Rd. Alexander
Buying a smartphone these days can be a really tough job with various mobile manufacturers offering handsets with a competitive combination of features, performances, quality and pricing. And as challenging as it is to buy a new smartphone, the price, in most cases, is one factor that helps buyers in landing a new handset.
Given below is a list of smartphones, priced under or just around Rs 10,000 with the best blend of features, performance and quality.
Redmi 2
Xiaomi's Redmi 1S created a wave of budget smartphones in India, with its amazing features and price. Thousands of pieces are being sold in seconds every Tuesday flash sale on Flipkart. The Chinese mobile manufacturer seems to have understood the Indian market. And to make it even better, Xiaomi has come out with an improved version – the Redmi 2.
While the features remained almost the same, Redmi 2 comes with dual SIM that supports 4G (Redmi 1 supported 4G just on SIM 1 card slot), an improved front-facing camera with 2MP that is capable of recording video at 1020x720 pixels. Besides, it also comes with Quick Charge 1.0 that charges the phone up to 40 percent faster and is thinner than its predecessor. And above all, it has been priced at just Rs 6,999.
Redmi Note 4G
If you are looking for a big screen smartphone (Note) at a cheap price, yet with a good performance, you could consider the Redmi Note 4G.
It comes with a 5.5-inches IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels that generates into 267 ppi pixel density. It operates on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean (one weakness but not really) and is powered by Quad-core 1.6 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor supported by 2GB of RAM. It comes with an internal memory of 8GB that is expandable upto 64GB via microSD card. On the camera, it comes with a 13MP back camera and 5MP front-facing camera both fitted with LED flash. However, this Note supports single SIM and for those using two SIMs, this could be the turndown.
The Redmi Note 4G is priced at Rs 9,999.
Lenovo a6000 Plus
This latest offering from Chinese handset maker Lenovo is yet to hit the market, but it is already creating waves. An improved version of Lenovo a6000, the Lenovo a6000 Plus comes with the same features as its younger sibling but with a higher RAM of 2GB and double the inbuilt memory at 16GB which is expandable upto 32GB via microSD card. (a6000 has 1GB RAM and 8GB inbuilt memory).
The Lenovo a6000 Plus will be available exclusively on Flipkart through a flash sale on April 28 for which registrations have already begun and it is priced at Rs 7,499 only.
Lenovo a7000
Lenovo has claimed to have sold 75,000 units of the a7000 within seconds during its 2 rounds of flash sale via Flipkart. Now, that number is not easy to reach, and that definitely proves that Lenovo has done its job well.
An improved version of the successful a6000, the Lenovo A7000 sports a 5.5-inch HD display with 720x1280 pixel resolution and is powered by a 1.5GHz octa-core MediaTek chipset. The dual-SIM smartphone runs Google’s Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box and is supported by 2GB RAM.
It sports an 8MP autofocus rear camera with LED flash and a 5MP front-facing camera. It has 8GB inbuilt storage which is expandable via microSD card. It is priced at Rs 8,999.
Moto E (2nd Gen) 4G
After the huge success of Moto E, Motorola has just announced its latest and improved version of the popular budget smartphone, Moto E 2nd Gen 4G (LTE) for the Indian market.
The Moto E (Gen 2) 4G features a 4.5-inch qHD (540x960 pixel) display with a pixel density of 245ppi and comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It runs on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop out-of-the-box and is powered by a 64-bit quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC (with Adreno 306) with 1GB of RAM. It has an inbuilt memory of 8GB which is expandable upto 32GB via microSD card.
The Moto E 2nd Gen 4G comes with a 5MP back camera but a sad VGA (0.3MP) front-facing camera.
It is exclusively available on Flipkart for a tempting price tag of Rs 7,999.
Micromax Yu Yureka
One of the most powerful and talked about smartphones in the price range, Yu Yureka from India's very own mobile company, Micromax, is a handset to reckon with.
A 5.5-inch screen display with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels that generates into 267 ppi, the Yu Yureka is powered by a 1.5GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 with 2GB of RAM making it the most powerful budget-smartpone in the range. It runs on Cyanogen OS 11 updates of which are underway. The back camera stands at 13MP while the front-facing camera is of 5MP, again one of the best in the price range. It has a 16GB internal memory which is expandable upto 32GB.
It is exclusively available on Amazon and is temptingly priced at Rs 8,999 only.
Asus Zenfone 5
Asus ZenFone 5 is a 5-inch 720x1280 display powered by 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z2560 processor alongside 2GB RAM.
Priced just under Rs 10,000, it is one of the best smartphones of 2014 that runs on Android 4.3 with a ZenUI skin. It comes with an internal memory of 8GB that is expandable upto 64GB via microSD card. As for the camera, it comes with an 8MP back camera and a front-facing 2MP camera.
The ZenFone 5 comes with a 2110 mAh non-removable battery.
It has a solid built but it still runs on Android 4.3 and that could be counted as a negative, as most smartphones these days run on Android 4.4.4. KitKat or Lollipop.
Microsoft Lumia 535
Post the Nokia-Microsoft deal, the Lumia 535 smartphone is, perhaps, one of the best handsets to come out from the company in a long time and is worth every penny for a tempting price of just about Rs 7,500.
The Lumia 535 follows, what is call the triple 5 method and comes with a 5-inch capacitive touchscreen display with 540x960 pixels resolution, a 5MP back camera and a 5MP front-facing camera. It is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 with 1GB of RAM. It runs on Windows 8.1 and has an inbuilt memory of 8GB that is expandable upto to 128GB via a microSD card.
The Lumia 535 is known for its good camera and strong battery life.
HTC Desire 526G Plus
One of the most powerful smartphone in the category, the HTC Desire 526G Plus is powered by an Octa-core 1.7 GHz Processor with 1 GB of RAM.
The smartphone comes with a 4.7-inch Capacitive touchscreen with a screen resolution of 540x960 pixels generates out 234 ppi pixel density. It runs on Android OS, v4.4.2 (KitKat) and has an internal memory of 8GB whichi is expandable upto 32GB via a microSD card. The phone has a good 8MP back camera with LED flash and front-facing 2MP camera.
Priced just below the Rs 10,000 mark, the HTC Desire 526G Plus comes with a decent battery of 2000 mAh and is one of the best buys in the price range.
Honor 4X
At Rs 10,499, the Huawei Honor 4x is the costliest smartphone in the group. But considering its solid features and specs, it deemed fit that we put this handset in the category.
The Honor 4X sports a 5.5-inch HD 1280x720p display and packs a 64-bit quad-core Snapdragon 410 CPU with 2GB RAM. It runs on Android 4.4 KitKat and offers 8GB internal storage space which is expandable up to 32GB via microSD slot. It also comes wih 13MP rear camera and 5MP front-facing camera. It is further loaded with a 3000mAh battery which the company and reviews claim gives upto almost 3 days on average usage.
One of the best features of Honor 4x is that both the micro SIM slots support 3G, a feature available only with Redmi 2 so far.
