The Xiaomi Redmi 10 is possibly the only smartphone you can buy under ₹10,000 with a 6 nm processor. You get a Snapdragon 680 chipset with a max clock speed of 2.4 GHz. The processor is quite speedy at this price and scores over 2,70,000 in AnTuTu. You can easily play games, including intensive ones such as Call of Duty: Mobile, on this phone. But ensure to set the graphics at Low or Medium for smooth gameplay. The phone also has a 6,000 mAh battery. Couple this with the power-efficient Snapdragon 680 chipset and you have yourself a phone that can easily go two days without charging. You also get fast 18 W charging, a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, and USB Type-C charging. Our only gripes are the display and bloatware. The display is only HD+ resolution which is rather low by 2023 standards.
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Pros
Reliable performance on a budget
Long-lasting battery
90 Hz refresh rate
Cons
No 5G support
Quite heavy
HD+ screen only
MORE SPECIFICATIONS
Processor
:
Qualcommm Snapdragon 680 Octa core (4 x 2.4, 4 x 2.4)
The Realme Narzo 50A is routinely available under ₹10,000 on e-commerce sites during sales and even on Realme’s own website. At under ₹10K, it offers great bang for your buck because of the specifications on offer. The key ones include the MediaTek Helio G85 processor and 6,000 mAh battery. The Helio G85 processor is reliable on a budget and provides a smooth experience whether you’re texting, calling, browsing social media, or even indulging in some light gaming. The 6,000 mAh battery lasts over a day without breaking a sweat and when the phone is out of charge, you can top it up pretty quickly using the bundled 18 W fast charger. The phone has a 50 MP triple camera setup and the primary camera actually takes some really nice shots in daylight. Overall, this is a value for money device let down only a dated looking teardrop notch and preinstalled third-party apps.
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Pros
Excellent battery life
Well-designed phone
Capable processor
Cons
Average cameras
Slow charging
MORE SPECIFICATIONS
Processor
:
MediaTek Helio G85 Octa core (2 GHz, 1.8 GHz)
Memory
:
4 GBGB RAM, 64 GBGB Storage
Display
:
6.5″ (1600 x 720) screen inches, 269 PPI
Camera
:
50 + 2 + 2 MP Triple Rear camera, 8 MP Front Camera with Video recording
Battery
:
6000 mAh battery with fast Charging and USB Type-C port
The Redmi 12c is one of the best-designed phones under ₹10,000. It has a textured rear panel with stripes running across the back. This design also resists fingerprints. The phone also comes in some attractive colours including a stunning lilac variant. However, it has a teardrop notch which hampers the overall look. As for the performance, the phone houses a MediaTek Helio G85 chipset that performs admirably well for the price. We got an AnTuTu score of 235049 and a PCMark Work score of 8434, both of which are standard for the price. The phone runs smooth and the graphics on games such as Call of Duty: Mobile look good. You also get a 50 MP primary camera that shoots nice-looking pictures with good detail. The display is underwhelming though since it is only HD+ resolution, so it isn’t very sharp. Also, MIUI packs a lot of bloatware.
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Pros
Reliable performance on a budget
Long-lasting battery
Cons
No 5G support
build quality is average
HD+ screen only
MORE SPECIFICATIONS
Processor
:
Mediatek MT6769Z Helio G85 Octa core
Memory
:
6GB RAM, 128GB Storage
Display
:
6.71″ (FHD+) screen inches, 268 PPI
Camera
:
50 MP Dual Rear camera, 5 MP Front Camera with Video recording
Once again, you’ve got the powerful MediaTek Helio G85 SoC on the fourth phone on our list – the Tecno Spark 8 Pro. So, you can expect good performance with minimal stutters in most basic tasks. You can also play games such as Candy Crush without any issues. The phone is capable of playing intensive shooter games as well, but on low to medium graphics. One of the best features of the Tecno Spark 8 Pro is its fast charging speeds. While most of the phones on this list so far only come with 10 W or 18 W charging, this phone has charging speeds of a whopping 33 W, so you can top up your phone from 0-100 in around 1 hour and 10 minutes. You also get an FHD+ display with a punch-hole cutout, which is a rarity at this price. The UI isn’t the cleanest though, it comes with substantial bloatware.
If you’re someone who watches a lot of content, be it on OTT platforms, YouTube, or social media platforms, the Moto G31 is a good bet for you. Why? Because it is one of the very few phones under ₹10,000 to sport an AMOLED display. The phone houses a 6.4-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a punch-hole camera cutout that looks modern and aesthetically pleasing. Blacks look super deep and the contrast of the display is great. You also get near Stock Android with Moto’s MyUX skin. This has minimal bloatware – a contrast compared to most budget phones from Xiaomi, Realme, and Tecno. Performance is also reliable with the Helio G85 processor. The cameras are good but fall short in low light compared to some competition.
The POCO C55 is a stylish smartphone under ₹10,000 that comes with a faux leather texture on the back panel. This makes it feel quite premium and also improves the grip when holding the phone. Under the hood, the POCO C55 has the MediaTek Helio G85 SoC that offers dependable performance on a budget, be it basic tasks such as texting or more intensive ones such as gaming. The 50 MP primary camera is also capable of clicking some impressive pictures with good dynamic range. The battery life is decent but charging is extremely slow at only 10 W. Also, MIUI brings a lot of bloatware with it, so make note of that.
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MORE SPECIFICATIONS
Processor
:
MediaTek Helio G85 Octa core
Memory
:
4GB RAM, 64GB Storage
Display
:
6.53″ (FHD) screen inches, 268 PPI
Camera
:
50 MP Dual Rear camera, 5 MP Front Camera with Video recording
Battery
:
5000 mAh battery with fast Charging and USB Type C port
The Realme Narzo series is known for its value-for-money devices and the Narzo 50A Prime is no different. At just ₹9K for the base variant, you get a large 6.6-inch FHD+ display with a peak brightness of 600 nits, as per the company. This means viewing the display in sunlight shouldn’t bring up any issues and the display is great for content consumption as well. The phone also features the Unisoc T612 chipset, which is a decent one for basic operation including scrolling between screens, texting, and calling. The narzo 50A Prime is also extremely lightweight at only 192 g and features a classy and attractive design on the back panel. The large 5,000 mAh battery is long-lasting but the default box doesn’t come with a charger, so you will have to pay more on the Realme website to get a box with a charger in it.
The Realme C33’s primary selling point is its design. The glittery back panel is eye-catching with its reflective surface that changes colour at different angles. The phone is also pretty slim at just 8.3 mm which makes gripping it easy. The display, however, is underwhelming since it is only HD+ resolution and has a waterdrop notch. The phone has a 50 MP primary camera which shoots detailed pictures in daylight and pretty decent low light shots as well, but portrait images don’t have the best edge detection. The Realme C33 has the Unisoc T612 SoC which can handle basic tasks with ease but its gaming performance is mediocre, at best. Games such as Call of Duty: Mobile don’t give you consistent frame rate which can make the gameplay feel choppy.
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Pros
Classy design
Slim build
Good battery life
Cons
Average cameras
Micro-USB charging
software isn’t the easiest to get around.
MORE SPECIFICATIONS
Processor
:
Uniscoc Tiger T612 Octa core
Memory
:
4GB RAM, 64GB Storage
Display
:
6.5″ (QHD) screen inches, 270 PPI
Camera
:
50 MP Dual Rear camera, 5 MP Front Camera with Video recording
Battery
:
5000 mAh battery with fast Charging and USB microUSB port
The Infinix Hot 20 Play is a decent budget smartphone with some interesting specifications that make it eye-catching. Firstly, you get a 90 Hz refresh rate display which is very rare at this price, however, do note that the display is only HD+ resolution, so it won’t be the sharpest. There’s also a massive 6,000 mAh battery in tow, so expect fantastic, long-lasting battery life. You also get fast 18 W charging with a USB Type-C cable and 5W reverse wired charging to top up your accessories. All of this sounds super appealing at under ₹10,000, but the processor isn’t up to the mark. It is only capable of handling basic tasks, and doesn’t really have great gaming performance for the price which many phones at the top of this list do.
The Tecno Spark 9 is a smartphone that makes sacrifices to give users access to some high-end features. For instance, it comes with a fast 90 Hz refresh rate screen and has 180 Hz touch sampling rate, which is rare on budget smartphones under ₹10,000, but it compromises on the camera and processor. The camera is merely a 13 MP dual lens setup, which isn’t nearly as much as most of the other phones on this list. And the phone uses the MediaTek Helio G37 SoC which usually gives an AnTuTu score of 114000. That is less than half the score that phones with the MediaTek Helio G85 or Snapdragon 680 chipsets get. So, performance won’t be as speedy and fluid, however, if you want a phone with faster refresh rate, this is one of the few options under ₹10K on the market.
Pros
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