The smartphone market has become competitive like never before, be it in the budget, mid-range, upper mid-range, or flagship segment. With various brands bringing out competitive phones in the market, customers have a lot of options to choose from. In this article, we are going to list out the best phones that you can get for under INR 15000 in India. These are some Android phones that provide the price to performance in the given price segment.
7. Vivo U20:
Alright, the Vivo U20 has made it to our list at the very last spot. Although the Vivo U20 is some six months old, it still offers some good things to the table. For instance, you get 4GB RAM and 128GB storage for INR.12000. Plus the Snapdragon 675 is still a very good mid-range chipset, especially at this price, so the phone will not break down even with heavy gaming or other extensive tasks.
Now, another thing we like about the Vivo U20 is the cameras. It has a triple camera setup at the back and they perform quite well, as expected from a Vivo phone. Design-wise, it looks good and minimalistic, although it’s made up of plastic. The front of this phone is a Full HD IPS LCD panel with FullHD+ resolution which is okay for the price.
Something very impressive is the battery capacity which is a huge 5,000 mAh unit that gives good endurance for your daily activities. Plus the phone comes bearing 18-watt Fast charging support which is a good thing to have for the price. However, the micro USB port is a bummer here and I hope the next iteration of this device will upgrade to Type-C port instead. Overall, the Vivo U20 is a good offering for the price!
Vivo U20 Specifications:
- Display: 6.53″ IPS LCD display with Full HD+ resolution (1080 x 2340 pixels)
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 675; 11nm process
- CPU: Octa-Core SoC (2x Cortex-A76 @2.0GHz + 6x Cortex-A55 @1.7GHz)
- GPU: Adreno 612
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 128GB onboard, expandable up to 256GB
- Rear Camera: Triple, 16 MP primary lens with f/1.8 aperture & PDAF + 8 MP super-wide-angle lens with f/2.2 aperture + 2MP macro camera with f/2.4
- Front Camera: 16MP with f/2.0 aperture
- OS: Android 9.0 Pie with Funtouch 9.2
- Battery: 5000 mAh, 18W Fast Charging
- Sensors: Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
6. Redmi Note 7 Pro:
Alright, the Redmi Note 7 Pro has made it to our list because it’s one of the cheapest offerings at this price. Yes, it is more than a year-old phone, but it still offers some good features to the table. For instance, you get 6GB RAM and 128GB storage for just Rs. 13000 Indian Rupees.
The Snapdragon 675 is still a very good mid-range chipset, especially at this price, so the phone will not break down even with heavy gaming or other extensive tasks. So, performance-wise, there is very little to complain about.
Likewise, another thing to like about the Note 7 Pro is the cameras. Although it doesn’t have a quad-camera setup like other phones on this list, the primary camera is quite good. It is in fact better than its successor Redmi Note 8 Pro. Talking of other aspects of the phone like design, it looks good and minimalistic. The front of this phone is an IPS LCD panel which is what most of the other brands are giving for a similar price.
The battery capacity is also a decent 4,000 mAh unit that gives good endurance for your daily activities. Plus, the phone comes bearing 18-watt Fast charging support. Although you have to buy a separate fast charger as Xiaomi hasn’t included one inside the box. Overall, despite being a year-old phone, and Xiaomi dropping its price, the Redmi Note 7 Pro is still a very good option.
Redmi Note 7 Pro Specifications:
- Display: 6.3″ LTPS display with Gorilla Glass 5 protection
- Resolution: Full-HD+ (2340 × 1080 pixels), 19.5:9 aspect ratio
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 675; 11nm process
- CPU: Octa-Core SoC (2x Cortex-A76 @2.0GHz + 6x Cortex-A55 @1.7GHz)
- GPU: Adreno 612
- RAM: 6GB/4GB
- Storage: 128GB/64GB
- Rear Camera: (48MP, f/1.79, 1/2″ sensor, IMX586 sensor) + 5MP depth sensor, LED flash
- Front Camera: 13MP
- OS & UI: Android Pie with MIUI 10 on top
- Battery: 4000mAh; USB Type-C port
- Colors: Neptune Blue, Nebula Red, Space Black
5. Nokia 7.2:
The Nokia 7.2, initially, was launched for an exorbitant price, but it has undergone a series of price drops and hence makes much more sense now. Design-wise, this is the best-looking phone on this list. With its circular camera module & a matte finish back, the Nokia 7.2 looks very attractive and premium. Furthermore, the build is sturdy too.
However, it is powered by a 2-year-old Snapdragon 660 chipset which is its weak point. Hence, you can get much better-performing phones for this price. So, if you are someone who’s a priority is performance especially gaming, you should be looking somewhere else. That being said, one unique feature that the Nokia 7.2 offers is the Stock Android experience. Plus, you also don’t have to worry about updates on your phone because it guarantees at least 3 years of security updates.
Also, one today’s date, there are very few companies that offer Stock Android on their phones, so if you are a person who likes clean UI, the Nokia 7.2 will serve you well enough.
On the photography side of things, this one has a good enough triple camera setup on the back. It is nothing out of the ordinary but it’s not downright miserable too. So, overall, this phone gives us everything in moderation which is the reason it has got the fifth spot on our list.
Nokia 7.2 Specifications:
- Body: 6.30 x 2.96 x 0.33 inches; 180 gm
- Display: 6.3-inches IPS LCD “PureDisplay” panel
- Resolution: Full-HD+ (2280 x 1080 pixels); 19:9 aspect ratio
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 660; 14nm Mobile Platform
- CPU: Octa-core (4×2.2 GHz Kryo 260 & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 260)
- GPU: Adreno 512
- RAM: 4 / 6GB
- Storage: 64 / 128GB (expandable up to 512GB via a dedicated SD card slot)
- Software & UI: Android 9.0 (Pie); Android One
- Rear Camera: Triple-camera; 48 MP, f/1.8, PDAF primary shooter; 8 MP, f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle lens; 5MP Depth Sensor; LED flash
- Front Camera: 20MP, f/2.0 aperture
- Fingerprint sensor: Physical (rear-mounted)
- Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, AGPS/GPS/GLONASS/GALILEO/BDS, USB Type-C
- Battery: 3500 mAh battery with 10W Charging
- Colors: Cyan Green, Charcoal, Ice
4. Samsung Galaxy M21:
The M- series, as we are aware, is Samsung’s answer to the fierce competition laid out by Xiaomi and Realme. However, Samsung has made sure to differentiate its offering by giving something none of the other brands do at this price. Yes, the Super AMOLED display! So, if you are someone to whom display quality matters a lot, the M21 is just a perfect device.
Plus, you get a humongous 6,000 mAh battery in the M21 that takes on your use for 2 days even on medium usage. So, with a combination of a good-looking display and enduring battery, this one is a perfect multimedia device for the price.
Cameras on the M21 perform well too as expected from a Samsung device. However, M21’s pictures look more vibrant and punchier which makes it look pleasing to the eyes when compared to Realme 6. In the selfie aspect too, I found the M21 doing a better job than the other two.
Another thing to cherish on the M21 is the OneUI 2.0 based on Android 10 which is my favorite skin on Android. However, the caveat here is the Samsung’s in-house Exynos 9611 chipset that’s powering the device. It does not perform as well as the others in this list do, so if you are a performance-centric person, the others in this list will serve you well.
Similarly, the M21 might not impress you visually with the plastic glossy back of the phone looks rather outdated. So, the M21, as I said before, is a good fit for a multimedia fanatic who can do with average performance and looks.
Samsung Galaxy M21 Specifications:
- Body: 6.26 x 2.96 x 0.35 inches; 188 gm
- Display: 6.4-inches Super AMOLED panel
- Resolution: FHD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels); 19.5:9 aspect ratio
- Chipset: Exynos 9611; 10nm Mobile Platform
- CPU: Octa-core (4×2.3 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4×1.7 GHz Cortex-A53)
- GPU: Mali-G72 MP3
- RAM: 4/6GB
- Storage: 64/128GB UFS 2.1 (expandable using SD card)
- Software & UI: Samsung’s One UI 2.0 on top of Android 10
- Rear Camera: Triple-camera; 48MP, f/2.0 primary shooter; 8MP, f/2.2 ultra-wide lens; 5MP, f/2.2 depth sensor; Single LED flash
- Front Camera: 20MP, f/2.0 lens
- Security: Physical capacitative fingerprint scanner
- Audio: 3.5mm headphone jack
- Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/BDS, USB Type-C
- Battery: 6000 mAh with 15W fast charging
- Colors: Midnight Blue, Raven Black
3. Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro:
Although the Redmi Note 8 Pro is a smartphone from late 2019, it absolutely crushes most of the other phones in and out of this list and hence proving that you always don’t need the latest phone.
The show-stealer aspect of the phone has to be the MediaTek Helio G90T chipset along with its base 6GB RAM. In fact, if raw performance is taken into consideration, it’s fair to say that it’s even better than the newer phones like Note 9 Pro or the Realme 6. You can go up to ultra-frame rates and smooth graphics in Pubg and still have almost stutter-free experience which is impressive for a phone of this price.
Likewise, the Android 10 update based on MIUI 11 is already available for the Note 8 pro and with that, the company has added HD video playback support for Netflix which all tells us how the Note 8 pro still rocks in 2020.
Camera-wise too, you get a fair deal with the Note 8 pro. As evident from these samples, the cameras on the Note 8 Pro do a considerably good job, especially when it comes to details and HDR. Only the selfies, in my opinion, are pretty average, otherwise, the quad rear cameras are decent for the price.
Battery- wise, you are getting a good-sized 4,500 mAh cell that will get you through a day’s use. The design of it looks modern even today, especially the white variant.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro Specifications:
- Display: 6.53-inch IPS LCD screen with Gorilla Glass 5 Protection
- Resolution: Full-HD+ resolution (2340×1080 pixels), 19.5:9 aspect ratio
- Chipset: MediaTek Helio G90T; 12nm platform
- CPU: Octa-core (2 x 2.27GHz Cortex A76 + 6 x 1.7GHz Cortex A55)
- GPU: Mali G76 MC4
- RAM: 6GB/8GB
- Storage: 64GB/128GB; Expandable up to 256GB via SD card slot
- Rear Camera: Quad camera – (64 MP, f/1.8, Dual Pixel PDAF) + (8 MP, f/2.2 (wide-angle) + (2 MP, f/2.4, macro lens) + (2MP, f/2.4, portrait lens)
- Front Camera: 20 MP, f/2.2
- OS & UI: Android 10, MIUI 11
- Sensors: Fingerprint, Gyro, accelerometer, proximity, compass
- Battery: 4500 mAh, USB Type-C port
- Color Options: Halo White, Gamma Green, Shadow Black, Dark Blue
2. Realme 6:
The phone that sits in the second position is the Realme 6. Actually, it was very difficult to decide it should be in the number one position or not. Anyways, what Realme 6 offers here is the Helio G90T chipset and a fluid 90Hz refresh rate display. With this combo, the Realme 6 is without a doubt, the best gaming phone at this price range. On our gaming test, we faced no problem whatsoever.
And, with the recent update, the 4GB variant can even play PuBG in the ultra-frame rates at smooth settings. So, that’s really nice to see as well.
About the cameras, the primary 64MP and secondary 8 MP ultra-wide lenses are good enough too. The other two, macro and depth lenses, are just there for the marketing gimmicks like most brands do. However, I am quite satisfied with the first two lenses’ performance.
And something to applaud here is that the phone comes with 30-watt fast charging and you get the charger inside of the box itself. It takes just an hour for its 4,300 mAh battery to get fully charged and it provides an entire day of endurance, so things are good on that part too.
Now, about the looks of the phone, it looks and feels good on the hands but it is not glass like what Xiaomi offers, so it might feel a little bit cheap for some. The front of the phone has a small punch hole cut out for the selfie camera and it looks modern. And like mentioned earlier, it has a faster 90Hz panel which none of the brands are offering at this price.
Realme 6 Specifications:
- Display: 6.5-inch IPS LCD screen with Gorilla Glass 3 Protection
- Resolution: Full-HD+ resolution (2340×1080 pixels), 20:9 aspect ratio, 90Hz refresh rate
- Chipset: MediaTek Helio G90T; 12nm platform
- CPU: Octa-core (2 x 2.27GHz Cortex A76 + 6 x 1.7GHz Cortex A55)
- GPU: Mali G76 MC4
- RAM: 4BG/6GB/8GB
- Storage: 64GB/128GB; Expandable up to 256GB via dedicated SD card slot
- Rear Camera: Quad cameras, 64 MP, f/1.8 primary shooter; 8 MP, f/2.3 ultra-wide shooter, 2 MP, f/2.4 macro lens and 2 MP B/W, f/2.4 lens
- Front Camera: 16 MP, f/2.0
- OS & UI: Android 10, Realme UI
- Sensors: Fingerprint (side-mounted), Gyro, accelerometer, proximity, compass
- Battery: 4300 mAh, USB Type-C port, 30W Fast charging
- Color Options: Comet Blue, Comet White
1. Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro:
Topping the list is the Redmi Note 9 Pro that is available for a starting price of Rs. 15,000 in India. As compared to the Realme 6, with the Note 9 Pro, you are getting a better-looking glass design on the back and a minimalistic center lying punch-hole display.
Now, display-wise, you don’t have a higher refresh rate one or an AMOLED one for that matter. But, the IPS LCD screen that we get here has good quality nonetheless.
Similarly, you get a Snapdragon 720G chipset in here and although the Helio G90T is better in terms of benchmarks and gaming, the Snapdragon 720G offers better thermals and is more energy-efficient.
Talking of cameras, you get an infamous quad-camera here too but this time, the 2MP macro lens has gotten an upgrade to 5MP which means you get slightly better quality. Its primary 48MP camera and 8MP ultra-wide lens are also decent, with rich colors and ample details as evident by these samples.
The 5000mAh battery endurance is also great and will easily last you for 2 days. There is 18-Watt fast charging support too and yes you do get the charger inside of the box. Plus, you get some features that are lacking in many modern-day smartphones, like an IR blaster and a notification LED.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro Specifications:
- Display: 6.67-inch IPS LCD screen with Gorilla Glass 5 Protection
- Resolution: Full-HD+ resolution (2340×1080 pixels), 20:9 aspect ratio, 60Hz refresh rate
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G; 8nm platform
- CPU: Octa-core (2×2.3 GHz Kryo 465 Gold & 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 465 Silver)
- GPU: Adreno 618
- RAM: 6GB
- Storage: 64GB/128GB (UFS2.1); Expandable up to 256GB via dedicated SD card slot
- Rear Camera: Quad cameras, 48 MP, f/1.9 primary shooter; 8 MP, f/2.2 ultra-wide shooter, 5 MP, f/2.4 macro lens and 2 MP f/2.4 depth sensor
- Front Camera: 16 MP, f/2.5
- OS & UI: Android 10, MIUI 11
- Sensors: Fingerprint (side-mounted), Gyro, accelerometer, proximity, compass
- Battery: 5020 mAh, USB Type-C port, 18W Fast charging
- Color Options: Comet Blue, Comet White
Summary list of best mobile phones under 15,000 in India
| S.N. | Best phones under 15,000 in India |
Price |
| 1. | Redmi Note 9 Pro | INR 12,999 (4GB)
INR 15,999 (6GB) |
| 2. | Realme 6 | INR 13,999 (4GB)
INR 15,999 (6GB) |
| 3. | Redmi Note 8 Pro | INR 15,999 (6GB) |
| 4. | Samsung Galaxy M21 | INR 12,699 (4GB)
INR 14,999 (6GB) |
| 5. | Nokia 7.2 | INR 16,399 (4GB) |
| 6. | Redmi Note 7 Pro | INR 13,999 (6GB) |
| 7. | Vivo U20 | INR 11,999 (6GB) |
Do you agree with our list of best smartphones under INR 15,000 or do you want to add something to the list? Do let us know in the comments below!
