Diwali is almost here, and for a North India that’s still incredibly hot, hopefully Winter is, too. Buying new things for the home and family is a Diwali tradition, and if you’re thinking of getting a new phone, there are some really good options. At the top end of the spectrum, an Apple user or a Samsung user is likely to just upgrade to the iPhone 8/ 8 Plus (Review), or the Galaxy Note 8 (Review) respectively. Midrange flagship choices are similarly simple – you can pick the OnePlus 5 (Review), the Honor 8 Pro (Review), or the newest kid on the block, the Nokia 8 (Review), with our review of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 coming soon to help you decide if it makes the cut.

If you are looking to buy a mobile this Diwali with a budget of under Rs. 15,000 though, there is a lot of competition and a number of good options to choose from. To make it simpler, we’ve picked out the very best phones under Rs. 15,000, which includes some phones that have got price cuts, some old favourites, and a few interesting new entrants. The list is limited to the phones that we have actually reviewed, so that every phone is put through the same stringent rubric, and with a couple of exceptions that are just a little bit older, the phones mentioned here are all less than a year old, which matters because of how quickly phones get outdated in this price range. Here are our top picks for best mobiles under Rs. 15,000 in no particular order.

1. Xiaomi Mi A1
One of the newest phones to make the cut, the Xiaomi Mi A1 did well in the Gadgets 360 review on all fronts except battery life, and even that wasn’t bad. The brand’s budget offerings have lacked in the camera department, and the Mi A1 corrects that with a dual-rear camera, while being a part of the Android One means it’s going to get regular updates.

The phone has a striking full-HD 5.5-inch display, a 2GHz octa-core processor, 4GB RAM, and 64GB storage, along with a 3080mAh battery, making it a real beast on paper. There’s a 5-megapixel front camera, and 12-megapixel dual cameras on the back, which makes it a great pick in the best phones under Rs. 15,000 segment.

2. Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime
A good phone from Samsung with a superb screen and a great design at a reasonable price, the Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime scored well in our review. For people who still want to stick to a big brand, this is a great option under Rs. 15,000.

It’s got a 5.5-inch full-HD display and packs a 1.6GHz octa-core processor, 3GB RAM, and 16GB storage, with an 8-megapixel front camera, and a 13-megapixel camera on the back, and a 3300mAh battery.

3. Moto G5S
Another new phone, the Moto G5S continues the company’s strong performance in the sub-Rs. 15,000 price band. It’s rated well overall in our review, though the camera is a little disappointing in our opinion. Despite that, it’s still one of the best phones under Rs. 15,000.

The phone has a 5.2-inch full-HD display, a 1.4GHz octa-core processor, 4GB RAM, 32GB storage, a 5-megapixel front camera, and a 16-megapixel rear camera. It has a 3000mAh battery, and runs Android 7.1, scoring particularly well on the software section.

4. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
An older offering, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 remains a good choice even today at a very budget-friendly price, beating out a number of phones that are more expensive in this price range, as our review shows.

In terms of specs, it shares a lot with the Mi A1, with a 5.5-inch full-HD display, a 2GHz octa-core processor, 4GB RAM, and 64 GB storage. It has also got a 5-megapixel front camera, but there is a single 13-megapixel rear camera, and a bigger 4100mAh battery.

5. Honor 8
The highest rated phone in our list, the Honor 8 actually launched at Rs. 29,999 – however the phone has seen a major discount and that means you can actually get it for under Rs. 15,000. At this price, this phone seems like an obvious choice given how well it performed in our review, though it’s a single-SIM phone, a rarity these days, which might be a problem if you use a second SIM for data.

The phone has a crisp full-HD 5.2-inch display, and it’s powered by a 1.8GHz octa-core processor and 4GB of RAM. You get 32GB of inbuilt storage as well, and there’s a 3000mAh battery. You have an 8-megapixel camera on the front, and two 12-megapixel cameras on the rear.

6. Moto G5 Plus
There’s also the Moto G5 Plus, which got a price cut recently bringing it under Rs. 15,000. We noted in our review that the phone did well on most parameters, and the build quality and display are particular selling points, along with the battery life.

The phone has a 5.2-inch full-HD display, a 2GHz octa-core processor, 4GB RAM, 32GB storage, and a 3000mAh battery. It has a 5-megapixel camera on the front, and a 12-megapixel camera on the rear, and runs Android 7.0 out of the box.

7. Lenovo Z2 Plus
The Lenovo Z2 Plus is also slightly old at this point, and a price cut actually brings it into the under-Rs. 10,000 band, but it can compete with the more expensive offerings. As we pointed out in our review, it’s let down by the camera, but does well on other fronts, particularly the battery life and performance.

Packing a 2.15GHz quad-core processor, the phone has 3GB if RAM, and 32GB storage. It also has a big 3500mAh battery, despite a (relatively) small 5-inch full-HD display. There’s an 8-megapixel camera on the front, and a 13-megapixel camera on the back.

These are the best phones you can buy for under Rs. 15,000 right now, and whether you’re looking to get something for yourself, or as a gift this Diwali, you can’t really go wrong with any of the options on this list, so pick up any of these phones, and enjoy your shopping. And if you’ve used one of these phones or want to recommend another one to the rest of our readers, please do let us know via the comments.