Top 10 Smartphones Under Rs 10,000 (September): Realme 5, Redmi Note 7S, Realme 3i, Max Pro M2, Galaxy M20, Realme U1, Redmi Y3

With the launch of Realme 5, there’s a new superstar in the most competitive block of the Indian smartphone market. Xiaomi chose to take on Realme 5 with it’s own most-affordable 48MP smartphone with a price cut. Redmi Note 7S is now available at under 10,000 rupees. Xiaomi and Realme continue to dominate, while Asus and Samsung catch up.

The list has some of the best quality budget smartphones available. LG also has its new LG W30 smartphone.

The September 2019 edition of the best smartphones under 10,000 remains largely the same except for the two new additions, Realme 5 and Redmi Note 7S. The new Realme 3i takes the last spot. Asus Max Pro M2 holds its spot, while Samsung Galaxy M20 continues to sell well. Here goes our September list of the top 10 smartphones under Rs 10,000.

Only the best smartphones under Rs 10,000 are listed based on camera performance, gaming experience, multitasking optimisation, display quality and battery performance.

Realme 5

The list is topped by the newly launched Realme 5 smartphone. It’s the only smartphone in the list to come with a quad camera setup. Realme 5 series became the first budget series in India to come with quad camera smartphones. The device sports a 6.5-inch HD+ display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Under the hood Realme 5 runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset, built on the 11nm process. The memory can further be expanded via microSD card with a dedicated slot.

Coming to the USP of the device, Realms 5 packs in a quad camera system at the back featuring a 12-megapixel f/1.8 primary camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and two 2-megapixel 4CM macro and depth sensors.

Up front, Realme 5 features an AI-backed 13-megapixel sensor. The whole package is backed by a massive 5,000mAh battery. The device will run on Android 9 Pie with ColorOS 6 skin. It has a 3D-cut polycarbonate body on the out and a fingerprint sensor. You can get the base model of the Realme 5 smartphone at under Rs 10,000 with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage.

Redmi Note 7S

Redmi Note 7S takes is the latest to enter the top smartphones under 10,000 list. The new Note 7S from Xiaomi is currently the cheapest 48MP camera smartphone available in India. It packs in the same 6.3-inch Full HD+ notched display in an 19.5:9 aspect ratio with Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The same level of protection is available on the other side. Redmi Note 7S is powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor coupled with upto 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage.

At the back, Redmi Note 7S comes with a dual camera setup featuring a 48MP main sensor coupled with a 5MP secondary depth sensor. Do note, it’s the Samsung ISOCELL GM1 48MP sensor, and not the Sony IMX 586 one.

Up front, Note 7S sports a 13MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture supporting AI Beautification, HDR and more. The smartphone is backed by a 4,000mAh battery supporting 18W fast charging (without the brick inside the box) running on the latest Android 9.0 Pie based MIUI 10. You can get the base model at under 10,000 rupees after the recent permanent price cut.

Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2

Asuss decreased the price of its hit Zenfone Max Pro M2 smartphone after the launch of Redmi Note 7 and Realme 3 back in March, and still selling at under 10,000 rupees. It directly challenges some of the top budget smartphones with somewhat similar specs. The Asus device sports a 6.26-inch Full HD+ notched display with Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection on top.

While it’s actually better in a number of ways if compared to Redmi Note 7. Under the hood, Max Pro M2 runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC with stock Android UI with Oreo 8.1 OS. The Android Pie update is already out.

At the back, you get a 12MP + 5MP dual rear camera system including a Sony IMX 486 sensor. With a 13MP front camera, the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 packs up a mammoth 5,000 mAh battery. Available at Rs 9,999, you get 3GB RAM and 32GB storage with support for expandable memory.

Realme 3

Up next on our list, we have the bestselling budget hero from Realme. The Realme superstar packs in a punch with some above average specs, available starting at just Rs 8,990. The smartphone runs on Mediatek’s flagship Helio P70 chip, built on a 12 nm process. At the back, it has a dual camera system featuring a 13MP primary sensor and a secondary 2MP shooter with a 13MP shooter upfront.

Realme 3 has a 6.22-inch only-HD+ display with a water drop notch and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection.

The whole package will be backed by a massive 4,230 mAh unit running on the latest Android Pie OS with Color OS 6 skin on top. For Rs 8,990, you can grab the 3GB RAM and 32GB storage model, with support for extended storage.

Realme U1

The first Realme U series smartphone from December last year still remains a viable option at under 10,000 rupees. The selfie-focused Realme U1 currently retails starting at a discounted price of Rs 9,999. Realme U1 features a AI-powered 25MP Sony IMX 576 sensor. On top the smartphone runs on MediaTek Helio P70 chip, the latest 12 nm chip.

On top Realme UI comes with a 6.3-inch Full HD+ display with a water drop notch and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection.

The smartphone runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with Color OS 5.2. The Android Pie-based Color OS 6.0 has now been released, and you can enjoy the new UI on the device. The company also added a new Realme U1 variant with 64GB storage and 3GB RAM at Rs 10,999.

Samsung Galaxy M20

The Samsung bestseller, the Galaxy M20 is another mid-budget powerhouse available in the country under Rs 10,000 rupees. Galaxy M20 sports a 6.3-inch full-HD+ offering a screen resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels with a Infinity-V styled notch on top in an 19.5:9 aspect ratio and glossy plastic back. Samsung Galaxy M20 runs on Exynos 7904 chip coupled with 3GB or 4GB RAM with 32GB and 64GB of storage respectively.

The storage can be further expanded up to 512GB with an external microSD card. At the back, Galaxy M20 comes with a dual camera setup comprising a 13MP (f/1.9) main sensor coupled with a 5MP ultra-wide angle sensor.

Up front, the Samsung smartphone has an 8MP (f/2.0) sensor with an in-display flash. Galaxy M20 runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with One UI on top backed by a massive 5,000mAh battery with support for 15W fast charging (ships with the adapter in the box). The base model of the smartphone currently starts at only Rs 9,990 a piece.

Xiaomi Redmi Y3

Xiaomi recently launched its third generation Y series smartphone, the Redmi Y3 starting at Rs 9,999 for the base model with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. Redmi Y3 is a perfect camera smartphone under Rs 10,000. The smartphone sports a 6.26-inch HD+ display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top running on Snapdragon 632 SoC with 3GB or 4GB RAM and 32GB or 64GB storage. 

Redmi Y3 runs on the latest Android 9.0 Pie with MIUI 10 on top. The storage can be further expanded up to 512GB via an external memory card.

Being a selfie-focused smartphone, the company has put a super 32-megapixel camera with an f/2.25 aperture with EIS support. At the back, Redmi Y3 has a dual camera system featuring a 12-megapixel primary sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and a 2-megapixel depth sensor backed by a huge 4,000mAh battery.

Redmi 7

Just like Redmi Y3, Redmi 7 also comes with a streak of similar specifications backed a new gradient design sporting a 6.26-inch HD+ only display with a dot notch on top with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top. Under the hood, Redmi 7 runs on the same 14nm Snapdragon 632 octa-core SoC with 2GB or 3GB RAM. As of now, are two storage variants available in India: 2GB RAM with 32GB storage and 3GB RAM with 32GB storage.

Redmi 7 comes with the same 12MP primary snapper with 2MP secondary depth sensor rear camera combination as Redmi Y3.

Up front, Redmi 7 has a 8MP selfie shooter. Redmi 7 will run on MIUI 10 skin based on Android 9 Pie with a triple SIM slot (2+1) housing a 4,000mAh battery unit starting at Rs 7,999. On a budget, the new Redmi 6 successor offers some great performance coupled with strong imaging capabilities. 

LG W30

The newly launched LG W30 is the latest to join the list of the top smartphones under Rs 10,000. The smartphone will come with a gradient finish on the out featuring a 6.22-inch HD+ dot notch Full Vision display in a screen ratio of 19:9. LG W30 is powered by octa-core Helio P22 processor with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. LG W30 runs on Android 9.0 Pie with a three rear camera setup.

LG W30 features a triple rear camera system consisting of a 12MP standard lens, a 13MP wide-angle lens and a 2MP depth sensor. Up front, the device has a 16MP camera.

LG W30 It is powered by a big 4,000mAh battery. The smartphone will be available in three colour options: Thunder Blue, Platinum Grey and Aurora Green. LG W30 will be available via Amazon India through flash sales from July 3 at Rs 9,999, in a single storage variant.

Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1

The Asus bestseller, Zenfone Max Pro M1 from last year continues to be top smartphone even in August 2019. The set of specs and current pricing makes it a very suitable option at under 10,000 rupees. Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 starts at Rs 7,999 for the base model with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. The top model with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage is currently available at Rs 9,999.

For the price, Max Pro M1 comes with a 5.99-inch Full HD+ 18:9 widescreen running on the much-dependable Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC with a dual camera system at the back.

At the back, it includes a 13MP primary sensor coupled with a 5MP depth sensor. Up front, Max Pro M1 sports an 8-megapixel camera running on Android 8.1 Oreo OS backed by a massive 5,000mAh battery. The performance is still very sleek, and it could be a perfect driver for daily performance backed by a great battery life.

Realme 3i

Coming to our last device, it’s the just-launched Realme 3i. Realme launched a new smartphone at under 8,000 rupees with features very similar to the existing Realme 3. With a plastic body on the out, Realme 3i sports a 6.22-inch HD+ display in an 19.5:9 aspect ratio. It’s a large edge-to-edge display with minimal bezels and a thin chin.

It does offer some great performance on a budget, with some additional gaming features and capabilities to enhance the overall experience. Under the hood, Realme 3i is powered by MediaTek Helio P60 SoC with upto 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. It’s the flagship predecessor P70 chip by MediaTek.

The device supports additional storage via an external memory card. Realme 3i packs in a rear dual camera system comprising of a 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel depth sensor running on ColorOS 6.0 based on Android 9 Pie, backed by a massive 4,230mAh battery. Realme 3i will be available via Flipkart starting at Rs 7,999.