Welcome everyone to the last week of 2017. Just like last year, we are here with the Best 5 Budget Smartphones of 2017. We selected smartphones that are priced below INR 15,000 /- which is budget segment according to us. For each one, this segment has different price range. Now this year, we have seen many smartphones under INR 15,000 /- that performed very well. Especially the battery life, it’s even better than most of the flagship smartphones.
As this Best 5 Smartphones are based on our opinions & user feedback from various sources, we are not giving any rank to any smartphones. Mainly because at this price range you can’t find a complete package with everything good in it. Also as this year is very competitive, we will add few smartphones in ‘Honorable Mention’ section, those which are good smartphones but can’t stand out in Best 5 list. So without wasting anymore time, let’s see out Best 5 Budget Smartphones of 2017 :
- Xiaomi Mi A1 :
This is the 1st ever Android One device by Xiaomi, the Mi A1. And I don’t think that I have to explain what would be the result of a deadly combination of Xiaomi’s powerful hardware and Google’s optimised software.
This phone stands out to be one of the best smartphone under INR 15,000 priced bracket. This phone comes with stock Android UI along with latest Android & security updates. Built quality of this phone is also very good, though it’s very common. The internals is also powerful like Snapdragon 625 processor and 4GB of RAM with 64GB of internal storage.
It also packs one of the best Camera in this category, Dual 12MP+12MP Rear Camera that clicks some pretty amazing shots in daylight. Those portrait photos are also one of the best in this category. But the con here is that the camera don’t outperform well in low lighting conditions. The camera performance above average, as there are other phones in this category which can click better low light shots. But apart from low light images, the phone is one of the best budget-midrange phone of 2017. For detailed specs, Click Here.
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Motorola Moto G5 Plus:
Motorola was also a very strong player of 2017 in this segment. In early 2017 they launched the Moto G5 Plus, which became one of the most popular Mid-range smartphone at that time. Also it is still one of the best camera phone in mid-range segment.
That’s because it was the first mid-range phone that uses Dual Pixel autofocus and f1.7 lens in their camera. Apart from camera, the built quality is also good and it also carries a different design. The performance is also good as it carries Snapdragon 625 processor along with 3GB/4GB RAM options. And as always, the stock Android experience is always a key point for Motorola. Problem with this phone, actually with the brand is that the Motorola is not giving any time frame for security updates. Maybe they can give security update after a month or maybe they can skip 4-5 months. But apart from this issue, the Moto G5 Plus is a balanced phone in this segment. For detailed specs, Click Here.
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Honor 7X:
Honor also improved quite a bit this year. The phone is priced very aggressively at ₹12,999 for 32GB variant. The phone offers a lot of specs like Dual Camera Setup. It’s one of the cheapest smartphones with Dual Camera Setup. And that too performs very well. It’s also one of the best camera smartphones this year.
Apart from the camera, the smartphone is also the best built & designed smartphone on this list. It’s the cheapest smartphone with modern 18:9 aspect ratio and less bezels. The phone looks very premium as compared to other smartphones on this list. The performance is also very great on this phone with their own Kirin 659 processor which outperforms Qualcomm’s popular Snapdragon 625 processor. But the con of this phone is it’s UI.
This phone has custom skin which means that it also carries a lot of bloatware. Well this would be not an issue for some people, but for many, it is. Another con with this phone is it’s connector, though this phone carries modern 18:9 ratio design, it still carries the older Micro USB Type A port instead of Type C Port. But apart from these two cons, this is an excellent phone in it’s price range. For detailed specs, Click Here.
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Xiaomi Redmi Note 4:
It’s not possible that I do not talk about Xiaomi’s most popular ‘Redmi’ series in this list. This year also Xiaomi got a record sale of their Redmi Note 4. It is the best-seller smartphone of 2017 in India. That’s because Redmi Note 4 is a complete package for those whose budget is ₹9,999 – 12,999.
It packs Qualcomm’s most efficient Snapdragon 625 processor with 2GB-3GB-4GB RAM options. The phone a has premium built & design, not the bezel-less 18:9 design but that’s okay considering the price and it was launched on early 2017. As always this is also one of the best smartphone in terms of battery backup in this list with it’s 4000 mAh battery. And with efficiency of Snapdragon 625 processor, it even outperformed it’s predecessor. But this phone has loosen it’s charm now because of some reasons.
One important reason is the camera, this phone’s weakest point is it’s camera. It’s very average camera with no speciality. It is the weakest camera phone present in this list. Another weak point is it’s processor. Yes, the Snapdragon 625 processor is it’s strong as well as weak point. Even though the Snapdragon 625 is very power efficient chipset, it’s still a downgrade as compared to Redmi Note 3’s Snapdragon 650 processor in terms of raw performance. But apart from these two cons, this Redmi Note 4 is still one of the best choice for those whose priority is battery life and general performance with MIUI features. For detailed specs, Click Here.
- Xiaomi Redmi 4:
This Redmi 4 is the smaller sibling of Redmi Note 4, but quite popular & value for money phone. This is a compact form of Redmi Note 4 with 5 inch of screen size. Though it is 720p HD display but you won’t notice much difference in a 5 inch phone with 720p display and 5.5 inch phone with 1080p display. This is also one of the best-seller phone India, after Redmi Note 4. It’s Snapdragon 435 processor also performed good in most usage.
Though this is surely not a gaming device, but that’s expected from a phone that’s price starts from just INR 6,999. The phone is built very well in it’s price range. One aspect where it beats Redmi Note 4 is in terms of Camera. Yes, it’s strange that Xiaomi’s own cheaper phone has better camera performance. On paper the camera looks very similar, but maybe the software worked well with Redmi 4 and that resulted in producing slightly better images that Redmi Note 4, especially in low lighting conditions. There’s nothing to talk about it’s flaws expect heavy performance, but given it’s aggressive pricing we simply can’t complaint on that. But overall it’s the best compact phones of 2017. For detailed specs, Click Here.
Below are two honourable mentions which packs some very good value, but can’t stand in this list:
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Xiaomi Redmi 5A:
This is the cheapest smartphone Xiaomi ever launched. At the price of just INR 4,999 (16GB variant), it packs some very good specs. But as this phone skips some essential things like fingerprint sensor, this phone can’t make it’s place in the best budget smartphone list. This I a phone for you if you are on a very tight budget or just want a secondary phone. But for the price, it’s certainly giving a lot. For detailed specs, Click Here.
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Xiaomi Mi Max 2:
Here’s another Xiaomi product which is a very good device but can’t make it’s place in the top budget smartphone list of this year. The biggest reason behind is that it should not be considered as a smartphones due to it’s size of 6.44 inch. The phone looks like a mini tablet, and many people uses it as a mini tablet. It’s certainly good for media consumption, as it has a big quality screen, insane battery life, and stereo speakers. But it can’t be simply used as a smartphone. Another reason is that the Redmi Note 4 gives similar specs for lesser price and smaller form factor. But for media consumption, it’s one of the best phablet of 2017. For detailed specs, Click Here.
So these are my top picks of the budget smartphones that costs below ₹15,000 for the year 2017. Certainly there’s not a perfect phone which don’t have any flaws, even all the flagships aren’t perfect as well. Every single phone has it’s list of pros and cons as well. But this year seems to be a treat for pocket friendly users, and 2018 will also be even better treat. As this segment is growing rapidly every year. So what are your thoughts on my list & opinion on Best Budget Smartphones of 2017? Do you agree with me or you have your own choice of smartphones in this price range? Do share your thoughts in the comment section below. Also stay tuned with us for more Best of 2017 articles.
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