In this period of crisis, a lot of people in India are looking for very affordable smartphones. But after the coronavirus outbreak it is becoming every day harder to find cheap budget phones offering a high value for money. Especially due to revised GST in India which caused a price hike on all the phones. In order to avoid the lack of convenience caused by further price hikes, in this story, we gathered all the device which we actually consider as the best cheap budget phones under Rs. 10,000 in India for May 2020.
If you are looking for an entry-level handset sold for less than Rs. 10,000, you should definitely take a look at the devices below. Note that some of the devices might be out of stock due to the current supply constraints, but we expect them to be back in stock in the coming days.
Best Cheap Budget Phones in India under Rs. 10,000
Realme 5i
The Realme 5i is the king of battery life boasting a mammoth 5000 mAh battery, but unfortunately it does not support fast charging, unlike the Redmi 8A Dual (found below in this list). On the other hand, it offers a much higher performance thanks to the Snapdragon 665 chipset paired with at least 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage. You even get a wider 6.52-inch display (despite the resolution is still HD+) and an incredible camera department composed of a 12 MP main sensor with a bright f/1.8 focal aperture, a secondary 8 MP ultrawide sensor, a dedicated macro camera and a depth sensor with a 2 MP resolution. The phone is able to record video in 4K resolution and it is even splash resistant.
You can get the Realme 5i via Flipkart or Realme website for ₹9999 for its 4GB and 64GB variant.
- You can learn more about the Realme 5i by clicking here.
Redmi Y3
The Redmi Y3 was released back in 2019, but it is still one of the most impressive choices in the cheap budget phone segment. This handset is one of the rare cheap budget phones to come with a chipset from Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6xx series. We are talking about Snapdragon 632 offering high speeds and paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of native storage in the base variant. Redmi Y3 is a splash-resistant phone with an elegant design and a stunning selfie camera boasting a 32 MP resolution. You will find no better selfie phone among cheap budget phones under Rs. 10,000. Plus, a large 4000mAh battery ensures the phone will last for a day easily.
You can get the 3GB RAM model for ₹7999 via Mi Store or Amazon.
- You can learn more about the Redmi Y3 by clicking here.
Realme Narzo 10A
If you need blazing speeds and advanced gaming experience, give a chance to the new Realme Narzo 10A from the new Realme’s Narzo series launched exclusively in India. The device is fueled by the Helio G70 chipset providing very high CPU and especially GPU performance, as well as 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage. You even get a huge 5000 mAh battery which is able to last up to three days. Unfortunately, Realme Narzo 10A does not support fast charging, but it supports reverse charging, it has a splash-resistant body and a wide 6.5-inch display.
Realme Narzo 10A will soon go on sale for ₹8499 for its 3GB RAM and 32GB variant via Flipkart and Realme website.
- You can learn more about the Realme Narzo 10A by clicking here.
Redmi 8A Dual
As the name suggests, the Redmi 8A Dual is a variant of the Redmi 8A equipped with dual rear cameras. While it offers a decent photo quality thanks to a 13 MP main sensor and a 2 MP depth sensor, the camera department is definitely not its strongest point. The key feature is the battery life: with a huge 5000 mAh battery and a compact HD+ display, the handset is able to reach up to three days of battery life with moderate usage. It even packs a USB-C charging port with 18W fast charging and reverse charging, as well as a pretty nice Snapdragon 439 chipset and a splash-resistant body.
Note that the Redmi 8A Dual doesn’t have a fingerprint sensor.
You can get the Redmi 8A Dual via Mi Store and Amazon for ₹7499 for its 2GB RAM variant.
- You can learn more about the Redmi 8A Dual by clicking here.
Vivo U10
Besides a compact body, the main advantages of the Vivo U10 are its great hardware and its awesome battery. It is powered by Snapdragon 665 mobile platform offering a very high CPU performance for the price, it has 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage in its base variant. The rear cameras are definitely not the best of their segment, but the front camera looks very interesting with its 8 MP resolution and a bright f/1.8 focal aperture allowing to take bright selfies even in the dark. The battery has a great 5000 mAh capacity and, despite it can be charged through an outdated micro USB port, it supports 18W fast charging.
You can get the Vivo U10 3GB RAM and 32GB model for under ₹10000 via Amazon right now.
- You can learn more about the Vivo U10 by clicking here.
Vivo Y91i
Last but not least, the Vivo Y91i. For a very affordable price (you can find it for just Rs. 7,990), with this device you get a cool Snapdragon 439 chipset, 2 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of native storage, that is a more than sufficient hardware to run Android without serious performance issues. Unfortunately, Vivo Y91i lacks a fingerprint reader, but it offers a very compact design thanks to a compact 6.2-inch display. It supports FM radio and it boasts a satisfying 4030 mAh battery, as well as a modern design with narrow bezels and a minimalistic look.
You can get the Vivo Y91i 2GB RAM version for around ₹7499 via Amazon.
- You can learn more about the Vivo Y91i by clicking here.
If you can stretch your budget a bit and get until ₹10,999, we recommend you the Infinix S5 Pro. Unlike all the devices mentioned in this selection, it boasts an amazing Full HD+ display with a wide 6.53-inch diagonal and a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels. Further, thanks to a motorized pop-up selfie camera (and it is even an amazing 16 MP snapper for the price), it has a full-screen display with no notch and no holes. Last but not least, the handset packs a stunning 48 MP triple camera including a dedicated sensor to boost photos in low light conditions.
You probably must have noticed a lot of devices that were sold for less than Rs. 10,000 until a few months ago are missing in the above list. That is because of the revised GST which caused price hikes on most smartphones in India. After the increased GST rate took effect, a lot of manufacturers decided to increase the prices of their handsets. The high price hikes of the Redmi 8 and Note 8 series is just an example of this.
If you can up your budget by a few more bucks, wait for our upcoming Best Mid-range Phones for May article which will have Redmi Note 8 and other popular devices between ₹11K to ₹15K.
Meanwhile, let us know if you think any other model deserves to be a part of this list.
