Realme 7 vs Poco M2 Pro vs Redmi Note 9 Pro vs Galaxy M21: Which is the best smartphone under Rs 15,000?

The Realme 7 series was recently unveiled in India, brings some powerful specs for the price. While the Realme 7 Pro is priced at Rs 19,999, the standard Realme 7 sits in India sub-15K segment. And for its price, the Realme 7 offers excellent value and is one of the best smartphones under Rs 15,000.

However, the Realme 7 isn’t alone in this price segment, the Poco M2 Pro, Redmi Note 9 Pro, and Samsung Galaxy M21.

In our view, the Realme 7 has the best finish and design of all the four phones. Although design is subjective and depends on personal preference we think the Poco M2 Pro and Redmi Note 9 Pro have the upper hand in terms of build quality as they feel sturdier.

The Poco M2 Pro and Redmi Note 9 Pro offer standard LCD panels, while the Realme 7 gets a high refresh rate display. For gaming, the Realme 7’s 90Hz LCD panel certainly has the upper hand. However, Samsung’s AMOLED screen is better for watching movies, shows, and other videos.

In terms of performance, the MediaTek G95 SoC on the Realme 7 does the best job for gaming, although the Snapdragon 720G is not far off. The Exynos 9611 chipset on the Galaxy M21 is by far the worst chip for gaming. We wouldn’t worry about performance on the Realme 7, Poco M2 Pro, and Redmi Note 9 Pro. However, the Galaxy M21 might fall short in dealing with more demanding tasks.

In optics, all four phones have multiple cameras, although the Galaxy M21 has one less camera. However, at this price, consistency across the main and ultrawide camera is pretty much non-existent, while we aren’t big fans of the macro and depth camera sensors. So, only looking at the primary camera, the Realme 7 does have a bit of an advantage with its 64 MP primary sensor. Now, while resolution does not always translate to a better camera, the Sony sensor used on the Realme 7 is slightly better. We haven’t tested the cameras of all these phones, so we’ve gone by specs alone for this comparison.

The Samsung Galaxy M21 features the biggest battery of all the three devices, which, coupled with the low power consuming AMOLED display will offer the best battery life of all four phones. However, Samsung’s charging speed is relatively slower than what the competition is offering.

On the software front, the Galaxy M21’s One UI is not only the best skin here, but arguably one of the best Android skins available. On the other hand, Realme UI is relatively cleaner than MIUI and is getting better by the day.

If you are looking for a good software experience and aren’t too concerned about gaming, the Galaxy M21 is the way to go. However, in our view, the Realme 7 is the best overall device and offers the best bang for your buck.