You don’t necessarily need to spend much on a smartphone, thanks to the wide range of options available. And the good thing is, budget phones are getting better by the day. New phones are being launched by Huawei, Xiaomi, Samsung, TECNO, and others, making a run for your money.
If you’re mulling to get a new smartphone soon for less than KES 15,000, we got you.
In this article, we’ve rounded up the best phones under KES 15000 in Kenya.
Best phones under 15,000
- Xiaomi Redmi 9A – KES 9,499
- Infinix HOT 10 Lite – KES 10,899
- Xiaomi Redmi 9C – KES 10,999
- Nokia 2.4 – KES 12,999
- Xiaomi Redmi 9 – KES 13,999
- Xiaomi Redmi A1+ – KES 10,400
Xiaomi Redmi 9A
Sporting a 6.53-inch HD+ display, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and a 5000mAh battery, this device retails slightly below 10,000. It’s also our top recommendation for the best phones under KES 10,000.
With its massive battery capacity, you can bet the Redmi 9A will offer solid screen time. Watching videos or browsing social media shouldn’t be an issue as well. The only caveat is the lack of a fingerprint sensor.
Other specs include a MediaTek Helio G25 processor, 13MP rear camera, a 5MP selfie camera, and Dual-SIM support.
Infinix HOT 10 Lite
Infinix HOT 10 Lite shares the popular 2020 smartphone design language.
The phone features a 6.6-inch HD+ display, triple camera setup, and a fingerprint sensor at the rear.
The 5,000mAh battery should impress with longer screen time, although there’s no fast charging technology available. Infinix HOT 10 Lite is available in two memory configurations; 3GB + 64 GB or 2GB+32GB. The 3/64GB model sells at KES 13,299 on Xspark, and the lower variant is available on Jumia at KES 11,299.
Xiaomi Redmi 9C
Xiaomi’s value proposition for its smartphones is well documented, and the 9C doesn’t divert from the norm. Redmi 9C shines for its 3GB/64GB memory configuration, 5,000mAh battery, and 13MP triple camera. It also supports 4G LTE connectivity which is key for streaming these days.
Redmi 9C has a fingerprint sensor, that its smaller sibling, Redmi 9A, lacks.
Nokia 2.4
Software updates in the budget segment are hard to come by. But thanks to HMD’s Android One partnership, all of its smartphones promise two major Android updates and three years of security updates. As such Nokia phones excel in this regard.
Nokia 2.4 features 3GB of memory, 64GB of ROM, a 6.53-inch HD panel, Android 10, and 4G LTE. The promise of extended support and a clean Android experience is the only thing that makes the Nokia 2.4 stand out.
Check out our Nokia 2.4 review.
Xiaomi Redmi 9
Xiaomi Redmi 9 offers reliable performance compared to the rest on the list. It features a 6.53-inch FHD+( 2340x1080p) display with Corning Glass 3 for scratch protection.
Under the hood is 4GB of memory running in tow with a competent MediaTek Helio G80 processor drawing power from a 5020mAh battery.
Another unique feature apart from the impressive FHD+ display is the 18W fast charging technology. The caveat is Xiaomi includes a 10W charger out of the box.
However, the rest of the specs are solid. The phone uses the latest USB Type C port, and there’s NFC support for contactless payments. It has an IR blaster, so you can use the phone as a remote to control your TV.
Redmi 9 has a quad-camera setup on the rear and a single 8MP shooter for selfies and video calls. The quad-camera setup includes a 13MP wide-angle, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 5MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth-sensing lens.
Redmi 9’s feature proposition makes most of the competitor options not worth looking at.
Xiaomi Redmi 9 retails at KES 13,999. Buy it on Jumia here.
Redmi A1+
The Redmi A1+ (Unboxing Video) was launched in Kenya in October 2022.
Redmi A1+ sports a 6.52-inch display with a resolution of 1600 x 720 pixels (HD+). The phone is powered by a MediaTek Helio A22 chipset paired with LPDDR4x RAM and eMMC 5.1 storage.
It’s an Android 12 Go Edition phone and draws power from a 5,000mAh battery that supports 10W wired charging.
For the optics, we’re getting an 8MP rear camera assisted by a 0.3MP depth sensor and a 5MP camera on the front.
Redmi A1+ come in Black and Light Blue, all with a stylish flat-frame design.
Wrapping up
The under 15,000 category offers pretty decent devices, but there are still many compromises to make. Especially in the camera department, don’t get your hopes so high.
Most smartphones with massive batteries in this category disappoint with their lack of fast charging. And USB Type C port absentia might irk some people, making Xiaomi Redmi 9 the only go-to option.
Also, Read: Best phones under KES 10,000
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I need a good phone below 10k