Smartphones have hit a high note and the specifications that previously required tailor-made sleeves now fit into tight pockets. Fingerprint sensors, dual cameras, thin bezels, sufficient RAM, and enormous storages are now easily available, even if you are limited by a budget. And, this is what has inspired us to gather a list of the best smartphones under 15000 INR. Let’s go ahead and plug into the list of top performing smartphones based on your budget.

1. ZenFone Max Pro M2

Asus has recently launched the ZenFone Max Pro M2 in India, and the phone comes with huge improvements over the ZenFone Max Pro M1. In fact, the ZenFone Max Pro M2 is good enough that it has dethroned the Redmi Note 6 Pro in this list.

The phone also comes with the Snapdragon 660 processor, paired with 3GB/4GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB of storage. There’s a 6GB/64GB variant available as well, but that’s above the Rs. 15000 price range that we’re following in this article. With specs like that, the ZenFone Max Pro M2 has absolutely no problem handling everyday tasks without breaking a sweat. Plus, thanks to the Snapdragon 660 here, playing games will not be an issue either, and in this price range, this is one of the best phones for gaming as well.

Earlier this year, Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 5 Pro, and up until now it was by far the best phone under Rs. 15,000 in our opinion. Now, however, the company has launched the Redmi Note 6 Pro, and if you’re looking to buy a new smartphone under Rs. 15,000, you should definitely check out the Note 6 Pro.

The Redmi Note 6 Pro features a 6.26-inch FullHD+ display, which is only slightly bigger than the Redmi Note 5 Pro, but this time around the phone comes with a notch as well as chin; the side bezels are very thin though, so that’s definitely great and a lot better than the Redmi Note 5 Pro as far as design is concerned.

Buy the Redmi Note 6 Pro from Flipkart (starts at Rs. 13,999)

Oppo’s sub-brand, and now independent company, Realme has been launching a bunch of phones. The Realme 2 Pro is already on this list, and it’s a pretty compelling smartphone to be honest. However, the Realme U1 has also been launched by the company and it too is a pretty solid phone priced under Rs. 15,000.

The cameras here are impressive as well. On the back, the Realme U1 comes with a 13MP + 2MP dual camera set up and it performs very well in good and low lighting conditions with ample light, detail, and usually great results. There are issues with oversharpening in good light shots sometimes, but for the most part the rear cameras here are pretty impressive. On the front, the Realme U1 comes with a 25MP camera which is also a pretty solid performer. In good light, photos from the front camera are great, but even in low light the camera performs admirably and it’s definitely impressive.

Realme recently launched the new Realme 2 Pro and it’s a pretty capable smartphone. First of all, it has a beautiful design. There’s 6.3-inch FHD+ display with a teardrop notch, which by the way, makes the Realme 2 Pro the only phone with a teardrop notch in this price range. Along with the great design, the Realme 2 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon 660 with up to 8 gigs of RAM. Yes, that sounds insane. While you won’t be able to get the 8GB version of the phone under 15000, but the 4GB version of the phone performs admirably well.

Then, there’s the cameras. 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. So, if you are looking for stylish yet powerful budget phone under 15000 rupees, you should definitely check out the Realme 2 Pro.

Xiaomi recently launched the Redmi 6 Pro and it’s another great budget smartphone. The Redmi 6 Pro brings the notch to the Redmi smartphones and a lot of people love it. There is a 5.84-inch FHD+ IPS LCD display on the front and a metal back, similar to most Xiaomi phones. Another similarity that the Redmi 6 Pro has with other phones is the Snapdragon 625, which does seem outdated now but it’s still a capable and trusted processor in this price range. Apart from that, the phone comes with up to 4 gigs of RAM and up to 64GB of storage.

Honor’s upgrade to last year’s Honor 7X, the Honor 8X is a pretty solid smartphone under Rs. 15000. The phone comes with a Kirin 710 processor as compared to the Kirin 659 in last year’s Honor 7X, and it packs in a huge 6.5-inch display with a small OnePlus 6-like notch at the top which is not very intrusive. As far as optics are concerned, the smartphone comes with a 20MP + 2MP dual rear camera that takes great pictures along with a 16MP front facing camera for selfies. The phone runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with Huawei’s EMUI 8.2 on top. However, the Honor 8X is expected to receive the EMUI 9 update with Android Pie sometime in Q2 2019 so that’s definitely great. The phone comes in two variants: a 4GB/64GB variant that is priced at Rs. 14,999 and a 6GB/64GB variant that’s priced at Rs. 16,999. The Honor 8X is definitely a big contender for the best smartphone under 15000 INR.

There are a bunch of Honor phones on this list and for good reason. The company has been launching some pretty compelling smartphones in the last few months, and the lastest addition to the company’s lineup is the brand new Honor 8C. The Honor 8C comes with a design that’s very similar to that of the Honor 8X, but this one isn’t a glass back. It still looks really good though, and is definitely an attractive looking phone.

The phone comes with a large 6.26-inch LCD display and while I’d have been happy with that, the company has put in an HD+ display on this phone. Anyway, while this doesn’t meant the display on the 8C is terrible, it could be a deal breaker, especially when most other phones in this price range feature FullHD+ displays.

If you’re looking for a Nokia phone under Rs. 15,000 that brings a beautiful design, the Nokia 5.1 Plus is the phone to go for. The phone comes with a polycarbonate shell that’s protected by Gorilla Glass 5, so it’s pretty scratch resistant as well. Plus, the design is overall very minimal, with nice rounded edges that give off a very glass-like look. Plus, the phone features a USB-C port, which is definitely something not many phones in this price range offer.

Buy the Nokia 5.1 Plus from Flipkart (Rs. 10,999)

If you care about how your smartphone looks more than how it performs, Honor 9N is the smartphone for you. I mean, the smartphone looks absolutely beautiful and there is no other smartphone that comes even close to it when it comes to just the looks. Like premium flagship devices, the smartphone features a glass on glass construction with an aluminum frame running in between. Honor doesn’t seem to have cut any corners with this smartphone as not only it looks beautiful but it also feels sturdy and solid. Despite packing a big 5.84-inch IPS LCD panel which has a resolution of 1080 x 2280 pixels, the smartphone is easily manageable with one hand, thanks to its almost bezel-less display.

10. Redmi Y2

Xiaomi’s selfie-camera focused Redmi Y2 is another smartphone under Rs. 15000 that you can consider buying. While the base variant of the phone is priced at Rs. 9,999, it’s still a contender in this list thanks to the higher end variant with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage that’s priced at Rs. 11,999. The phone brings in a Snapdragon 625 processor which performs decently in almost every situation (including gaming) so you shouldn’t face any issues. Plus, the phone comes with face unlock which is definitely a plus, and brings a 12MP + 5MP dual rear camera along with a 16MP front facing camera that takes decent selfies. The Y2 is basically the same phone as the Redmi 6 Pro when it comes to internals, except for the better front facing camera that brings AI portrait mode to selfies as well. This is definitely a phone you can consider under Rs. 15,000.

Within this price range, we get a plethora of options, mostly dominated by the dual camera, or selfie-focused offerings. We’ve given an honest effort to listing the top devices which can fall under the list of best smartphones under 15000 INR based on not just the two characteristics but also features like availability of Hybrid SIM slot, chances of getting Android Pie, fast charging, and custom Android skin.