If you are looking for a smartphone above Rs.10,000 and you can’t extend your budget to Rs.15,000, then the best option is to go for a smartphone under Rs.12,000.

The sheer variety and competition in this segment are massive in India and almost every phone manufacturer launches a product in this price range.

So, which is the best smartphone for Rs.12,000? Which brand offers the best value for money as well as build quality?

In this curated buying list, we bring you the ten best smartphones in India priced under a budget of Rs.12,000 available currently in the Indian market.

Without any further ado, let’s begin!

Note: The price shown are the once when we reviewed the products. However, as the promotional offers changes on the given E-commerce sites, the price may vary. Bettershark is supported by it’s readers and when you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

1. Poco M3

Overall Best Pick

• Powerful Snapdragon SoC
• Vivid FHD+ panel
• Excellent battery life

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After the release of POCO F1, the series was discontinued for a while, and afterwards, Poco started rolling out different models and the M series is one of them.

The Poco M3 is a budget smartphone priced at Rs.11,999. This mobile phone comes with an attractive design and a mid-range Qualcomm CPU that delivers a good everyday performance.

Design and Build Quality

Designwise, the Poco M3 is similar to the Oneplus 8T cyberpunk edition and to be honest, it does make the smartphone look standout from the rest of its competitors.

The back is plastic and it manages to look unique with a glass accent and large size POCO logo. The rear panel has a rough, almost leathery type texture that adds a fine grip to the hand.

Using this smartphone with a single hand for too long is a tough task as it has a thick profile and weighs 197 grams.

Poco has implemented the fingerprint scanner on the power button to keep the rear panel aesthetics on par.

This Poco device has stereo speakers which are usually found on premium devices and the sound output is well-balanced and loud.

Display

The Poco M3 features a 6.53-inch Full HD+ dewdrop display with a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels.

This panel is covered by the Corning Gorilla Glass 3 ensuring that the display is protected from scratches and survives minor accidental drops.

Having an FHD+ panel at this price point is nothing less than a blessing. The content looks sharp and detailed with a good contrast ratio.

With a peak brightness level of 400 nits, you can easily operate the display indoors but usability under direct sunlight is average.

Processor and Performance

The Poco M3 is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 octa-core processor which is powerful as well as power efficient.

Poco M3 is full of surprises – the 6GB LPDDR4x RAM is not something that you will find inside every smartphone priced under Rs.12,000.

Performance-wise, the Poco M3 is one of the best smartphones in this price segment. Even with multitasking, there is no lag or stutters whatsoever. 

Games such as COD: Mobile runs just fine without too many frame drops. 

The built-in storage of 128GB UFS2.2 is plenty enough to store media files and documents. However even if you run out of space, Poco has provided a dedicated microSD slot.

This smartphone runs the Android 10 out of the box and the applied UI on top of it is MIUI 12. This time they trimmed down the ads but pre-installed junk is still there which can be uninstalled manually to free up space.

Camera

The Poco M3 has a 48MP main camera supported by the 2MP macro and 2MP depth sensor.

Photos taken in daylight from the main camera look superb considering the price point. There is more than enough detail, balanced sharpness, and good colours.

The depth sensor helps you out with the portrait shots and the outcomes are impressive.

Using the night mode will help you get detailed photos in the dark without much noise but the colours turn out a bit soft.

The 8MP front shooter is decent. The selfie photos have a bit of noise and the skin tones are not too accurate.

Battery Life

The Poco M3 is powered by a 6000mAh battery that will easily last you for two days with moderate usage. 

The included 18W charger takes around 2.45 hours to completely juice up. This device supports fast charging up to 22.5W.

Verdict

The Poco M3 punches above its weight class offering a large FHD+ display, incredible battery life, and great stereo speakers.

2. Realme Narzo 30 

Runner-up Pick

• Powerful MediaTek G-series processor
• Bright and colourful 90Hz FHD+ display
• Fast charging support

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The Narzo series is an affordable budget-oriented gaming smartphone lineup from Realme.

The Realme Narzo 30 is the entry-level smartphone from the Narzo family priced at Rs.12,499 in the Indian market.

Design and Build Quality

Realme is known for designing flashy-looking smartphones and same is the case with Realme Narzo 30 – this device not just looks shiny but also aesthetically pleasing.

The stripe coming out from the camera module looks like a racing track and coincidentally the company calls this paint scheme racing blue.

Like we said, it’s a flashy design so it will get fingerprint marks quickly so make sure to keep a case cover to protect the device from getting dirty.

Weighing at 192 grams, the Realme Narzo 30 does not feel heavy in the hands, and carrying it in your pocket is quite easy..

The side-mounted fingerprint sensor is embedded within the power button and the volume adjustment buttons are positioned on the left side of the middle frame.  

The top frame is completely blank and the bottom frame houses an audio jack, USB-C port, and a speaker grille.

Display

The Realme Narzo 30 sports a 6.5-inch 90Hz Full HD+ display with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels.

This 90Hz refresh rate display looks better than most other standard 60Hz FHD panels in its price bracket. The animations appear smooth and it’s a pleasure to use while gaming and watching media. 

It’s quite rare to see an FHD display with a high refresh rate at this price range. It offers you a crisp quality visual with an ultra-smooth user experience.

This display has a pixel density of 405ppi and is very sharp and detailed.This slim bezel display offers an incredible binge-watching experience and the panel is bright enough to deliver decent indoor as well outdoor legibility. 

Processor and Performance

The Realme Narzo 30 is powered by the most powerful G-series MediaTek processor, the Helio G95. It’s a gaming processor with 8-cores and designed on 12-nm architecture.

The variant we have shortlisted is the 4GB RAM, 64GB storage variant. The 4GB LPDDR4x RAM handles all the tasks smoothly and in 64GB storage, you can store files offline without the fear of running out of space too soon.

The Realme Narzo 30 is a dual SIM device with a dedicated SD card slot for storage expansion. 

This device runs on Realme UI which is designed on Android 11 and you will be able to experience the latest features and security updates right out of the box.

Camera

The Realme Narzo 30 features a triple rear camera setup at the back consisting of a 48MP main camera, 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro lens.

The main sensor takes colourful and sharp photos. Even in low-lit environments, the photos come out quite clear without much noise.

In portrait shots, we must say that edge detection is really good.

Instead of macro, the company should have provided an ultrawide but it’s fine, it takes decent close-range photos.

The camera app is loaded with a bunch of modes to play with and we recommend using chroma boost if you think colours are not meeting your expectations.

Moving to the front, there’s a 16MP selfie camera and hands down to it. It takes outstanding selfies in daylight and you can’t resist yourself to post them on social media stories.

Battery Life

The Realme Narzo 30 is powered by a 5000mAh lithium battery and it provides battery backup for an entire day easily with normal use.

The bundled 30W fast charger will juice up the smartphone battery in 1:30 hours.

Verdict

Realme has advertised this smartphone as a performance-oriented device and to be honest, it does deliver the same.

If you are looking for a budget smartphone under Rs.12,000 that can offer good multitasking performance, the Realme Narzo 30 is the one you should pick.

3. Infinix Hot 11S

Value for Money Smartphone

• MediaTek Helio G88 processor
• Gorgeous FHD+ display
• Camera performance

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Infinix smartphones are picking up pace in the Indian market. This brand mostly deals in the budget segment and is getting good sales with influencer marketing.

Infinix Hot 11S is a big, heavy, and performance-oriented smartphone priced at Rs.10,999.

Design and Build Quality

Infinix brings changes to its smartphone design quite frequently and it’s good to test things out but the aesthetics of Infinix Hot 11S does not meet our taste.

However, your opinion might be different so we leave that choice up to you.

It has a flashy back with a flowing pattern that goes from left to right when you move the smartphone around. It has a nice textured finish that provides better grip and resists fingerprints marks.

Infinix has provided a modern USB-C port instead of a micro USB. On the left and right of the charging port, you will find the speaker grille and an audio jack.

The fingerprint sensor is at the back and positioned at the natural resting position of your index finger for easy access.

Display

The Infinix Hot 11S sports a large 6.78-inch 90Hz Full HD+ display with a resolution of 1080 x 2480 pixels.

This is one the best display you can ever have under the price of Rs.12,000. It’s a huge display with a 90.53% screen to body ratio and is bright with a maximum brightness level of 500 nits.

The display is perfect for multitasking, watching videos/movies/series, playing games, and for regular use.

The high refresh rate along with the 180Hz touch sampling rate makes the overall usage experience much better. You will get an ultra-smooth as well as swift user experience from this panel.

Processor and Performance

The Infinix Hot 11S is powered by the MediaTek Helio G88 octa-core SoC. This chipset is rarely used in any smartphone but is capable of providing a value for money performance.

The 4GB RAM onboard processes the everyday tasks with ease and even with multitasking, this device performs well.

You can also play games smoothly with this smartphone – it has a game mode of its own called as Dar-Link Engine.

The dedicated gaming mode basically allows you to play games without any disturbance and it stops the unnecessary background processing so the more RAM can be utilized for the game you are playing.

As for the storage, this device has 64GB of internal storage and with the help of an external SD card, you can increase the storage capacity.

Out of the box, the Infinix Hot 11S comes pre-installed with XOS 7.6 developed on Android 11 OS.

Camera

The Infinix Hot 11S houses a triple lens at the back which includes a 50MP main camera, 2MP depth lens, and an AI sensor.

At this price, most smartphones come with f/1.8 or f/2.0 aperture but this 50MP comes with the f/1.6 which allows more light to pass through the sensor.As a result, the images in low light come out much better compared to other budget smartphones.

The primary sensor takes excellent photos in broad daylight and low light. The photos have warmer colours and keen sharpness.

The 2MP depth sensor helps taking portrait shots and the edge detection is great.

You will get a bunch of useful modes in the camera app such as 2K video recording, slow motion, etc.

The 8MP selfie camera of this mobile phone is amazing, it takes good photos while sitting in an ample lighting environment.

Battery Life

The Infinix Hot 11S is powered by a5000mAh lithium battery that is rated to last up to an entire day with normal to intense use.

The bundled 18W fast charger will juice up the battery levels from up to 0 – 100% in 2:30 hours.

Verdict

The Infinix Hot 11S is a complete package under the price of Rs.12,000. Except for its design, we like the smartphone’s other useful features.

If you are looking for a feature-packed smartphone then look no further and go for the Infinix Hot 11S only.

4. Realme Narzo 50A

Economical Smartphone

• Realme UI 2.0, Android 11 OS
• MediaTek Helio G-series processor
• 50MP captures excellent images

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Realme is actively releasing its smartphone and other consumer electronics products to give Xiaomi a head-to-head competition.

The Realme Narzo 50A is a budget smartphone under the price of Rs.12,000 offering good performance and user experience.

Design and Build Quality

The chassis of Realme Narzo 50A is completely made out of plastic but is not of cheap quality.

The design of this smartphone is almost similar to that of its predecessors but the camera module has become a bit bigger to accommodate the fingerprint sensor. 

To be honest, it feels uncomfortable at first as most users are not used to it but with a day or two of usage, you will get used to it.

Weighing at 207 grams, the Narzo 50A is not feather-light but thanks to its weight distribution, you can use it comfortably in a single hand.

Speaking of connectivity ports, Realme has provided the modern USB-C port and an audio jack.

Display

The Realme Narzo 50A features a 6.5-inch HD+ IPS display with a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels.

The panel clarity is great for indoor and outdoor, thanks to the 570 nits maximum brightness level.

You can view HD and FHD content without noticing any pixelation and talking about multimedia experience, it will be amazing.

This is an IPS panel, the colour reproduction is good and there is no colour shifting when you look at the display from an angle.

Processor and Performance

The showrunner of the Realme Narzo 50A is the MediaTek Helio G85 octa-core SoC designed on 12-nm architecture.

The CPU is paired with the 4GB RAM and delivers smooth performance in everyday use.The performance on multitasking is not bad either.

When it comes to gaming, you can play most of the 2D and 3D games, but to be specific, the battle royale games are not smoothly playable.

The device comes with a 64GB storage capacity which is enough for storing files offline. You can also insert an external memory card as the SIM tray includes a dedicated slot for it.

The smartphone is running Realme UI 2.0 that is developed on Android 11 OS.

Camera

The Realme Narzo 50A comes with a triple camera setup consisting of 50MP wide, 2MP macro and 2MP depth sensors.

To begin with, the 50MP sensor provides fantastic photos in broad daylight and we must admit, for its asking price, this camera captures detailed and colourful photos.

However, the result in the low light or in complete darkness is not that great which is expected.

The macro lens is for close-up shots of the objects but it does not provide the best outcomes.

The depth sensor of this smartphone camera is good, the edge detection and background blur precision are good overall.

Moving to the front side, there is an 8MP sensor which sure provides sharp selfies but it whitens the skin too much.

Battery Life

The Realme Narzo 50A is packed with a 6000mAh lithium battery and it is one key reason why this smartphone is heavy.

Talking about its battery backup, with normal to intense use the battery will last an entire day with a single charge.

The bundled 18W fast charger will juice up the smartphone battery in under 2:30 hours.

Verdict

The Realme Narzo 50A is a good choice for students, office goers, and regular users.

For a budget under Rs.12,000, this device offers reliable performance, a good camera, decent display and massive battery life.

5. Samsung Galaxy M12

Best Battery Life

• Power-efficient Exynos chipset
• Ergonomic design
• 90Hz HD+ display

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The South Korean tech giant Samsung is known for marketing high-quality consumer electronics products.

The Samsung Galaxy M12 comes with a power-efficient processor and is good for users who seek better battery life.

Design and Build Quality

The Samsung Galaxy M12 sports a polycarbonate back and frame and on the front there is a glass.

The design is simple – the back panel has a textured finish for about 70% whereas the remaining 30% has a plain finish and it also includes minimalistic Samsung branding.

The textured finishing provides a good grip and prevents fingerprint marks so the back will look clean as new.

Samsung has shifted the fingerprint sensor to the side and now it is doubled with the power button for safe and easy unlocking.

The surprising inclusion here is that of the modern Type-C charging port, which we often don’t see with entry-level Samsung smartphones. 

Display

The Samsung Galaxy M12 sports a 6.5-inch 90Hz HD+ dewdrop notch display with a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels.

You will be getting a display with a high refresh rate however it’s not AMOLED but still, the user experience with this will be buttery smooth.

The display brightness is enough for indoor use cases, outdoor usage is also not a big problem just make sure that if you use it under direct sunlight then, you will struggle to notice the visuals.

The bezels from the sides are minimal and provide a pleasant experience watching movies and videos.

Processor and Performance

The Samsung Galaxy M12 is powered by the Exynos 850 octa-core processor designed on 8-nm architecture.

This chipset is power-efficient for sure, however, do not expect top-tier performance from it.

The processor coupled with the 4GB RAM delivers good performance on day to day use but when it comes to intense multitasking, you will face delays in app opening and minor lag.

Also, this smartphone is clearly not meant for gaming; however, 2D games can be played without much problem.

The 64GB internal storage is where all your images and downloaded files are stored.

The Samsung Galaxy M12 comes pre-installed with the One UI 3.1 based on Android 11 OS and Samsung is determined at providing regular security updates.

Camera

The Samsung Galaxy M12 has a quadruple camera setup at the back consisting of a 48MP primary, 5MP ultrawide, 2MP macro and 2MP depth sensor.

The primary sensor performs better in good lighting conditions. You will get a clear detailed picture with decent colours.

The ultrawide lens is ideal for taking group photos and the sharpness is good. However, the colours look soft.

The macro on this one is not good at all, it misses out on detail and colours.

The portrait photos come out clear but we notice that edge detection is not on par. We expect it to be fixed with future OTA updates.

The 8MP selfie sensor is surprisingly good – it captures natural photos without beautifying it too much and detail and colours are also excellent.

Battery Life

This budget Android smartphone is powered by a 6000mAh lithium battery and thanks to the power-efficient chipset, you will get around the battery for one and a half days with a single charge.

The bundled 15W charger will juice up smartphone battery levels from 0 – 100% in 2:30 hours.

Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy M12 is an excellent smartphone for people who hate to keep charging their smartphones or always spend more time outside.

6. Realme C25s

Best Budget Smartphone

• MediaTek Helio G85 processor
• Bright and touch responsive display
• Affordable price

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Realme C-series includes affordable smartphones which give better value to customers looking for an affordable Android smartphone..

The Realme C25s is one of the latest and best C-series smartphones from Realme priced under Rs.12,000 that comes with capable hardware and the latest software.

Design and Build Quality

The Realme C25s has no flashy design like other Realme smartphones – it looks more modest and industrial.

Since the past releases of C-series smartphones, we’ve noticed that the camera design is getting common – it does not look bad, but a slight differentiation is what we would like to see.

This device has a thick profile of 9.6mm and inside the device, there is a large battery which makes this smartphone heavy.

The fingerprint sensor is at the back where your finger rests naturally. All the modern I/O ports such as USB Type-C and 3.5mm jack are present and accounted for. 

Display

The Realme C25s features a 6.5-inch HD+ display with a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels.Thanks to the slim bezels on the sides, this display has an impressive 88.7% screen to body ratio.

Watching movies and TV shows on this seamless display will be a pleasant experience. 

Speaking of the display usability, it has 570 nits of peak brightness level so you can use it outdoors and indoors equally well. 

Processor and Performance

What runs the show on Realme C25s is the MediaTek Helio G85 which is an octa-core SoC developed on 12-nm architecture.

The G-series processor from MediaTek is designed to provide efficient performance with gaming and compared to the budget Snapdragon 660 processor, this CPU provides better performance.

To run applications and games smoothly on this device, there is 4GB RAM on the motherboard paired with the CPU.

Apart from battle royale games, you will get an efficient performance but if you play games like BGMI or COD: Mobile then you will encounter frame drops frequently.

Realme has provided a dedicated SD card slot on this smartphone in case you want to expand the storage capacity. 

The Realme C25s runs with Realme UI 2.0 that is developed on top of Android 11.0 OS.

Camera

The Realme C25s houses a triple camera setup at the rear. 

The 13MP rear camera clicks decent images in bright light conditions – the colours are good but the sharpness is not that accurate.

The other two lenses are 2MP macro and 2MP depth sensors. The results from the macro lens are average to say the least.

The depth sensor provides good portrait photos, the edge detection is good and details in the photo are well maintained.

The 8MP selfie camera captures a clear selfie with excellent sharpness and natural skin tone.

Battery Life

The Realme C25s is powered by a 6000mAh lithium battery that is rated to last up to an entire day with normal to heavy usage.

The bundled 18W power adapter will juice up the battery levels in under 2:30 hours.

Verdict

The Realme C25s is a good budget pick for someone looking for a budget smartphone for casual use priced under Rs.12,000.

The smartphone provides good performance, storage capacity and long-lasting battery life.

7. Samsung Galaxy F22

Made in India Smartphone

• MediaTek Helio G-series CPU
• Android 11 OS
• Smooth and Vivid sAMOLED display

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After having a huge success with the M-series the South Korean tech giant has rolled out its F-series which includes budget to premium mid-range smartphones.

The Samsung Galaxy F22 comes with the entry-level specification and is excellent for regular use.

Design and Build Quality

The Samsung Galaxy F22 has a polycarbonate back with a textured finish that feels good in hands and curved sides provide a tight grip.

Looks like we are going to see this design for the next 6-months, because if you compare it to Galaxy F62, and the design of the M32 is almost the same with minor changes here and there.

Thankfully, Samsung has provided a USB-C port as well as a side-mounted fingerprint scanner on this smartphone.

The Galaxy F22 weighs quite heavy and using it with a single hand for a long time is not ideal.

The speaker sound output is decent and we recommend using the wired earphones for the best auditory experience as this smartphone has an audio jack.

Pulling out the SIM tray, there are slots for dual nano-SIM cards and a dedicated slot for memory cards.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy F22 features a 6.4-inch 90Hz HD+ Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels.

The HD+ display sure feels like a cost-cutting but considering that smooth refresh rate and an OLED panel we don’t think that for the asking price it’s a deal-breaker by any means.

The colour reproduction of this sAMOLED panel is vivid and punchy. The blacks are completely dark and every visual on the display will look sharp.

The smooth refresh rate provides a jitter-free user experience and once you get used to 90Hz there’s no way you are going to 60Hz.

The display has a maximum brightness of 600 nits which is adequate for indoor and outdoor use.

Processor and Performance

The CPU inside the Samsung Galaxy F22 is the MediaTek Helio G80 SoC designed on 12-nm architecture.

This G-series CPU coupled with the 4GB RAM offers good performance in everyday use. Be it multitasking or casual gaming, you will not face any lag or stutter.

The 64GB internal storage of this phone lets you store your photos, videos, and documents.

Speaking of the OS, the device comes pre-installed with the One UI 3.1 based on Android 11 OS.

This UI sure has no ads but the pre-installed apps of Samsung do send you some marketing notifications which you can disable from each respective application or if you don’t like the app you can disable it and many of them come with the option of uninstalling.

Camera

The Samsung Galaxy F22 has a quad-camera setup at the back that includes a 48MP wide, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro, and 2MP depth sensor.

The main camera takes good photos in daylight. The photos have good colour reproduction, details, and dynamic range.

To be specific, we like the colour reproduction a lot considering the price.

Moving to the ultrawide lens, it is good for taking group photos. The detailing is enough but a little improvement in sharpness is required.

There are plenty of camera features which you can use to enhance the quality of photos.

The depth sensor works fine and you can use it to take good portrait photos.

In the front, there is a 13MP selfie camera that takes decent-quality photos. The major issue is in the dynamic range and skin tone looks unnatural in lighting conditions.

Battery Life

The Samsung Galaxy F22 is powered by a 6000mAh lithium-polymer battery offering a power backup for almost up to 2 days with a single charge.

The 15W bundled charger takes almost 3 hours to juice up the battery from 0 – 100%.

Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy F22 is an entry-level smartphone designed for budget-conscious buyers who need a device for regular use.

At the price of Rs.12,499, you will get a high-quality OLED display, a decent processor, and a mammoth battery life.

8. Tecno Pova 2

Best Affordable Smartphone

• Powerful MediaTek G-series processor
• Huge wide viewing FHD+ display
• Sturdy build quality

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Tecno is a Chinese company and manufacturer of budget smartphones. This brand competes in the market against the likes of Realme, Redmi, Infinix, and Samsung.

The Tecno Pova 2 is the successor to the first Pova smartphone which is also listed in our best smartphone under Rs.10,000 article. Let’s see if it is worth paying for the upgrade or not.

Design and Build Quality

The Tecno Pova 2 sports a polycarbonate back which is not surprising at all considering the price.

We like the partition design of Tecno Pova 2. There’s a thick line in the backplate that separates into two equal portions. 

To keep the aesthetics eye-catching, Tecno has shifted the fingerprint sensor to the side and to be precise, it is embedded in the power button for fast unlocking.

Tecno has kept the smartphone aesthetics flashy and attractive. We advise you to keep a case cover on it to protect the device from accidental falls and fingerprint smudges.

This smartphone weighs nearly 228 grams and feels so heavy in the hands which is understandable, primarily because of the larger capacity battery inside. Also, the smartphone is not ideal for single-hand use.

The audio jack and USB-C port are at the bottom frame, and volume adjustment buttons are provided on the right side of the middle frame.

Display

The Tecno Pova 2 features a 6.9-inch Full HD+ dot-notch display with a resolution of 1080 x 2460 pixels.

Everybody loves to watch movies and videos on the big screen and if you are a media enthusiast then this portable smartphone will keep you entertained while you are on the go.

It has minimal side bezels and rich visuals which means the content consumption experience will be immersive and joyful.

The display has a 180Hz touch sampling rate meaning it will be more responsive than a normal entry-level touchscreen display.

With the peak brightness of 480 nits, indoor viewing isn’t a problem, even with bright lights turned on. 

Processor and Performance

The Tecno Pova 2 is powered by the MediaTek Helio G85 octa-core processor clocked at 2.0GHz.

The 4GB RAM onboard is adequate for handling day to day tasks very easily and multitasking.

You can even play high-end games in medium settings and the ET game engine will help enhance your gaming experience.

This device has 64GB of storage capacity which should be ample for most users and if not you can insert an external SD card as well.

The HiOS 7.6 developed on Android 11 OS is what you get right out of the box and this UI does have some pre-installed apps that can be removed manually.

The good thing about HiOS is that it has so many features to play with and you will easily adapt the UI with time.

Camera

The Tecno Pova 2 has a quad-camera setup at the rear in which you will get a 48MP main camera, 2MP macro, and depth and the fourth one is an AI sensor.

The photos clicked in broad daylight from the main camera look pretty good. The colours, sharpness, and details appear remarkable for the price.

There are multiple modes of in-camera UI such as bokeh, AI camera, slow motion, and time-lapse.

The blur effect in bokeh photos is good and we don’t find any issue with edge detection as well.

Moving to the front, the 8MP front-facing camera captures softer looking photos, other than that the details and sharpness are good.

Battery Life

The Tecno Pova 2 has a 7000mAh massive battery inside which also makes this smartphone hefty.

It will last up to 2 days on a single charge with heavy use. Tecno has provided an 18W fast charger but it takes around 3 hours to juice up the battery completely.

Verdict

The Tecno Pova 2 is slightly better than its predecessor model in terms of performance and build quality. We don’t see a drastic change but for the price, we think it’s better for value for money and it runs on the latest OS.

9. Redmi 9 Activ

Entry-level Smartphone

• Efficient Mediatek processor
• 6GB of RAM – 128GB of storage
• Water-repellent design

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We thought the Redmi 9 series was wrapped up but in the first month of Q4 2021, the company has released an entry-level smartphone to its 9-series lineup.

The Redmi 9 Activ is what we are talking about. The device costs only Rs.10,999 and has good on-paper specifications.

Design and Build Quality

The Redmi 9 Activ is a decent looking smartphone that has a polycarbonate back with a textured design that prevents smudges and provides a comfortable grip on hands.

The fingerprint sensor is located at the rear side and it provides fast and secure device unlocking.

This device launched in September 2021 yet comes with a micro USB port which is very disappointing.

The audio jack is given at the top section of the middle frame and the speaker grille is at the bottom side.

The audio output from the speaker is not great therefore, we recommend using a pair of good earphones or headphones for the best sound quality.

Display

The Redmi 9 Activ features a 6.53-inch HD+ display with a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels.

This display comes with a wide aspect ratio of 20:9 and a pixel density of 269-PPI.

For media consumption, this panel is excellent. It has thin bezels, it’s bright and there is no noticeable pixelation when viewing HD or FHD videos.

The colours appear vivid and punchy and the visuals look clean. 

This display has TUV-Rheinland certified reading mode meaning it emits less blue light while reading an E-book or any other important document, which makes it easier for your eyes. 

Processor and Performance

The Redmi 9 Activ is powered by a MediaTek Helio G35 octa-core SoC based on 12-nm architecture.

Surprisingly, Redmi has provided 6GB of RAM inside this smartphone and you will get a smooth performance in day to day use and multitasking.

RAM is not the only thing that shocked us but also at the price of Rs.10,999, you are getting 128GB of internal storage.

The device comes pre-installed with Android 10 based on MIUI 12. Android 11 update is expected to hit this device soon. 

Camera

From the look of the camera, you might be thinking it has three lenses but in reality, it comes with only two sensors that are 13MP wide and 2MP depth sensor.

The 13MP sensor takes vivid photos in well-lit conditions however, sharpness is not pitch-perfect but knowing the price we are sure that you will love the final results.

The low-lit quality is not good and we suggest clicking photos in broad daylight.The depth sensor is for taking bokeh photos and it provides satisfying results.

The 5MP selfie camera is clicking average selfies, it lacks sharpness a lot. Even without zooming into the photo, you will notice that the photos are not sharp.

Battery Life

Powered by the 5000mAh lithium battery you can easily use the device for an entire day with normal to intense use including calling, messaging and social media.

This device does not support fast charging and the 10W bundled charge takes almost 3 hours to fully charge the device.

Verdict

The Redmi 9 Activ is an entry-level smartphone with sufficient RAM and storage capacity.

If you are out there to purchase a smartphone with smooth performance and better battery life, then Redmi 9 Activ is for you.

10. Vivo Y21G

Honourable Mention

• Android 11 OS
• Bright HD+ display
• Flamboyant design

BUY FROM AMAZON

Vivo is a subsidiary of BBK Electronics who also owns brands like OnePlus and Oppo.

The Vivo Y21G is another entry-level smartphone that is lightweight and provides decent everyday performance.

Design and Build Quality

The Vivo Y21G has a flamboyant look. The back panel and the middle of this smartphone are made out of quality plastic that feels standard in hands.

Weighing at 191 grams, the Vivo Y21G does not feel heavy in hands and is suitable for one-hand use.

Vivo wins hands down in the design department but speaking of the connectivity options, it is a 

letdown. This smartphone sports an outdated micro USB port for charging and data transfer. 

The power button doubles up as a fingerprint scanner and works pretty well. 

Display

The Vivo Y21G features a 6.51-inch HD+ IPS display with a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels.

Except for the bottom chin, the bezels from the other three sides are slim which makes this panel look big and provides a more enjoyable multimedia experience.

The brightness level of this display is sufficient for indoor use.

Thanks to the IPS technology, the colour reproduction is good and there is no colour shift in the visuals when viewed from the sides.

Processor and Performance

The Vivo Y21G comes equipped with an entry-level processor, that is Qualcomm Snapdragon 439.

The 3GB RAM onboard provides decent performance on everyday use and you can deal with 4-5 tabs simultaneously without facing any hiccups.

We suggest avoiding playing high-end games like BGMI and COD: Mobile.

As for the storage, VIvo provided 64GB of internal storage where you can store all your documents, apps and multimedia files.

The Vivo Y21G comes with the FunTouch OS 11 that is developed on top of Android 11 OS.

Camera

The Vivo Y21G comes with a dual-camera setup that includes a 13MP primary sensor and a 2MP depth sensor.

The photos taken from the primary sensor look decent.The dynamic range is not well balanced and blues are not accurate. For its price, we think that camera could have been better.

The portrait photos look good but there is a hit and miss affair in the edge detection so try doing manual focus on the object as it helps you get better images quickly.

The 8MP front-facing camera is a lot better than the rear camera. You will get a clear selfie in broad daylight conditions.

Battery Life

The Vivo Y21G is powered by a 5000mAh lithium battery that will last up to an entire day with a single charge.

The 10W regular charger takes almost 3 hours to fully juice up the battery life from 0 – 100%.

Verdict

The Vivo Y21G is an entry-level smartphone for media enthusiasts, regular users and office goers.

And this concludes our list of the ten best smartphones under Rs.12,000 available in the Indian market.

We have taken a genuine effort to list out only the best smartphone in this price category. Rest assured, this list will be constantly updated when new phones that challenge our top picks are launched.

If you have any suggestions or queries regarding this article, let us know in the comment section below.

Thanks for your time and have a great day!