Choosing
a new smartphone can be a daunting task. Given the amount of choice available
in the market, it is very easy to get confused.
Budget Rs.10,000 :-
The
entry-level smartphone segment is most happening price segment in the country.
Almost every single mobile phone manufacturer has its products in the segment,
making it near impossible to choose your next phone in this budget. If you are
going for a smartphone in this budget, chances are that you are a first time
smartphone buyers and, like everyone else, you don't want to waste your hard
earned money on pretenders.
Alternatives within
the same budget :-
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If you prefer QWERTY, HTC ChaCha
is your best bet. Originally launched with a price around Rs.15,000, the
price of this smartphone has since come down to under Rs.10,000 and it is the
best QWERTY in this budget. It might not be running on Jelly Bean or Ice
Cream Sandwich, but other features make it worthy of consideration. ChaCha
comes with 2.6-inch 480x320p resolution display, 512MB RAM, 800MHz processor,
5MP rear camera and front camera.
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Budget Rs.10,000 to
Rs.15,000 :-
The
low-mid range price segment has also seen plenty of activity in the recent
months and many interesting new smartphones have landed in this budget.
We
recommend the Nokia Lumia
710. Powered by Windows Phone 7.5, the smartphone packs some great
features at a great price. It might not boast of the app choice provided by
Android, but you will find most of the popular apps on the platform and more
are being added every day. The smartphone features a 1.4GHz processor, 3.7-inch
800x480p resolution display, Windows Phone 7.5, 5MP rear camera, and 1300 mAh
battery. The phone should also get the forthcoming Windows Phone 7.8 update,
though, like other Windows Phone of its generation, it will miss out on the
Windows Phone 8 update.
Alternatives for the same
budget :-
Budget : Rs.15,000
to Rs.20,000 :-
With
time, Rs. 15-20K price segment has become quite interesting. Dual-core
processor powered smartphones have breached Rs. 20K price point and we often
see high-end smartphones getting price-cut and landing in this price-bracket.
Thus, we have some really nice smartphones in this budget and choosing one is really
hard.
Alternatives
for the same budget :-
Budget
: Rs.20,000 to Rs.30,000 :-
Typically
this amount could buy you the flagships devices from most manufacturers but Rs.20,000
to Rs.30,000 price bracket no longer houses industry's top devices. However,
there are still many great smartphones to choose from in the segment.
Alternative model
for the same budget :-
If
you don't want to go for Android, Nokia's Lumia
800 is another alternative that you can choose in this budget.
Featuring a 1.4GHz processor and 3.7-inch AMOLED display in a spectacular
design, the smartphone is
worthy contender for Windows Phone lover in this budget. It too
comes with 8MP camera, Windows Phone 7.5 and 16GB of internal storage. The same
warning as the Lumia 710 regards to software updates applies.
Budget
: Above Rs.30,000 :-
What
used to be a price segment for rare devices, now houses the real high-end
devices with monster specifications.
HTC's flagship smartphone One X is no less than Samsung Galaxy S III and perhaps the only place where the S III scores a significant advantage is in software customizations. The smartphone has an awesome display and a great camera. One X comes with quad-core processor, 4.7-inch 720p display and 8MP rear camera.
Don't want to go for neither Galaxy S III or One X, until iPhone 5 lands in India, iPhone 4S is your best bet. The smartphone has already got iOS 6 update and packs some decent specifications despite being a year old. The smartphone comes with 3.5-inch Retina display, dual-core processor and 8MP rear camera. Some retailers have dropped the price of the iPhone 4S, making it an even more attractive option.
