Budget 10-15K Good quality phone for 10K

[CapriAnupam]

Questions:-
1. Budget?
A: INR 10K-11K

2. Preferred display size, type and resolution?
A: Preferably HD

3. Preferred operating system? (Android (with version), iOS, Windows Phone etc).
A: Android

4. Preferred connectivity options? (4G, 3G, 2G etc).
A: 4G

5. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them.
A: No Oppo, Vivo or Redmi.

6. What is your intended use for this phone (internet, camera, multimedia, mails etc.)?
A: Mainly calls and whatsapp

7. Single SIM/ Dual SIM?
A: No preference

8. New or Used? Online or Offline?
A: New

9. Any other requirements?
A:

10. If you have already considered a phone, then please mention the model
A: Moto G9

-----------------------------

Hi guys,

I need a phone for my friend's wife, for a budget around 10K. Can put 1K extra for a good phone.

My friend wanted a smartphone for the budget of around 6-7K, but I don't think you will get any decent phone in that range, which will last for long time. So I suggested to go upto 10K, where you start getting decent phones.

The main requirement is for calling and whatsapp.

I want a decent phone, which his wife can handle on a daily basis, and it should be durable and reliable, and offer good experience for a casual user.

I did some search in the 10K range, and came across 4 choices that I can consider.

Samsung Galaxy M02S: Rejected this as the processor is old, and the lack of a fingerprint sensor is just quite bad, which is quite a basic requirement nowadays.

Moto E7 Plus: Considered this, but then rejected, because for just 1K more, I can get the Moto G9, which is much better option than this in terms of specifications.

Poco M3: Looks like a good phone at this price and it is said that the phone doesn't have ads like Redmi phones. But, there are still bloatware apps, some of which are hard to remove, and that is a negative. Also, read in a review that despite saying lack of ads, there were some app suggestions somewhere. So, looks a bit sneaky.

Moto G9: Seems like the phone to go for. Processor is same as Poco M3. The good thing is the near stock Android OS, which I prefer. Even with 4 GB RAM, it will give a good experience, for normal usage. Price also is same as Poco M3. Poco M3 does have Corning Gorilla glass protection which is lacking in this phone, but I think that can be overlooked. The phone does seem to have spill protection, which is also great.

So, Moto G9 seems a good choice for me.

Any other suggestions or input please?

 

[Kaleen Bhaiya]

I got my aunt a Poco M2. Regarding bloatware, you can remove some manually or others through debloater app. Frankly, those which can't be uninstalled are primarily part of G-suite like Keep, Duo, Gpay etc. So these apps won't spy on you.
Regarding app suggestions, they can be easily disabled under settings of app under which suggestions are displayed. You can also select region as Europe during setup and you won't see ads, suggestions.

I personally use Poco X3 and have done same with my phone and it's blazing fast.

If you are still into stock then get her a Moto G9 since you have good experience with Nokia 7+.
Btw, how's the phone holding up?

 

[AINDRASIS_GUPTA]

The POCO M3 should be your ideal option.

Great specs (more RAM than G9), almost clean software, dual stereo speakers, great build quality, decent camera, 1080P display and 6000 mAh battery.

 

[Kaleen Bhaiya]

Incase you want a review for M3.

Poco M3 review: High on substance, higher on style

Poco M3 review: Poco M3 introduces subtle performance upgrades over its successful predecessor but adds a design that can make heads turn.

indianexpress.com

 

[CapriAnupam]

I got my aunt a Poco M2. Regarding bloatware, you can remove some manually or others through debloater app. Frankly, those which can't be uninstalled are primarily part of G-suite like Keep, Duo, Gpay etc. So these apps won't spy on you.

Do we have to use some kind of rooting or connecting to computer and using debugging tools etc to remove these apps? Because, if that's the case, wouldn't want to go that route. Don't want to root the phone. And if debugging type activity is hard, might be bit of trouble.

Regarding app suggestions, they can be easily disabled under settings of app under which suggestions are displayed. You can also select region as Europe during setup and you won't see ads, suggestions.

I personally use Poco X3 and have done same with my phone and it's blazing fast.

If you are still into stock then get her a Moto G9 since you have good experience with Nokia 7+.
Btw, how's the phone holding up?

How are Poco mobiles in terms of OS and security patches updates?
And how are Motorola phones in that respect? If Moto provide timely and regular updates, I will want to go with it.

I always prefer the stock Android experience, and that attracts me to Motorola, considering a casual user would be using it.

Although Poco M3 does seem better a bit in terms of specifications. I will discuss it with my friend and see which one they want to use.

Thanks for asking about the Nokia 7 Plus. It is working really well, and overall I am quite happy with it. There is still no lag in using the phone, and I actually do not install much apps, or any heavy apps for that matter. I ain't a gamer too. I am still receiving timely security patches for the phone from Nokia, and the OS upgrades were fast too, so in that respect Nokia is great. Thankfully, I did not face the charging port issue that seemed to be common with this phone.

I still sometimes find the voice from the other end quite low sometimes, but I mostly use earphones nowadays, so that's good.

Nokia phones are great in terms of build quality and updates/upgrades and the Android One experience. It is quite a shame that Nokia phones aren't as successful as they should be. I think faulty hardware like charging port with Nokia 7 Plus, and the bad response from their service centers let the brand down, otherwise Nokia phones deserve more success.

Thank you for the response guys. I hope my friend buys the phone soon, because when I talked to him about the choices, it seemed like he did not want to buy the phone soon. He has money problems and it seems like he lacks the required amount to buy the phone at this time. So it might be a while before he is able to arrange the money.

Incase you want a review for M3.

Poco M3 review: High on substance, higher on style

Poco M3 review: Poco M3 introduces subtle performance upgrades over its successful predecessor but adds a design that can make heads turn.

indianexpress.com

Thanks, I had already read this review

 

[Kaleen Bhaiya]

Do we have to use some kind of rooting or connecting to computer and using debugging tools etc to remove these apps? Because, if that's the case, wouldn't want to go that route. Don't want to root the phone. And if debugging type activity is hard, might be bit of trouble.

No rooting.. it's as simple as tap-tap click, click, click. Yes, it involves use of computer to use a small java software and viola its done. Check this youtube video and check if you find something rocket science. If you don't get anything we will help you out.

Just ensure that GetApps are not installed while setting up your phone, or set Europe as a region. It won't ask for GetApps.

How are Poco mobiles in terms of OS and security patches updates?

That is something a bit dicey depending on how you look at it given our experience with 7+. While 7+ only gives security patches in a month , MIUI has security patches + OS optimisations, bug fixes, new features in 2-3 months. While Nokia gives Maintenance release/bug fixes after say 6 months or so so I see MIUI ahead in that aspect. It dpends on your priority.. if you want security patches on a monthly basis skip MIUI. For me MIUI patches exceed Nokia.
Although if you are looking for OS upgrades both will be same. Nokia's latest device 5.4 comes with A10(A11 already in market, A12 developer preview already out). So Nokia is basically fooling by giving old OS.

And how are Motorola phones in that respect? If Moto provide timely and regular updates, I will want to go with it.

I always prefer the stock Android experience, and that attracts me to Motorola, considering a casual user would be using it.

No idea about moto, but I did get positive feedback about Moto Fusion+. But it's beyond the reach of the budget. Again money speaks... there will be some difference between a 10k and a 18k phone(fusion plus).

Although Poco M3 does seem better a bit in terms of specifications. I will discuss it with my friend and see which one they want to use.

If your friend is going for media consumption then get a FHD+ screen like in M3. I have used M2 for a while and was quite happy for what was offered in the price. G9 gives HD+ which could be quite overwhelming for media. Besides you are sought of future proofing if you want to use phone beyond 2-3 years with M3. 4gb on android is beginning to get outdated but only time will tell how it holds up in the future.

Thanks for asking about the Nokia 7 Plus. It is working really well, and overall I am quite happy with it. There is still no lag in using the phone, and I actually do not install much apps, or any heavy apps for that matter. I ain't a gamer too. I am still receiving timely security patches for the phone from Nokia, and the OS upgrades were fast too, so in that respect Nokia is great. Thankfully, I did not face the charging port issue that seemed to be common with this phone.

I still sometimes find the voice from the other end quite low sometimes, but I mostly use earphones nowadays, so that's good.

Nokia phones are great in terms of build quality and updates/upgrades and the Android One experience. It is quite a shame that Nokia phones aren't as successful as they should be. I think faulty hardware like charging port with Nokia 7 Plus, and the bad response from their service centers let the brand down, otherwise Nokia phones deserve more success.

Thanks, I had already read this review

I dumped mine... too many issues, like the ones faced by ur bro. Luckily, no charge port issues. It's a pain how HMD screwed Android experience and horrible support despite being such a wonderful software. I do have it, but I barely use it. It lasts only a day. Or maybe I am expecting too much battery from 7+ coz I now get 3-3.5 days batery casual use on Poco X3. Maybe I am spoilt by Xiaomi.. Glad to hear phone's working great for you. Hmd really needs to get its basics right about phone.

If budget is a constraint, then wait for sometime. If price of G9 falls below 10k go for it.

 

[becool773]

@Tejas01 @AINDRASIS_GUPTA
On the same boat. Confused amongst the Poco M3, G9 and Nokia 6.3/ or 4 or whatever.
Highly unlikely but if the government bans Mi and the likes of it then will these phones work fine? If we flash a custom rom with a stock os then will the ota updates of Android work or do we need to flash it everytime to get the updates? Can we hide that horrendous miui completely using some skin/launcher? Is the poco m3 having an ir sensor? And will it get eis in the upcoming updates? Though eis, afaik, is just a gimmick and doesn't make much of a difference.

 

[Kaleen Bhaiya]

If you are flashing stock over custom and locking your bootloader then you will get updates whenever miui pushes it.
There are many launchers like Action, CPL, lawnchair... All help you get rid of miui except in settings page.. that is common for all launchers.
It has IR blaster as per ots specs here.

POCO Global Home

www.poco.net

A bit sceptical, but I am not expecting eis on budget phones.

Edit: misread the post, correcting it.
If you are flashing custom rom over stock rom then updates would be provided by the custom vendors like Carbon rom, Pixel experience and others. It depends, if their rom has OTA support then no issues , else flash entire updated rom.

 

[CapriAnupam]

No rooting.. it's as simple as tap-tap click, click, click. Yes, it involves use of computer to use a small java software and viola its done. Check this youtube video and check if you find something rocket science. If you don't get anything we will help you out.

Just ensure that GetApps are not installed while setting up your phone, or set Europe as a region. It won't ask for GetApps.

That looks doable. Thanks a lot for the video.

That is something a bit dicey depending on how you look at it given our experience with 7+. While 7+ only gives security patches in a month , MIUI has security patches + OS optimisations, bug fixes, new features in 2-3 months. While Nokia gives Maintenance release/bug fixes after say 6 months or so so I see MIUI ahead in that aspect. It dpends on your priority.. if you want security patches on a monthly basis skip MIUI. For me MIUI patches exceed Nokia.
Although if you are looking for OS upgrades both will be same. Nokia's latest device 5.4 comes with A10(A11 already in market, A12 developer preview already out). So Nokia is basically fooling by giving old OS.

No idea about moto, but I did get positive feedback about Moto Fusion+. But it's beyond the reach of the budget. Again money speaks... there will be some difference between a 10k and a 18k phone(fusion plus).

Good to know that there are regular updates for Poco. Till how many years do they provide these updates?

You are right about updates for low budget phones. Money does speak. We had bought Motorola phone for my mother quite a few years ago in the same range, and there were hardly any updates or patches from Motorola. And that time Motorola was self owned company. So yes, can't expect much from Moto in terms of updates. But just asked to see if anything changed in terms of updates nowadays.

I wouldn't say Nokia are fooling... they say 2 years for OS upgrades and 3 years for security patches, and they deliver on that timely. I am happy with it.

If your friend is going for media consumption then get a FHD+ screen like in M3. I have used M2 for a while and was quite happy for what was offered in the price. G9 gives HD+ which could be quite overwhelming for media. Besides you are sought of future proofing if you want to use phone beyond 2-3 years with M3. 4gb on android is beginning to get outdated but only time will tell how it holds up in the future.

I talked to my friend, and most probably he will keep the new phone for himself, and give the old one to his wife. His wife needs the phone just for calling and whatsapp... media quality does not matter much for her. My friend needs an updated phone with good specs, so Poco M3 looks like a good choice in terms for specs and being future proof. Now, he just has to arrange the money, which will take a bit of time. He is a two wheeler mechanic actually, and does not earn much, so money is always a constraint.

I dumped mine... too many issues, like the ones faced by ur bro. Luckily, no charge port issues. It's a pain how HMD screwed Android experience and horrible support despite being such a wonderful software. I do have it, but I barely use it. It lasts only a day. Or maybe I am expecting too much battery from 7+ coz I now get 3-3.5 days batery casual use on Poco X3. Maybe I am spoilt by Xiaomi.. Glad to hear phone's working great for you. Hmd really needs to get its basics right about phone.

If budget is a constraint, then wait for sometime. If price of G9 falls below 10k go for it.

Yes, HMD/Nokia do need to work on their strategy. Big letdown was the service center support. My brother had gone to the Gurgaon service center and had horrible experience in terms of long waiting. And after the long wait, they said that he will have to leave his phone there for 15 days just for the charging port replacement. That's a heck lot of time. Considering that the port issue was a widespread one, and they do not have stock of those ports, it's pretty bad. It should be done within a few hours.

In terms of hardware too, they keep falling short compared to other phones in the same budget.

Yes, Nokia 7 Plus doesn't have a great battery... it is enough for average use. I find it enough for my usage, but yes, sometimes I do feel the need for battery lasting for a bit more.

Nokia went wrong in going with Microsoft in the first place, when maximum phones took to Android. If they had gone with Android, maybe they would still be top and in the market.

 

[rajanmehta]

If Poco M3 is not to be considered, Realme Narzo 20 ticks all boxes if you're OK with HD+ resolution.
Fast Helio G85 processor, large 6000 mAh battery, quick charge, 6.52" display.
It will also get Realme UI 2.0 Android 11 Update.

Realme Narzo 20 ( 64 GB Storage, 4 GB RAM ) Online at Best Price On Flipkart.com

Buy Realme Narzo 20 online at best price with offers in India. Realme Narzo 20 (Glory Silver, 64 GB) features and specifications include 4 GB RAM, 64 GB ROM, 6000 mAh battery, 48 MP back camera and 8 MP front camera. Compare Narzo 20 by price and performance to shop at Flipkart

www.flipkart.com

realme narzo 20 - realme (India)

realme narzo 20 in India is equipped with 6000mAh Mega Battery, Helio G85 Gaming Processor and 48MP AI Triple Camera. Learn more about features and pricing at realme.com.

www.realme.com

 

[Kaleen Bhaiya]

I wouldn't say Nokia are fooling... they say 2 years for OS upgrades and 3 years for security patches, and they deliver on that timely. I am happy with it.

What I meant to say is say if I am purchasing any phone and A11 is already in the mainstream. As a customer, I would expect atleast the OS to be latest, given that A11 has been in the market for quite some time. So when Nokia on it's latest phone says it is giving 2 years update, I would rather be expecting A12, A13 as A11 is available. But Nokia out of the box will give A10 so you will get only A11, A12. You would get one upgrade less.
I know it won't be a huge deal for your friend since his primary use would be for calling and basic stuff but when we pay amount higher than what is the competition, it basically stings. They have been doing this recently, like 7.2, and later devices. For 7+, A8 was in tne market so we were to get A10 anyways. As you said, Nokia lost track of customer satisfaction.
No qualms about security updates, they will give it for years as they promise.

This would be my first Poco phone after Redmi1s in 2013. So don't know how long I will get updates. But regular bug fixes, atleast one OS upgrade is there. Even if they give updates for 2 years, I am fine. I am not expecting too much from a 17k phone.
Even if your friend goes for M3, what will matter more to him is how has the company got its basics right. Updates, if they resolve bugs would be important rather than bein the first to release update. It should easily last him 3-4 years(how he uses it) or even more. But don't keep expectations too high coz its a budget fine EOD.

 

[CapriAnupam]

If Poco M3 is not to be considered, Realme Narzo 20 ticks all boxes if you're OK with HD+ resolution.
Fast Helio G85 processor, large 6000 mAh battery, quick charge, 6.52" display.
It will also get Realme UI 2.0 Android 11 Update.

Realme Narzo 20 ( 64 GB Storage, 4 GB RAM ) Online at Best Price On Flipkart.com

Buy Realme Narzo 20 online at best price with offers in India. Realme Narzo 20 (Glory Silver, 64 GB) features and specifications include 4 GB RAM, 64 GB ROM, 6000 mAh battery, 48 MP back camera and 8 MP front camera. Compare Narzo 20 by price and performance to shop at Flipkart

www.flipkart.com

realme narzo 20 - realme (India)

realme narzo 20 in India is equipped with 6000mAh Mega Battery, Helio G85 Gaming Processor and 48MP AI Triple Camera. Learn more about features and pricing at realme.com.

www.realme.com

Thanks for the suggestion, but I avoid Realme, Vivo, Oppo etc.

TBH, I don't like Chinese mobile phones, and I try to avoid them as much as possible. But, they are dominating the market, and if there are no other good choices available in that budget, then have to for them. Even then, I will prefer Redmi/Xiaomi/Poco over these phones. Well, anyways, all of these have the same parent company, so it does not matter much which one you buy I guess.

I had to buy the friend's daughter a Redmi phone 2 years back in the range of 6-7K. Few months into use, and the phone already started hanging. Want to avoid such bad experience.

I am going for Poco M3 this time, because hardware is good, and there are no ads, otherwise would go for Motorola or Samsung.

What I meant to say is say if I am purchasing any phone and A11 is already in the mainstream. As a customer, I would expect atleast the OS to be latest, given that A11 has been in the market for quite some time. So when Nokia on it's latest phone says it is giving 2 years update, I would rather be expecting A12, A13 as A11 is available. But Nokia out of the box will give A10 so you will get only A11, A12. You would get one upgrade less.
I know it won't be a huge deal for your friend since his primary use would be for calling and basic stuff but when we pay amount higher than what is the competition, it basically stings. They have been doing this recently, like 7.2, and later devices. For 7+, A8 was in tne market so we were to get A10 anyways. As you said, Nokia lost track of customer satisfaction.
No qualms about security updates, they will give it for years as they promise.

Yes, you are right. I too felt that. Customers do get one upgrade less technically. I too noticed that. They ship phone with old version, and then immediately provide an upgrade to latest Android. So, there goes one upgrade.

This would be my first Poco phone after Redmi1s in 2013. So don't know how long I will get updates. But regular bug fixes, atleast one OS upgrade is there. Even if they give updates for 2 years, I am fine. I am not expecting too much from a 17k phone.
Even if your friend goes for M3, what will matter more to him is how has the company got its basics right. Updates, if they resolve bugs would be important rather than bein the first to release update. It should easily last him 3-4 years(how he uses it) or even more. But don't keep expectations too high coz its a budget fine EOD.

Yes, I always look for suggesting phones to family and friends which will last atleast for 3-4 years and won't give them issues. So, I try to increase their budget as much as they can in order to get a decent phone. Moto G9 is good, but Poco M3 is definitely better in terms of specs.

In 2018, I had suggested Asus Max Pro M1 to him, and it was a great choice. Great specs, solid build quality, and stock Android. He really enjoyed the phone, and is working well till now. That's the phone he will pass on to his wife, when he gets Poco M3.

 

[becool773]

If you are flashing stock over custom and locking your bootloader then you will get updates whenever miui pushes it.
There are many launchers like Action, CPL, lawnchair... All help you get rid of miui except in settings page.. that is common for all launchers.
It has IR blaster as per ots specs here.

POCO Global Home

www.poco.net

A bit sceptical, but I am not expecting eis on budget phones.

Thanks brother. And if one wants stock os then which phone would you recommend in this range?
Why sceptical about eis? Time consuming for devs?

 

[Kaleen Bhaiya]

Thanks brother. And if one wants stock os then which phone would you recommend in this range?
Why sceptical about eis? Time consuming for devs?

Mate you got me confused.. stock OS is one provided by vendors like Miui, Coloros, Eui. Stock android is plain android from Google.
If you are looking for stock android in this range then as mentioned look for Nokia 5.4, 2.3, or Moto G9. The only good about them is stock android and assured security updates. Hardware is mediocre.
Eis is a feature for 10k and above...
And sorry for misreading your earlier post...I have corrected it under Edit.

@CapriAnupam just curious, which fone would you be going for after May 2021. I mean our security patches would stop by April/May.

 

[blitzkrieg811]

Are security updates that important in the first place?

 

[Emperor]

if for Ladies go with lighter & upto 6" screen only. 6.5 may be bit heavy to handle...

 

[becool773]

Mate you got me confused.. stock OS is one provided by vendors like Miui, Coloros, Eui. Stock android is plain android from Google.
If you are looking for stock android in this range then as mentioned look for Nokia 5.4, 2.3, or Moto G9. The only good about them is stock android and assured security updates. Hardware is mediocre.
Eis is a feature for 10k and above...
And sorry for misreading your earlier post...I have corrected it under Edit.

@CapriAnupam just curious, which fone would you be going for after May 2021. I mean our security patches would stop by April/May.

Thanks for clarifying it. Last question, the miui with all its bloat+horrible ui(subjective thing) is meh as compared to stock Android. Does the higher end specs make up for them? Is there any launcher that can make a miui look like stock android?

 

[Kaleen Bhaiya]

Let me see if I can try Lawnchair launcher on my phone(Poco with Miui)and share screenshots. You can customise it's look and everything the way you want. Except settings page . But I guess, that holds for all browsers.
Higher end specs will definitely make it up for the resource hungry. I have 6gb/64 gb variant and it runs good. There are some minor hiccups but that is more due to lack of optimisation (new Soc) than OS issue.
Edit: forgot I have Poco launcher, so no cartoonish UI. Customise it the way you want.
Refer this video.. it address your concerns.

Since you will be having Poco launcher, you will just need some icon pack if you want stock like feel. Apply it and you are good to go.

 

[becool773]

Let me see if I can try Lawnchair launcher on my phone(Poco with Miui)and share screenshots. You can customise it's look and everything the way you want. Except settings page . But I guess, that holds for all browsers.
Higher end specs will definitely make it up for the resource hungry. I have 6gb/64 gb variant and it runs good. There are some minor hiccups but that is more due to lack of optimisation (new Soc) than OS issue.
Edit: forgot I have Poco launcher, so no cartoonish UI. Customise it the way you want.
Refer this video.. it address your concerns.

Since you will be having Poco launcher, you will just need some icon pack if you want stock like feel. Apply it and you are good to go.

Thanks bro. Will poco m3 list on Amazon? When is the next sale?

 

[Kaleen Bhaiya]

I think M3 is a Flipkart exclusive. Even I had got my M2 from fk.