Best phones under Rs 10,000 (Jan 2024): Realme Narzo N55, Poco M5 to Motorola G32

It’s the new year and the time for new smartphone lists starting with a budget of Rs 10,000. The hangover of the sale season lingers on and we still have some good deals in this budget too. Yet again, we have managed to find five very good handsets with at least 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage under 10K. What’s more, all the phones in this list flaunt at least a 50MP main camera, and the majority of them have Full HD displays too. Time to meet the top 5 smartphones under Rs 10,000 this month.

Best phones to buy under Rs 10,000 in India

Motorola G32
The Motorola G32 is the only phone with 8GB RAM on this list, and that’s not the only interesting thing about it. It has an attractive design that is also IP52-rated dust and water repellant. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 chip, and you get 128GB of internal storage that can be expanded further with a microSD card. The phone has a 6.5-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD with a 90Hz refresh rate; a good option to have under 10K where HD+ is the norm.

The photography department on the Motorola G32 is helmed by a 50MP primary camera with a pretty good support cast comprising an 8MP ultra-wide snapper and a 2MP macro camera. The 16MP front camera should please the selfie enthusiasts. Its 5000mAh battery keeps the phone running for over a day and a half of standard use, and supports 33W fast charging. The phone runs Android 12 out of the box with a promise of Android 13 and regular security updates. Even better, like all Motorola phones, you get a near-stock Android user interface.

Motorola G32 price in India: Rs 9,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage

Poco M5
The first of the two Poco phones in this list is relatively more powerful and feature-rich. The Poco M5 is a stylish phone with a leather-like texture at the back that makes it look quite premium. It is powered by a MediaTek Helio G99 chip with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal (expandable) storage. It has a 6.58-inch Full HD+ display with a 90 Hz refresh rate, 240 Hz touch sampling rate and Widevine L1 certification. These display specs are fairly uncommon in this budget.

The screen is protected against scratches by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Rear camera department has three cameras, starting with a 50MP main camera, and accompanied by a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth sensor. You also get an 8MP selfie camera at the front. The phone’s 5000 mAh battery lasts close to two days of moderate use and supports 18W fast charging with a 22.5W fast charger bundled in the package. The Poco M5 runs Android 12 with MIUI 13.

Poco M5 price in India: Rs 8,499 for 6GB RAM/128GB storage

Realme Narzo N55
The Realme Narzo N55 is another great option in this budget that not just offers a solid feature set but a stylish design too. It is also one of the slimmer options measuring less than 8 mm in thickness. It sports a large 6.72-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD display with a 90 Hz refresh rate. It is powered by a MediaTek Helio G88 chip, and you get 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage that can be expanded further using a microSD card. This phone runs Android 13 with Realme UI 4.0.

The photography department here does one better than 50MP, and you get a 64MP primary camera that does most of the heavy lifting. It is accompanied by a 2MP depth sensor. The 8MP front camera does a decent job with selfies and video calls. The Realme Narzo N55 has a 5000 mAh battery that keeps the phone running for over a day and a half of moderate use. Even better, the company bundles a 33W VOOC charger to juice it up briskly; a great feature to have in this budget.

Realme Narzo N55 price in India: Rs 9,499 for 6GB RAM/128GB storage

Poco C55
Time for the other Poco phone in this list. Though the M5 is better, the Poco C55 is among the most affordable phones with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage worth buying, and better suited for people on a tighter budget. Another feature people may find useful is a dedicated MicroSD slot in addition to dual SIM card slots, so that users don’t have to sacrifice either of those functionalities. The phone has a 6.71-inch HD+ IPS display with a resolution of 1650X720 pixels and is powered by a more than decent MediaTek G85 SoC.

You also get a fingerprint sensor at the back. Similar to the M5, the Poco C55 too has a leather-like texture at the rear giving it a premium feel. You get two cameras there with a combination of a 50MP primary camera with PDAF and a depth sensor. A 5MP selfie camera is located in a drop notch at the top of the screen. A 5000 mAh battery keeps this phone powered for close to two days of moderate use. This phone runs Android 12 with Xiaomi’s MIUI 13.

Poco C55 price in India: Rs 7,499 for 6GB RAM/128GB storage

Nokia C32
The Nokia C32 is only the second device in this list that runs the latest Android 13 out of the box, and also offers a near stock user interface. It is one of the rare phones in this segment to sport a glass back, and that too a toughened one. Its 6.52-inch HD+ screen is protected by a scratch-resistant glass as well. Though it’s an entry-level phone, it does look fairly stylish. It is also dust and moisture-resistant to an extent courtesy of an IP52 rating.

You now get its 6GB RAM and 128GB storage variant in this budget. Unlike the rest of the phones in this list, this phone is powered by a Unisoc chip instead of a Mediatek or Qualcomm. The Nokia C32 has two rear cameras consisting of a 50MP primary camera with auto-focus and a 2MP macro camera. Selfie duties and video calls are handled by an 8MP front camera. This phone too has a 5000 mAh battery that keeps it going for close to two days of moderate use.

Nokia C32 price in India: Rs 8,999 for 6GB RAM/128GB storage