The best smartphones under Rs 9,000 this season

Often happens to the best of us: We are bang in the middle of the festive season and realize that we haven't set aside budgets for the near and dear, for those mandatory yearly gifting rituals from Diwali to the New Year. Worry not — we have selected the best smartphones under Rs 9,000 that will make them remember you for a long time to come:

This K9 bites!

Lenovo smartphones are like Aamir Khan movies. They rarely come by, but when they do, they are total 'paisa vasool' items. A few days back, Lenovo launched the K9 at Rs 8,999 and offers a healthy mix of specs and camera capabilities that are a rarity at this price range. Interestingly, the device comes in a 13MP + 5MP camera configuration both at the front and the back. The selfie camera comes with AI-enabled beatification features like Rosy Glow, Whitening Concealer and Face Reshaping, created especially for India. The main camera enhances to backlight temperature which optimizes your images, even in low light.

The 5.7-inch device is encased in a dual 2.5D glass shell and is powered by a 2GHz MediaTek processor. With a mix of interesting features like face unlock and a hybrid dual 4G VoLTE-ready SIM slot, the K9 provides a lot of stuff that so called mid-range phones make a big deal about.

Available in a 3GB + 32GB configuration, this is an impressive device for this season of loving and giving.

Lite or max?

It's like ordering your coffee, strong and aromatic or light and thin? The two latest offerings from Asus give you both options as per your liking and budget.

The ZenFone Max M1 boasts of a Snapdragon 430 processor with a 5.45-inch HD+ IPS display in a shell that is lighter and smaller than most 5.5-inch phones. Asus has been able to incorporate an 18:9 aspect ratio for the screen along with both face and fingerprint recognition. Powered by a fairly large 4000mAh battery and a 13MP + 8MP camera configuration, the ZenFone Max M1 comes at an asking price of Rs 7,499 (3GB + 32GB).

If you are ready to settle for a 2GB + 16GB configuration, a 3000mAh battery, a 13MP + 5MP camera configuration, housed in the same 5.45-inch frame, and the same aspect ratio of 18:9 in full view, the ZenFone Lite L1 is a good option. Design-wise, the L1 houses its camera module in a cute round button on the corner of the back panel while the Max M1 prefers to go with the more common vertical box placement, making it look less unique. Solely depending on your budget, you can choose any of these device, in case you need to gift someone a device they can use for at least the next one year. The L1 is priced at Rs 5,999.

—IndiaTechOnline