This past year, a plethora of useful features became mainstream in the sub-Rs 15,000 smartphone segment, including wider adoption of AMOLED panels, triple camera setups, fast charging, and more. Additionally, manufacturers pushed for the release of 5G-capable phones in order to ensure that customers were well-prepared for the 5G wave that was about to hit the nation. Now, the biggest tech award in the country, the Indian Gadget Awards calls upon 18 jury members from the Indian tech media community, 28 award categories, and over 150 nominees to pick the best tech products from 2022. For this post, we focus on the Best Phone of 2022 under Rs 15,000 award. For this category, we had six nominees, but there could only be one winner. Take a look at the winner of Best Phone Under Rs 15,000 below:
Winner: Moto G62 5G
Samsung Galaxy F23 5G
In terms of its display, software, and processing power, the Samsung Galaxy F23 is an all-around smartphone. It is the brand’s workhorse and has all the in-demand gear, such as a 120Hz TFT display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G CPU, up to 6GB RAM, 5G compatibility, and a big 5,000mAh battery. With a 50MP triple camera arrangement that includes a great selfie camera, the F23 does well in the image department. The handset is included in Samsung’s upgrade program and will subsequently receive quicker Android updates in the future.
Motorola Moto G62 5G
For some time now, Motorola has been increasing its presence in the budget smartphone market. The Moto G62 expands on this further by introducing a device with a premium design and feel a huge 6.5-inch 120Hz refresh rate LCD screen and a 50MP triple camera system. The handset is powered by the Snapdragon 695 SoC which is yet another segment popular SoC and is juiced by a large 5,000mAh battery with 15W charging support. The near-stock Android experience on Moto handsets, which has been the brand’s main driver of growth in 2022, is G62’s USP.
iQOO Z6 5G
iQOO has been known as the preferred brand among gamers. Their smartphones are available in just about any price range and offer the top hardware that a power user desires. A large Full HD+ LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a sizable 5,000mAh battery, and the most recent Android OS update are all included in the iQOO Z6 5G. With up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, the Snapdragon 695 SoC powers the device which has been increasingly seen on other budget smartphones as well. Although the phone has a 50MP triple camera arrangement and a 16MP selfie camera, it falls short in the optics category.
Realme 9i
The Realme 9i is one of the few 4G budget phones that got introduced in the country in 2022. The phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 SoC and features a big 6.6-inch FHD+ 90Hz refresh rate LCD screen with a 50MP triple camera configuration on the back. The handset is perfect for most casual users who want a phone with minimal essentials for lag-free performance and squeaky-clean software on a tight budget.
Redmi 11 Prime 5G
In India, the Redmi 11 Prime 5G is the brand’s most cost-effective 5G smartphone. It is a device that gives you a taste of 5G without significantly reducing the overall experience. The handset gets you a 6.4-inch+ FHD 90Hz refresh rate LCD panel, a nice textured polycarbonate back, MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC under the hood, a 5,000mAh battery, the latest MIUI OS and a 50MP dual camera setup on the rear.
Infinix Note 12 5G
The Infinix Note 12 5G is an aspirational phone created by the company in an effort to achieve traction in a market now dominated by Redmi, Realme, and POCO. The device comes with a 6.7-inch Full-HD+ AMOLED screen that supports the whole DCI P3 colour gamut while a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging support and a MediaTek Dimensity 810 5G processor power the unit. The optics are good too, and the Note 12 5G houses a 50MP triple rear camera setup along with a 16MP selfie shooter.
