Smartphones Under 20k

Home » Guides » Peripherals/Gadgets Buying Guides

Smartphones Under 20k

Aalaap Ghag, Feb 03, 2006 1010 hrs IST

Let's go shopping and see what Smartphone you can buy under Rs. 20,000

Last weeks rather popular guide to buying Smartphones under 15k was met with pretty good response, even though most of the comments were complaining about why certain non-Smartphones weren't included in the list. A few of them were Smartphones, but those weren't exactly under 15k, so that's why we have this sequel to the guide. Let's go shopping and see what Smartphone you can buy under Rs. 20,000.

Once again I'll define what Smartphones are to avoid confusion. Smartphones not phones that look smart or anything remotely similar to that. Smartphones are different from normal phones, in that they let you install third party applications to extend the functionality of the phone. This doesn't apply to phones with Java-only support like the Nokia Series 40 phones (6610, 7250, K700i and the type), but those with an actual operating system like SymbianOS Series 60, SymbianOS UIQ, Windows Mobile, PalmOS or Linux, for eg. Nokia 6600, Sagem myS-7, Motorola A780 etc. So a Nokia 6111 is not a Smartphone. Sony Ericsson W800i is not a Smartphone.

We'll start the list with Nokia like we usually do, because Nokia is the most popular brand on the market and they have more Smartphones than any other. It's not because we're getting paid by Nokia to promote them or anything. Most brands don't have more than one Smartphone in the market, i.e. Sony Ericsson which only has the P910i as of now, and some brands don't have a single Smartphone, i.e. Samsung.

Nokia 6681 (Rs. 14,500)

The non-3G alternative to the 6680 offers you tri-band GSM, HSCSD, GRPS as well as EDGE, but no video call feature like the 6680. The singular camera on the 6681 is 1.3 megapixels with flash, and the rest of the features are regular: Bluetooth, RS-MMC card support, SymbianOS Series 60, a standard 176x208 display, MP3/AAC playback etc. This is actually under 15k, so it should have been placed in that list, but the price we got the last time was a little higher.

Nokia 7710 (Rs. 18,800)

One of the most revolutionary looking pieces of telecom gadgetry, the Nokia 7710 was the first widescreen experience in a phone. The ultra wide 620x320 resolution, 65k color screen is excellent to watch movies on, but of course 262k would have been better. This is one of the few Nokia Smartphones with an FM radio, but its size will surely appeal to those looking for more of a cross between a Communicator and a Smartphone. 1 megapixel digital camera, MMC memory card, MP3/AAC player with stereo output, Bluetooth and EXCELLENT battery life (9 hours talk - straight!) are highlights of the phone.

Sagem myS-7 (Rs. 11,000)

We missed out on this one earlier in the 15k list - this is one of the fastest Windows Mobile phones I've used till date. It has a good VGA camera, a good 65k color screen, great quality sound, SD card support, Infrared and it isn't very bulky. Its rather smart looking as well. The only thing missing in this phone is Bluetooth, but still it's a bloody good deal for around Rs. 11,000!