In 2020, our budget devices are practically luxury handsets in their own right.
All the buzz and promotion around the more expensive flagship devices out there would lead a layman to believe that less costly handsets don’t exist or aren’t worth the money. That couldn’t be further from the truth. While there are more smartphones in the ₹15,000 price range that will come with flimsier builds and less convincing hardware, the market is also unbelievably saturated, and it’s just a matter of finding the ones that are actually worth it.
To help you out with that, we’ve compiled a list of latest android smartphones under 15000 that keep it real on your wallet while offering the value that matches or exceeds the price tag. For most users, these devices will do more than enough to balance work, play, and social interactions, but don’t expect to run intensive games or photo processing apps without lag. For those who mean to keep their costs streamlined, here are four of the finest devices with relaxed pricing that we found.
- Moto G7 Play
The Moto G7 Play represents the first tier of the G7 series, offering a reasonably spacious 5.7-inch IPS LCD screen that’s clocked at 720 x 1,512 pixels, 32 GB of inbuilt storage, a 1.8 GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 and 2 GB RAM. You’ll also enjoy a microSD slot, fingerprint scanner, beefy 3,000 mAh battery and cameras that are surprisingly powerful. The facing shooter captures 8 MP of HDR goodness while the rear camera offers 4K recording and 13 MP stills with phase detection auto-focus for responsive capture.
We’ll point out that the low RAM and screen resolution make the device a tough sell on the performance end, but the solid construction and reliable software make it a stable choice on our list.
- Nokia 6
This handset has received praise overall for its balanced spec layout, but most importantly, it sticks to the Nokia brand name in one important way: durability. We’re not saying that you shouldn’t put a case on this handset because it’s definitely not impervious, but it can withstand more abuse than your average glass slate. The Nokia 6 also brings a 5.5-inch IPS LCD panel at 1080p, a 2.2 GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 and 32 GB of storage built in. There’s also microSD support, a solid 3,000 mAh battery and a fingerprint scanner. Like the G7 Play, this one offers HDR on the front-facing camera while the back shooter can pull off 4K recording.
- Xiaomi Mi A2
This device is particularly impressive with its offerings-to-price ratio. It comes straight out of the box with a 6-inch 1080p+ display that’s marred only by the IPS LCD spec. It also brings 3,010 mAh of juice and 128 GB of storage packed inside. You don’t have microSD expansion, but a reasonably potent Snapdragon 660 octa-core that’s clocked at 2.2 GHz will keep things running smoothly. With more of that 4K recording, HDR selfie photography and a fingerprint scanner, the Mi A2 offers a complete array of hardware options to satisfy you, all packed within an attractive aluminum chassis.
While the lack of expandable storage is rather off-putting, 128 GB should make up for it at this price point.
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
As much as we’d love to list a device from the likes of Samsung or LG, we can’t deny that Chinese manufacturers know how to cleave for the greatest value in a phone. Make no mistake: This device actually runs under ₹15,000 for all that it offers, pinhole notch notwithstanding. There’s a stunning 48 MP rear shooter setup that employs dual cameras and offers 120 FPS 1080p recording, and while it doesn’t support 4K video, we’re guessing that most people who would eyeball a budget handset wouldn’t care as much. There’s also an HDR-compliant front-facing camera and 128 GB of storage built in before the microSD expansion port. A fingerprint scanner, Gorilla Glass 5 and a 4,000 mAh juicer all sweeten the deal. Processing-wise, the Redmi Note 7 is no slouch: With 4 GB RAM, an Adreno 512 and a Snapdragon 660 running behind it all, gaming and media are possibilities on this device.
