A budget under Rs.5,000 pointing you towards a feature phone is the story of the past.

As the competition in the mobile industry becomes tight, companies are forced to increase sales even at the cost of sacrificing their profit margins.

The result?

Smartphones with better specifications and features replaced entry-level feature phones.

Here in this article, we list the seven best smartphones priced under Rs.5,000 available for purchase in the Indian market.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

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. Gionee F8 Neo

Overall Best Pick

• Feature-rich camera app
• Latest Android 10 OS
• Dedicated SD card slot

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Gionee was one of the biggest smartphone manufacturers until the other smartphone companies like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo arrived.

However, there are still plenty of good phones from Gionee retailing at affordable prices in the Indian market.

The Gionee F8 Neo was launched in the Indian market in October 2020. This smartphone comes with the latest android version and features decent internals.

Design and Build Quality

Gionee has kept the design as per the trend without increasing the price.

As from the expected budget smartphone, the Gionee F8 Neo has a polycarbonate chassis with a removable backplate. 

Surprisingly this budget smartphone from Gionee has a removable battery as well.

The rear panel has a diamond-cut design that looks identical to the Samsung Galaxy A50s.

The vertically arranged camera hump houses the single 8MP shooter assisted by an LED flash. 

The speaker is placed in the rear below the Gionee branding. The charging port and 3.5mm audio jack is positioned on the top frame while the bottom section is left with the microphone. 

Display

The Gionee F8 Neo features a 5.45-inch HD+ display with a resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels.

It is quite surprising to see an HD+ panel at this price point. When compared with some other smartphones in this price bracket, the F8 Neo has a colour accurate, crisp and detailed 720p display with decent indoor brightness levels.

While the side bezels remain thin, the top and bottom chin are considerably thick. 

Processor and Performance

This smartphone is powered by an Unisoc SC9863 octa-core processor. You won’t find any trouble using this smartphone for casual everyday tasks such as web browsing, social media usage and media consumption. 

The 2GB RAM, however, limits you from multitasking as the apps quickly run out of memory. 

The Gionee F8 Neo comes equipped with 32GB of internal storage with the option to expand the memory up to 256GB via a dedicated SD card slot. 

Camera

The Gionee F8 Neo has an 8MP rear camera that captures good images in daylight conditions.

The feature-packed stock camera application features various modes such as slow-motion, time-lapse, panorama, burst mode, face beauty, and even a dedicated night mode.

The 5MP selfie camera provides decent images and on the front, there is also an LED flashlight that can help you while clicking selfies in dimly lit conditions.

Miscellaneous

The Gionee F8 Neo runs on the latest Android 10 OS. The interface is almost stock Android and there are far and few bloatware to be worried about.

This device does not have a fingerprint scanner but it does have face unlocking that works quite fast, given you are in a well-lit environment.

Battery Life

The Gionee F8 Neo is powered by a 3000mAh removable battery that provides up to 8 hours of screen on time with a single full charge. 

The bundled charger juices up the battery from zero to a hundred in 2 to 3 hours.

Verdict

The Gionee F8 Neo launches with one of the latest Android OS with decent everyday performance. 

Within a price range of Rs.5,000, providing a 720p display with decent performance is no mean feat.

2. Samsung M01 Core

Runner-up Pick

• Decent HD display
• Promised one-day battery life
• 8MP rear camera with LED flash

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The M01 Core is one of the entry-level smartphones from Samsung priced under Rs.5,000 which might appeal to a lot of new customers looking for a non-Chinese device. 

The Samsung M01 Core is designed and targeted specifically for basic usage such as calling and web browsing.

Design and Build Quality

To be honest, Samsung has done a lot of cost-cutting when it comes to the build quality of this device. The plastic frame and the plastic backplate seems to be of average quality.

The textured line pattern in the back adds grip to the phone but does make the phone look very cheap. 

However, considering the price and the brand value, Samsung releasing a smartphone at this price negates all these shortcomings. 

The 3.5mm headphone jack, micro USB charging port and mono speaker is located on the button portion of the device.

Samsung has included a dedicated SD card slot along with the dual SIM slots on this device.

Display

The display on the Samsung M01 Core is a 5.3-inch HD TFT LCD with a resolution of 720 x 1480 pixels.

With a pixel density of 311ppi, this display is surprisingly decent enough for everyday usage. 

Thanks to the smaller display, the texts and images appear sharp and clean. The colour reproduction and the brightness levels are decent when viewed indoors.

Since this display isn’t a dot notch or water drop type panel, there are significant bezels around.

Processor and Performance

The Samsung M01 Core is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core MediaTek processor, ideal for web browsing, social media uses and day to day tasks. 

With the 1GB RAM onboard and the 16GB memory, the Samsung M01 Core performs relatively smoothly.

The reason behind this is the Android GO edition OS based on Android 10.0 Q running the show underneath.

Android Go is a lightweight Android distribution custom made for lower-end devices with limited hardware capabilities.

The Samsung OneUI on top of this, makes the UI look much more appealing and easy to use. 

Camera

This entry-level smartphone features an 8MP rear camera with autofocus support and an LED flash. 

Nothing to write much about, this camera captures decent quality under good lighting conditions, enough for occasional social media uploads.

The front 5MP camera takes okay quality selfies and can be used for video calls, but the visuals might look a bit grainy. 

Battery Life

The Samsung M01 Core is powered by a 3000mAh Li-ion battery. This battery will run the show for a day and a half with moderate usage. 

The supplied charger does not support fast charging and it takes around 2-2.5 hours to charge the battery from zero to a hundred. 

Verdict

The Samsung M01 Core is an entry-level non-Chinese smartphone especially suitable for adults looking for a no-frills smartphone with decent day to day performance.

3. Karbonn X21

Feature-rich Smartphone

• Stock Android 10 OS
• HD+ display
• Made in India product

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Karbonn is an Indian smartphone manufacturing company that was once known for budget smartphones but with the increased competition in the market, lost its market share to the Chinese brands.

The X21 is one of the latest smartphones that is added to the company’s portfolio targeting budget-conscious consumers looking for an entry-level Android smartphone.

Design and Build Quality

The Karbonn X21 features a removable polycarbonate back panel with a gradient finish, giving this smartphone an enchanting look.

Karbonn has tried to keep the aesthetics minimal – the rectangular-shaped camera module with curved edges looks great.

Apart from the camera module, there is a speaker hole in the rear. 

The company omitted the fingerprint scanner for obvious cost-cutting reasons but has provided the face recognition feature that works just fine.

There is an audio jack and micro USB port at the top frame which is nothing surprising at this price point. 

Weighing at just 160g, this lightweight smartphone feels very comfortable to use with a single hand.

Display

The Karbonn X21 sports a 5.45-inch HD+ Full View display with a resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels. This display looks reasonably sharp when viewed from the normal eye distance. 

This touchscreen display is very responsive and there is no noticeable touch latency when operating the phone with your fingers. 

The bezels around the sides are thin but the top and bottom chin are thick. 

You can play HD videos from youtube without any issues on this smartphone. The colours turn out to be okay and the brightness levels are adequate for indoor use. 

Camera

The Karbonn X21 features an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP selfie camera.

The photos from the rear camera come out decent. In broad daylight, the photos look clear and sharp but details could have been better.

You can also record videos from the rear camera and the quality is decent.

The 5MP selfie camera takes good selfies in a brightly lit environment but you will see a significant amount of noise in low light.

Processor and Performance

The Karbonn X21 is powered by a 1.6GHz octa-core processor and is paired with the 2GB RAM.

In day to day use, you will not find any major lag or jitters but if you install too much application at once then you do notice some lag here and there.

The built-in 32GB storage should be sufficient for most beginner users if not then there is also an option for an external SD card. The device supports an SD card with a capacity of up to 256GB.

You can play basic games without any issues but high-end games won’t work smoothly.

This smartphone from Karbonn comes loaded with the relatively newer Android 10 OS with stock UI without any fancy custom skin on top. It is also surprising that there are not many bloatwares pre-installed on this device that will bog the performance down. 

Battery Life

The Karbonn X21 is powered by a 3000mAh lithium battery that is rated to last a day of moderate use with 50% display brightness. 

The bundled 7.5W adapter juices up the battery from zero to full within three hours.

Verdict

The Karbonn X21 is one of the best 4G smartphones available for purchase in India for a budget under Rs.5,000. It comes with a relatively new stock Android 10 OS that offers a clean and hassle-free smartphone experience.

4. Mafe V9

Best Non-chinese Smartphone

• Made in India smartphone
• Good everyday performance
• HD+ IPS display

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Mafe mobile is an Indian company based in New Delhi. The company manufactures accessories, feature phones, smartphones, and LED TVs.

The Mafe V9 is a budget smartphone priced at Rs.4,999.

Design and Build Quality

The Mafe V9 looks quite nice with the shade of blue and black. The back panel has a flat finish and it has curved sides so the user can hold it comfortably.

The brand should have put a bit more effort into the design as it looks similar to most other smartphones that come under Rs.5,000.

This device features an audio jack and a micro USB port at the top frame. The volume rockers and power buttons are mounted on the right side which are easily accessible.

This smartphone has no branding mentioned on it which is a bit surprising.

There’s nothing extra to say about this smartphone in regards to design and build, it’s simple and clean.

Display

The Mafe V9 has a 5.7-inch HD+ IPS display with a resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels.

The display side bezels are thin but the top and bottom chin are fat and to be honest, it’s not the best panel for content viewing.

However, this is an IPS panel so the viewing angles and colour reproduction will be better than other TFT panels.

The display brightness is good for indoor use but as soon as you step out in direct sunlight the display visuals are hard to identify.

Processor and Performance

The Mafe V9 comes equipped with a 1.4GHz quad-core processor and is paired with 2GB RAM to offer a smooth performance on everyday use.

You will find no jitters in daily use but loading more apps at once might cause lag. For optimal performance, make sure to remove apps from the background that you are not using

The device has 16GB of built-in storage and you can expand the capacity by using that micro SD card slot.

You can play light games but don’t try to run games like COD: Mobile otherwise you will end up facing way too many frame drops.

The device comes pre-installed with the Android 10 OS and UI works fine in day to day use.

Camera

This smartphone has a 5MP lens on the front accompanied by the flashlight and there is another 5MP lens on the rear side.

The image output from both of these cameras will be decent in broad daylight.

You can also use that LED on the front that will help you click good selfies at night but colour reproduction will not be that great.

Battery Life

The Mafe V9 is powered by a 3500mAh lithium battery and it will provide up to 9 hours of battery life on normal to heavy use.

The bundled charger will help juice up the battery levels from 0 – 100%.

Verdict

The Mafe V9 is a new smartphone made by an Indian company and it offers good performance for the price of Rs.4,999.

5. Panasonic Eluga i7

Value for Money Smartphone

• Stock Android UI
• Gorgeous HD+ IPS panel
• Decent battery life

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Panasonic is a well known Japanese electronics brand with years of expertise in the consumer electronics market in India and abroad. 

The Eluga I7 from Panasonic is an entry-level Android smartphone priced affordably under Rs.5000 targeting first-time smartphone users in the country.

Design and Build Quality

The design of this smartphone is a bit dated but is ergonomic and feels quite comfortable to use.

The body of this smartphone is all plastic and Panasonic has also provided a silicon case in the box to protect it from accidental drops and scratches.

The device weighs 168 grams and feels very lightweight in the hands.

Speaking of its physical overview, the Eluga i7 has a power button on the right and the volume rockers on the left frame.

The machine has a mic located at the bottom frame and the charging and audio jack is given at the top frame.

To unlock the device quickly, the company also has provided a rear fingerprint scanner.

Display

The Panasonic Eluga i7 features an HD+ IPS display with a resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels.

Having an HD+ panel under the price of Rs.5,000 is like a blessing – you can stream high definition content and the quality of visuals is crystal clear.

The colour reproduction of this panel is good and also thanks to the IPS technology, there is no colour shifting when the display is viewed from an angle.

The display can get bright enough for indoor use but outdoor legibility is bad.

Processor and Performance

The Panasonic Eluga i7 is powered by the MediaTek Quad-core processor with a clock speed of 1.5GHz.

The device has 2GB RAM inside which is capable of handling casual usage without any noticeable lags. However, multitasking with apps might be a mixed experience as the RAM limitation will hinder smooth performance.

This smartphone has 16GB of built-in storage with an option to add a micro SD card for storage expansion. You can add SD cards with a capacity of up to 128GB.

The device comes pre-installed with Android 9.0 Pie. Panasonic has kept the UI stock without many changes, to keep the system running smooth and bloat-free. 

Camera

The Panasonic Eluga i7 sports an 8MP lens on the front and rear.

To be honest, it isn’t the best camera we found but in daylight conditions but performs okay for the price.

The 8MP rear camera clicks decent photos with ample details in broad daylight. You can record videos in HD quality but there is no stabilization.

The front camera output can be termed as just average. Under good lighting conditions, you will get decent results.

Battery Life

The Panasonic Eluga I7 is powered by a 4000mAh lithium battery which is rated to last easily for a day, even with heavy usage.

The bundled charger will take almost 2:30 hours to recharge the battery completely.

Verdict

The Panasonic Eluga I7 is an affordable smartphone priced under Rs.5,000.

If you are looking for a budget smartphone for casual usage with good battery life, then Panasonic Eluga I7 is the perfect one to have.

6. Itel A25 Pro

Best Budget Smartphone

• Unisoc quad-core chipset
• Decent battery backup
• Colourful gradient design

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Itel A25 Pro is a budget smartphone from Itel targeting first-time smartphone buyers who until then used feature phones. 

Priced under Rs.5,000, the Itel A25 Pro is a no-frills Android device ideal for getting accustomed to the world of smartphones.

Design and Build Quality

The Itel A25 Pro is manufactured using polycarbonate materials and the device has a glossy finish on the back.

This smartphone is available in three different colours and all of them have a gradient coloured finish that makes this device look aesthetically pleasing.

The power button and volume rocker on this smartphone are positioned on the right side of the frame, at an easily accessible location. 

The back panel is removable as the battery comes separately. You can insert two SIM cards and one microSD card inside this smartphone.

This smartphone is slightly thick but due to its 5-inch form factor, one-hand usage is perfectly possible. 

In the bottom chin, you will have three touchscreen buttons namely back, recent apps, and home.

Display

The Itel A25 Pro sports a 5-inch HD IPS display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels.

This panel has slim bezels on the sides but the top and bottom chin are quite thick.

You can watch and stream youtube videos on this smartphone without any issue as this is an HD panel.

Also, the colours of the visuals are quite nice compared to the TFT display. What’s more, there is no colour shifting when the smartphone display is noticed from an angle, thanks to the IPS technology.

Processor and Performance

The Itel A25 Pro comes equipped with the Unisoc SC9832E quad-core processor with a clock speed of 1.4GHz.

This is a 2GB RAM 32GB storage variant. You can run social media applications without noticeable lag or stutters.

If the 32GB isn’t sufficient for you then use the microSD card slot to expand the storage.

In terms of gaming, you can run 2D games like subway surfer and jetpack joyride, but games like PUBG Mobile will not run.

The device comes pre-installed with the Android 9.0 Pie Go Edition. The Go version of the Android is optimized for low-end hardware devices and has special lightweight app replacements for most of the Google apps that you will find on a normal smartphone.

Camera

The A25 Pro features a 5MP camera along with an LED flashlight at the rear and a 2MP front camera.

The rear camera on this smartphone provides somewhat decent images when clicked in good lighting conditions but flops when used in low light situations. The selfie camera performance is just average; you can use it for occasional video calls and nothing more. 

Honestly, you shouldn’t expect much from the cameras in such low-cost smartphones and the brand themselves can’t be blamed much given the price tag. 

Battery Life

The A25 Pro has a removable battery as we mentioned earlier. It has a 3020mAh battery which is rated to last for a day worth of moderate to heavy usage.

The provided 5W charger will juice up the battery levels from zero to full in 3 hours.

Verdict

The Itel A25 Pro is a feature-rich affordable Android smartphone that is ideal for beginners who are just switching from a feature phone to an Android device for the first time in their life.

7. LAVA Z61 Pro

Honourable Mention

• Decent HD display
• One day battery life
• Decent 5.45-inch 720p display

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Lava is an Indian consumer electronics manufacturer which was famous for its budget Android smartphones. 

With the advent of Chinese companies such as Xiaomi, the brand got behind the race.

The Z61 Pro is a budget smartphone from Lava priced under Rs.5000 that runs on the Android 9.0 Pie operating system from Google.

Build Quality and Design

The Lava Z61 Pro reminds us of the Redmi 5 smartphone of the past.

This device features a removable battery that’s quite rare among smartphones these days. The construction as you may have guessed is of plastic.

The Lava Z61 Pro comes with dual sim capability and has a dedicated SD card slot for expansion of the otherwise limited internal storage.

Processor and Performance

Most of the budget smartphones in India come loaded with a MediaTek processor for obvious reasons. They are cheaper than their Qualcomm counterparts.

However, this device comes with a mid-range Unisoc octa-core processor inside with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage out of the box.

This device despite its 2GB RAM, performs decently well enough that you can enjoy a full Android experience on a budget without any noticeable lags or stutters in everyday usage. 

Display and Camera

The Lava Z61 Pro features a 5.45-inch HD panel with a resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels. This gives the device an approximate pixel density of 295 ppi.

The brightness levels are excellent on this display so are the colours but the sharpness leaves to be a bit deserved.

The rear camera on the Lava Z61 Pro is an 8MP shooter with an LED flash. Upfront, there is a 5MP selfie with an 84-degree field of view. For aiding low light selfies, the front cam also comes with an LED flash.

Battery Life

This budget Android smartphone features a 3100mAh battery which lasts easily for a day even with moderate to heavy usage.

The bundled charger is a 5V 1.5A rated one which will charge the smartphone relatively faster when compared with a 1A charger that comes with most of the devices at this price point.

Verdict

For a budget under Rs.5,000, the Lava Z61 Pro is a great choice for those who want a lag-free Android experience.

We assure you that daily tasks and casual use will be as smooth as possible with this smartphone.

Our curated buying list for the seven best smartphones priced under Rs.5,000 in India comes to an end here.

If you have any suggestions or queries regarding the article, feel free to voice your opinions in the comment section below. 

Thanks for reading and have a great day!