The finest phones under KES 10,000 in Kenya is without a doubt one of the most popular search categories, and it currently includes some extremely strong CPUs with AI capabilities. Although Xiaomi has a strong presence in this segment, some of the latest phones under KES 10,000 from new manufacturers such as Realme and Infinix compete to provide the best value for money. Samsung, on the other hand, is pushing hard in this price range with its M series. Surprisingly, the most recent mobile phones under KES 10,000 include twin cameras, 4G VoLTE connectivity, a bezel-less display, a fingerprint sensor, and a 4000mAh battery capacity. If you’re looking for a replaceable battery, this category is really doing away with that.
To assist you in selecting the best phone for you, I have compiled a list of the top 10 smartphones in Kenya under KES 10,000.
Xiaomi Redmi 9A

Xiaomi Redmi 9A is a pocket-friendly device offering standard specs. The 5000mAh battery of the smartphone and splash-proof design makes it a quality deal. Also, a hyper engine technology loaded within facilitates seamless gaming.
The Xiaomi Redmi 9A features a 6.53-inch IPS LCD having a screen resolution of 720×1600 pixels and a pixel density of 269ppi to ensure crisp image quality. The smartphone flaunts a bezel-less display with a waterdrop notch set up on the front along with an aspect ratio of 20:9. Moreover, the calculated screen to body ratio of the device is 81.08%.
Xiaomi Redmi 9A flaunts a 13MP f/2.2 Primary Camera on its rear side, offering features like Continuous Shooting, ISO Control, HDR mode, Auto Flash, Touch to focus, Exposure Compensation etc. The front fascia gets a 5MP f/2.2 selfie camera ensuring good quality images.
Xiaomi Redmi 9A is powered by MediaTek Helio G25 chipset resting over an Octa-Core Cortex A53 processor running at a clock speed of 2GHz. Moreover, the 2GB RAM.and PowerVR GE8320 GPU of the device offers a seamless user experience .
The smartphone derives its power from a 5000mAh non-replaceable Li-Polymer battery.
Xiaomi Redmi 9A houses 32GB of internal storage which can be further expanded up to 512GB via MicroSD card.
Xiaomi Redmi 9A runs on Android v10. Connectivity-wise the device supports 4G with VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Mobile Hotspot, Bluetooth v5.0 and A-GPS with Glonass.
You can check it out here.
Infinix Smart 5

Infinix Smart 5 is a good entry-level smartphone having satisfactory features like nice design and display, decent camera setup, 4G VoLTE, and robust battery set up. However, if you are looking for a device with gaming and multitasking abilities, this is not for you, considering the poor processor layout. Also, the device is on a bulky side which causes problems for prolonged one-handed usage.
Infinix Smart 5 comes with a 6.82-inch IPS LCD display with a screen resolution of 720 x 1640 pixels and a pixel density of 263 ppi. The smartphone has a nice bezel-less display with a waterdrop notch design for holding the front camera.
Looking at the optics, the device has a single 13MP f/1.8 main shooter on the rear side. Some of the rear camera features and modes include Digital Zoom, Continuous Shooting, Auto Flash, Autofocus, Touch to focus, Face Detection, and ISO control. For the front camera, Infinix Smart 5 has a single 8MP f/2.0 selfie lens that clicks satisfactory images.
Infinix Smart 5 runs on a MediaTek Helio G25 chipset, clubbed with an Octa-core Cortex A53 processor, running at a clock speed of 2GHz. The device has a PowerVR GE8320 GPU and a 2GB RAM to get your basic app-navigating job done.
This smartphone from Infinix derives its operating energy from a massive 6000mAh non-removable Li-Polymer battery, which gives a good talktime.
To store your files, Infinix Smart 5 offers a 32GB internal memory that can be expanded up to 256GB. For the network and connectivity options, you can have 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Mobile Hotspot, A-GPS, Bluetooth v4.2, and microUSB 2.0.
This phone is at the price range of KES 9,000 – KES 10,000 in most shops.
Realme C20

Realme C20 is a decent device to get you going. Its 2GB RAM and MediaTek Helio G35 gaming chipset ensure smooth performance and power-efficient gaming as well. The company has placed a massive 5000mAh battery within the Realme device which can go on for long, once 100% charged. Overall, you can definitely trust on the particular, to get your daily operations streamlined in a hassle-free manner. However, the single-camera setup on the front and the back makes it an average offering to settle for, in case you are searching for a budget-friendly device with great cameras.
Realme C20 displays a 6.5 inch IPS LCD screen with a resolution of 720×1600 pixels and a 20:9 aspect ratio. The bezel-less waterdrop notch front display of the smartphone gets 270PPI pixel density teamed with a 60Hz Refresh Rate.
A single 8MP Primary Camera, with LED flash, is placed on the backside of the smartphone. Other rear camera features include ISO control, HDR mode, Autofocus, Continuous shooting, Auto Flash, Touch to Focus and more. The smartphone is also equipped with a 5MP selfie-shooting lense on the front.
Realme C20 comes loaded with MediaTek Helio G35 chipset teamed with an Octa-core 2.3GHz, Cortex A53 processor setup, offering a decent gaming experience. Further, the smartphone has 2GB RAM and a PowerVR GE8320 GPU.
A 5000mAh Li-ion type battery, powers up the device. It is also non-replaceable in nature.
Realme C20 exhibits 32GB internal storage which can be extended up to 256GB using a microSD card. The wide variety of connectivity options offered by the device are Mobile Hotspot, WiFi, Bluetooth v5.0, A-GPS Glonass, besides 4G VoLTE network.
Nokia C2

The Nokia C2 is an entry-level smartphone that comes with a good number of features. Some added features of the phone are that it carries a nice display and a compact body to provide a good grip to its users. Also, the storage of the device is decent to store ample files and folder. However it may disappoint users in terms of the cameras, but considering the budget, it can be accepted.
The Nokia C2 features a TFT display with a screen size of 5.7 inch.
As per the speculations around the device, the C2 is expected to feature an 8MP single primary camera. Whereas, the front fascia is expected to sport a 5MP lens to a decent quality image and video calling experience.
Powering the Nokia C2 is a quad-core processor clocking at a speed of 1.4GHz with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC chipset. Backing the chipset is a 1GB RAM, providing towards the efficient functioning of the device.
The Nokia C2 has a 2,800 mAH.
The operating system of the Nokia C2 features Android 9 Pie (Go edition). The connectivity features of the smartphone are 4G Volte network along with dual-SIM, micro-USB, Wi-Fi, Mobile Hotspot, Bluetooth and A-GPS.
You’ll part with just about KES 8,000 to have this phone.