We’ve been reviewing various smartphone brands with a focus on midrange and flagship devices in recent months and a lot of you have been asking for affordable devices you can buy in the 10K to 15K price range.
Smartphones under 15K come with decent features and won’t leave you high and dry after getting yourself or your loved one a unit.
The smartphones listed here can be found at their respective official and partner retail stores countrywide or on e-commerce platforms like Jumia.
itel P40 – Ksh 12,800
itel P40 was launched in May in the country and is the company’s entry-level smartphone. It goes for Ksh 12,800 and comes with:
- 6.6 inch IPS Waterdrop 720p screen. It has 60Hz refresh rate and 120Hz touch sampling rate.
- Android 12(Go Edition)
- Unisoc SC9863A processor
- 7GB RAM(4GB onboard and 3GB virtual) and 64GB storage expandable to 512GB with an external microSD card
- 13MP dual rear camera setup
- 5MP selfie camera
- Face unlock and rear fingerprint reader
- 6000W battery and 18W fast microUSB charging
- Colour options: Luxurious Gold, Force Black, Dreamy Blue
itel S23 – Ksh 14,500
itel S23 is the company’s most spec’d smartphone and comes with a colour-changing back among other features. It goes for Ksh 14,500.
- 6.6 inch 720p screen with 90Hz refresh rate
- Unisoc T606 chipset
- Android 12
- 16GB RAM(8GB onboard and 8GB virtual) and 128GB onboard storage expandable to 256GB with an external microSD card.
- 50MP dual rear cameras(QVGA camera)
- 8MP selfie camera
- face unlock and side-mounted fingerprint reader
- 5000mAh battery and 10W Type-C charging
- Colour options: Mystery White and Starry Black
itel A60s – Ksh 11,500
Closing off the itel list is the itel A60s which goes for Ksh 11,500. It comes with:
- 6.6-inch 720p screen
- Unisoc SC9863A1 chipset
- 4GB onboard RAM and 4GB Virtual
- 64GB storage
- Android 12(Go Edition)
- 5MP selfie camera
- 8MP main camera and QVGA camera
- Face unlock and rear fingerprint reader
- 5000mAh battery with 10W charging
- Moonlit Violet, Shadow Black and Glacier Green
Infinix Smart 7 Plus – Ksh 14,600
The Infinix Smart series is the company’s most affordable lineup and the Smart 7 Plus is the best value. It was launched early this year and comes with:
- 6.6-inch screen with 500 nits brightness
- Unisoc SC9863A1 processor
- Face unlock and rear fingerprint reader
- 3GB RAM + 3GB Virtual
- 64GB storage with support for expandable storage
- Android 12 (Go Edition) and XOS 12
- 5MP selfie camera(720p video)
- 13MP main and QVGA camera(1080p video)
- 6000mAh battery and 10W Type-C charging
- Peacock Blue, Polar Black, Coastal Green, Iceland White
Nokia G11 Plus – Ksh 15,000
Nokia G11 Plus was launched late last year in the country and is now affordable with features that include:
- 6.52-inch screen with 90Hz refresh rate
- Unisoc T606 processor
- 4GB RAM and 128GB storage with the option to expand with external microSD card
- Android 12 with the option to upgrade to Android 13
- 50MP dual camera and an 8MP selfie camera(both can record 1080p video)
- Face unlock and rear fingerprint reader
- 5000mAh battery and 10W Type-C charging
OPPO A17K – Ksh 15,000
OPPO A17K is the company’s entry-level smartphone in the country with nice features including IPX4 water resistance.
- 6.56-inch 720p screen with 600 nits brightness and protected by Panda Glass
- Android 12 and ColorOS 12.1
- MediaTek Helio G35 chipset
- 3GB RAM and 64GB storage
- 8MP main and 5MP selfie camera – both can record 1080p video
- Face unlock and side-mounted fingerprint reader
- 5000mAh battery and 10W microUSB charging
Realme C30s – Ksh 14,500
Realme C30s was launched late last year and you can read our full review here.
- 6.5 inch 720p screen
- Android 12 and Realme UI Go
- 4GB RAM and 64GB storage
- 8MP main camera and 5Mp selfie camera
- side-mounted fingerprint reader
- Unisoc Tiger T612 processor
- 5000mAh battery and 10W micro-USB charging
TECNO Pop 7 Pro- Ksh 14,600
The Pop series is TECNO’s most affordable lineup and the Pop 7 Pro launched early this year is the best device under 15K.
- 6.6-inch 720p screen
- MediaTek Helio A22 chipset
- 4GB RAM and 64GB storage
- Android 12 and HiOS 12
- 13MP main and QVGA
- 5MP selfie camera
- rear-mounted fingerprint reader
- 5000mAh battery with 10W Type-C charging
- Atlantic Blue and Turquoise Cyan
Vivo Y02 – Ksh 11,799
vivo Y02 was launched late last year and is a really affordable device coming with features including:
- 6.51 inch 720p screen
- MediaTek Helio P22 chipset
- Android 12 Go Edition and FuntouchOS 12
- 2GB RAM and 32GB storage
- 8MP main and 5MP selfie camera
- 5000mAh battery and 10W microUSB charging
- Orchid Blue and Cosmic Grey
Xiaomi Redmi 12C – Ksh 15,000
Xiaomi Redmi 12C is a really good budget device.
It comes in various RAM and storage configurations.
- 6.7-inch 720p screen and 500 nits brightness
- MediaTek Helio G35 chipset
- Android 12 and MIUI 13
- 3GB RAM and 64GB storage
- 50MP main with QVGA camera and 5MP selfie camera – both can record 1080p video
- Rear-mounted fingerprint reader
- 5000mAh battery and 10W microUSB charging
