6 Best Smartphones Under Rs.10,000

Last week we published our monthly phone guide for January. It covers all major price points - from Rs.5,000 to Rs.50,000 - and gives consumers a good idea of what is available in the smartphone market at what price.

We included two sub-Rs.10,000 phones in this guide. But we realise that there are several other phones available in the market. More importantly, the two included in the guide may not be accessible to some people. So we are expanding on that guide considering majority of smartphone buyers nowadays are looking for options underRs.10,000.

If you are among such consumers and hoping to pick a smartphone for less thanRs.10,000, here are the best options available for you.

Asus ZenFone 4 A400CXG: Available for Rs.5,299, this is a fairly capable phone for its price. It is not as good as the ZenFone 4 A400, which is more expensive, but overall is a phone that offers consumers relatively smooth performance along with a decent screen and camera. The battery life is below average but otherwise for its price, there is nothing wrong with the ZenFone 4. It uses an Intel dual-core processor and 1GB RAM. So it definitely has enough grunt to power the Android 4.4 aka KitKat smoothly. The 4-inch screen has a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels so it is sharp enough. The rear camera clicks 5-megapixel images (decent in good light, poor in low light) and the front camera can click (generally poor quality) selfies in 0.3 megapixels. But for the price, it is one of the more reliable phones in the market.

Xiaomi RedMi 1S: One of the best value for money phone ever released in India market, the RedMi 1S might not be the best smartphone under Rs.10,000 anymore but it remains one hell of a deal its price. The phone uses Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and 1GB RAM, which, combined with Xiaomi's software optimisation, is enough to give consumers largely smooth and lag-free Android experience. The 4.7-inch screen with 720P resolution is sharp and vibrant, especially keeping in mind its price, and the 8-megapixel camera is one of the best we have seen in a budget phone. Even battery life is good. At its price, the RedMi 1S is a fairly flawless product.

Motorola Moto E: Long before the ZenFone and RedMi came into the market, the Moto E was the budget star. And while it can no longer compete with the others in terms of hardware, it offers something that others don't - almost stock Android. The stock Android also means it is a fairly reliable phone with smooth performance and almost no bugs. Everything works well. The 4.5-inch screen is also vibrant and sharp enough though not very vibrant. The battery life is very good. Camera performance is a weak point but in terms of overall package, the Moto E is still a compelling option. One more thing, it is also one of those budget phones that will be updated to Android Lollipop, though for now there is no specific time-frame for it.

Bottom line: Cute, compact and reliable, the Moto E is still a good deal at Rs.6,999.

Spice Mi-498 Dream Uno: This is an Android One phone. This means, it is phone blessed by Google itself and it runs stock Android. It is also similar to the Moto E in many aspects. In terms of hardware, there are better phones than the Dream Uno in under Rs.10,000 market. But in terms of experience, the Dream Uno is as good as most of the other, especially for its price of around Rs.6,000. Like all other Android One phones, the Dream Uno will also get Android Lollipop. Though for now it is not clear when that update will come.

Micromax Yu Yureka: This is the best phone you can buy for less than Rs.10,000! Yes, it is that good. For its price, this is an almost flawless phone. The hardware is top notch (for its price). At a price of Rs.8,999 you get Snapdragon 615 processor, which has 8 cores and speed of up to 1.5Ghz, and 2GB RAM. The internal storage is 16GB. The 5.5-inch screen has a 720p resolution, which is sharp enough and the 13-megapixel camera is fantastic performer keeping in mind this is a sub Rs.10,000 phone. The software - CyanogenMod based on Android 4.4 - is decent. Overall, the Yureka is one of the best mainstream phones in the market and when you factor in the price, that makes it an absolute bargain.

Xiaomi RedMi Note 4G: With a price of Rs.9,999, the RedMi Note 4G is slightly more expensive than Yu Yureka. But it is almost equally good. In fact, in some cases it is even better (though in some it is not). In terms of internal hardware, the Yureka has better and faster processor or more internal storage. But the experience in day-to-day use, whether you are playing games or browsing the web, both the RedMi Note and Yureka are evenly matched. The difference is visible only in benchmarks. Needless to say, the RedMi Note too is a fairly fast and capable phone. The battery life is stellar, the screen is fantastic (although it could have been brighter) and the camera performance is very good. Overall, a good buy under Rs.10,000