Best Phone Under ₹10,000 in India

Why the Redmi Note 4 is the best

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Xiaomi has figured out the formula to succeed in India's competitive budget segment: offer devices packed to the gills with features, and price them lower than the rest of the market. It's no wonder, then, that the Chinese manufacturer currently fields three of the best-selling phones in India in the Redmi Note 4, Redmi 4, and the Redmi 4A.

The Redmi Note 4 is at the pinnacle of budget phones. You get a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS LCD display, Snapdragon 625 with eight Cortex A53 cores, a 13MP rear camera with PDAF and dual-tone LED flash, 5MP front camera, and a massive 4100mAh battery. The design is much more premium than its predecessor, and the camera is of a higher quality. You even get an IR blaster that lets you control appliances in your house.

The Redmi Note 4 has a premium design and outstanding battery life.

The phone has recently picked up the MIUI 9 update, which introduces a bevy of new features. You get a brand-new image editor that lets you remove elements from the background, a notification pane with bundled notifications, system-wide optimizations to make the UI feel smoother, native split screen mode, a new video player, and so much more.

Another area where the Redmi Note 4 excels at is battery life. With a 4100mAh battery under the hood, you routinely get screen-on-time of over eight hours on a full charge. While there's no fast charging available, you're guaranteed to get two days' worth of usage from a single charge.

There's no dearth of features on the Redmi Note 4, and all things considered, you're getting a lot for your money.

Conclusion

Right now, it feels like Xiaomi is the only manufacturer that's serious about the budget segment. Lenovo has released several devices in this category this year, including the likes of the K8, K8 Plus, and the K8 Note. Although the company made the switch to stock Android, the devices won't be receiving the Oreo update until June 2018 at the earliest.

Then there's Motorola, which rolled out the Moto E and Moto C in this segment. The Moto E4 Plus is particularly interesting thanks to its 5000mAh battery, but the phone isn't confirmed to receive the Oreo update. For a device that's just three months old, that's inexcusable.

Simply put, if you're looking for a phone that offers the most value for your money, then the Redmi Note 4 should be at the top of that list. The recent price cut makes it a much more enticing option, with the 3GB variant now available for just ₹9,999. For that price, you get a great design, incredible hardware, amazing battery life, and a camera that holds its own in this category.

Update, November 2017: The Redmi Note 4 continues to be our top budget pick in India.

Harish Jonnalagadda
Senior Editor - Asia

Harish Jonnalagadda is a Senior Editor overseeing Asia at Android Central. He leads the site's coverage of Chinese phone brands, contributing to reviews, features, and buying guides. He also writes about storage servers, audio products, and the semiconductor industry. Contact him on Twitter at @chunkynerd.