Best Smartphones Under 10000 (November): Redmi Note 8, Realme 3 Pro, Realme 5, Vivo U10, Galaxy M30, Redmi 8, Moto One Macro

Finding the best smartphone under 10000? Here’s a list of all the top smartphones you can buy right now under 10000 in India. We picked the best devices evaluating the best features based on performance, display, gaming, camera, battery and more.

The newly launched Redmi Note 8 and discounted Realme 3 Pro top the list. 

The November 2019 edition of the best smartphones under 10000 has changed completely with several new launches. Xiaomi India unveiled two new smartphones under 10,000, while Realme subsequently discounted Realme 3 Pro to offer it under 10,000.

Here are the best smartphones under 10000 listed based on usability, camera performance, gaming, multitasking, display quality and battery performance.

Redmi Note 8

The all new Redmi Note 8 tops the list with path-breaking features under 10000. Redmi Note 8 features a 6.3-inch Full HD+ screen offering 90 percent screen-to-body ratio with a dot drop notch on the front. The device sports a glass sandwich body with Gorilla Glass 5 support on the front and back as the previous generation Redmi Note 7 series. Redmi Note 8 has a 48MP powered quad rear camera setup. 

The four camera system on Redmi Note 8 features a primary 48MP Samsung GM1 sensor with f/1.79 aperture, 2MP depth sensor, 8MP Ultra Wide lens with 120-degree depth view and a 2cm Macro lens. Upfront, Redmi Note 8 comes with a 13MP selfie camera.

Under the hood, Redmi Note 8 runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor based on an 11nm architecture. The smartphone will come with the same 4,000mAh battery with support for fast charging (18W charger included) and USB Type C port.  Note 8 will soon get the Android 9 Pie based MIUI 11. Redmi Note 8 is available starting at Rs 9,999 with 64GB storage and 4GB RAM.

Realme 3 Pro

Realme 3 Pro is now available at an unbelievable price under 10000. Launched at Rs 13,999, Realme has now permanently slashed the price Rs 9,999 only. Realme 3 Pro is a super budget smartphone scoring high in almost all the departments. Realme 3 Pro comes with a high quality polycarbonate body featuring a 6.3-inch full HD+ water drop notched display with Gorilla Glass 5 and a gradient design at the back.

At the back, the smartphone has a dual camera setup featuring a 16MP Sony IMX 519 sensor. The main sensor has an f/1.7 aperture coupled with a 5MP depth sensor with an f/2.4 aperture. It’s the same camera as OnePlus 6T. Up front, Realme 3 Pro uses a 25MP selfie shooter with an f/2.0 aperture.

Running on Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 processor, Realme 3 Pro available in two variants with ColorOS 6.0 on top based on Android 9 Pie. The whole Realme 3 Pro package is backed by a 4,045 mAh battery supporting VOOC 3.0 fast charging (20W) with a Micro USB powered brick inside the box. Realme 3 Pro is available starting at Rs 9,999 via Flipkart, 64GB base model.

Realme 5

Realme 5 still remains the most affordable quad camera smartphone in India. Realme 5 sports a 6.5-inch HD+ display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Under the hood, Realme 5 come with the 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.

The four camera system features a 12-megapixel f/1.8 primary Sony IMX 363 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 runs on Android 9 Pie powered ColorOS 6 skin. It has a 3D-cut polycarbonate body on the out with the fingerprint sensor placed at the back. Realme 5 is now available starting at Rs 8,999 via Flipkart.

Vivo U10

Vivo recently debuted with U-series which targets the entry-budget and budget category. Vivo U10 is available under 10,000 segment and Vivo aims to offer an array of premium features at a budget pricing. Vivo U10 comes with a 6.35-inch Halo FullView HD+ IPS display with a water-drop notch on top. It has slim bezels with a thick chin at the bottom.

Coming to optics, Vivo U10 features an 8MP front camera inside the notch. The other optics include a rear triple-lens setup featuring a primary 13MP camera coupled with 8MP ultra wide angle sensor and a 2MP depth sensor. 

Under the hood, Vivo U10 packs a dependable Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor. The chipset couples with up to 4GB of RAM and 64GB internal memory. The system runs on Vivo’s own UI based on Android 9 Pie. U10 is backed by a massive 5,000 mAh battery with support for fast-charging. The company includes an 18W fast charger in the box.

Samsung Galaxy M30

A resized 32GB model of the  Samsung Galaxy M30 smartphone is now available under 10000. Samsung Galaxy M30 feature a triple camera setup, a Super AMOLED display and a big battery. Galaxy M30 dons a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED Full HD+ display featuring a water drop notch on top called the Infinity-V display.

On the outside, it’s a high-quality plastic polycarbonate body with gradient finishes. M30 runs on Samsung’s own in-house Exynos 7904 SoC octa-core chip coupled with 4GB or 6GB of RAM.

The triple camera system on Galaxy M30 features a 13-megapixel f/1.9 primary shooter coupled with a 5-megapixel ultra-wide lens and a third 5-megapixel depth lens. Galaxy M30 runs on One UI, backed by a massive 5,000mAh battery with support for 15W fast charging (ships with the fast charging supported adapter in the box).

Moto One Macro

Motorola’s back onto the top smartphones under 10000 list after a long time. The Lenovo-owned entity lately has been launching multiple smartphones in the budget category to catch up with the competitors. The new Moto One Macro is available under 10000 with some good features onboard.

The device primarily focuses on the macro camera with decent specs to offer on a budget.Moto One Macro features a 6.2-inch HD+ Max Vision display with a water shaped notch on top. One Macro has an 8MP front camera.

At the back, there’s a triple-lens setup on Moto One Macro featuring a 13MP primary shooter with two 2MP sensors, one being the dedicated macro shooter. Under the hood, Moto One Macro runs on MediaTek Helio P70 SoC with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal memory. The package is backed a 4,000mAh battery, shipped with standard 10W charger.

Redmi Note 7S

Redmi Note 7S is currently the cheapest 48MP camera smartphone available in India, now joined by the new Note 8. 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. Redmi Note 7S is available starting at Rs 8,999 via Flipkart for the base model with 32GB storage.

Realme 3

Up next on our list, we have the bestselling budget hero from Realme. Realme 3 is now available starting at just Rs7,999. Realme 3 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 Realme 3 package is backed by a massive 4,230 mAh unit running on the latest Android Pie OS with Color OS 6 skin on top. Under 10,000 rupees, you can avail two Realme 3 variants. The 32GB Realme 3 model at Rs 7,999 and the 64GB model at Rs 9,999. Both versions support expandable storage via microSD card.

Samsung Galaxy M20

The Samsung midrange bestseller, Galaxy M20 is available in the country under 10000 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 Rs 9,990 a piece.

Xiaomi Redmi Y3

The third generation Y series smartphone, Redmi Y3 is available starting at Rs 8,999 for the base model with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. Redmi Y3 is a perfect camera smartphone under 10000. 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 (MIUI 11 on the way). The storage can be further expanded up to 512GB via an external memory card.

Being a selfie-focused smartphone, Redmi Y3 boasts a super 32-megapixel camera upfront with an f/2.25 aperture and additional EIS support. At the back, Redmi Y3 comes with 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 sizeable 4,000mAh battery.

Redmi 8

The all new Redmi 8 has been unveiled in the country starting at Rs 7,999 under 10000. Redmi 8 comes with an aura design on the out featuring a 6.21-inch HD+ water drop notched display, powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 439 processor. The hardware pairs with up to 4GB RAM and up to 64GB storage, supporting additional storage. 

Coming to optics, Redmi 8 will come with a dual camera system featuring a 12MP main camera and another 2MP depth sensor for portrait shots. Up front, Redmi 8 will come with an 8MP single wide camera.

Redmi 8 runs on Android 9 Pie with MIUI 10.0.1.3 on top. The device packs a larger battery this time. The whole package will be backed by a 5,000mAh battery supporting 18W fast charging sporting a USB Type-C port for charging (ships with 10W standard charger in the box). Redmi 8 is available via Flipkart starting at Rs 7,999.

Realme 3i

Coming to our last device, it’s the toned-down Realme 3 variant, Realme 3i. Realme launched a new smartphone at under 8000 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 additional gaming features. 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 is now available via Flipkart starting at Rs 7,999 for the base model.