Updated: 1 November 2013.
Note: Here is my list of Best Mobile Phones under Rs. 15 thousand for Year 2016: Best Android Mobile Phones in India (Year 2016)
This segment has flagship mobiles from Indian companies and mid segment mobiles from the MNCs. While the Indian company mobiles beat Sammy, Sony and HTC hands down in terms of specifications, it should be remembered that it is not just about the specifications.
Ranking:
1. Micromax Canvas Magnus A117.
2. Xolo Q1000.
3. Lava Iris 504q.
4. Spice Pinacle FHD Mi-525.
5. HTC Desire X Dual T327W.
6. Samsung Galaxy Core I8262.
7. Sony Xperia M Dual.
8. LG Optimus L7 II P715.
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Description:
Micromax Canvas Magnus A117 is the best mobile under 15k. Magnus is not actually the flagship mobile from Micromax. That honour goes to Micromax Turbo..all thanks to Hugh Jackman. Micromax Canvas Magnus have 5 inch screen, which is becoming more of a norm in flagship mobiles. HD display, and fast 1.5 GHz quad core processor. All in all, a perfect flagship material. Good job Micromax!
Now coming to Xolo Q1000 and Lava Iris 504Q. These mobiles are so similar to each other that I can give them joint second rank. It is difficult to defend ranks in case of Indian company mobiles, the reason being allmost all of them use stock android skin. So, it comes to specifications only.
If you compare first four mobiles, you will see that, Magnus and Spice Pinnacle FHD has only one difference, Magnus has 720p screen and Pinnacle has FHD i.e. 1080p screen. The reason Magnus is at top and Pinnacle at bottom (when considered only indian mobiles) is 720p display for 5 inch gives us resolution of 300ppi. This screen resolution is close to retina and hence there is not much point in going for FHD display. Also, since it is _not_ a FHD display, battery backup will be better. Looking at all these trade-off’s, I believe it would have been better to go with Magnus!
HTC devices when launched have exorbitant prices. But when price drops they start to make hell lot of sense. HTC Desire X is excellent example of same. This mobile if compared purely by specs with Micromax or Lava doesn’t stand a chance. But, specifications doesn’t give true picture of how well the overall experience is. Sense UI of HTC Desire is pure pleasure to use. The refined UI and dual core processor makes this mobile a lot better choice than sammy or sony.
For the next three mobiles, Samsung Galaxy Core has better processor and stronger battery when compared to other mobiles. hence it comes before Sony Xperia M and LG.
Sony Xperia M is non sense mobile with lot of style. If only they had launched it properly in India it would have been different picture.
I don’t have anything to badmouth LG Optimus L7 II.
QWERTY Mobile:
The end of QWERTY mobiles is near. It is sad but real truth. Still there is BlackBerry mobile which is giving fight. BlackBerry Curve 9320 is sole fighter in this range.
You can also Consider:
There is absolutely no reason to spend 3 thousand extra, but if you must, there is Lenovo P780 you can consider. and of course there is Nokia Lumia 620, 625.
Bottom-line:
You want best mobile, go for Xolo Q1000. You want non-Indian mobile, go for HTC Desire X.
Before you buy mobile check out this link: http://deals.ebay.in/ebaydeals/list.php?cat=1 you may just be lucky enough to find your favorite mobile for awesome deal.
You can view other ranking and reviews at https://vu2ikl.wordpress.com/category/monthlyrank/
technophilia 
when Motorola DEFY XT535 would be launched in india at what price
???/
Indians are normally last to get Motorola mobiles. We are still waiting for Motorola RAZR Maxx. So.. We can’t do anything but wait..
i disagree with you about the comparison of chacha with mini pro.as chacha has 2.6 inch so this nice cellphone doesnt need 1 MHz.here 800 MHz in chacha is just the same as mini pro with 1 MHz with 3.0 inch screen.and you have to note that chacha is so so nice and charming cellphones in comparison to minipro that is so heavy and big in you pocket!
@reza why do you think there is correlation between screen size and processor speed? 3 inch Xperia mini has 1ghz processor..so as the 4.2 inch LG L7. In mini pro screen is bigger, UI has for corner application shortcuts which is handy. Qwerty slide keypad can be used only when required. Devnagari fonts are supported in Sony’s android flavour (in htc you can’t read devnagari font/SMS) And on top of that mini pro got the ICS upgrade. I think mini pro is much better option than cha cha.
But that is just what I think. If you liked design of cha cha that much then, you may neglect all the shortcomings and embrace htc cha cha. And that’s ok.. Cheers!
Hi Kapil,
I am going to buy a phone under 15,000 . I need a cellphone so that i can transfer my skype office number to phone . i love music with good bass, i am not a gamer but i play games while traveling and good Internet :-), please suggest me the best phone ,rate is not a problem but let me know the least and best phone for me in Nokia and Samsung
I am planning to buy in August, so if there is any upcoming model ????????
Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 fits in all your requirement. Wait for it, you will be glad you did.
what about samsung galaxy ace duos s6802?
it has inferior processor and lacks GPU. So, it ranks just below SG Ace Plus. But it is superb value for money mobile and definitely a steal for dual sim mobile.
hi kapil suggest me good android smartphone under 15k. with min. 3.5inch display & high pixel density…
sorry for late reply. i am busy with my exams.
I would urge you to go for xperia U. It has most crisp screen of any mobile under 20k.
You can get it for about 13k using ebay smart deals.
just went through your responses..when can v expect SG Ace2?
I want to say yes..but the only thing i can say right now is “hope so”.
Lowest costing dual core processor mobile from sammy is SGS Advance which costs around 20k while competition is giving dual core for much less price. So samsung should bring SGAce2.. but frankly, I don’t know what are they waiting for..it is almost half year since it’s international launch.
Lenovo Arizona S560 or xperia u
which one is good?
or any other phone under rs 15000?
I’m sorry I can’t answer which mobile is better Lenovo Arizona or Xperia U.
Of course there are two advantages of Arizona over Xperia U, one being the expandable memory and other it’s huge battery.
Which were the precise drawbacks of xperia U.
But, Arizona is a new mobile. Let it come to market and prove it’s mettle. Then buy it.
I want a good phone under rs 15000
i am not much of a gamer but for pastime i play games like temple run etc.
I also need it to hav a good music system as i love listening to sings on the go
Browsing on it should be fast and looks should be good.
check out HTC Desire X. it has good dual core processor to handle games like temple run. Beats audio to please your ears and looks decent enough..
Hey Kapil!
My hubby is buying me a mobile. 15k is his budget. I think I liked xperia J and HTC 1V. He seemed to like Blackberry Curve 9320. I don’t game at all.. stylish look, nice speed and internet will be my preference.. Any chance you can help me here..
both your choice are excellent. Xperia J and HTC One V are superb mobile under 15k range. Blackberry curve does not have touchscreen and hence it won’t get new updates by blackberry. Also, it’s app store has very less apps. keep away from blackberry. better to buy nokia of 3-4 thousand then..
just one suggestion, instead of choosing between Xperia J and HTC 1V..choose between Xperia J and HTC Desire X.
Xperia J has better looks, longer battery (slow processor) and front camera (for video chat and easy self picture)
HTC Desire X has better dual core processor and overall better user experience than Sony.
I would put Desire X over Xperia J..but i urge you to go to store handle both mobile.. decide which one to buy and give order from ebay deals.. you can get both mobile below 15k.
I want a good phone under rs 15000 with min of 1gb ram & min of 4gb(8/16) internal memory & min of 2 Processor & good battery back up Min of 8hours talk time ,any brand
please suggest me the best phone
Go for htc Desire X.
It has 765MB of RAM..but it is sufficient.
Excellent mobile in every aspect.
Hi Kapil,
I am planing to buy a android phone under 15K only, i play games & use to watch videos,movies frequently & net surfing(fb,skype,mails,etc) daily.I am planing to buy Samsung galaxy s advance & s duos can u suggest me which one is best ,I need good battery back up phones,
If any other modules is there in market with this features kindly suggest me
Thanks in advance.
Frankly I feel htc desire X is best android under 15k.
If you ask between two sammy.. Galaxy S advance has upper hand considering hardware specs. Personally I won’t recommend s duos..
Hi Kapil I think it is high time that you do a 6 monthly review on mobiles & tablets. The industry is growing so fast. I think there are some more new entrants which may go up to the top of this list. Thanks again for this wonderful comparison.
Glad to see your comment.
I am right now stuck in exams.. Getting free on 28th. Rest assured to get proper ranking. Also I have some good articles which I am planning to publish before Diwali.
Holiday season just about to begin ;)