Best Smartphones under Rs 15,000 in India | August 2016

Looking for the best phones under Rs 15,000? Here’s a list of what we think are the best mobile phones under Rs 15,000 in India for August 2016 based on their specs. These are the best phones available in the market right now for this budget, including Android and Windows Phone handsets and should give you great value for money. Barring a few, all these phones are 4G compatible, so you can consider this list including the best 4G phones under Rs 15,000 as well.

Also, check out the best smartphones under Rs 12,000 and best smartphones under Rs 18,000. Also, check our recommendations at the bottom. We’ve provided links to Amazon and Flipkart pages, since these are the best places to shop phones online. So, here are the best smartphones under Rs 15,000 in India.

Best mobile phones under Rs 15,000 in India | August 2016

Xiaomi Mi Max

• Flipkart: Rs 14,990

• OS: Android 6.0
• Display: 1080 x 1920 pixels, 6.44 inch – IPS
• Memory: 32GB expandable, 3GB RAM
• Processor: Snapdragon 650 quad-core 1.4 GHz (A53) & Dual-core 1.8GHz (A72)
• GPU: Adreno 510
• Camera: 16MP, 5MP secondary
• Battery: 4,850mAh
• Connectivity: Dual SIM, 4G
• Weight: 203g

Pros

• Cameras
• Battery
• Processor
• RAM

Cons

• Size

Lenovo Vive K5 Note

• Flipkart: Rs 13,490 (4GB RAM)

• Flipkart: Rs 11,990 (3GB RAM)

• OS: Android 6.0
• Display: 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.5 inch – IPS
• Memory: 32GB expandable, 3GB/4GB RAM
• Processor: Mediatek 6755 Octa-core 1.8 GHz
• GPU: Mali-T860MP2
• Camera: 13MP, 8MP secondary
• Battery: 3,500mAh
• Connectivity: Dual SIM, 4G
• Weight: 165g

Pros

• Front cameras
• Battery
• Processor
• RAM
• Android 6.0

Cons

LeEco Le 2

• Flipkart: Rs 11,990

• OS: Android 6.0
• Display: 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.5 inches
• Memory: 32GB  non expandable, 3GB RAM
• Processor: Snapdragon 652 quad 1.4GHz +quad 1.8GHz
• GPU: Adreno 510
• Camera: 16MP, 8MP secondary
• Battery: 3,000mAh
• Connectivity: Dual SIM, 4G
• Weight: 153g

Pros

• Internal memory
• Processor
• RAM
• Android 6.0

Cons

• Non expandable memory

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3

• Flipkart: Rs 11,990

• OS: Android 5.1
• Display: 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.5 inches
• Memory: 32GB  expandable, 3GB RAM
• Processor: Snapdragon 650 quad-core 1.4 GHz (A53) & Dual-core 1.8GHz (A72)
• GPU: Adreno 510
• Camera: 16MP, 5MP secondary
• Battery: 4,000mAh
• Connectivity: Dual SIM, 4G
• Weight: 164g

Pros

• Internal memory
• Processor
• RAM
• Camera
• Battery

Cons

Moto G4 Plus

• Amazon: Rs 13,490 (16GB storage, 2GB RAM)

• Amazon: Rs 14,990 (32GB storage, 3GB RAM)

• OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
• Display: 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.5 inches
• Memory: 16GB/32GB  expandable, 2GB/3GB RAM
• Processor: Snapdragon 617  quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 & quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A53
• GPU: Adreno 405
• Camera: 16MP, 5MP secondary
• Battery: 3,000mAh
• Connectivity: Dual SIM, 4G
• Weight: 155g

Pros

• Android 6.0
• RAM
• Camera

Cons

Moto X Play

• Flipkart: Rs 15,490 (16GB with Turbo charger)

• OS: Android 5.1.1 (Android 6 confirmed)
• Display: 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.5 inch – IPS
• Memory: 16GB expandable, 2GB RAM
• Processor: Snapdragon 615 – quad-core 1.7GHz & quad-core 1GHz Cortex-A53
• GPU: Adreno 405
• Camera: 21MP, 5MP secondary
• Battery: 3,630mAh
• Connectivity: Dual SIM, 4G
• Weight: 169g

Pros

• Cameras
• Battery

Cons

Moto G4

• Amazon: Rs 12,490

• OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
• Display: 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.5 inches
• Memory: 16GB expandable, 2GB
• Processor: Snapdragon 617  quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 & quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A53
• GPU: Adreno 405
• Camera: 13MP, 5MP secondary
• Battery: 3,000mAh
• Connectivity: Dual SIM, 4G
• Weight: 155g

Pros

• Android 6.0

Cons

Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)

• Flipkart: Rs 14,990

• OS: Android 5.1
• Display: 720 x 1280 pixels, 5.5 inches
• Memory: 16GB expandable, 2GB RAM
• Processor: Exynos 7870 1.6GHz octa core
• GPU: Mali-T830 MP1
• Camera: 13MP, 5MP secondary
• Battery: 3,300mAh
• Connectivity: Single SIM, 4G
• Weight: 170g

Pros

• Battery

Cons

• Display

Lenovo ZUK Z1

• Amazon: Rs 13,490

• OS: Android 5.1
• Display: 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.5 inches
• Memory: 64GB non expandable, 3GB RAM
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.5 GHz Quad Core
• GPU: Adreno 330
• Camera: 13MP, 8MP secondary
• Battery: 4,100mAh
• Connectivity: Dual SIM, 4G
• Weight: 175g

Pros

• All specs for the asking price

Cons

OnePlus X

• Amazon: Rs 14,990

• OS: Android 5.1 (Android 6 confirmed)
• Display: 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5 inches (AMOLED)
• Memory: 16GB expandable, 3GB RAM
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.3 GHz Quad Core
• GPU: Adreno 330
• Camera: 13MP, 8MP secondary
• Battery: 2,525mAh
• Connectivity: Dual SIM, 4G
• Weight: 138g

Pros

• Processor
• RAM
• Front camera

Cons

Lenovo VIBE P1

• Flipkart: Rs 15,490

Features:

• OS: Android 5.1
• Display: 1920 x 1080 pixels, 5.5 inches
• Memory: 32GB  expandable, 2GB RAM
• Processor: Snapdragon 615 – quad-core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 & quad-core 1.0 GHz Cortex-A53
• GPU: Adreno 405
• Camera: 13MP camera, 5MP secondary
• Battery: 5,000mAh battery
• Connectivity: Dual SIM, 4G
• Weight: 189g

Pros:

• Battery
• Internal memory

Cons:

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser ZE601KL

• Flipkart: Rs 14,900

• OS: Android 5.0 (Android 6 confirmed)
• Body: 164.6 x 84 x 10.6 mm
• Weight: 190g
• Display: 1080 x 1920 pixels, 6 inch – IPS
• Memory: 32GB expandable, 3GB RAM
• Processor: Quad-core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 & quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A53 Snapdragon 616
• GPU: Adreno 405
• Camera: 13MP, 5MP secondary
• Battery: 3,000mAh
• Dual SIM, 4G

Pros

• Display
• RAM
• Internal storage

Cons

Honor 5C

• Flipkart: Rs 10,990

• OS: Android 6.0
• Display: 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.2 inches
• Memory: 16GB expandable, 2GB RAM
• Processor: Quad-core 2.0GHz A53 + quad-core 1.7GHz A53 Kirin 650
• GPU: Mali-T830MP2
• Camera: 13MP, 8MP secondary
• Battery: 3,000mAh
• Connectivity: Dual SIM, 4G
• Weight: 156g

Pros

• Processor
• Display
• Android 6.0

Cons

Xiaomi Mi 4i

• Amazon: Rs 11,990

• Flipkart: Rs 11,990

• OS: Android 5.0
• Display: 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5 inches
• Memory: 16GB  non expandable, 2GB RAM
• Processor: Snapdragon 615 – quad-core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 & quad-core 1.0 GHz Cortex-A53
• GPU: Adreno 405
• Camera: 13MP, 5MP secondary
• Battery: 3,120mAh
• Connectivity: Dual SIM (3G+4G)
• Weight: 130g

Pros

Cons

• Non expandable memory

Lenovo K4 Note

• Amazon: Rs 10,990

• OS: Android 5.0
• Display: 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.5 inches
• Memory: 16GB expandable, 3GB RAM
• Processor: Octa-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A53 Mediatek MT6753
• GPU: Mali-T720MP3
• Camera: 13MP, 5MP secondary
• Battery: 3,300mAh non removable
• Connectivity: Dual SIM (3G+4G)
• Weight: 160g

Pros

• Battery
• RAM

Cons

ASUS Zenfone Selfie ZD551KL

• Flipkart: Rs 14,990

• Amazon: Rs 14,990

Features:

• OS: Android 5.0
• Display: 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.5 inches
• Memory: 16GB expandable, 2GB RAM
• Processor: Snapdragon 615 – quad-core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 & quad-core 1.0 GHz Cortex-A53
• GPU: Adreno 405
• Camera: 13MP camera, 13MP secondary with flash
• Battery: 3,000mAh battery
• Connectivity: Dual SIM, 4G
• Weight:170g

Pros:

• Front camera

Cons:

Features to expect in the best phones under Rs 15,000:

You can expect the best phones under Rs 15,000 to come with 1080p displays and support 1080p video recording. Snapdragon 801 is among the best processors in this budget, followed by the Snapdragon 652/650. The SD 615 is the bare minimum. We don’t recommend Snapdragon 410 in this budget (that leaves the Samsung Galaxy J5 and the Moto G3). You will also find models that come with 3GB RAM, which future proofs the device a bit. Again, go only for 4G phones. You will also find a few models with 32GB internal storage, which is a plus. In terms of software, get something with atleast Android 5.0 that is expected to be updated to Android 6.0. Lastly, don’t blindly run after the megapixel count on the camera sensor. It doesn’t matter that much.

Happy shopping.