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, all making a run for your money.
In this article, we round up the best phones under KES 15000 in Kenya
Best phones under 15,000
- Nokia 2.3 – KES10,950
- Infinix HOT 9 Play – KES 11,500
- Samsung Galaxy A10s – KES 12,700
- TECNO Camon 12 Air – KES 13,200
- Realme C3 – KES 14,000
- TECNO Pouvoir 4 – KES 14,000
- Huawei Y6p – KES 14,500
- Xiaomi Redmi 9 – KES 14,999
Nokia 2.3
Retailing at just over 10,000, Nokia 2.3 is a good buy. Nokia 2.3 sports a 6.2” HD+ display with a water-drop notch. It has a dual-camera setup on the rear composed of a 13MP primary snapper and a 2MP depth sensor. There’s a 4,000mAh non-removable battery, and the phone ships with a 5W standard charging brick.
Out of the box, Nokia 2.3 runs Android 9.0 Pie, but there’s an Android 10 update. Customary to Android One phones, Nokia 2.3 will also receive Android 11 update. For the processor, Nokia chose MediaTek’s Helio A22 processor. Nokia 2.3 is available in a single 2/32GB model. Buy the Nokia 2.3 on Jumia here.
Infinix HOT 9 Play
Launched this year, Infinix HOT 9 Play is a good buy. Infinix HOT 9 Play shares the popular 2020 smartphone design language.
The phone features a 6.82-inch HD+ display and is powered by MediaTek Helio A22 processor. At the back, you get a Dual Camera Setup(13MP primary camera coupled with a low light sensor) and a fingerprint sensor. It also packs a massive 6,000mAh battery – excellent for battery maniacs. There’s no fast charging technology available, and the phone proves it by taking so much time to fill up. With such a big battery, Infinix HOT 9 Play is quite heavy, too. On the plus side, battery life is impressive.
Infinix HOT 9 Play is only available in a single 2GB/32GB model. You can buy the phone on Jumia at a discounted price of KES 11,900. On Infinix’s Xspark store, the phone retails at KES12,899. Buy it on Jumia here.
Samsung Galaxy A10s
It’s pretty hard to ignore Samsung’s Galaxy A series phones these days with what they offer. Samsung Galaxy A10s is a slight upgrade to the Galaxy A10, but both were released in 2019. The 2GB memory, coupled with MediaTek’s Helio P22 processor, gets the job done, whether its binge-watching TV shows on Netflix or scrolling through social media.
It also includes a dual-camera setup with a 13MP primary snapper and a 2MP depth sensor. Samsung Galaxy A10s also has a fingerprint sensor on the back, 32GB of internal storage, a 4,000mAh battery, and runs Android 9.0 Pie. Buy the Galaxy A10s on Jumia here.
TECNO Camon 12 Air
TECNO’s Camon series prioritizes on cameras. On the Camon 12 Air, they also explored a hole punch notch for the first time in the entire series. The result is an excellent design – assuming the slightly thick bezels – at this price point. Not everyone loves the increasingly popular water-drop, mini-drop, and dot-drop notches, so the Camon 12 Air gives you an exit pathway from the new normal.
TECNO Camon 12 Air is powered by the common MediaTek Helio P22 processor, like most under 15,000 smartphones.
You’re getting 3GB of memory, which results in a pretty decent performance and is a recommended buy from our TECNO Camon 12 Air review. Hardware specifications include; 6.55-inch HD display, 16MP AI Triple Camera(16MP+2MP+5MP), 32GB ROM, 4,000mAh battery, 8MP selfie camera, and a rear-placed fingerprint sensor. Buy it on Jumia here.
Realme C3
realme C3 is a new entrant into the Kenyan market. Despite the recent entry in Kenya, realme is one of the fastest-growing smartphone companies in the world. realme C3 packs solid specs at its price.
It sports a 6.5-inch HD+ display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top for scratch protection. MediaTek’s Helio G90 processor powers it with 3GB of memory.
realme C3 is equipped with a triple camera setup composed of a 12MP primary sensor, a 2MP macro shooter, and a 2MP portrait lens. The camera features several AI enhancements. realme C3 also includes adequate battery capacity (5,000mAh) and a rear-placed fingerprint sensor.
realme C3 was launched this month at a retail price of KES 14,000 for the 3GB/64GB model. You can, however, snatch it while still discounted on Jumia starting at around KES 13,000. Buy the realme C3 on Jumia here.
TECNO Pouvoir 4
TECNO Pouvoir 4 was launched locally in June. It has a massive 6,000mAh battery and a relatively larger 7-inch HD+ Drop Display. Although the phones need adequate time allowance to fill up, battery performance is impressive.
You’re getting a triple camera setup on the rear(12MP+2MP+2MP), a rear-placed fingerprint sensor, a dedicated Google Assistant button, an 8MP selfie camera, and a couple of colors to choose from. TECNO Pouvoir 4 runs Android 10 with HiOS UI on top and is currently in Google’s Android 11 beta program. That means Pouvoir 4 will, undoubtedly, be updated to Android 11 when it goes official. Buy it on Jumia here.
Huawei Y6p
Huawei’s smartphone business isn’t in good shape, especially after the new restrictions imposed by the US in May. However, the company’s smartphones still have solid features on the spec sheet. Excluding, of course, Google apps, which might be an issue to some.
If you can’t fathom buying a phone without Google applications, don’t bother going for this device. Huawei Y6p features a 6.3-inch HD+ display, EMUI 10.1 based on Android 10, 3GB of memory, and a 5,000mAh battery.
It offers a triple camera setup on the back, including a 13 MP primary sensor, a 5 MP Ultra-Wide-angle lens, and a 2 MP for bokeh. The selfie camera is a 16MP lens. Internal storage is capped at 64GB, but you can expand it via microSD up to 512GB. Buy it on Jumia here.
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. A 5020mAh battery powers Xiaomi Redmi 9. Another unique feature apart from the impressive FHD+ display is the 18W fast charging technology. Xiaomi includes a 10W charger out of the box, a bummer if you ask me.
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.
Xiaomi Redmi 9 retails at KES 14,999. Buy it on Jumia here.
Also Read Best phones under KES 10,000
Wrapping up
The under 15,000 category offers pretty decent devices, but there are still many compromises to make.
Most smartphones with massive batteries in this category disappoint with their lack of fast charging. USB Type C port absentia might irk some people too, thus making Xiaomi Redmi 9 the only go-to option.
In this list, Xiaomi Redmi 9 offers the best value for your hard-earned money. TECNO Pouvoir 4 and Infinix HOT 9 Play stands out with their massive battery capacities but are slightly heavier. Nokia 2.3 stands out for its clean Android experience, two guaranteed major software updates, and three years of security updates.
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