10-15K Looking for a smartphone under ₹15,000

[Shini]

General:

• Budget - ₹15,000 max
• New or Used? New
• Online or in-store? Online

Brand -

• Prefer brands with clean UI and minimal bloatware.
• Want to avoid Redmi products due to personal bad experience with Redmi 9, particularly regarding its overall performance and battery life.

Usage -

• What is your intended use? Moderate gaming, social media, YouTube, and browsing.
• What is your expected battery backup? A full day of use with 5+ hours of screen-on time.
• How long are you intending to use this phone? At least 3 years without major lag.

Connectivity -

• What is your preferred network? 5G
• What is the number of connections required? Doesn't matter (Single SIM or Dual SIM is fine).

Platform:
Operating System (OS) -

• Android

RAM & Storage -

• Minimum 6GB RAM & 128GB Storage
• Do you want a memory card slot? Doesn’t matter

Processing power -

• Processor preference: I do not have much knowledge about this aspect.

Display:

• Preferred display size, type, resolution, and refresh rate: FHD+, 90Hz+ refresh rate .
• Mention any specific requirements: No other requirements

Miscellaneous:

• Any other requirements? No other requirements
• If you have already considered a phone, then please mention. Considering Motorola G64
• If any requirement takes a higher priority than others, mention here. Performance > Battery Life > UI experience
  
  

Hey everyone! This phone is required by my little brother so the primarily use is everything a typical teen does with their phones.

Thank you for your suggestions!

 

[Shini]

I'm afraid you're going to have to rely on YouTube reviews for this one.

One of my family members has the Nothing Phone 2a, which should be comparable (albeit with a slightly better processor).
I've found the experience to be impressive.
So I expect something similar for the Nothing CMF Phone 1 too.

That said, here are some videos I've found which talk about their long term experience with the Phone 1:

Hope they help.

Thanks a ton for sharing the videos, really appreciate it!
Just finished watching the one by Anubhav Roy — it was super helpful. I liked how he pointed out the swappable back panels, definitely a unique touch that sets the CMF Phone 1 apart. The 120Hz AMOLED display looks impressive for this price range, and it’s good to know the Dimensity 7300 is holding up well even after a few months of use.
Battery life seems solid too with that 5000mAh cell, but yeah, I noticed he did mention the camera struggles a bit in low light — something to keep in mind. Overall though, it feels like good value, especially if design and display are top priorities.
Thanks again for the suggestions and breakdown — really helped me get a better sense of the phone beyond just specs!

realme p3 has unbelievable features at 17k , i would suggest op to go for it . realme products are reliable (from my experience )

Yeah, the Realme P3 definitely seems great at ₹17K. I’ve actually been using the Realme Narzo 70 Pro myself and it’s been perfect for my needs, so I totally get where you’re coming from about Realme’s reliability.
That said, ₹17K is a bit above my current budget, which is why I’ve been leaning toward the CMF Phone 1. After checking out the long-term reviews, it looks like a really solid option for the price — great display, decent performance, and a unique design that stands out.
Appreciate the suggestion though! Definitely keeping the P3 in mind if I stretch the budget later on.