It is not just the bezel-less screens that’ve found their way into the budget and mid-range segment, the phone makers are also accepting dual camera systems with open arms to be able to make consumers feel like they’re using a high-end smartphone. While it may have all started to differentiate one flagship from another, the dual cameras are now becoming truly useful to provide a DSLR-like quality and photo capturing experience.
1. Redmi Note 6 Pro
The Redmi Note 6 Pro is Xiaomi’s latest entrant into the budget smartphone segment, and it brings a bunch of improvements over the Redmi Note 5 Pro in terms of cameras. The Redmi Note 6 Pro brings the same 12MP + 5MP dual rear camera, but this time around the primary lens has a wider f/1.9 aperture as compared to the f/2.2 aperture in the Redmi Note 5 Pro. The Redmi Note 6 Pro’s cameras perform really well, and they’re definitely a lot better than the Redmi Note 5 Pro, which used to occupy the top spot on this list so far. The wider aperture really shows its promise in low light images, where the Redmi Note 6 Pro is just a lot better.
Buy the Redmi Note 6 Pro from Flipkart (starts at Rs. 13,999)
Another phone you should check out if you’re looking for the best dual camera phones under 15000 INR is the newly launched ZenFone Max Pro M2. The phone comes with a pretty impressive camera set up. There’s a 12MP + 5MP dual rear camera here, which sounds low when compared to the 13MP + 5MP rear camera set up on the ZenFone Max Pro M1, but this time around, the ZenFone Max Pro M2 has a wider f/1.8 aperture instead of the f/2.2 aperture in the Max Pro M1 which results in really improved low light photography. Over all too, the ZenFone Max Pro M2 has improved camera performance and in this price range, the phone’s cameras don’t leave a lot to complain.
3. Realme 2 Pro
Realme recently launched the new Realme 2 Pro and it’s a pretty capable smartphone. The Realme 2 Pro comes with a 16MP+2MP dual camera setup on the back and a 16MP front facing camera. In our camera review of the Realme 2 Pro, we found out that although the Realme 2 Pro does not do videos too well, the pictures taken from the phone are pretty good, both the usual as well as portrait mode photos.
Buy on Flipkart: (starts at ₹13,990)
4. Realme U1
Realme has been launching some pretty impressive phones of late, and the Realme U1 is another great dual camera phone under Rs. 15,000 from Realme. The phone comes with a 13MP + 2MP dual rear camera, and the cameras here are definitely good, even though they’re not as good as the cameras on the Realme 2 Pro or the Redmi Note 6 Pro. In good lighting, the phone takes some pretty impressive pictures with ample detail and sharpness. However, sometimes the phone does over-sharpen images and that looks a bit weird. The same is the case in low light, where the phone takes good photos with ample light, but every now and then the images turn out over-sharpened.
5. Redmi 6 Pro
Xiaomi recently launched the Redmi 6 Pro and it’s another great budget smartphone. On the cameras front, the Redmi 6 brings a 12+5MP dual camera setup, which is very similar to the Redmi Note 5 Pro. There’s AI Portrait Mode and EIS, which is great to have. On the front, the Redmi 6 Pro comes with a 5MP camera with portrait mode.
6. Honor 8X
Another great phone with dual cameras that’s priced under Rs. 15000 is the Honor 8X. The phone comes with a 20MP + 2MP dual rear camera set up, and it performs well in good lighting conditions. The pictures are sharp and detailed and look good. There’s an AI assist feature here as well, but it limits the resolution of the images to 12MP and while it brings out better colors, there is definitely a loss of detail. However, it’s good that it’s an option that you can use when you want and keep off when you don’t need it. In low light, the performance of the rear cameras is weird. While the Honor 8X manages to capture light, and get the colors pretty much perfectly, it has major issues with focusing in low light and results in blurry and soft pictures.
When talking about dual cameras, there’s no way we can just leave out the Moto G6. Launched recently, the Moto G6 is the successor to the previously successful Moto G5s and features a 12MP + 5MP dual camera setup on the back. The cameras are decent enough to give your photos a nice bokeh effect and it even performs well in low light conditions.
The Redmi Y2 is Xiaomi’s budget phone that comes with dual cameras and it’s actually pretty good for the price. The phone comes with a 12MP + 5MP dual rear camera set up and it performs quite well in good lighting conditions. The photos from the Redmi Y2 have good detail, and great colors. Plus, there’s portrait mode here and it too performs well enough and images taken from the Y2’s rear cameras will not disappoint you.
On the front, the phone comes with a single 16MP selfie camera, which just so happens to be the USP of the phone, and it performs decently well enough in most conditions. However, in extremely sunlit conditions, the camera does struggle. That said, as long as you have Beautify mode turned off, the front camera here captures a good amount of detail and you shouldn’t really have any issues with it. The Redmi Y2 is definitely a pretty great dual camera phone, especially considering its price, even if it can’t quite compete with the likes of the Note 6 Pro, or the Realme 2 Pro.
Another Honor phone that’s a decent option if you’re looking for a dual camera phone under 15000 INR, the Honor 8C comes with a 13MP f/1.8 + 2MP f/2.4 dual rear camera with the 2MP secondary camera dedicated for depth sensing in portrait mode. The rear camera on the Honor 8C is only okay-ish. It performs decently in good lighting, and if you like oversaturated colors, the 8C will probably delight you on that front, however, in low light, the camera completely botches up and the pictures are simply bad.
Honor 8C Camera Samples
Back in August, Nokia launched the Nokia 5.1 Plus and Nokia 6.1 Plus, both phones showing off a notched display and a design that actually looks really good. The Nokia 5.1 Plus comes with a dual rear camera set up sporting a 13MP primary camera and 5MP secondary camera for depth sensing. The cameras on the Nokia 5.1 Plus aren’t exceptional by any means, but they’re definitely decent enough and in good lighting conditions, you’ll be able to get usable photos from the phone. In low light the performance falters and by a lot, so keep that in mind should you decide to go with the Nokia 5.1 Plus. Other than that, the front here features an 8MP camera that comes with a portrait mode as well. This camera too takes decent looking pictures in good lighting.
Buy the Nokia 5.1 Plus from Flipkart (starts at Rs. 10,999)
SEE ALSO: 10 Best Smartphones with Face Unlock You Can Buy Right Now
It isn’t that surprising to see that the trends introduced by flagship phones have trickled down to even the budget segment and is being embraced by the public by open arms. As you just witnessed above, you have plenty of options to choose from, ranging from cheap phones like the Nokia 5.1 Plus or the Redmi Y2 to the Redmi Note 6 Pro. So, which will be that one phone that you plan on purchasing? Let us know your opinions, as well as any recommendations that we might have skipped on.
