BANGALORE: Inexpensive phones have had an impact on the mass psyche, boasting specifications that are seen in a high-end phone, running the latest operating systems and at the same time, aesthetically pleasing.
When the Moto G was launched a few months ago, tech pundits touted it as the best phone one could buy in the sub 15K category. Some even went to the extent of calling it 'the poor man's Nexus' for the superior Android experience it provided. The phone, in a way, cemented the notion that an affordable phone needn’t always be ‘cheap.’
We pick feature-rich smartphones catering to different needs and which will not burn a hole in your pocket.
Taking the online space by storm
Xiaomi Redmi 1s
For a price of Rs 6,999, the Redmi 1s is a well-rounded phone. It packs a 2000mAh battery, which will last a day with normal usage according to the company. It is also one of the very few phones in its price range to come with a 8mp rear shooter and a 1.3mp front camera, good for casual picture-taking. Under the hood, it has a Mediatek 1.5 Ghz quad-core processor, which though not the best, does a decent job.
The user interface was something that gave Xiaomi the edge with the previously launched Mi3 and this time around, they have made modifications to the user interface making it simpler to use.
The company has taken the online route to sell its phones yet again, and for a reason — to reduce retail costs and pass on the price benefit to the customer. The company, called the Apple of China, also doesn’t believe in marketing blitzkrieg to promote its phones. Given the features, we think it doesn’t need to.
What the reviewers have to say
“I am fairly impressed by the phone. It is fast, the display is good, the gaming experience is flawless and the software is also appealing. A bang for the buck.”
Rohit Khurana, blogger, intellectdigest.com
A deserving successor
Moto G Second Gen
Motorola has had quite a season in the Indian market. After the launch of the much-talked about Moto G in early February, it followed it up with the equally popular Moto X and Moto E. A few days ago, the company announced the second generation Moto G in the country, again exclusively available on Flipkart at Rs 12,999 for the 16GB version.
The phone, like its predecessor has a great design, great display and good build, in addition to some compelling features. The phone, available in black and white, has a 5-inch 720p vibrant display powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM, for smooth usage. The new Moto G has an 8mp and 2mp camera. And with a 2070 mAh battery, the company claims, the phone will last a day on single charge. This time, the Moto G comes with a microSD slot for additional storage and weighs lighter and feels thinner than the old one.
What the reviewers have to say
“The smartphone market in India is fast shrinking. Now, I see a lot of people considering purchasing a phone like Moto G or the Asus ZenFone, instead of spending big bucks on a high-end device. The Moto G Second Gen phone is pretty good. There are considerable improvements over the previous one, mainly in terms of storage and display. I think this will shake things up in the segment.” — Varun Krish, founder of fonearena.com
The mid-range style icon
Lenovo S850
In just a few years, Lenovo, one of the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world, has understood the pulse of the Indian market — alongside pricier phones like the K900 and Vibe Z, the company also has a slew of low to mid-range variants like their latest, S850. First unveiled at the Mobile World Congress, it comes with a reasonable price tag and some good set of features.
What's noteworthy is the 13mp rear shooter and a 5 MP front camera which, for the price of Rs 15,299, is good. Under the hood, it features a quad-core MediaTek clocked at 1.3 Ghz and a 1GB RAM, which allows for multitasking. The 2150 mAh battery it comes with offers a talk time of 25 hours.
What the reviewers have to say
“It is a very good looking phone with its all-glass design. It is very classic and I think it will appeal to the younger crowd, but not so much the geeks.”
Nimish Dubey, editor of the tech magazine, My Mobile.
An upgraded Windows experience
Lumia 630
A few months old, Lumia 630 is the first smartphone from Microsoft Mobile (erstwhile Nokia) to come with Windows 8.1 out of the box. The Lumia 630 comes with a IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 854 X 480 pixels and a ClearBlack display which makes for great viewing. The internal storage is 8GB which is expandable upto 128GB, which is adequate for light smartphone users. The chipset powering the phone priced around Rs 9000, is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400.
What the reviewers have to say
“What I mainly like about this phone, and all Lumia phones for that matter, is the good display. The camera is not great but clicks decent pictures in most conditions. The downside is the storage and RAM. It comes with 8GB internal storage and a low RAM space of 512mb which is not suitable for gaming.” — Raju PP, editor of the blog, techpp.com
A smartphone for the uninitiated
Cloud FX
The Cloud FX, by the Indian mobile phone maker Intex, is targeted at consumers who are making the switch from feature phones. It is powered by Firefox, the latest entrant to the operating system battle, built entirely using HTML5 and other open Web standards. The dual-SIM phone features a 3.5-inch display, a 1GHz processor and sports a 2mp camera. It packs in a 128MB RAM, 256MB memory which is expandable upto 4GB and 1,250 mAh battery. Intex Cloud FX is available exclusively on snapdeal.com in two premium colors – Black and White. The device also supports several languages like English, Hindi and Tamil.
Priced at Rs 1,999, the company claims that it is the lowest priced smartphone in the country and believes it will redefine ‘smartphone affordability’ by positioning itself as a brand for the masses.
What the reviewers have to say
“For the price point, it is a nice device. The form factor appeals to me. The OS is also simple and not complicated, when compared to others like Windows. The only problem I have is with using applications like WhatsApp. Since the OS doesn’t support it, I have to use a third party platform which sometimes poses problems. I hope Mozilla works on this front.”
Akansha Srivastava, editorial head at gizbot.com