Buyer's Guide: Mobile Phones

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Buyer's Guide: Mobile Phones

Chandrakant 'ck' ISI, Jun 10, 2011 1622 hrs IST

A comprehensive guide to help you choose the right mobile.

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In recent years, the market has literally been flooded with mobile phones. Cell companies are releasing swarms of handsets to make sure that they don't lose out on any particular form factor. Like it or not, touchscreen devices have outdone their keyed counterparts. Except when it comes down to offering features at an affordable price. Many touchscreen phones are available at an affordable price, but usually end up ruining the user experience with bad touchscreens. This makes the purchase of such devices totally pointless.

After seeing Apple successfully chomping off a big slice in the high-end mobile segment pie, almost every big name in the IT industry is trying its luck in this crowded market. The result is cutthroat competition between manufacturers, but finally it's the user who is gaining here, so we are not complaining.

Crowded, isn't it?

Today, even so called no-frill phones have a long list of features such as an MP3 player, Bluetooth, browser, messenger, etc. Phones with impressive specs are now common in all segments. However, do they really deliver what has been promised by their manufacturers? Well, you get the answer only after buying the phone. That is pretty late, by which time you have no option but to defend your decision. Seeking advice from the shopkeeper might sound like a good idea, but they will usually sell a device that is more profitable to them.

Basically, it is not that easy to find a mobile that suits your needs and budget. With this buyer's guide, we are trying to make things a little bit easier for readers. Before you head over to the comments section to complain about the non-inclusion of your favourite mobile, please note that we have given a considerable amount of importance to build quality. You don't want a phone that has a great spec sheet but cannot survive normal Indian use ("rough use" by International standards). We understand that not everyone is willing to buy a phone that costs an arm or a leg just because it's a piece of cutting-edge technology. Therefore, we have listed and recommended phones in different categories, based on the price tag. Again, the prices will vary depending on which part of the country you are from, so we have sourced the prices of most devices from online stores such as LetsBuy and FlipKart.

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Discussion Board

(35) Comments

GuruGraptor

,Bangalore, on Jun 10, 2011 04:53 PM

Samsung Galaxy II is going for 29,000Rs in Bangalore.

Karthik

,Bangalore, on Jun 10, 2011 09:23 PM

Really? Are you sure? Where exactly in Bangalore?

GuruGraptor

,Bangalore, on Jun 15, 2011 04:32 PM

One of my friend bought it at 29K. But ebay itself is selling at 30K (check deals of the week)

AKASH

,JAIPUR, on Jun 11, 2011 12:30 PM

iphone has changed the world of touchscreen phones. it showed us how touchscreen phone should be. since than a lot of touchscreen phones came in the market and still coming but no one yet matched with iphone. the ios is the best for touchscreen smart phones. i know android is there but still ios is far more responsive and easy to use. just give iphone and any android phone to someone who never used touchsreen phone. he will be easily learn ios compare to android. i am using iphone 4. i have also used galaxy and nexus s phones. but iphone is iphone. the ios is the best. nokia n8 has 12mp camera and iphone 4 has only 5mp. but still iphone4 takes excellent photos and videos. iphone is also the best ipod. the safari browser is best browser campare to any other browser on smartphone. i know it dosent support flash but it is the most easy to use mobile browser. IPHONE IS THE BEST.

ding

,ding, on Jun 11, 2011 04:45 PM

hey applekash fanboy. take ur $hit to somewhere else.

Android Ka Baap

,Android Ka Narak, on Jun 13, 2011 03:38 AM

Mirchi lagi android ki **** me. Hehehe. Apne google devta se water mang le na.

Kaushik

,Bangalore, on Jun 13, 2011 03:24 PM

iphone costs around 34000 in India. Take most 25000+ phones and they all beat iphone in almost every department. Check out the web for comparison videos. Everything will be out in the open. iphone's time is over unless they bring out something really great soon. Others have caught up (if you have the budget). Ya, maybe for first time touchscreeners, iphone is easy to learn on (maybe that's why you compare it with a nokia). But what about those who are used to touchscreens? Really shooters use real cameras, not phone cameras.

Sid

,KOLKATA, on Jun 13, 2011 06:47 PM

iPhone can very well become the most popular phone here, only if they introduce the next gen iPhone with the dual core A5 chip, at the SAME PRICE at which they are currently selling the iPhone 4. Also, they should introduce it within a week of its release in the US, not 8 months later. They did the same with the iPad 2, and currently someone choosing a tablet will find that Honeycomb and iPad are almost at the same price. The iPhone has the potential to become the most sold smartphone in India. The only thing that holds people back is the pricing.

someone someone

,your city, on Jun 13, 2011 01:55 PM

too basic and less informative, could have offered a wide variety and range of phones out there in the market, reviews of phones could have much detailed then the one provided. all in all poor editing and poor show.

Rahul

,Delhi, on Jun 14, 2011 05:05 PM

@fandriod : obviously the desire s is the choice..! nexus s doesnt even have a memory card slot..! it has lesser ram than desire s and it definetely doesnt have the best UI htc sense..! i guess desire s is the phone for you.!! All htc smartphones require extra RAM to accommodate htc sense...so 512mb of RAM is more than enough....da ui of nexus s is really snappy....And regarding memory card..it has 16gb plus 1gb for apps...its more than required unless u hav stopped using tv/pc/lappy...after all people buy 16gb apple iphone...that also doesnt support any memory card...n regarding the aluminium body of htc desire s : it starts rusting from the back even if u cover it..while in nexus s, u just need a case 2 cover the bck and it will luk like new always.....another think is the 4 inch screen...better to view videos and playing games...so nexus s rocks.....

Prithvi

,Pune, on Jun 10, 2011 08:20 PM

Below 5000: Nokia C1-01 .. just saw it a few days back and it goes for Rs.2000/- approx. Its a great buy Below 20000: Motorola Defy can fetch Rs.17000/- approx and it has an official FroYo available from Moto Authorised Centres ... How did you rule these out?

Siddhanth

,KOLKATA, on Jun 10, 2011 09:21 PM

Hey, guys, I want to buy an android phone. My budget is about 23K. I've shortlisted my choices to the nexus S and the Desire S. I want a phone with regular updates, and the Nexus S sounds like a good choice to me. Is there any other phone I should look at? I do not want to buy the Optimus 2x because the software has a lot of lags and kinks. The hardware may be over the top, but that's kinda rendered moot by the awful laggy LG custom skinned android. Even in the optimus one, they have a touch screen bug. Please help me. Should i go for the nexus, or choose something else?

Sam

,kolkata, on Jun 11, 2011 12:53 AM

Nexus S is outdated. The price tag does not justify the features available on this one. Go for Desire S or Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo

Sid

,KOLKATA, on Jun 11, 2011 01:35 AM

Just today the prices for the nexus S on both letsbuy and flipkart dropped to 22k. Until yesterday it was 27K. This is why i was considering this. Plus, it has vanilla android and loads more custom roms and dev support. Quick updates by google, which I probably might not get in the Desire S seeing as their flagship phone (which was the original Desire last year, now its the Sensation) gets all the updates. The only thing i don't like about the Nexus S is the plasticky build, whereas the Desire S has an aluminium unibody. Had the price not dropped, I would not even have considered it. And I believe it is just as powerful as the Desire S. Please solve my dilemma.

Karthik

,Bangalore, on Jun 11, 2011 10:32 AM

Hey Siddhanth, I have used a Nexus S. Well, I bought it when it was first launched in the U.S. Which means that I have the Super AMOLED version of the device, the one available in India has a below par SC LCD display. I think what the Nexus S has going for it is the display, and yes you will be the first to get the updates. But I don't think its worth 22 k. I got it from 24 k in december. Back then it was worth it because it was new, but now i don't think it is. I recommend you to stack up some more money and get the Galaxy S 2 instead. mind blowing phone.

Sid

,KOLKATA, on Jun 11, 2011 04:27 PM

I'm confused. How is the Nexus S not worth 22K, but the desire S is worth 23K, with the same screen (SLCD), and less internal storage. Another reason i'm considering samsung is that there are a lot of service centers. I'm not so sure about the aftersales support of HTC. The only good thing about HTC, is the build quality.

Sid

,KOLKATA, on Jun 11, 2011 05:01 PM

Now, its available on flipkart for Rs.19999. Thats almost the same as the Galaxy SL I9003. I've made up my mind to get it, outdated or not. @Karthik, hey, since you owned a Nexus S, can you tell me about the build quality of the phone. I mean does the plastic body look cheap. And what is the strength of the plastic, like does it creak n stuff?

Karthik

,Chennai, on Jun 11, 2011 06:51 PM

Who said Nexus S is outdated! It has the same specs as the Galaxy S i9000 except the screen and the camera recording capabilities. Which means that the Hummingbird chipset+ the SGX540 eats the Galaxy SL i9003's Cortex A8 + SGX530 for dinner :P With the recent price drop to 20k in flipkart its the most most powerful sub 20k android in the market.

Sid

,KOLKATA, on Jun 11, 2011 07:09 PM

Thank You. Not to mention the dev support is tremendous. And one last query, does it look better in white or in black??

fandroid

,delhi, on Jun 12, 2011 01:02 AM

obviously the desire s is the choice..! nexus s doesnt even have a memory card slot..! it has lesser ram than desire s and it definetely doesnt have the best UI htc sense..! i guess desire s is the phone for you.!!

Karthik

,Bangalore, on Jun 13, 2011 11:33 AM

For 19,999 I think the Nexus S is worth it. Go for it mate. You'll be the first to get updates on your phone. The 2.3.4 update is already out. Damn, 20 k is so reasonable. :) And the build quality is okay, it's all plastic at the back and I've dropped it a couple of times, but nothing really has happened, so it's cool.

Rahul

,Delhi, on Jun 14, 2011 05:08 PM

All htc smartphones require extra RAM to accommodate htc sense...so 512mb of RAM is more than enough....da ui of nexus s is really snappy....And regarding memory card..it has 16gb plus 1gb for apps...its more than required unless u hav stopped using tv/pc/lappy...after all people buy 16gb apple iphone...that also doesnt support any memory card...n regarding the aluminium body of htc desire s : it starts rusting from the back even if u cover it..while in nexus s, u just need a case 2 cover the bck and it will luk like new always.....another think is the 4 inch screen...better to view videos and playing games...so nexus s rocks..... Report abuse

Hetal

,Surat, on Jun 13, 2011 12:21 PM

What about Samsung Monte ??. It has all the latest feature included Touchscreen, 3g, GPRS, Wi-Fi, decent camera everything.. Price is around 7500-8000

Vish

,Pune, on Jun 13, 2011 08:05 PM

Samsung Monte sucks...

Bigg

,Cochin, on Jun 13, 2011 11:18 AM

Below 20,000 Defy rules at 17k.... And the Froyo update makes the deal even sweeter.....

Kaushik

,Bangalore, on Jun 13, 2011 03:27 PM

I was also looking at the defy. However, while it may be one of the best at 2.1, apparently, there are issues at 2.2 (after the update).

Bigg

,Cochin, on Jun 13, 2011 03:52 PM

Nothing a hard reset cant solve... Smooth after a factory reset ( from recovery)

Karthik

,Bangalore, on Jun 13, 2011 11:35 AM

Hello, could someone tell me if you get the Samsung Galaxy S II i9100 for under 30,000. Thanks.

Kiran

,Mumbai, on Jun 13, 2011 12:53 AM

Can someone give some advice about the dell xcd35? Its available for rs 10,200 on the street and it has froyo too. It has an 800 * 480 screen. But everywhere , everyone's recommending either the optimus one or the htc wildfire. Why is that?

Chandrakant Isi

,TechTree, on Jun 13, 2011 01:29 AM

It has 256 MB RAM, which is not ideal for Android experience.

Abhijeet

,Mumbai, on Jun 10, 2011 09:50 PM

Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 costs for Rs.9500 at Mumbai Juhu Croma, it has Android 2.2 Froyo 800MHz processor, touchscreen, qwerty keypad (if you are uncomfortable with touchscreen) 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus, Video recording QVGA@30fps, GPS and all the office apps at your fingertips, very very gr8 phone, I have been using this phone since 10days and I must say it's gr8 phone with all the high end features and perfect value for money, a must buy for all.

Abhijeet

,Mumbai, on Jun 10, 2011 09:49 PM

Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 costs for Rs.9500 at Mumbai Juhu Croma, it has Android 2.2 Froyo 800MHz processor, touchscreen, qwerty keypad (if you are uncomfortable with touchscreen) 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus, Video reocrding QVGA@30fps, GPS and all the office apps at your fingertips, very very gr8 phone, I have been using this phone since 10days and I must say it's gr8 phone with all the high end features and perfect value for money, a must buy for all.

Abhijeet

,Mumbai, on Jun 10, 2011 09:46 PM

Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 costs for Rs.9500 at Mumbai Juhu Croma, it has Android 2.2 Froyo 800MHz processor, touchscreen, qwerty keypad (if you are uncomfortable with touchscreen) 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus, GPS and all the office apps at your fingertips, very very gr8 phone, I have been using this phone since 10days and I must say it's gr8 phone with all the high end features and perfect value for money, a must buy for all.

Nikkheil

,Imphal, on Jun 10, 2011 08:51 PM

Why did you recommended N8 and C7 as both are having a problem of purple tint screen till now and you forget to mention defy and wave2 as they are best within 20k price range

Sachin

,Goa, on Jun 10, 2011 06:35 PM

Samsung Wave2 now going for around 15k is very good phone.

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