Thankfully, in 2013, we now have a lot of affordable smartphones that are worthy to buy and these are selling like hot cakes. Today, we present you a list of best smartphones you can buy for under Rs. 10,000. Before we begin, let me inform you that for price below 10k, there are more than 90 smartphones available to choose from. Our list below has been compiled to ease that gruesome task of selection, and phones have been short-listed on the basis of a combination of multiple features like latest operating system, battery life, speed, storage options, manufacturer’s reliability etc.

XOLO Q700

Two weeks back we saw the launch of Xolo Q700 and the smartphone has already made it to our list of recommended buy. Lava’s brand ‘Xolo’ stands for providing premium Android experience at affordable prices. And the Indian manufacturer offers the same with Xolo Q700. For an affordable price, you get a power-packed quad-core processor coupled with 1GB RAM, latest OS – Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, a 4.5-inch qHD OGS IPS display (~245ppi) and lastly a 2400mAh battery to keep it running for long. The device comes preloaded with three premium apps – Xolo Switch, Xolo Secure and Xolo Power. Xolo Switch allows users to create up to 4 profiles with different lock screens, apps and wallpapers. Xolo Secure features enterprise level security features like control by single SMS, remotely lock and wipe phone data, cloud backup for SMS and call log, alerts on SIM change, remote lock and track device location. Xolo Power offers longer usage of battery by synchronizing the data consumption and comes with a Night mode to reduce power consumption. It also allows to detect and kill background apps by a single click and real time CPU load analysis. A power-packed smartphone for a power-user? Yes, definitely!

Key specifications: Android v4.2 Jelly Bean, 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex A7 quad-core processor + 1GB RAM, 4.5-inch IPS display with 540 x 960p resolution (245 PPI pixel density), 4GB internal storage expandable up to 32GB, 5MP rear camera flash, 0.3 MP front camera, Video recording – 720p, 2400 mAh battery

Price: Rs. 9,999

Who should buy?

The xolo Q700 has made it to the top of the list, because this is the most preferred choice of Android phone under 10K with the best specs and a powerful quad-core processor. But if you’re more conscious about the brand of the phone, then you can checkout Sony Xperia E listed below or the Windows Phone 8 based Nokia Lumia 520. If not the brand, but the screen size of the phone matters to you, then you can instead opt for the Micromax A110.

Sony Xperia E

Sony’s last year models in this price range like the Xperia Mini, Xperia Tipo have always been criticized for having small 3.0-inch displays, but they offered decent performance at pocket-friendly prices. In 2013, Sony gets the combination for a budget smartphone right with the ‘Xperia E’. It’s the right phone for Sony loyalists looking for an entry-level Android Jelly Bean smartphone. The Xperia E offers well-built hardware, decent performance and a comfortable 3.5-inch display. The camera performance is a tad average due to a meagre 3.15 MP sensor.

Key specifications: Android v4.0.4 ICS (upgradable to v4.1.1 Jelly Bean), 1 GHz Cortex-A5 Qualcomm MSM7227A processor + 512 MB RAM, 3.5-inch display with 320 x 480p resolution (~165 ppi pixel density), 4GB internal storage expandable up to 32GB, 3.2 MP rear camera, 0.3 MP front camera, Video recording – 640 x 480 @ 30fps, 1530 mAh battery.

Price: Xperia E – Rs. 9,990 and Xperia E Dual – Rs. 10,990

Who should buy?

If you don’t require huge display smartphones and cannot satisfy your ego by owing a smartphone from a local manufacturer/vendor, then Xperia E is the smartphone you should be buying. But be ware, this is a smartphone for normal usage like social networking, web browsing, etc and doesn’t comes with powerful specs. It neither has a very good camera that can replace your regular digi cam.

Nokia Lumia 520

Nokia’s Lumia range of Windows Phone 8 smartphones have been appreciated for excellent hardware, vibrant displays, best cameras, ease-of-use OS and body color options. Nokia brings all that same experience to an affordable smartphone called ‘Lumia 520’. For the price point, you get a very good 4.0-inch display with scratch-resistant glass, sleek hardware, a well-performing 5MP camera, 8GB internal storage (expandable up to 64GB) and decent battery life. The performance is smooth as with all Windows Phone 8 devices. The trade-offs Nokia did for making 520 affordable include no NFC, no camera flash and no front facing camera. Also, Windows Phone 8 is lacking some popular apps and games. If you’ll can live with these trade-offs, then Lumia 520 is an excellent entry-level Windows Phone 8 smartphone you should be buying. It’s available in yellow, red, cyan, white and black colors.

Key specifications: Microsoft Windows Phone 8 OS, 1 GHz dual-core processor + 512 MB RAM, 4.0-inch IPS LCD display with 480 x 800p resolution (~233 ppi pixel density), 8GB internal storage expandable up to 64 GB, 5 MP rear camera, Video recording – 720p@30fps, 1430 mAh battery.

Price: Rs. 9,799

Who should buy?

If you can compromise with the much famed Android Operating system and want a cool and trendy looking smartphone with a simple to use interface, this windows phone 8 based smartphone would be a perfect choice.  Read more about various operating systems here.

Micromax Canvas 2 A110

Micromax has gained a lot of market share in India (3rd largest), all thanks to its much famed ‘Canvas’ series of smartphones. From the series, Canvas 2 A110 is our choice. The device is quite famous and had also been brought back on popular demand after it went out of stock in the market. The smartphone packs quite a punch for the affordable price. The pros include well-built hardware, 5.0-inch IPS display (~196 ppi) offers good colors, 8MP camera performs well in daylight and lastly good battery life (2000mAh). The cons include average performance when loaded with apps and only 2GB internal memory. If you’re looking for a well-made device with a large display, then Canvas 2 A110 is the phone you should be buying.

Key Specifications: Android v4.0.4 ICS (upgradable to v4.1.1 Jelly Bean),  1 GHz Dual-core Cortex-A9 MediaTek MT6577 processor + 512 MB RAM, 5.0-inch IPS LCD display with 480 x 854p resolution, 2GB internal storage expandable up to 32GB, 8MP rear camera with Dual LED Flash, 0.3MP front camera, Video recording – 480p@30fps, 2000 mAh battery

Price: Rs. 9,999

Who should buy?

We shall suggest you Micromax Canvas A110 only if you fancy large screen phones over a powerful processor or higher specs phone, and your budget is strictly constrained to Rs. 10,000.

Karbonn S1 Titanium

At first look, the features on Karbonn S1 Titanium resemble XOLO Q700. But the S1 came out first in the market as an affordable quad-core smartphone. It lives up to the promises of a fast phone and performs very well with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The device looks fairly okay due to it’s all plastic build. The 4.5-inch display (~245 ppi) produces good colors but has bad viewing angles. The 5MP camera too performs decent in daylight but disappoints with indoor shots. The 1600mAh battery provides average battery life. Summing it up, the S1 Titanium is a hit and miss device with everything performing average.

Key Specifications: Android OS, v4.1 (Jelly Bean), 1.2 GHz quad-core processor + 1GB RAM, 4.5-inch IPS LCD display with 540 x 960p resolution, 4GB internal storage expandable up to 32GB, 5MP rear camera, VGA front camera, Video recording – 720p, 1600 mAh battery

Price: Rs. 9,999

Who should buy?

This is just another alternative to the Xolo Q700 with a good looking build but a disastrous battery of only 1600 mAh.

What’s your choice?

Have you made a decision yet or already bought a phone in this price range? Do let us know your favorite smartphone!