With the recent surge in average selling prices of smartphones, the budget segment has become increasingly competitive. Today, budget phones offer superior hardware compared to their predecessors, boasting impressive displays, powerful processors, and more. These devices provide immersive experiences for watching movies on their large screens and effortlessly handle both intensive and everyday applications like Chrome and social media. Moreover, despite their affordable price tags, they excel in photography and videography, delivering quality results in various lighting conditions. Leading brands such as Samsung, Redmi, and Realme have entered this segment, each offering compelling devices for consumers. Popular models like the Redmi 12 5G, Poco M6 Pro, and Realme C55 are currently dominating the market. For those seeking the best value for their money, this guide presents the top budget smartphones available in India right now.
- 1.
- Minimalistic, sleek design, Brilliant battery backup, Decent cameras
- Slow charging, Plenty of bloatware, Display feels dull
The Redmi 12 5G makes 5G more accessible to the masses while keeping the price in check. It sports a sleek and minimalistic design, excellent battery camera, and pretty impressive cameras for the price. The phone has an FHD+ display which actually is one of the better ones at this price and even comes with 90 Hz fast refresh rate, which makes scrolling feel smooth and responsive. The phone’s performance is adequate for the price. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 SoC runs basic apps without any instances of lag and stutter. In fact, you can even do some light gaming on this device. The primary camera on this phone is pretty good. The images aren’t the most sharp but the dynamic range is brilliant.
- 2.
- Well-designed phone with a glass back, Impressive battery life, Cheapest 5G phone yet
- Camera’s dynamic range could be better, Only 18 W charging, Tons of bloatware
The POCO M6 Pro 5G is the cheapest 5G smartphone in the market right now. Its specifications are almost identical to the Redmi 12 5G. You’ve got the same processor, cameras, and battery. So, performance is decent and the primary camera clicks some nice pictures in daylight. The charging is quite slow though, and the phone can take a good 2-2.5 hours to charge to full. Additionally, there’s quite a bit of bloatware. Nevertheless, the phone has enough going for it for us to recommend it, especially for the classy design, impressive battery life, and cheap price tag.
- 3.
- Excellent battery life, Fast 33 W charging
- No 5G support, Low read and write speeds, Mediocre cameras
What’s better than a decent all-rounder phone that doesn’t break the bank? A budget all-rounder that you can have a bit of fun with! The fun quotient comes from Realme’s ‘Mini Capsule’ feature – an iPhone Dynamic Island clone – that indicates charging status, steps walked, and more! That aside, the Realme C55 delivers excellent battery life and super fast 33 W charging at this price point which is very rare. The design is eye-catching and the display comes with 90 Hz refresh rate support. The performance is about on par with the Motorola Moto G42 and it does swimmingly with basic tasks, but gaming performance could be better.
- 4.
- Premium design for the price, Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, Impressive battery life, Bright AMOLED display
- Limited RAM impedes multitasking, Not for power users, Disappointing camera experience, No high refresh rate
A phone that’s fantastic value for money in the budget segment is the Motorola Moto G42. The fact that you not only get a premium design at this price but you also get stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support, a bright AMOLED display, and excellent battery life just makes this phone a no-brainer budget purchase. The cameras could be better tuned, but for casual users, it should be more than enough to get some share-worthy shots. The UI is another hit on the Moto G42 since it is very close to Stock Android and is devoid of ads and excessive bloatware that usually plagues budget phones.
- 5.
- Smooth display
- Fast performance
- Good day-light photograph
- Mediocre low-light camera
- Good amount of Bloatware
- Bad battery backup
The Poco X6 is a solid mid-range smartphone. It runs on Android 13 with MIUI 14, and a planned upgrade to Android 14. The device is powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset and comes in variants of 8/12GB RAM and 256/512GB storage. The Poco X6 features a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1220×2712 pixels, which is not very common at its price point. The triple camera setup includes a 64MP main sensor, an 8MP ultrawide lens, and a 2MP macro lens. It also supports 67W fast charging for its 5,100mAh battery. Despite its solid performance and brilliant display, its camera performance is inconsistent. Overall, the Poco X6 still offers great value for its price if camera is not a top priority for you.
- 6.
- Responsive display
- Decent performance
- Good front camera
- Too much bloatware
- Main camera lacks natural colours
- Slippery design
The Redmi 13C 5G is a budget-friendly option, priced around ₹10,000, yet equipped with 5G capabilities—a first for the ‘C’ series. Its starry design and glass back lend a premium feel, while the 90Hz refresh rate display ensures smooth interactions. Powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ chipset, it handles tasks and gaming admirably. The 5000mAh battery provides ample usage time. However, the MIUI 14 software includes pre-installed extra apps and ads, and the camera could be improved. Despite these minor drawbacks, the Redmi 13C 5G stands out for its impressive features, reliable performance, and exceptional value in the budget smartphone market.
- 7.
If you’re looking for an attractive phone that doesn’t break the bank, the POCO C55 is a great option. It has a premium-looking leather-like rear panel that looks very aesthetically pleasing. It truly stands apart for its design. The phone is also decently powerful with the MediaTek Helio G85 processor. As for optics, you get a 50 MP dual camera setup with support for a bunch of modes such as Time-Lapse, Portrait Mode, HDR, Night Mode, and more. For people who love tinkering around with their camera app, this phone can be quite fun! The display is also great for the price – it is a large 6.71-inch HD+ screen with support for smooth 120 Hz refresh rate. So, content consumption and scrolling through social media would be a treat on this device.
- 8.
Lava has been bringing out some amazing phones which offer great bang for your buck in the budget segment and the Lava Blaze 2 is no different. The phone comes with a massive 6 GB of RAM which is a rarity under ₹10,000. Moreover, you also get 7 GB of virtual RAM for more robust multitasking. There’s also a 90 Hz refresh and clean Android 12 OS which makes this device very appealing. The Blaze 2 is also one of the few phones in this budget to sport a glass back – making it look more premium than its price tag.
- 9.
Another 5G option, the Vivo T2x is a good option to consider on a budget. It doesn’t have any standout specifications though. You get a basic 6.58-inch LCD display with FHD+ resolution and no fast refresh rate support. There’s a powerful enough 7 nm MediaTek Dimensity 6020 SoC that offers decent performance for daily use. You also get a basic dual camera setup with a 50 MP main shooter. The battery is long-lasting and 18 W charging is standard at this price. All in all, a safe 5G option that doesn’t break the bank.
- 10
The Samsung Galaxy M13 has great cameras at an affordable price. It has better dynamic range than most phones at this price and can even take some decent low light photos. Moreover, you also get an ultrawide lens which is a welcome bonus. The phone has a large LCD display with FHD+ resolution but there’s no fast refresh rate support. The display is protected with Gorilla Glass 5 though, which is a good thing. The best feature is the massive 6,000 mAh battery that can provide 2-3 days of continuous power.
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Dhriti Datta
Perpetually sporting a death stare, this one can be seen tinkering around with her smartphone which she holds more dear than life itself and stuffing her face with copious amounts of bacon. View Full Profile
