Best Mobile Phones under Rs 15,000

Budget smartphone market in India is teeming with a slew of smartphone brands trying to vie for the price conscious customers’ attention. Be it Xiaomi, Samsung, Asus or Realme, every brand in the business has a host of offerings. Features like 48MP camera or a quad-camera set up are now popping up in phones that cost less than Rs 15,000. Perhaps it’s one segment where choices are far too many and often buyers end getting confused. To make their lives slightly easier, we list out some of the top phones in the sub-Rs 15,000 price bracket:

Samsung Galaxy M31

The Samsung Galaxy M31 comes powered by Exynos 9611 processor with Mali G72 GPU. It offers a Super AMOLED FHD+ screen of 6.4-inch. Backed by a 600mAh battery, the Samsung Galaxy M31 has a quad-rear camera setup comprising 64MP primary sensor, 8MP ultra-wide angle lens, 2MP Macro lens and a 5MP depth sensor. It has a 32MP front camera comes in two storage variants — 6GB + 64GB and 6GB + 128GB

KEY SPECS

• PerformanceSamsung Exynos 9611 Octa core
• Storage64 GB
• Camera64+8+5+5 MP
• Battery6000 mAh
• Display6.4″ (16.21 cm)
• Ram6 GB

Vivo U20

Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 SoC, the Vivo U20 offers a 6.53-inch FHD+ IPS display. The smartphone comes backed by a 5000 mAh and runs on Funtouch OS 9.2 based on Android 9.0 Pie. For imaging duties, the Vivo U20 has 16MP + 8MP + 2MP triple rear camera setup and a single 16MO front camera.

KEY SPECS

• PerformanceSnapdragon 675
• Storage64 GB
• Camera16MP + 8MP + 2MP
• Battery5000 mAh
• Display6.53″ (16.59 cm)
• Ram4 GB

Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro comes powered by Helio G90T processor with ARM Mali G76 GPU. It offers a FHD+ screen of 6.53-inch. Backed by a 4500mAh battery, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro has a quad-rear camera setup comprising 64MP primary sensor, 8MP ultra-wide angle lens, 2MP Macro lens and dedicated depth sensor. It has a 20MP front camera comes in three storage variants — 6GB + 64GB, 6GB + 128GB and 8GB + 128GB.

KEY SPECS

• PerformanceMediaTek Helio G90T
• Storage64 GB
• Camera64+8+2+2 MP
• Battery4500 mAh
• Display6.53″ (16.59 cm)
• Ram6 GB

Realme 5s

Realme 5s is the latest budget phone launched by the Chinese smartphone maker. The smartphone is the successor of Realme 5 and comes priced at Rs 9,999 for the 4GB+64GB base RAM and internal storage variant. The higher 4GB+128GB variant has been priced at Rs 10,999. The device comes in three colour variants: Crystal Red, Blue and Purple. Realme 5s comes equipped with a 6.5-inch HD+ (720 x 1600 pixels) mini drop display with 89 percent screen-to-body ratio. Powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor, the device runs on ColorOS 6 based on Android 9 Pie. The handset offers a 48MP+8MP+2MP+2MP quad rear camera setup with a 48MP primary camera at the back with GM1 sensor and f/1.8 aperture. The 8MP sensor is an ultra-wide lens with 119 degree field-of-view and 4x view field, and the 2MP ones are the portrait lens and macro lens. As for the front camera, Realme 5s carries a 13MP sensor with support for features like HDR, AI Beautification, Time Lapse etc. The smartphone is backed by a 5000mAh battery.

KEY SPECS

• PerformanceSnapdragon 665
• Storage64 GB
• Camera48+8+2+2 MP
• Battery5000 mAh
• Display6.5″ (16.51 cm)
• Ram4 GB

Realme 5 Pro

Realme has announced its Realme 5 Pro smartphone alongside the Realme 5 smartphone in India. The Realme 5 Pro comes in three RAM and storage configurations. The base variant offers 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage and costs Rs 13,999. The second variant that packs 6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage and costs Rs 14,999. The top-end variant of the Realme 5 Pro offers 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage costs Rs 16,999.Realme 5 Pro features a 6.3-inch full HD+ display with 1080×2340 pixels resolution and 90.6% screen-to-body ratio. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 processor and it also supports VOOC charging out-of-the box.

KEY SPECS

• PerformanceSnapdragon 712
• Storage64 GB
• Camera48+8+2+2 MP
• Battery4035 mAh
• Display6.3″ (16 cm)
• Ram4 GB

Realme 6

Realme 6 smartphone runs on Android v10 (Q) operating system. The phone is powered by Octa core (2.05 GHz, Dual core, Cortex A76 + 2 GHz, Hexa Core, Cortex A55) processor. It runs on the MediaTek Helio G90T Chipset. It has 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage.Realme 6 smartphone has a IPS LCD display. It measures 162.1 mm x 74.8 mm x 8.9 mm and weighs 191 grams. The screen has a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and 405 ppi pixel density. It has an aspect ratio of 20:9 and screen-to-body ratio of 84.13 %. On camera front, the buyers get a 16 MP f/2.0, Wide Angle Primary Camera(26 mm focal length, 3.1″ sensor size, 1µm pixel size) and on the rear, there’s an 64+8+2+2 MP camera with features like 10 x Digital Zoom, Auto Flash, Face detection, Touch to focus. It is backed by a 4300 mAh battery. Connectivity features in the smartphone include WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, Volte, and more.

KEY SPECS

• PERFORMANCEMediaTek Helio G90T
• STORAGE64 GB
• CAMERA64+8+2+2 MP
• BATTERY4300 mAh
• DISPLAY6.5″ (16.51 cm)
• RAM4 GB

Realme 6 Pro

Realme 6 Pro smartphone runs on Android v10 (Q) operating system. The phone is powered by Octa core (2.3 GHz, Dual core, Kryo 465 + 1.8 GHz, Hexa Core, Kryo 465) processor. It runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G Chipset. It has 6 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage.Realme 6 Pro smartphone has a IPS LCD display. It measures 163.8 mm x 75.8 mm x 8.9 mm and weighs 202 grams. The screen has a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and 399 ppi pixel density. It has an aspect ratio of 20:9 and screen-to-body ratio of 84.7 %. On camera front, the buyers get a 16 MP f/2.0, Wide Angle (105° field-of-view) Primary Camera(26 mm focal length, 3″ sensor size, 1µm pixel size)8 MP f/2.2, Wide Angle, Ultra-Wide Angle (105° field-of-view) Camera(17 mm focal length, 4.0″ sensor size, 1.12µm pixel size) and on the rear, there’s an 64+8+12+2 MP camera with features like Fixed Focus. It is backed by a 4300 mAh battery. Connectivity features in the smartphone include WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, Volte, and more

Key Speces

• PERFORMANCESnapdragon 720G
• STORAGE64 GB
• CAMERA64+8+12+2 MP
• BATTERY4300 mAh
• DISPLAY6.6″ (16.76 cm)
• RAM6 GB

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro smartphone runs on Android v10 (Q) operating system. The phone is powered by Octa core (2.3 GHz, Dual core, Kryo 465 + 1.8 GHz, Hexa Core, Kryo 465) processor. It runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G Chipset. It has 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage.Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro smartphone has a IPS LCD display. It measures 165.7 mm x 76.6 mm x 8.8 mm and weighs 209 grams. The screen has a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and 395 ppi pixel density. It has an aspect ratio of 20:9 and screen-to-body ratio of 84.62 %. On camera front, the buyers get a 16 MP Primary Camera(1µm pixel size) and on the rear, there’s an 48+8+5+2 MP camera with features like 10 x Digital Zoom, Auto Flash, Face detection, Touch to focus. It is backed by a 5020 mAh battery. Connectivity features in the smartphone include WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, Volte, and more.

KEY SPECS

• PERFORMANCESnapdragon 720G
• STORAGE64 GB
• CAMERA48+8+5+2 MP
• BATTERY5020 mAh
• DISPLAY6.67″ (16.94 cm)
• RAM4 GB

Introduction

It’s April and the well-oiled Apple marketing machine is in full swing yet again. Apple’s iPhone event this fall brought us the iPhone 11 trio. And with that, we say goodbye to the iPhone XR that was replaced by the iPhone 11, and begone iPhone XS – enter iPhone 11 Pro.

The iPhone XS series, as any other S generation, brought new Bionic chip with a massive improvement in speed. Now, with the iPhone 11 Pro lineup, Apple is going after the camera and that’s what the Pro moniker really stands for.

The iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max are sequels to the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max – if there was any doubt. They are just as big, with similar designs and screens, but come with improved performance, some big camera upgrades, larger batteries, and a new Apple U1 wideband chip. Indeed, there is a lot to explore, so don’t let the familiar looks fool you.

Indeed, the iPhone 11 Pro design stays the same, or at least that’s what the front suggests. There is a brand-new triple-camera setup on the back though, and the rear glass now has a frosted finish that we’ve grown to love since the OnePlus 6. The water-protection has seen some improvement too, and now the eleventh iPhones can endure submersion in up to 4 meters deep water.

The new A13 Bionic chip is an improved version of the last year’s A12. It sure packs even more punch, a new ISP and DSP, among other things, but it is mostly based on the A12 design.

The new triple camera is brand new, though. Now in addition to the wide and tele shooters, there is an ultrawide snapper. Night Mode finally makes it to the iPhones, and the 4K capture at 60fps gets the cool extended dynamic range as well. Probably the most awesome feature, showing off the power of Apple’s chip, is the option to shoot with all four cameras (incl. selfie) at once. At 4K at 60fps with no limits. Imagine that!

And the front camera has finally gotten its long overdue update – it is now a 12MP shooter that can shoot in all resolution and framerates as the rear snappers. Slow-mo, called slofies, is available to the front cam as well, but we are yet to see if these slofies will be become a thing or not.

Apple also integrated a new Apple U1 wideband chip, but its usage is yet to implemented fully within iOS.

And finally, the iPhone 11 Pro now has 20% larger battery than the XS, while the 11 Pro Max enjoys a 25% bump in the capacity over the XS Max.

Apple iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max specs

• Body: Stainless steel frame, Gorilla Glass front with oleophobic coating, Gorilla Glass back with frosted finish, IP68 certified for water and dust resistance. Midnight Green, Space Gray, Gold and Silver color options.
• Screen (Pro): 5.8″ OLED screen of 1125 x 2436 px resolution, 458ppi, 800 nits, 120Hz touch sensing. HDR video support, wide color gamut. True Tone adjustment via a six-channel ambient light sensor.
• Screen (Pro Max): 6.5″ OLED screen of 1242 x 2688 px resolution, 458ppi, 800 nits, 120Hz touch sensing. HDR video support, wide color gamut. True Tone adjustment via a six-channel ambient light sensor.
• OS: Apple iOS 13
• Chipset: Apple A13 Bionic chip (7nm+) – Hexa-core (2×2.66 GHz Lightning + 4×1.8 GHz Thunder) Apple CPU, four-core Apple GPU, 8-core Apple NPU 3-gen
• Memory: 4GB of RAM; 64/256/512GB of internal storage
• Camera: Triple 12MP camera: 26mm main wide-angle, F/1.8, OIS, Dual Pixel AF; 52mm telephoto, F/2.0, OIS, 2x zoom; 13mm ultra wide-angle, F/2.4, 120-degree field of view; quad-LED flash with slow sync
• Video recording: 2160p@60/30fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps video recording with wider dynamic range and spatial sound, OIS + EIS
• Selfie: Dual camera – 23mm 12MP F/2.2 front-facing camera with HDR mode + 3D TOF camera; 2160p@60/30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps video recording with wider dynamic range and spatial sound, EIS, depth detection for Portrait mode
• Connectivity: Dual SIM, 4G LTE (1 Gbps); Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac/ax; Bluetooth 5.0; Lightning port; GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS; NFC; Apple U1 chip ultrawideband
• Battery (Pro): 3,046 mAh battery, 18W fast charging, Qi wireless charging
• Battery (Pro Max): 3,969 mAh battery, 18W fast charging, Qi wireless charging
• Misc: Face ID through dedicated TrueDepth camera, stereo speakers, Taptic Engine

The iPhone 11 Pro phones put an end to Apple’s 3D Touch era and the Taptic Engine has assumed its role, too. Once full of potential, the 3D Touch tech was failed by Apple itself and from innovation it had become more of a burden, so we can’t blame Apple for retiring it. Plus, it made some space for something more meaningful – a larger battery, so we’d say it’s a win-win actually.

The iPhone 11 trio premieres running on iOS 13, but at the time of writing this review an update to iOS 13.1 was seeded and we’ve installed it on all three of them. It adds some new options that use the U1 chip among other things.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton