1 week Ago By Firstpost
At the start of the new financial year, it is time to reset our budget back to Rs 10,000 and look for the best smartphone options available for that much money. It is no secret that phones in this price bracket aren’t feature-packed powerhouses, but modest offerings that can handle day to day tasks with ease. To make sure of that, we always pick phones with at least 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage.
Let’s check which phones tick our requisite boxes under 10K this month. Poco M7 5G The Poco M7 5G, as the name suggests, is among the very few good 5G-ready phones under 10K. The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chip, and you get 6 GB RAM along with 128 GB internal storage, further expandable up to 1 TB with a microSD card.
This phone has a large 6.88-inch HD+ display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, which is great for media consumption. The Poco M7 5G has a capable 50MP primary camera supported by a secondary depth sensing unit.
An 8MP front camera takes care of selfies and video calls. This phone has a 5160 mAh battery that lasts over a day and a half of moderate use, and supports 18W fast charging. Interestingly, the company provides a 33W fast charger in the bundle.
The phone runs Android 14 with Xiaomi’s HyperOS, and the company has promised 2 major Android updates and 4 years of security updates for this phone, which is great to see. Poco M7 5G price in India: Rs 9,999 for 6 GB RAM/ 128 GB storage Pro tip: Though priced a little over 10K, you should consider spending a little extra and get the Poco M6 Plus 5G instead for Rs 10,499. The specs of this phone are largely similar to the M7 but you get three key benefits - a Full HD+ display, support for 33W fast charging to juice up the battery faster and a 108MP main camera instead of 50MP.
Infinix Hot 40i If you are looking for a phone with ample onboard storage in this budget, the Infinix Hot 40i is the phone for you. The amount of space consumed by WhatsApp forwards and its kind cannot be underestimated. This phone flaunts 8 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage that can be expanded up to 2 TB with a microSD card.
This phone is powered by a modest Unisoc T606 chip which is fine for basic daily needs. It has a 6.6-inch HD+ IPS LCD display with a 90 Hz refresh rate.
The photography department comprises a 50MP primary camera along with a depth sensor. There’s a 32MP front camera that will have the selfie enthusiasts interested. The Infinix Hot 40i has a 5000 mAh battery that can keep it running for a day and a half of normal use and supports 18W fast charging.
This Infinix phone runs XOS13 based on Android 13. Infinix Hot 40i price in India: Rs 9,999 for 8 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage Realme Narzo N61 The Realme Narzo N61 is another good option in this budget with a well rounded feature set and stylish design. It is also the slimmest option in this list measuring less than 8 mm in thickness.
It further boasts of IP54 ingress protection and Armorshell protection. The phone is powered by a Unisoc T612 chip, and you get 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage that can be expanded further using a microSD card. It sports a large 6.
74-inch HD+ IPS LCD display with a 90 Hz refresh rate. The photography department consists of a 32MP primary camera with PDAF and a depth sensor. A 5MP front camera takes care of selfies and video calls.
The Realme Narzo N61 has a 5000 mAh battery that keeps the phone powered for over a day and a half of moderate use and supports 10W wired charging. This phone runs Android 14 with Realme UI 5.0.
Realme Narzo N61 price in India: Rs 8,499 for 6 GB RAM/ 128 GB storage Samsung Galaxy A05 The Samsung Galaxy A05 has modest specifications but is not a bad option for its selling price. The phone has a 6.7-inch HD+ PLS LCD display with 60 Hz refresh rate.
It flaunts a 50MP primary camera with auto-focus and a 2MP depth sensor. You also get a decent 8MP selfie camera up front. The phone is powered by a Mediatek G85 SoC and you get 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage to go with it.
The storage can be expanded further with a microSD card. A 5000 mAh battery keeps the phone powered for a day and a half of moderate use. It supports 25W fast charging but there is no charger in the bundle and you will need to spend a few more bucks if you don’t have one already.
The Samsung Galaxy A05 runs Android 13 with Samsung’s One UI 5.1 but the company has promised two more OS and four years of security updates for this device, which is more than handy. Samsung Galaxy A05 price in India: Rs 8,899 for 6 GB RAM/ 128 GB storage Samsung Galaxy M06 / F06 5G Just like we suggested for the Poco M6 Plus, if you are willing to spend a few hundreds over 10K, there is a better Samsung option available in India that is 5G ready too.
The Samsung Galaxy M06 5G or F06 5G are pretty much the same phones, one available on Amazon and the other on Flipkart. You get a brighter 6.74-inch HD+ PLS LCD display with a 90 Hz refresh rate.
The phone is powered by a much more powerful Mediatek Dimensity 6300 SoC with 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal expandable storage. The camera and battery specs are similar to that of the Galaxy A05 but it has another ace up its sleeve. The Samsung Galaxy M06/F06 runs the latest Android 15 with One UI 7, and even better, the company has promised four years of OS and security updates for this device, keeping the device secure and relevant for a long time.
Hence, though this phone breaches our stipulated budget by a few hundred Rupees, that would be money well spent. Samsung Galaxy M06 / F06 5G price in India: Rs 10,699 for 6 GB RAM/ 128 GB storage.
