As premium smartphone prices continue to rise northward, we are seeing a shift in some of the old and current price segments of Rs. The 10,000 segment is basically the entry point if you want a good performing Android smartphone. Most phones at this price point still don’t offer the ideal experience, but there are a few that are worth recommending if you’re working on a tight budget or just need an extra phone. We admit, we haven’t been able to test all of the latest offerings in this segment, but we’ve updated the list with options that we feel are worth a try.
The Realme C31 is a recent addition that offers good design and battery life. The Micromax In 2b is still worth owning as it strikes a good balance between performance, design and price. There is also the Moto E40 and the Realme Narzo 30A. Here are the best smartphones in India under Rs. 10,000 in no particular order.
Best phone under 10,000
| Phones under Rs. 10,000 won | Gadgets 360 Rating (out of 10) | Prices in India (according to recommendations) |
|---|---|---|
| Motorola Moto E40 | 7 | Rs. 9,999 yen |
| Micromax in 2b | 8 | Rs. 8,999 |
| Realme Narzo 30A | 8 | Rs. 8,999 |
| Realme C31 | 7 | Rs. 9,999 yen |
Motorola Moto E40
The Moto E40 is a reasonable budget offering Motorola in the segment is less than Rs. 10,000 segments. It provides acceptable hardware and adequate performance for causal use. The Unisoc T700 SoC is suitable for everyday applications, but won’t be suitable if you frequently switch to more demanding tasks like video editing. Heavy apps and games also take longer than usual to load. However, there’s a lot to like about this phone, such as the 90Hz display, clean and bloat-free Android experience, and good battery life. Its main cons are slow charging and average camera performance, which is no exception for a phone at this price point.
Micromax in 2b
The Micromax in 2b It may not be the right fit for all deals, but it’s very good at the basics, which increases its value compared to some competing smartphones. The back of the phone is made of plastic but is practical in terms of design and is fingerprint- and smudge-free. Its screen is bright enough and displays good colors, keeping in mind its entry-level price. The Unisoc T610 SoC in the phone turned out to be a good performer, for a phone in this segment. The camera performance is weak, but the battery life and software experience are very good, making this a serious contender in the segment.
Realme Narzo 30A
The Myself Narzo 30A still offers good value for its current selling price. It has a refreshing design with a square camera module as well as a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. The screen size is 6.5 inches wide but it only has HD + resolution. The Narzo 30A is powered by the MediaTek Helio G85 SoC and comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.
You get a dual-camera setup on the Narzo 30A that delivers good photos in daylight, but the low-light camera performance is below average. If you love taking selfies, the Realme Narzo 30A will satisfy you. The large battery also helps deliver great battery life, but it comes at the cost of being a bit big and bulky.
Realme C31
The Realme C31 works well as a day-to-day driver for general use. The phone looks modern and stylish and at first glance, it’s hard to tell that it’s really a cheap device. The 5,000mAh battery is also enough to deliver good battery life. While the SoC can handle basic multitasking and social apps, gaming isn’t exactly its forte, which means you’ll need to get the best out of casual games on this one.
The camera on the C31 could be better, and we don’t like the fact that Portrait mode only works with human subjects. We think it’s best to buy the higher RAM and memory version of the Realme C31, rather than the base model, since that price difference isn’t much and it will deliver better performance in the long run.
