Best Budget Smartphones in India: Devices that made an impression.
Best Budget Smartphones in India 2019: In 2019, smartphone manufacturers upgraded their budget offerings packing only higher specifications and a refreshed design. Budget devices of this year bear a sharp contrast with last year’s offerings if one were to go by looks and specifications. The camera performance also got a major boost with manufacturers packing different shooting modes and bigger sensors for a price between Rs 6,000 to Rs 11,000. We are listing down budget smartphones of 2019 that stood out based on our reviews.
Realme 3
Realme’s first launch of the year 2019 came with the Realme 3 smartphone that was priced under Rs 10,000. The phone turned out to be an all-rounder packing heavy specifications for its price point. It ticked most of the right boxes while featuring a stylish design that stood out. The Realme 3 came with a good dual-rear camera setup and performed well with its Helio P70 processor as well making it a worthy choice.
Realme 3i carries a plastic textured diamond-cut back identical to the Realme C2. (Express Photo: Mohammad Faisal)
Realme 3i
Later in 2019, Realme launched the Realme 3i— a more affordable version of the Realme 3. The phone was an intermediary between the Realme 3 and the Realme C2 both in terms of design and specifications. The design of the Realme 3i stood out as the brand replaced the glossy back with a textured diamond-cut design, which was smudge-free. The Diamond-Red colour of the device is a beauty to hold and for its price of Rs 7,999, the phone offered sleek features that made it a good pick.
Samsung Galaxy M30
The Samsung Galaxy M30 was the costliest M-series device. It featured a stylish look with zero bumps on the back. The phone looked good and packed an FHD+ Super AMOLED display, a big 5,000mAh battery, and a triple rear camera setup. When Samsung dropped the price, the Galaxy M30 became an even better pick solely for its display and design.
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Redmi Note 8 sports a quad-rear camera setup. (Express Photo: Mohammad Faisal)
Redmi Note 8
With the Redmi Note 8, Xiaomi stirred the budget segment once again as it packed a 48MP quad-rear camera setup and the Snapdragon 665 processor for a price tag of Rs 9,999. The overall look and feel of the smartphone coupled with its camera and performance made it the ‘budget king’ for 2019, though we must mention it launched in the latter half of the year.
Moto E6s
Motorola brought back the removable battery and back case with its Moto E6s smartphone. The device came with a balanced specification sheet featuring a dual rear camera setup and MediaTek Helio P22 processor. Although the phone didn’t appear like a good contender against its peers, the bloatware-free stock Android experience and removable back+ battery made it stand out.
Vivo U10 sports a Snapdragon 665 processor and 13+8+2MP triple rear camera setup. (Express Photo: Mohammad Faisal)
Vivo U10
The Vivo U10 was the first smartphone of Vivo’s new online exclusive U-series. The device sported a clean and premium looking design, while packing good specifications for its price of Rs 8,990. With a triple rear camera setup, Snapdragon 665 processor, and a big 5,000mAh battery with fast charging support, we found the Vivo U10 to be a value for money smartphone.
Vivo U20
Vivo followed the Vivo U10 with the Vivo U20 that came with a Snapdragon 675 processor. The Vivo U20 sported a more polished design and replaced the depth sensor with a macro lens. With aggressive pricing, the smartphone turned out to be another excellent choice from Vivo in the budget segment.
Redmi Note 7S packs the 48MP primary rear camera.
Redmi Note 7S
The Redmi Note 7S was Xiaomi’s budget phone to offer a 48MP camera for under Rs 10,000. It was basically a revamped version of the earlier Redmi Note 7, which had originally launched in India with a 12MP camera. The Redmi Note 7S stood out for its stylish Aura design, good performance, and camera.
Redmi 8A and Redmi 8
The budget Redmi phones, the 8A and 8 which succeeded the Redmi 7A and 7 respectively marked a big change in design and overall features. Both phones now come with a big 5000 mAh battery and a Type-C USB port at the bottom. The only issue though was that both Redmi 8A and Redmi 8 ran the same processor. Still for those looking to buy a phone under Rs 8,000, both remained affordable and reliable options
Realme 5s features Snapdragon 665 processor, 48MP quad-rear cameras. (Express Photo: Karanveer Singh Arora)
Realme 5 series
Realme launched its 5 series smartphones with a focus on quad-rear cameras and big battery in a budget. The Realme 5 and Realme 5s are the budget offerings of the series. While the Realme 5 comes with a 12MP quad-camera setup, the Realme 5s features 48MP quad rear cameras. The Realme 5s is definitely an update over the Realme 5 when it comes to the camera but the processor remains unchanged. Still, with Realme 5 and Realme 5s, the brand had more options for users looking to get a budget phone towards the end of the year.
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