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ION Picks 2018: Best Smartphones under INR 15999

Xiaomi dominates the Indian smartphone market with a whopping 27% of market share followed by Samsung which contributes 22% of the total market share. The dominance of the Xiaomi is a clear indication that Indians are more focused to buy mid-ranged smartphones more rather than spending premium bucks on premium brands like Google, LG, Samsung. One interesting thing to note that new entrants like Realme, Honor are also doing impressive launches and all these brands are providing their smartphones in the budget segment category.

In this article, we will be listing best smartphones according to your needs under INR 15,999. So let’s kick off the list with Xiaomi smartphone itself.

Redmi Note 6 Pro: Great Camera

Xiaomi’s Redmi Note series has improved a lot in recent years. The first major upgrade was with the Redmi Note 5 Pro that excelled in the camera department coupled with great hardware that made the users just go “WOW”, following the same legacy Redmi Note 6 Pro is an incremental upgrade over Note 5 Pro with some minor changes.

Redmi Note 6 Pro features a Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 636 Processor, coupled with dual camera setup comprising of 12 MP+ 5MP and for selfies, there are dual shooters as well each with 20 MP + 2 MP for depth sensing.

Highlight – Great Low Light Photography | Impressive Battery Life | Improved DIsplay over last year.

Price INR 13,999

Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2: Stock Android King

Asus has stepped at the right moment into the Indian market fixing all their problems like unrealistic pricing of their products that we have seen with their Zenfone 3 series. They entered the Indian market with a boom with their Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 that became the best smartphone under INR 15,000 with stock android, great display quality, and a powerful Snapdragon 636 processor. The cameras were not that good on the device.

Now with Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2, Asus has given us a total package for the price of INR 12,999. It houses a powerful Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 AI Processor coupled with an excellent pair of a dual rear camera comprising of main 12 MP sensor with an aperture of f/1.8 for good low light shots + 5MP for depth sensing. For selfies, we do get a 13 MP shooter with f/2.0 aperture.

The key highlight of Zenfone Max Pro M2 is that it has a massive 5000mah battery that out beats any competitor easily and despite having such huge battery the phone is not too bulky and feels light in hand.

Verdict – Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 is clearly a winner for the base variant that starts at INR 12,999

Highlights –

  • Stock Android Experience
  • Android Pie Update arriving in January
  • Corning Gorilla Glass 6
  • Great Camera but for low light photography consider buying Redmi Note 6 Pro.

Price INR 12,999

Realme 2 pro

Realme 2 PRO sports a dew-drop notched display that gives a premium look to the device, in addition to that the bezels are kept really low that makes the phone to look pleasing to the eyes. It houses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 Processor coupled with dual rear camera setup: 16 Mega-Pixel + 2 Mega-pixel, the rear camera comes with f/1.7 aperture that is the best specification you can ever find under this budget. For selfies, we get a 16 MegaPixel shooter that provides some decent selfies.

The Device is using Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3 to protect your smartphone from minor scratches and drop. The battery capacity is of 3500 mah which is a little less from the competition.

Verdict – Realme 2 Pro was a great option initially but with the arrival of Zenfone Max Pro M2 and Redmi Note 6 Pro, it does not make sense until you like Realme Brand and that dew-drop notch. Most importantly their Color OS just is too bad when compared to Stock Android and MiUI.

Highlight – Dew-Drop Notch Display | Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor | 3500 mAh battery

Price INR 13,990

Vivo V9 pro

Vivo V9 Pro is powered by a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor coupled with 6 GB of Ram and 64 GB of internal storage. In terms of camera Vivo V9 sports a dual camera setup comprising of 13 MP + 2MP for depth sensing and for selfies there is a good 16 MP sensor. Despite having 3250 mAh battery Vivo manages to provide exceptionally good battery life all thanks to their optimized FunTouch OS and use of smart features to minimize excessive battery usage.

The V9 Pro offers an improved performance, impressive battery life and decent pair of cameras, has a bright and colorful display, and a premium design.

Verdict – Vivo V9 Pro is the best device from Vivo in this price bracket that provides decent specifications at a budget price.

Highlight – Good performance | Decent Battery Life | Great Pair of Optics specially selfie camera | Beautiful Design

Price INR 15,990

Honor 8x

The Honor 8X is a massive upgrade over the last year’s Honor 7X, no two words about it and is one very balanced smartphone on the cheap. The Honor 8X is using in-house Kirin 710 processor based on a 12nm process that provides a flagship level performance and Honor’s processors generally have great battery life. Honor 8X looks excellent from the back as it features a dual shade glass design.

Verdict – A device priced under 15k, and is built well, and looks beautiful, and performs better than all existing smartphones in the similar price bracket.

Highlight – Great Looks, Vivid Display, Decent Performance, Impressive Battery

Price INR 14,999

Nokia 6.1 plus

Nokia is the only brand according to me who truly reaches the heard of every customer. Now coming to the device, Nokia 6.1 Plus boasts a robust build quality with aluminum frames on both sides and glass design. Both rear and back are covered with Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3 to provide more protection to your device.

Under the hood the device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor, for imaging, there is a decent dual rear camera: 16MP + 5MP and for selfies, there is 16 MP sensor.

Nokia 6.1 Plus features a stock android and has a battery capacity of 3060 mah. The most important highlights about the Nokia smartphones are Great Build, timely Software updates that includes android versions and security patches.

Verdict – Buy the device if you want a Nokia Device with the great build quality and along with timely Android updates. Rest nothing special about this device. However other slightly expensive devices from Nokia are much better and offer much impressive value for money.

Highlight: Robust Build Quality, Timely Updates.

Price: INR 15,999

So these were our top smartphones under INR 15999. If you think your favorite device is not listed do comment down below and tell us why you like it.

Image Source: Gizmomaniacs

Devender Sharma

Devender Sharma-resident tech geek and gadget love. He is pursuing B.Tech in Information Technology and loves to spend his time at the Gym when he is not blogging.

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