5G smartphones started coming to our market somewhere in 2018-2019. At that time, these were limited to the premium offerings in the country. However, in the last few years, things have changed. Currently, there are a lot of smartphones under ₹15,000 that give users the option of 5G connectivity. Be it recent launches like the Samsung Galaxy M14 5G or Vivo T2x 5G, or older smartphones like the Realme 9 5G or Poco M4 Pro 5G, buyers in this market are spoilt for choice as to which sub-₹15,000 smartphone to go for. This is where we step in with our assorted list of the best 5G smartphones you can buy under ₹15,000:
- 1.
- Fantastic battery life, Decent performance, Good primary and selfie cameras, Bright 90 Hz display
- Dated teardrop notch and large chin bezel, No bundled charger, Not for hardcore gamers, No ultrawide lens
Samsung’s latest smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy M14 5G is the latest sub-Rs 15,000 5G device. The Samsung Galaxy M14 5G tops our list as one of the most complete new sub-₹15,000 smartphones in India. The Samsung Galaxy M14 5G is the only smartphone in this budget to come with a 5nm processor (it uses a Samsung Exynos 1330 SoC), which helps the smartphone put up one of the highest benchmark scores in this segment. The Samsung Galaxy M14 5G also has a 6,000mAh battery which allows the smartphone to last for about two days easily.
- 2.
Realme 9 5G is also a smartphone with a nice price-to-performance ratio. The smartphone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 810 SoC, paired with up to 6GB of RAM, which puts out an AnTuTu score of above 500,000. That is quite powerful for a smartphone in this range. The Realme 9 5G also has a pretty impressive camera setup with a triple rear camera setup that includes a 48MP primary shooter, a monochrome portrait shooter, and a 4cm macro lens. Up front, the Realme 9 5G has a 16MP selfie shooter. The battery on the Realme 9 5G is good, but maxes out at 18W fast charging, which is not the fastest in this segment.
- 3.
- Great battery life, 120 Hz refresh rate support, Dolby Atmos-certified stereo speakers, Reliable performance
- Mediocre cameras, LCD display, Screen legibility in sunlight isn’t good, Slow 20 W charger
Moto G62 from Motorola is a popular option in the ₹15,000 category. The smartphone is powered by the trie-and-tested Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 SoC, which allows the Moto G62 to achieve a score of roughly 310,000 on AnTuTu, which is pretty much the average in this segment. The Moto G62 offers one of the cleanest Android experience, which is very close to stock Android, without any bloatware or unneccesary features. The Moto G62 also has a nice 120Hz refresh rate display. It is an IPS LCD panel, but it is one of the highest refresh rate in this list. The Moto G62 display is quite smooth. With 405ppi pixel density, the details on this panel are also quite nice. All this is backed by a 5,000mAh battery which easily lasts about 1.5 days.
- 4.
Another Samsung smartphone powered by the 5nm Exynos 1330 chipset, the Samsung Galaxy F14 5G features in this list for the same reason its cousin is featured. The Galaxy F14 5G also has a similar 6.6-inch 90Hz PLS LCD display, it has the same 50MP primary shooter (Galaxy F14 5G has a dual rear camera), and the same 6,000mAh battery capacity with 25W fast charging. Both the Samsung Galaxy F14 5G and Galaxy M14 5G are equally capable smartphones, just the Samsung Galaxy M14 5G is more recent and has an extra shooter (which is a depth sensor).
- 5.
Offering a good price-to-performance ratio, the Poco M4 Pro 5G is a highly sought-after smartphone in this range. We get a nice 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 810 SoC paired with up to 8GB of RAM. The Poco M4 Pro 5G showed promising benchmark scores, holding its own amid the competition. The camera on the Poco M4 Pro is also pretty good. We get a 50MP wide angle shooter and an 8-megapixel ultrawide shooter. The images out of this camera are pretty good. Taking a good image with the Poco M4 Pro 5G’s camera is quite easy, but the camera struggles a little bit in low light.
- 6.
With a design similar to its elder sibling (the iQOO Z6) and a fairly powerful processor, the iQOO Z6 Lite 5G is a good demonstration of how the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 from Qualcomm performs. The benchmark scores are good, and the gaming experience is also pretty decent with a high refresh rate display (120Hz) and very minimal heating. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 is also a very efficient chip, and the iQOO Z6 Lite 5G’s battery easily lasts for about 1.5 days. Camera on the iQOO Z6 Lite 5G is a 50MP dual rear camera setup that clicks good pictures that are detailed and very vibrant, without going too far away from true colours.
- 7.
Vivo’s latest budget offering, the Vivo T2x 5G is second in our list of the best 5G smartphones under Rs 15,000. The Vivo T2x 5G is one of the few smartphones under Rs 15,000 to offer 8GB RAM option. Given the high RAM, paired with a MediaTek Dimensity 6020 chipset, the Vivo T2x 5G is a good performer. The smartphone has shown promising performance with an AnTuTu score of around 350,000. We also get a nice 5,000mAh battery that lasts easily for more than a day, but the display is an IPS LCD panel with just 60Hz refresh rate.
- 8.
- 5G ready, Balanced all-round performance, Great battery life, Light on pocket, Good primary camera
- Slow charging speeds, No stereo speakers, Average display/viewing experience
Realme 9i is the next sub-₹15,000 5G smartphone in our list. The Realme 9i 5G has one of the most interesting design in the whole list. The smartphone comes with a disc-like reflective back panel with two big camera cutouts for the dual cameras. This includes a primary 50-megapixel shooter with an f/1.8 aperture, and a 2-megapixel macro shooter with f/2.4 aperture. Realme 9i 5G is not just a looker, but the smartphone also performs well, thanks to a 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 810 SoC paired with up to 6GB RAM. The battery capacity is sufficient at 5000mAh, but the 18W charging is a bit slow as compared to competitors. Essentially, the Realme 9i 5G is similar to the Realme 9i 4G, just with 5G connectivity.
- 9.
Realme Narzo 50 5G comes with the same chip as the Realme 9 5G, which means that power should not be an issue with the Realme Narzo 50 5G. The smartphone is expected to offer similar benchmark scores, given that the RAM also maxes out at the same 6GB. The Realme Narzo 50 5G, however, has a bigger 6.6-inch 90Hz display and faster charging at 33W with a 5,000mAh battery. However, the smartphone comes with one less camera with a 48MP dual rear camera setup. Up front, we have an 8-megapixel selfie shooter on the Realme Narzo 50 5G.
- 10.
Redmi 11 Prime 5G also features in our list of top 10 5G smartphones under Rs 15,000. The budget 5G offering from last year, Redmi 11 Prime 5G comes with a fairly powerful MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC paired with up to 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM, which is good for an AnTuTu score of over 380,000. The camera on the Redmi 11 Prime 5G had received positive reviews from all around last year. It comes with a dual rear camera with a 50MP primary shooter with f/1.8 aperture, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor for portraits. The battery on the Redmi 11 Prime is also very good. The 5000mAh unit is good for a day and a half usage, and we get 18W fast charging, but Xiaomi ships a 22.5W charging brick with the Redmi 11 Prime 5G.
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