Best budget smartphones of 2024

Most brands tend to operate with very narrow profit margins when developing budget smartphones, so we typically don’t see many innovations in design, features, or specifications within this price range. However, this year has been different. We’ve noticed a variety of smartphones, particularly those priced around Rs 15,000, that stand out significantly from most devices in this category.

Here are some of the trends that we witnessed in the budget smartphone segment in 2024:

Innovative design, power-packed specifications, 5G support

These three parameters were the pillars of some of the most popular budget smartphones of 2024. Regarding the innovative design, devices like the CMF Phone 1 and even the recently introduced HMD Fusion (review) proved that budget smartphones need not be boring. These two devices also scored very high in terms of repairability and the ability to accessorize, thanks to their unique and modular design.

HMD Fusion is compatible with open source accessories. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)

Devices like the Lava Blaze Duo are also another mention-worthy smartphone, which is also the most affordable dual-screen smartphone with a small fitness-band-like display at the rear, a 120Hz curved display at the front, and all this for less than the Rs 15,000 price mark.

In terms of performance, most budget smartphones priced upwards of Rs 10,000 come with 5G support by default, and the Redmi A4 emerged as a strong affordable 5G smartphone. Despite its flaws, for its asking price, the Redmi A4 (review) is a stellar package, especially for anyone considering their first 5G smartphone. As most 5G smartphones come with a mid-range processor from either Qualcomm, Mediatek, or Samsung, most of these devices were more than capable of handling day-to-day tasks like web browsing, video streaming, social media, and even gaming.

A 5G phone that only works on Jio network. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

Interestingly, despite being budget devices, these phones came with at least 128 GB of internal storage, offering ample storage for many. And thanks to their budget nature, some of them also included a microSD card for additional storage expansion when needed.

Although the Samsung Galaxy M15 5G Prime Edition doesn’t have the fancier look of the CMF Phone 1 (review), it is clearly one of the best-value budget smartphones launched in 2024. Unlike most budget smartphones, which get one or two major OS upgrades, Samsung has promised four major OS upgrades and five years of security updates, which will keep this device up and running for years. On top of that, this is also a phone with very solid basics, including a massive 6,000 mAh battery and an AMOLED screen, and in terms of looks, it mimics the Galaxy S24 with a triple camera array at the back.

The back panel of the Phone 1 can be removed and replaced using a regular screw driver (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)

Not just Samsung but many other brands that make budget smartphones took software support seriously in 2024, when most devices launched with the latest version, enabling users to experience the best of Android. While we might have to wait for a few years before we see AI on these affordable smartphones, these devices were more than capable of handling cloud-based AI services like Gemini and ChatGPT.

With more feature phone users upgrading to a smartphone, it is important to have a strong lineup of budget smartphones, allowing users to choose the one that best suits their needs. In 2024, that was indeed the trend this year, offering more choices that are largely different from one another.