wide sensor, and a 5MP depth sensor. Until Samsung comes up with another phone in this affordable segment, the M30s remains the best Samsung phone available in India for ₹15,000.

ALSO READ: Best Phones For TikTok Videos creators in 2020

4. Realme 5 Pro

Back in September 2019, Realme pledged that it will only launch quad-camera phones. Following that pledge, it has launched multiple smartphones with quad-rear camera setup including Realme 5 Pro. 48MP sensor is the main lead while the 8MP ultra-wide, 2MP depth and 2MP telephoto lens perform dedicated actions adds versatility to the Realme 5 Pro camera capabilities.

The Realme 5 Pro is powered by a Snapdragon 712 octa-core chipset coupled with up to 8GB RAM and 128GB storage.

The phone runs on ColorOS6 and will eventually get ColorOS 7 based Realme UI upgrade. The phone packs a 4000mAh battery and has a dedicated microSD card slot.

5. Vivo Z1 Pro

Vivo managed to make its presence felt in Rs. 15,000 price segment with the Z1 Pro (review). Both these phones are powered by Snapdragon 712SoC, which has an upper hand over the SD 710 in terms of GPU performance. With a rapid rise in gaming interest in budget buyers, Adreno 616 GPU helped Vivo Z1 Pro gain popularity among PUBG mobile and Call of Duty mobile players.

The Z1 Pro comes fitted with a 6.52-inches LCD screen. Vivo offers it in 64GB ROM with 4GB RAM, 64GB storage with 6GB RAM, 128GB internal memory with 6GB RAM options. Optics wise, it packs triple-camera setup i.e. 16MP+8MP+2MP on the rear side and 32MP selfie camera.

ALSO READ: 12 Realme UI Hidden Features, Tips and Tricks

6. Vivo Z1X

Following the Z1 Pro success, Vivo came out with the Z1x (review) which had improved display and better cameras. At the time of launch, the Z1X was priced more than 15,000 but since then its priced has slipped and often it retails below Rs 15,000 online.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 SoC can be found at the heart of the Vivo Z1x. There’s a 6.38-inch Super AMOLED screen with full HD+ resolution. Vivo has upgraded optics with a 48MP wide sensor teamed with 8MP ultrawide and 2MP depth sensors. With 4500mAh battery and 22.5W fast charger, the Vivo Z1X is a worthy option under Rs 15,000.

7. Xiaomi Mi A3

Mi A3 is the Only Mi-series phone that Xiaomi launched in India last year. Two major difference between the Xiaomi Mi A3 and other Redmi phones is Software. As always, the Mi A-series affiliates to Android One program and runs almost-stock Android software.

The Mi A3 (review) is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 665 chipset which is based on the 11nm process node. The phone has a 6.09-inch HD+ AMOLED screen layered with Gorilla Glass 5. There’s a 42MP sensor led triple camera setup at the rear and a 32MP selfie camera up front.

ALSO READ: Realme X2 Review

8. Asus 5Z

Asus 5z could be an interesting buy if you are looking to pick up a premium smartphone from the past. Snapdragon 845 chipset based Asus 5Z (review) does make sense as it is now available for around Rs 15,000.

The 5Z boasts of a metal-clad design that looks premium. The wider notch could be a turn off for some of you. The Dual SIM phone from Taiwanese smartphone maker has a 6.2-inch IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass protection. The 5Z’s 12MP+8MP rear camera setup could seem short on numbers in comparison to quad-cameras and triple camera phones in this list. Having said that, performance enthusiasts can consider buying it in 2020.

9. Poco F1

Xiaomi’s sub-brand started off with the Poco F1 and is gearing up for its “season 2”. Until the stars line up and that actually happens, the existing Poco F1 is still worth considering if you are restricted by a budget of around Rs 15,000.

The Poco F1(review) is driven by Qualcomm’s aging Snapdragon 845 SoC which is still better than what users get in some similarly priced phones. The phone is primarily made of plastic and design isn’t its strongest suit.

Xiaomi has equipped it with a 6.18-inch AMOLED screen with a 19:9 aspect ratio. Xioami roped a 12MP and 5MP rear camera setup with a 20MP front shooter. 4000mAh battery and MIUI software are some of its other key highlights.

10. Honor 9X

The Honor 9X is an option worth considering by basic users looking for a beautiful phone. It can’t hold a candle to Redmi Note 8 Pro or Vivo Z1 Pro when it comes to performance, but it is indeed good looking.

The phone has glass on the front and rear and is reasonably compact and comfortable to handle. It also includes a gorgeous full HD resolution display without a notch. With Kirin 710F at the helm of things, the Honor 9X is for basic users who have stylish quotient as their top priority.

10 Best Phones under Rs. 15,000 to buy in 2020

These are some of the best available options under Rs. 15,000 in India in 2020. There are quite a few other lucrative options from various brands including likes of Xiaomi, Realme, Samsung, Vivo and more. We have included only tried and tested options on this list. We will update more phones as they surface in order to keep the list relevant.

List of best Mobile phones under 15000 in India (January 2020)