New and upcoming smartphones between Rs 7,000 and Rs 15,000

The OnePlus 6 and Honor 10 may be around the corner, but those phones will not cater to the budget user. If you are in the market to pick up a smartphone and have a budget of about 15k, then we’ve got you covered. Here’s a look at some of the new and upcoming phones between Rs 7000 and Rs 15000 that you need to look out for.

Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1

The Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 can take on the best in the market with ease. Like most Asus phones, the spec-sheet is maxed out with the best mid-range hardware. That includes latest stock Android and a 5,000mAh battery, two features which solve the biggest pain points people tend to have when making a purchase at that price range. The phone even manages to take on the formidable Redmi Note 5 Pro, save for the imaging prowess, but the pros easily outweigh the cons. In all, it’s always good to have a choice of clean stock UI without compromising on the performance.

Xiaomi Mi A2

A teaser for the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 6X is making the rounds online and if information circulating the internet is to be believed, it could be rebranded as the Mi A2 for an India launch. The Xiaomi Mi A1 was a great smartphone overall with a good camera and stock Android. We are looking forward to seeing its successor in action.

Moto G6

The Moto G6 features a 5.7-inch Full HD+ display with an aspect ratio of 18:9. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC and is available in two variants, 3GB RAM/32GB storage and 4GB RAM/64GB ROM. At the back of the phone is a dual-rear camera setup with 12MP+5MP cameras with f/1.8 aperture lens. At the front is an 8MP camera. The device is equipped with a 3000mAh battery with the company’s TurboPower fast charging technology. It features p2i-rated water-repellent coating protects it from splashes and light rain. There is no information available about an India launch. We think the smartphone will be competitively priced around the 15k price point.

Moto E5 Plus

The Moto E5 Plus features a 6-inch HD+ display with an aspect ratio of 18:9. It powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 SoC and is available with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. At the back of the phone is a single 12MP camera with 1.25um pixel size, while at the front is an 8MP camera with 1.12um pixel size. The device is equipped with a 5000mAh battery and features the company’s TurboPower fast charging technology. The company claims that the phone can offer 6 hours of battery life with 15 minutes of charging. It also offers a water-repellent design.

The Moto E5 Plus will roll out in Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America over the coming months with a starting MSRP of €169 (approx Rs 13,700). There is no information available about an India launch or price, but we think the device will be more competitively priced in India.

Xiaomi Redmi S2

The Xiaomi Redmi S2 was spotted on TENAA and is tipped to be available in three variants, 2GB RAM/16GB storage, 3GB RAM/32GB storage, and 4GB RAM/64GB storage. As for the specifications, the Redmi S2 sports a 5.99-inch display with a HD+ resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels. The phone is tipped to be powered by an octa-core processor clocked at 2.0GHz. The Xiaomi Redmi S2 is equipped with a dual rear camera setup and features a 3000mAh battery. It should also be noted that the phone is tipped to be running Android Oreo v8.1.

Honor 7A

Honor is hosting an event in London where the company is launching the Honor 10 but that doesn’t mean the company has forgotten its budget smartphone family. Honor has launched the Honor 7A in China. The smartphone features a dual rear camera setup and comes with the face unlock feature. It has been launched in two variants, one with 2GB RAM/32GB ROM priced at 799 Yuan (Rs 8,300 approx), and another with 3GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage, which costs 999 Yuan (Rs 10,300 approx). It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz with Adreno 505 GPU. It features a 5.7-inches TFT LCD HD+ screen with a resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels and runs on EMUI 8.0, based on Android 8.0 Oreo. It is powered by a 3000 mAh battery and comes with a fingerprint sensor at the back. In the camera department, the device features a 13MP + 2MP dual-rear camera setup with an LED Flash. On the front, it is equipped with an 8MP camera with f/2.0 aperture and it also comes with a dedicated LED flash.

Redmi Note 5 Pro

If you are looking for a smartphone today for a budget of 15K, then you can consider the Redmi note 5 Pro. In our review of the device we said, “The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro is currently the best smartphone you can buy in the sub 15K segment. It offers excellent performance, has a two-day battery life, both front and rear cameras are good and it has a sturdy build quality.” Needless to say this one is a jack of many trades.

Nokia 6 (2018)

The Nokia 6 is priced slightly above the 15k price point, but if its brand value, build and timely updates that are important to you, then you can’t go wrong with Nokia. The Nokia 6 comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 with 3GB RAM. At the back is a 16MP primary camera, while at the front is an 8MP unit. The phone is equipped with a 3000mAh battery and offers 32GB of storage that can be further expanded via a microSD card. The phone runs Android Oreo out of the box.

Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime 2

The Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime 2 is available for Rs 13,990. Powered by a 1.6GHz Exynos octa-core processor, Galaxy J7 Prime 2 sports 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage which can be expanded up to 256GB via a MicroSD card slot. The device sports a full metal unibody design with 2.5D glass and a front-mounted fingerprint scanner. There are 13MP front and rear cameras with f/1.9 aperture in both sensors. The device also features Samsung "Pay Mini" which is designed to cater to the requirements of Indian mid-segment consumers.

LGQ7

LG is launching its G7 ThinQ smartphone soon, but if information circulating the Internet is to be believed, then it looks like the company will launch the Q7 along with the G7. It looks like the Q7 will be a mid-ranged smartphone. Not much is known about it, but we its one to look forward to.