BEST PHONES UNDER ₹10,000 [SEPTEMBER 2020]

So after doing the best phones list in April, I am now back with this list. Today I am going to tell the list and before starting, I have set the criteria for choosing the phones. So let's get started into the list in descending order after telling the criteria. I will tell the goods and the bads of the phone and also give a link to the phone's specs page by GSMArena.

MINIMUM CRITERIA

• Should be in Stock
• IPS LCD, LTPS/AMOLED Display
• Powerful Processor
• 3GB RAM 32GB STORAGE
• Big Battery with 10W Charging (In-Box)
• Decent Cameras
• Decent Build Quality

5. Moto G8 Power Lite (₹9,999)

Moto G8 Power Lite

This is for those looking for a phone with Clean UI. So we have the Moto G8 Power Lite which also has some decent specs for the price. It has a huge 6.5" IPS LCD screen which is HD+ but most phones under 10k lack a high-res screen anyways. It has a small teardrop notch. We have a full plastic back but it has a matte finish and I so I liked the design. It also has a fast fingerprint scanner and also Triple Card Slot. BTW we have 64GB storage. We have Helio P35 which is almost the same as the Helio G35. It performs decently in daily tasks and the 4GB RAM helps in multitasking. But this still runs Android Pie and Moto is very slow with updates and Android 10 is uncertain. 

The camera is a normal 16MP (f/2.0) + 2MP Depth + 2MP Macro. The camera performance is quite decent and for casual photography, you won't complain. And the 8MP selfie camera is also fine. But the night photos are bad. The battery is great because it has a huge 5000 mAh cell. And you can expect 2 days on light usage. And the 10W charger takes about 3 hours to charge from 0%. It uses an old Micro-USB connector though which should've been Type-C. 

So you can definitely consider this for its Stock Android. But mind that the updates aren't regular. For availability, you can use Flipkart's 'Notify Me' feature to know when it is in stock. You can get about 5-10 minutes to book it. 

Best Buy links:- Flipkart

GSMArena Specs Page:- Moto G8 Power Lite

4. Realme C12 (₹8,999)

Realme C12

This is a phone by Realme who has seriously overcrowded this segment. It comes with 6.5" HD+ IPS LCD Screen with a Teardrop Notch. I can't complain as Realme doesn't give FHD. The screen quality is just fine and like any other Realme Phone is this price (read: decent). The phone is powered by Helio G35 which is less for a Realme phone. I mean you can perform daily tasks but this phone isn't for gamers. This has 3GB RAM which is okay. There is Android 10 on top of Realme UI 1.0. 

The design is matte finish with a filer-like texture. So I like this form of design very much, especially the sound it makes. There is a fingerprint scanner which is fast and there's also a Triple Slot. You would need that as the base storage is only 32GB. And there's an outdated Micro-USB port. The main highlight is the battery which is 6000 mAh and it would last very long because of the HD screen. But the 10W basic charging would take ages for 100%. They could give 18W charging support but Realme wants you to but the more expensive C15 for that. 

There is 13MP (f/2.2) + 2MP Macro Lens + 2MP Depth Sensor. The camera performance is better than Narzo 10A and it also has Nightscape. The nightscape isn't very nice but it is a nice add-on. It performs quite well in daylight though. But the 5MP selfie camera is strictly average. So this is a phone you can consider if you want the huge battery and better cameras but I strongly recommend the Narzo 10A over this. 

Best Buy Links:- Flipkart

GSMArena Specs Page:- Realme C12

4. Redmi 9 (India) (₹8,999) 

Redmi 9 (India)

This is a phone by Redmi which I don't recommend very strongly as we have the Redmi 9 Prime for a thousand more. This has a 6.53" IPS LCD screen which is only HD+. I am disappointed with the display as Redmi gives FHD for some more cash. The processor is Helio G35 which is decent for normal use and this has 4GB RAM for the base model while Realme C12 has 3GB. But this is not a gaming-centric phone. It has Android 10 and boots MIUI 12. 

The design is very good when it comes to looks. There is a matte filer-like finish. There is Triple Slot but I doubt you will need it as the base model has 64GB storage and there's another 1228GB model for 10k but I don't recommend that. And there's a Micro-USB port which is a step below the Redmi 8 that had USB-C and also fast charging support. 

There's a 5000 mAh battery which last long but I am disappointed that there's only 10W charging when the older Redmi 8 had 18W support. Coming to the cameras, it's a 13MP (f/2.2) and a 2MP depth sensor. The Redmi 8 has a better IMX 363 sensor. And a 5MP front camera is a step below 8MP on  The camera quality is decent in daylight but the Night photos are average. So this is for those who budget is strictly 9k, else spend a little more on Redmi 9 Prime. 

Best Buy Links:- Amazon

GSMArena Specs Page:- Redmi 9 (India)

3. Realme C15 (₹9,999)

Realme C15

This is very similar to Realme C12 along with some minor changes. It comes with 6.5" HD+ IPS LCD Screen with a Teardrop Notch. The screen quality is just fine and like any other Realme Phone is this price (read: decent). I can't complain as Realme doesn't give FHD.  The phone is powered by Helio G35 which is less for a Realme phone. I mean you can perform daily tasks but this phone isn't for gamers. This has 3GB RAM which is not okay for 10k. There is Android 10 on top of Realme UI 1.0.

The design is matte finish with a filer-like texture. So I like this form of design very much, especially the sound it makes. There is a fingerprint scanner which is fast and there's also a Triple Slot. You would need that as the base storage is only 32GB. And there's an outdated Micro-USB port. The main highlight is the battery which is 6000 mAh and it would last very long because of the HD screen. But this has 18W charging over the 10W on the cheaper C12. Still, it would take some time for charging. 

There is 13MP (f/2.2) + 8MP Ultra-wide + 2MP Macro Lens + 2MP Depth Sensor. The main difference, when compared to C12, is an ultra-wide lens. The camera performance is better than Narzo 10A and it also has Nightscape. The nightscape isn't very nice but it is a nice add-on. It performs quite well in daylight though. And the 5MP camera is decent. So this is a phone you can consider if you want the huge battery and better cameras. But for performance, go with the Narzo 10A that has 4GB RAM at this price. The trade-offs will be the camera experience, smaller battery (Narzo 10A also has great battery life too) and fast charging. 

Best Buy Links:- Flipkart

GSMArena Specs Page:- Realme C15

2. Realme Narzo 10A (₹8,999)

Realme Narzo 10A

So after a lot of mentions, the Narzo 10A finally comes on the list. And I can explain why I kept it above Realme C12 and C15. Actually, the camera and battery in the C12/C15 are not much of an improvement when compared to the leap in performance from Helio G35 to G70. So let's start with the performance. This has an Octa-Core Processor with powerful Cortex A55. And its Mali-G52 performs the best in this price because of the HD Screen. ANd this is great for daily usage and medium to heavy gaming. This has 3GB RAM which is not okay for 10k. There is Android 10 on top of Realme UI 1.0. It has 3GB RAM and 4GB RAM, both under ₹10,000. 

It comes with 6.5" HD+ IPS LCD Screen with a Teardrop Notch. I can't complain as Realme doesn't give FHD. The screen quality is just fine and like any other Realme Phone is this price (read: decent). The design is matte finish with a huge Realme Branding which you will love or hate. There is a fingerprint scanner which is fast and there's also a Triple Slot. You would get both the 32GB and 64GB models under 10k. But the port is still Micro-USB. Cmon, Realme. 

There is 12MP (f/1.8) + 2MP Macro + 2MP Depth. The front camera is 5MP. The daylight photos are decent but the night photos are bad due to the lack of Night Mode. But you can try GCAM. The 5MP front camera is quite average. The 5000 mAh battery lasts long. Not as much as C12/C15 but still great. But the charging is again 10W. So this is strictly for gamers who like Realme. 

Best Buy Links:- Flipkart

GSMArena Specs Page:- Realme C15

1. Redmi 9 Prime (₹9,999) 

Redmi 9 Prime

And here comes the winner under 10K, the Redmi 9 Prime. It gets most of the things right and so let's talk about it. The display is a 6.53" IPS LCD Screen but this is an FHD panel when all give HD Panels. The display is great for the price and also support Widewine L1 which other phones lack. In fact, this also has Dual-Band Wi-Fi that means 5GHz Wi-Fi would work fine on this. The design is also very premium even though it is polycarbonate. It has a filer-like finish and looks like a hybrid of Poco X2 and Redmi Note 8 Pro. And this is the only phone here with USB-C Port. 

The phone also has a Triple Slot and there's 64GB storage in the base model. I don't recommend the higher-end 128GB model. Coming to the performance, this has Helio G80, a step above the Helio G70. The performance might be better on the Narzo 10A but it isn't a huge difference and you have a low-res screen on the Narzo. This is very well for daily use and gaming. There's no UFS 2.1 but that's asking too much. It has Android 10 and would soon get MIUI 12. 

This also packs a quad-camera. There is 13MP (f/2.2) + 8MP Ultra-Wide + 2MP Macro + 2MP Depth. The front camera is 8MP. The daylight photos are great but the lowlight photos are average due to the lack of night mode. But you can try using GCAM. There is 5020 mAh battery with a 10W charger in-box. But you can get the Xiaomi 18W charger for ₹500. The battery life is great and charging speed is also decent. And so this is my choice under ₹10,000. 

Best Buy Links:- Amazon

GSMArena Specs Page:- Redmi 9 Prime

Mi Fast Charger:- Amazon

So that's it for today. I would soon make a similar list for phones under ₹15,000. So that's it for today. Goodbye.