Best phones under Rs 15,000 (Jan 2023): Motorola G62 5G, Samsung Galaxy F23 to Oppo K10- Technology News, Firstpost

Ameya DalviJan 13, 2023 18:14:20 IST

Our list of phones under Rs 15,000 this month has quite a few changes from the previous one. And positive changes, I may add. We have half a dozen options for you to cater to different needs and tastes. There are phones with good cameras, some with AMOLED displays, quite a few are 5G compliant, and all of them have 6 GB RAM. Choose one that suits you best.

Best phones to buy under Rs 15,000 in India

Motorola G62 5G
Let’s start with the first of the two new Motorola phones, the G62 5G. As one can guess from the model number, the phone is 5G ready courtesy of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 SoC, which is a great choice in this budget. It is accompanied by 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal (expandable) storage. It has a 6.5-inch Full HD+ IPS display with a 120 Hz refresh rate. 

The photography department at the back has a 50MP primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide shooter and a 2MP macro camera. You get a 16MP front camera for selfies and video calls. It has a 5000 mAh battery that should comfortably last for a day and a half of normal use. The Motorola G62 5G runs Android 12, and like most Motorola phones you get a clean and near-stock user interface. 

Motorola G62 5G price in India: Rs 14,999 for 6GB RAM/128GB storage

Motorola G72
The Motorola G72 is not 5G compliant but offers a few notable extras as compared to the G62. The RAM, storage, OS and UI are the same but it is powered by a Mediatek Helio G99 chip that is powerful enough for day-to-day tasks and more. It has a 6.6-inch Full HD+ P-OLED screen, again with a 120 Hz refresh rate, and a 576 Hz touch sampling rate – the combination is quite rare in this budget. The phone also has an IP52-rated water-repellent design.

You get the same 8MP ultrawide shooter and a 2MP macro camera at the back and a 16MP selfie camera up front, but the main 50MP camera on the G62 is replaced by a 108MP camera here. When was the last time we saw one in this budget, if at all? This phone too has a 5000 mAh battery that keeps it powered for over a day and a half of moderate use, but you also get a 33W fast charger here. Thus you may miss out on 5G on the Motorola G72, but you do get a lot in lieu of that for the same price.

Motorola G72 price in India: Rs 14,999 for 6GB RAM/128GB storage

Poco M4 Pro 5G
The Poco M4 Pro 5G  is powered by a Mediatek Dimensity 810 chip, which is again a good choice for this segment. It is accompanied by 6 GB RAM and 128 GB of internal (expandable) storage. This phone has a 6.6-inch Full HD+ LCD display with a 90 Hz refresh rate and 240 Hz touch sampling rate. A layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protects the screen against scratches.

The Poco M4 Pro 5G has two cameras at the back, helmed by a 64 MP primary camera and supported by an 8 MP ultra-wide camera. The 16MP front camera does a good job with selfies and video calls. The phone launched with Android 11 and an Android 12 update is now available with MIUI 13. This phone too has a 5000 mAh battery that can go beyond a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 33W fast charger promises to charge it fully in under an hour. 

Poco M4 Pro 5G price in India: Rs 13,999 for 6GB RAM/128GB storage

Infinix Note 12 5G 
The Infinix Note 12 5G is another 5G ready phone in this list with an impressive feature set. It sports a large 6.7-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 90 Hz refresh rate. Just like the Poco M4 Pro 5G, this phone too is powered by a Mediatek Dimensity 810 SoC. You get 6 GB RAM but half the internal storage (64 GB) as compared to other phones in this list. However, it can be expanded further using a microSD card. 

This phone is quite slim too with a thickness less than 8 mm. The photography department consists of a 50MP primary camera and a 2MP depth sensor along with an AI lens. The 16MP front camera will interest the selfie crowd. The Infinix Note 12 5G has a 5000 mAh battery that can keep it running for a day and a half of normal use. It supports 33W fast charging. This Infinix phone runs Android 12 with XOS 10.6 UI. 

Infinix Note 12 5G price in India: Rs 12,999 for 6 GB RAM/ 64 GB storage

Oppo K10 
The Oppo K10 gets the basics right for this segment, and retains its place in this list. It has an IP5X rated dust-proof design and sports a 6.59-inch Full HD+ display with a 90 Hz refresh rate. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 chip, which is decent enough in this budget. And you do get 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage that can be expanded further using a microSD card. This phone launched with Android 11 with ColorOS 11, and an Android 12 update has started rolling out. 

The photography department here is mainly about the 50MP primary camera that does most of the heavy lifting. The 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro camera mostly make up the numbers. The 16MP front camera is pretty good though for selfies and video calls. The Oppo K10 too has a 5000 mAh battery that keeps it running for over a day and a half of moderate use. Even better, the company bundles a 33W SuperVOOC charger to juice it up briskly. 

Oppo K10 price in India: Rs 13,990 for 6GB RAM/128GB storage

Samsung Galaxy F23 5G 
The Samsung Galaxy F23 5G is a well-rounded phone that is currently available in this budget. It is a very good option for the brand conscious buyers without compromising much on features or performance. In fact, this smartphone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G SoC, arguably the most powerful in this list, and its 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal (expandable) storage variant is now available under 15K. It has a 6.6-inch Full HD+ LCD display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection.

The photography department at the back has a combination of a 50MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide snapper and a 2MP macro camera. It has a modest 8MP selfie camera that gets the job done. The battery backup is similar to other phones in this list with a 5000 mAh battery keeping it running for a day and a half of moderate use. It supports 25W fast charging. The Samsung Galaxy F23 5G runs Android 12 with the company’s One UI 4.1 on top.
Samsung Galaxy F23 5G price in India: Rs 14,999 for 6GB RAM/128GB storage