Six super phones for less than Rs 6,000 each!

A year ago, the thought of getting relatively smooth-working - leave alone good - smartphone for less than Rs 10,000 was considered a bit of a pipe dream. “You want to play? You got to pay!” was pretty much the theme of the smartphone market at that time.
However, the last year has seen all that change with the arrival of devices like the Moto E, Redmi 1S and the Asus Zenfone 4 which suddenly made good smartphones accessible at relatively low prices.
And this was no flash in the pan - the trend of phones that deliver a good performance without bombing your wallet has continued to the extent that today you can get a very decent smartphone for as low as Rs 6,000 and in some cases, even lesser.
Sounds too good to be true? Go right ahead and check out the following six options then:

Xiaomi Redmi 2 (Rs 5,999)

The successor to the very successful Redmi 1S remains one of the best budget smartphones around, delivering a lovely 4.7 inch 720p display and an excellent 8.0-megapixel rear camera. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor (the same seen on the new Moto G) and comes with 1 GB RAM onboard, and 8 GB storage.
It is sleekly designed and runs on Android 4.4, but with Xiaomi’s innovative and colourful MIUI on top of it.

Moto E 3G (second generation) (Rs 5,999)

The original Moto E was perhaps the phone that triggered off the “very good and very affordable” smartphone era, and while its second generation was not a massive upgrade over the first, it remains a very good proposition at its price.
Some might turn their noses up at its relatively modest 4.5 inch 960 x 540 resolution display and 5.0-megapixel camera, but the Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor with 1 GB RAM delivers a very smooth performance. And this being a Moto, you get pure Android and the latest version too - Android L.

Coolpad Dazen 1 (Rs 5,999)

Whoever said that you needed to spend close to Rs 10,000 to get a decent gaming performance on a smartphone, clearly had not tried the Coolpad Dazen 1. Its routine design masks some very good hardware - a 5.0-inch HD display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor, 2 GB RAM, and an 8.0-megapixel rear camera as well as a 5.0-megapixel front facing one.
Yes, it does run on a slightly older version of Android (4.4) but its performance - especially in gaming and multitasking where that 2 GB of RAM makes its presence felt - more than compensates.

Micromax Canvas Xpress 2 (Rs 5,999)

Want a decent camera phone for a relatively low price? The Micromax Canvas Xpress 2 is one of the better options out there, sporting a 13.0-megapixel shooter at the rear with a five-piece Largan lens, delivering very good results, especially in daylight.
It is backed up by an octa core MediaTek processor, 1 GB RAM, and a 5.0-inch HD display. It runs on Android 4.4, but Micromax has talked of its getting updated to Lollipop soon. Even if does not, it is a star performer for its price.

Karbonn Titanium Mach Five (Rs 5,999)

It might not always be in the smartphone spotlight, but Karbonn remains a formidable proposition in the value for money smartphones category, and the Titanium MachFive is proof of this.
For that price, the device offers a 5.0-inch display, quad core processor with 2 GB RAM, 16 GB storage (rare at this price), an 8.0-megapixel rear and 5.0-megapixel front camera, and even an infra red port for controlling everything from your air conditioner to your television. It runs on Android L (a rarity at this price point again) andoh yes, it looks rather snazzy too and comes with a gold option.

InFocus M2 (Rs 4,999)

A great selfie phone for less than Rs 6,000? Or hang on, make that ‘less than Rs 5,000’ for the InFocus M2 delivers two very good 8.0-megapixel cameras at a surprisingly low price - and oh yes, both have flashes as well!

The rest of the phone is impressively specced too - a 4.2 inch HD display ensures a very high pixel density, and a quad core processor with 1 GB RAM delivers a decent turn of speed. Some might complain about Android 4.4, but hey, Android 5.0 is relatively rare at this price point and those cameras more than compensate!