#ThatWas2019: Best budget smartphones of this year
What's the story
2019 was a great year for smartphone lovers, especially when you look at how the budget handsets have evolved. For the most part, the low-cost, budget-performers dominated the smartphone market by attracting buyers with their sharper and brighter displays, premium designs, versatile cameras, improved battery life, and faster chipsets. Here, we look at some of the top-sellers of the year.
Phone #1
Samsung Galaxy A50: Price starts at Rs. 17,000
According to a Counterpoint report, the Galaxy A50 attracted a good number of customers to capture nearly 2% of the global smartphone market in Q3 2019. The phone features a 6.4-inch full-HD+ AMOLED screen, a 25MP selfie snapper, an in-screen fingerprint reader, and capable internal hardware. And at a starting price of Rs. 16,999, this handset is surely a bang for your buck.
Phone #2
Realme XT: Available at a starting price of Rs. 16,000
The mid-ranger, Realme XT, has also received an overwhelming response. In fact, Realme had sold over 64,000 units of the phone in the first four minutes of the sale itself. It has a premium all-glass body, 6.4-inch full-HD+ AMOLED screen, an eye-catching gradient design, and segment-leading 64MP main camera. Moreover, the capable Snapdragon 712 chipset and all-day battery life make it a worthy buy.
Phone #3
OPPO A9 2020: Price starts at Rs. 16,000
Featuring a 6.5-inch HD+ notched screen, a physical fingerprint scanner, up to 8GB of RAM, and improved 48MP quad rear camera setup, the OPPO A9 2020 arrived as a worthy update to the A9 and captured a decent market share globally. Further, the Snapdragon 665 processor and the massive 5,000mAh battery make this handset a complete powerhouse.
Phone #4
Redmi Note 8 Pro: Available at Rs. 15,000
The Redmi Note 8 Pro has received a tremendous response, especially in India where the company sold approximately 1 million units of the handset in the first month of launch. The phone did well, thanks to its 6.53-inch full-HD screen, all-glass premium body, and an affordable price tag. Moreover, the capable Helio G90T chipset and the dependable 4,500mAh battery attracted serious gamers as well.
Phone #5
Samsung Galaxy A10: Priced at Rs. 8,000
The Galaxy A10 became the best-selling Android phone in Q3 2019, capturing a global market share of 2.6%, as per the Counterpoint report. The wallet-friendly handset offers a modern waterdrop notched design, a 6.2-inch HD+ screen, good battery life, and entry-level internals. The reliability of a brand like Samsung and an affordable price-tag made the handset even more desirable than others.