As with so many things smartphone tech, 5G too started out from the premium segment and has then made its way to more affordable zones. Not too long ago, 5G connectivity was the preserve of the premium segment. Today, you can get a number of 5G phones for around Rs 15,000, and some at even close to Rs 10,000 and that too without too many major design or performance compromises. So if you are in the market for a 5G phone but are in no mood to spend a bomb or even get into mid-segment waters, which one should you go for?
Well, there are a number of options out there for you. Choosing one can be quite a task and depends on what you are looking for. Here’s our attempt to answer most of the queries you might have in this regard:
Table of Contents
Let’s start with absolute basics. Which is the most affordable 5G phone out there?
The most affordable 5G smartphone in the market right now is the POCO M6 Pro 5G. The phone starts at Rs 10,999 for its 4GB / 64GB variant and comes with a very distinct design as well as a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chip, a good 6.79-inch FHD+ display with 90Hz refresh rate, a 50-megapixel main camera, and 5,000mAh battery with support for 18W charging. If you are looking for the same spec sheet in a more elegant design, you can opt for the Redmi 12 5G, which starts at Rs 11,999 and has pretty much the same hardware but starts with double the storage (128GB).
The Lava Blaze 5G also starts at Rs 10,999 and is powered by a decent MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor, but comes with a smaller 6.51-inch display with only HD resolution, which puts it a step behind the Xiaomi devices.
Normally, `budget` is synonymous with low-profile and rather basic design. Are there flaunt-worthy good-looking budget 5G phones out there or does their appearance reflect their price?
Most budget 5G devices are more about function than form, but there are a few that can turn heads with their design. The Redmi 12 5G comes with a glass front and back (rare in this segment, where most backs are plastic) and sports a clean, elegant finish that gives it a surprisingly premium look – the Pastel Blue shade is particularly easy on the eye. It definitely does not look like a phone with a Rs 11,999 price tag. Equally eye-catching but much more in your face is the Mars Orange shade of the Realme Narzo 60 5G, which is more expensive at Rs 17,999 but has a very distinct and large circular camera unit and also a bright orange vegan leather back, which is rare at this price and makes the phone stand out from the crowd. Another phone on the orange vegan leather bandwagon is the Coral Orange variant of the Infinix Zero 5G 2023, also known as the Antman and Wasp edition. It might look a little more conventional in other regards, but the texture and colour of the back make it look like anything but a budget-segment phone. You can have a 5G phone on a tight budget and flaunt it too!
Right, I need a budget 5G phone, but I cannot compromise on the display. I want a very good display, preferably AMOLED. Which one should I go for?
It is still relatively rare to see a 5G phone with an AMOLED display in the budget segment. An exception is the POCO X5 5G which was launched at a price of Rs 18,999 earlier this year, but is often available at Rs 14,999 or Rs 15,999. It sports a very good 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, a 48-megapixel main camera and a decent 8-megapixel ultrawide camera on the back, and a large 5,000mAh battery with support for 33W charging. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 695G chip powering it is not the latest, but remains a very capable performer. Move your budget up to Rs 18,999 and you can get the Samsung Galaxy F34 5G and the Galaxy M34 5G, both of which sport FHD+ AMOLED displays and are impressively bright and colourful (well, they are Samsung displays), although slightly smaller ones at 6.5-inches and with 120Hz refresh rate. Both phones are also often available at slightly lower prices, so keep your eyes peeled for deals.
Any reasonably powerful phones out there? For some good gaming, or is that impossible in the budget segment?
Well, high-end gaming can be ruled out in this segment, but you can get a decent gaming experience with some tweaks to graphics settings. The Redmi 12 5G and the POCO M6 Pro 5G both come with the very competent and new Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 processor, and the POCO X5 5G comes with the tried and tested Snapdragon 695, which is even seen in more expensive devices (like the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G and the Realme 10 Pro 5G), while you can get some decent budget Exynos 1330 muscle in the Samsung Galaxy M14 5G and the Galaxy F14 5G. However, if we had to recommend a budget 5G phone with gaming as the main requirement, then we would go with the Infinix Zero 5G 2023, which is powered by the slightly senior but still very powerful (for this segment) Dimensity 920. It also packs in 8GB RAM and 128GB storage and has a 6.78-inch FHD+ display with 120Hz refresh rate, and a large 5,000mAh battery. It was launched at Rs 17,999, but is often available at prices close to or below Rs 15,000.
Displays and processors are not the only part of the multimedia picture. Are there any good budget 5G phones with stereo speakers?
Stereo speakers are a little rare in the budget 5G segment. Most phones below Rs 15,000 come with single speakers, although almost all of them have a 3.5mm audio jack (a feature that is disappearing at higher price points). The Infinix Note 30 5G, which is generally available for around Rs 15,999, comes with a very good pair of stereo speakers. The Moto G73 5G which starts at Rs 16,999 also comes with stereo speakers, but they are not quite as good as the ones on the Infinix Note 30 5G. It is to be noted, however, that while these phones do well in audio terms, they concede ground on other fronts to the competition.
I need a good camera above everything else. But I am on a tight budget and I want a 5G phone too. Options?
Cameras are generally one of the areas (like AMOLED displays) where manufacturers tend to try and save some money while coming out with budget 5G phones. It is rare to see a budget 5G phone with a really good camera although you will get many that do a decent job. If you want a 5G phone with a really good camera, we would recommend going for either a Samsung Galaxy F34 5G or a Galaxy M34 5G, both of which are priced at Rs 18,999 (although available at lower prices from time to time) and come with very good 50-megapixel main sensors with OIS, and very handy 8-megapixel ultrawide cameras. The 2-megapixel macro snappers on both are of little use, but the 13-megapixel selfie cameras take good snaps. Also, both being Samsung phones, you get a number of shooting and editing options. If your budget is below Rs 15,000, then the Samsung Galaxy F14 5G and M14 5G with their 50-megapixel main sensors deliver a decent performance. And if it is megapixels that you seek, then the Infinix Note 30 5G delivers them through a very competent 108-megapixel sensor and also brings a 16-megapixel selfie camera for Rs 15,999, although the Dimensity 6080 chip is not the most powerful.
Any stock Android or clean Android options out there for someone in the budget 5G phone segment?
Relatively clean interfaces are not very common in this segment, which is dominated by feature-rich UIs from different brands – MIUI, FunTouch, One UI and so on. An exception is the Moto G73 5G, which comes with close to stock Android, and starts at Rs 16,999. It also comes with a 6.5-inch FHD+ display with 120Hz refresh rate, a 50-megapixel main camera and an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 5,000mAh battery with support for 30W charging (and a charger in the box). It also runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 930 processor, which is a competent performer in gaming and other departments. If you want to say hello to stock Android in the budget 5G zone, you will need to say Hello, Moto (G73)! The only other comparable option is the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G, which is now a little on the older side, but comes with OnePlus’ relatively clean OxygenOS for Rs 17,999.
There are some pretty hefty batteries available out there, but charging speeds seem to be on the low side in the budget segment. Any fast charging options out there, or do I need to shell out extra for a charger?
Yes, there are indeed some 5G phones with huge batteries in the budget segment, most notably the Samsung Galaxy F14 5G and M14 5G, both of which have 6,000mAh batteries, as well as the POCO M6 Pro 5G and the Redmi 12 5G, both of which come with 5,000mAh batteries. However, one of the compromises that we see in the budget segment is in terms of both charging speed and chargers. The Samsung Galaxy M14 5G and Galaxy F14 both support 25W charging speeds, but have no charger in the box, which means you will have to purchase one separately. The POCO M6 Pro 5G and the Redmi 12 5G have 22.5 chargers in the box, but charge at 18W.
If you are looking for a device with super fast charging in the budget segment, then we would recommend going for the Infinix Note 30 5G, which comes with a large 5,000mAh battery support for 45W charging, and a 45W charger in the box. Another good option is the POCO X5 5G, which has a 5,000mAh battery with a 33W charger in the box, and support for 33W charging.
Phones in this price segment normally do not get Android updates on time. Are there any phones out there with good update records?
Samsung is the runaway leader right now in the market when it comes to updating its handsets. In this segment, it has the Samsung Galaxy F14 5G and the Galaxy M14 5G, both of which come with assurances of two years of Android updates and up to four years of security updates. A number of other brands also offer assured Android updates (the POCO M6 Pro 5G, comes with two years of Android updates and three years of security updates), but in terms of actual performance and delivery on the ground, Samsung is the best here. So if you are one of those who value updated software, we would recommend going for the Samsung Galaxy M14 5G or F14 5G which are both under Rs 15,000, or the Galaxy M34 5G and Galaxy F34 5G, which are between Rs 15,000 – Rs 20,000.
Aren’t there any OnePlus phones available in this range?
There are no OnePlus phones around the Rs 15,000 mark, at the time of writing. The most affordable officially available OnePlus phone is the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G, which now retails at Rs 17,999. Although a year old now, it comes with the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor that is seen on this year’s OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G (priced at Rs 19,999). You also get a 6.59-inch FHD+ display with 120Hz refresh rate, a decent 64-megapixel main sensor on the back and a very good 16-megapixel selfie camera on the front, as well as a large 5,000mAh battery with support for 33W charging (and a 33W charger in the box). Unlike other OnePlus phones, this one has a 3.5mm audio jack as well as an expandable memory slot. It was launched with Android 12 but has since been updated to Android 13. Definitely, the best option for the OnePlus crowd on a tight budget, although we would advocate spending just a little more and getting the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G, which has better displays and cameras (a 108-megapixel main sensor), and also faster 67W charging.
If you had to recommend one phone for someone looking at a 5G phone on a tight budget, which one would you go for?
At the time of writing, it would boil down to a choice between the Samsung Galaxy M34 5G and the POCO X5 5G. The POCO X5 5G ticks all bases with a great display, a good processor, large battery and charger in the box. The Galaxy M34 5G has a comparable processor, but a smaller display, and comes with better cameras and a bigger battery, but with no charger. It really boils down to what you consider more important, but these two would take our votes. The Samsung Galaxy F34 5G, which is almost a spec double of the Galaxy M34 5G, can be considered as well. Of course, if your budget is really tight, then we would vote for the Redmi 12 5G, which delivers staggering value for money at Rs 11,999, and has more storage than the slightly more affordable POCO M6 Pro 5G.
