It feels surreal when we say 5G is officially out. Of course, the process is still underway as the services are being rolled out currently in a phased manner and only in a handful of Indian cities. But then again, the good part is, 5G is official and, as we mentioned, it is underway, and we are talking about both Airtel 5G and Jio 5G. With that said, now is the perfect time to invest in a 5G device if you have been thinking about getting yourself a brand smartphone from a future-proofing perspective.
Gone are the days when we initially saw 5G phones launching in only the mid-tier or high-end price segment because, with the 5G services going mainstream, and with more and more phone makers coming up with solid budget options, it’s a win-win situation for the consumers altogether. But which are the cheapest and the best 5G phones for under Rs 15,000? We have compiled a list.
1. Moto G51 5G
We start off with the cheapest phone on the list – the Moto G51 5G. But don’t let the word “cheap” fool you, because this smartphone from the house of Motorola is probably one of the best 5G phones that is absolutely worth its asking price.
The Moto G51 5G features a gorgeous 6.8-inch IPS display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Along with this, other key highlights include the Snapdragon 480+ SoC at the helm, a striking design, a large 5,000mAh battery with 20W fast charging, IP52 splash resistance and a decent set of cameras. The Moto G51 5G also comes with a clean Android 11 software experience. However, as clean as the software may be, in the Android world, we are already at Android 13, so where does the Moto G51 5G stand when it comes to future updates?
2. Poco M4 5G
Now, if we gradually increase the budget by about Rs 900, we have another solid suggestion – the Poco M4 5G. And if we have to pinpoint, then apart from the dew-drop notch at the front, the Poco M4 5G is a solid budget 5G phone that in no way or form feels cheap.
Powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC, the Poco M4 5G comes in striking finishes, especially the yellow and black combo. Other key highlights include a 90Hz 6.58-inch display, a 50MP dual-rear camera system, a 5,000mAh battery and support for seven 5G bands.
The Poco M4 5G is currently retailing on Flipkart for Rs 13,139 for the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant. However, a 6GB RAM + 128GB storage option is also available, retailing for Rs 15,139. But our suggestion would be to stick with the base variant if this is the phone you choose to purchase. The simple reason being the availability of a microSD card slot that lets users expand the storage to up to 512GB.