The sub 10K Android smartphone battle has mainly been ruled by the Moto E, thanks to its stupendous value and experience for a lowly Rs. 6,999. Enter July 2014 and we now have two new and fairly competent challengers for the Moto E in the Asus Zenfone 5 and the Xiaomi Redmi 1S. While the Asus Zenfone 5 has already hit the market and is selling like hot cakes, the Redmi 1S has just been announced, sporting impressive specifications and a unique UI (the MiUI). So, which one of the three is the best Android smartphone to buy for a budget below Rs. 10,000? Read-on to find the answer to which of the 3 hot Android smartphones is the right pick for you.
Stating with the spec check:
| Motorola Moto E | Asus Zenfone 5 | Xiaomi Redmi 1S | |
| Price in Rs | 6999 | 9999 | 6999 |
| SOC | Dual Core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 | Dual Core1.6 GHz Intel Atom Z2560 Processor | Quad-core 1.6 Ghz Qualcomm MSM8228 Snapdragon |
| RAM | 1GB | 2GB | 1GB |
| Primary camera | 5 MP | 8 MP | 8 MP |
| Secondry camera | No | 2 MP | 1.6 MP |
| Display in inches | 4.3 | 5 | 4.7 |
| Resolution | 960 x 540 | 1280 x 720 | 1280 x 720 |
| Android version | 4.4 Kitkat | 4.4 Kitkat | 4.2.2 Jellybean |
| Internal storage | 4 GB | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| microSD support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Battery in mAh | 1980 | 2110 | 2000 |
| Plus Points | Splash proof – Moto E has a water resistant nano coating and can withstand a splash or two. The phone also come with Gorilla glass 3 which is a plus. | Pixelmaster – Asus has done some nifty software tricks to make your low light images better and lets you edit the pictures right from the camera app | MiUI – MiUI is a custom UI built on top of android which gives the phone a new flavour and it is very customisable. It lets you change icons, themes, etc. |
Spec Report
The Asus Zenfone 5 is undoubtedly the most attractive proposition in terms of specifications for anyone looking to buy the most balanced Android smartphone under Rs. 10,000. It does face some very stiff competition from the Xiaomi 1S in terms of specifications, but the Zenfone 5 manages to stay ahead, thanks to its 2GB RAM and a speedy Intel SoC. The Moto E while sporting the lowest specs of all the 3 phones, isn't a slouch when it comes to real-world performance and daily tasks, it is only when it comes to heavy applications like latest graphically intensive games that the occasional stutter and lag in the Moto E becomes evident. We recommend that you read our review of the Asus Zenfone 5 and the Moto E to get a better understanding of what the devices are capable of and how they fare in our tests.
Who should buy the Asus Zenfone 5
The Zenfone 5 is a well rounded offering with very good performance, build quality and an impressive camera. It does cost more than the Moto E and Xiaomi Redmi 1S but the additional premium you pay is well worth the value it offers in return. Buy the Asus Zenfone 5 if you aren't particularly looking for a stock Android experience of the Moto E, are looking for a larger display and can spend that extra premium. Asus scores over the Moto E and the Redmi 1S in terms of pure performance and the overall build and finish. The Zenfone 5 looks and feels more premium than all the Android smartphones priced under Rs. 10,000 in India.
Who should buy (wait for) the Xiaomi Redmi 1S
While we haven't reviewed the Xiaomi Redmi 1S, we did get some time with the device at the launch. During our brief encounter with it, we liked the snappy performance of the Redmi 1S. The MiUI (heavily customized UI for Android) is surely impressive and responsive. Having said that, the build quality and overall feel of the Xiaomi 1S wasn't very impressive, the 1S is surely the least impressive of all the 3 phones in terms of build quality and finish. The core processing hardware is the main strength of the Xiaomi 1S, it gives you a higher clocked Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor with Adreno 305 GPU, promising Moto G level performance at half the price. Buy the Xiaomi Redmi 1S if you want to try out something new in terms of the unique MIUI. Also, if you happen to be a spec junkie on a budget, there ain't a single smartphone in the market that will give you the core specs of the Xiaomi Redmi 1S for as little as Rs. 6,999.
Who should buy the Motorola Moto E
The Motorola Moto E is the right phone for anyone wanting to buy the a pure Android smartphone with good quality build from a renowned brand at lowest possible cost. The Moto E has a very impressive screen, is quite rugged and offers some unique features like the nano coating to protect it from exposure to water/moisture. The only area where the Moto E seriously falls short is the ability to consistently capture usable images via its 5MP camera. The lack of auto focus severely hampers Moto E's chances of being an acceptable camera phone. If you can ignore the camera, the Moto E is a very good Android smartphone to buy, in-spite of the stiff competition.