Smartphone costing around 25K

[A320216]

Greetings!

1. Budget?
Rs.25000(can extend by another 2K if needed)

2. Display type and size?
Max 5 inch, preferably smaller and with ppi over 300

3. Form Factor? bar, slider, flip?
Bar

4. Preferred choice of brand?
Any brand except the local ones like Micromax, Karbonn, Celkon etc

5. Preferred input method (QWERTY, touchscreen, numpad, touch-n-type).
Touchscreen

6. What camera option you want? Please specify need for flash, autofocus, front facing camera.
A good rear camera producing low noise in images- megapixel count doesn't matter. Need all the latest features.
I need a good front camera as well. Xperia SP has a very blurry front camera. I know its VGA but still don't understand why is it so blurred. I need a good front camera for extensive Skype usage.

7. Preferred operating system? (Android, Symbian, iOS, Windows Phone etc).
Android but if there are any Windows phones with ppi over 300 within my budget, I would consider them.

8. Preferred connectivity options (3G, Wifi etc)Please specify clearly.
3G, Wifi, NFC(not a deal breaker though)

9. Preferred applications (Flash, Swype, GPS, etc)?
Skype-most important, FM Radio

10. Primary use of handset (multimedia, camera, mails, internet, gaming etc)?
Camera
Internet
FM Radio
Occasional gaming

11. Any specific mobile phones in consideration?
Sony Xperia SP(bad rear camera and front camera is even worse)
Google Nexus 4(don't know about its camera and there's no radio)
Samsung Galaxy S3
HTC One X/X+
Lumia 820(last on my list due to the low resolution display)



12. Any other info that you want to share

I want to know why is that some phones have a poor front camera? Is the camera quality irrespective of the megapixel count? When the Xperia SP front camera is being used like a mirror(hope you guys get what I'm trying to say lol), its very very blurry and lacks any detail compared to the significantly cheaper Galaxy S Duos.

Regards

 

[RohanM]

As u said u want FM also so go for one x [one x + will extend the budget]. But I would say N4 is best.

 

[A320216]

Hi Rohan, what do you have to say about the Galaxy S3? Is it too outdated now?
One X is priced at around 26K. It has only 16Gb memory capacity, correct?

 

[RohanM]

^^ Yup one x has 16/32 gig capacity. But 32 gig is not available in India I guess.

Actually I sold my GS3, not worth 27k for that thing, for below reasons i sold it.

1] Multitasking sucks. - probably because of touchstone !! [my post on xda plz refer -Multitasking is not s3's cup of tea. - xda-developers]
2] sudden death issues with 16 gig model [I was having 16 gig model]
3] Plastic construction which will never let u feel that u invested 32k, No premium feel[that time it was for 32k]
4] No unique design - grand, gs4, gs3 all looks same. yaakkk
5] Heating issues - gets heated by just using chrome for 2-3 mins.

You can also consider Xperia SP.

 

[aroraanant]

One X or X+ whichever falls in your budget.
And One X 16GB is available for 24.5-25.5k everywhere,in local stores as well as online

But 32 gig is not available in India I guess.

It is available but with an unjustified price tag, One X+ 64Gb is a better option than that in that case.

 

[A320216]

Thanks for the replies.

Btw, how is the battery life of Galaxy S3 as compared to Xperia Z/ZL? Any ideas?

 

[ankush28]

Get nexus 4 over s3 any day

 

[randomuser111]

Thanks for the replies.

Btw, how is the battery life of Galaxy S3 as compared to Xperia Z/ZL? Any ideas?

Z/ZL have much better battery life than S3. Although for video playback and browsing, S3 is better.

But overall Z/ZL will last you through a day, whereas S3 will need a recharge.

 

[n3rd]

Thanks for the replies.

Btw, how is the battery life of Galaxy S3 as compared to Xperia Z/ZL? Any ideas?

SIII has better battery life overall.

Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III Jelly Bean battery life test concludes, see how it did - GSMArena Blog
Sony Xperia Z battery test is ready, here come the scores - GSMArena Blog

Z/ZL have much better battery life than S3. .

Couldn't be more wrong - first show that Z has better battery life than S3 - let alone MUCH better. And LOL @ you admitting that SIII has advantage on browsing and multimedia - two of the tasks that really drains battery and people use more frequently. (S3 is actually slightly worse when it comes to browsing, but that's by an inch - not much)

 

[randomuser111]

^

No. GSMArena reviewer himself said the Z has better battery life in daily use than S3. Do you sit and do browsing battery test in your daily usage ? These only indicate specific task battery life but real world usage is not mirrored in that test.

Anyway read the below comment by GSMArena guy himself who used Z after ditching his S3.


Case closed.

*i.imgur.com/ew8SlYo.jpg

 

[n3rd]

^

No. GSMArena reviewer himself said the Z has better battery life in daily use than S3. Do you sit and do browsing battery test in your daily usage ? These only indicate specific task battery life but real world usage is not mirrored in that test.

Anyway read the below comment by GSMArena guy himself who used Z after ditching his S3.


Case closed.

*i.imgur.com/ew8SlYo.jpg

He didn't state which career he was on, whether both phones were under exactly the same level of network coverage etc- so his personal experience without much details is hardly indicative of anything. Battery tests are hardly representative of real life usage either, but at least you get objective values under similar conditions rather than lot of variables making it entirely arbitrary.

And I don't know which part he experienced more drainage on - is it the standby time that's better on the Z? Or talktime?

 

[randomuser111]

Man read it properly. HE was using S3 and then switched to Z. It's not rocket science. OBVIOUSLY he used both on same network and same usage !!!

That is why he made that comment that S3 managed much worse with SAME usage.

For further clarification you can contact that guy and get all details. Or simply ask someone who upgraded from S3 to Z. I know many and they all report better battery life with Z.

 

[n3rd]

Man read it properly. HE was using S3 and then switched to Z. It's not rocket science. OBVIOUSLY he used both on same network and same usage !!!

That is why he made that comment that S3 managed much worse with SAME usage.

For further clarification you can contact that guy and get all details. Or simply ask someone who upgraded from S3 to Z. I know many and they all report better battery life with Z.

What on earth? He could've been traveling for all we know and poor network coverage might drain extra battery off phones. Or what sort of background services etc. might've been running on the phones is also largely unknown when it comes to personal use. Otherwise what is the point of these objective battery tests at all? I don't know what his routine is - so can't comment on that. All I know is by any means objective tests are far more reliable than random anecdotal evidence.

I don't have to contact anyone - my point is claiming that Z has "much better" battery life than S3 based on a comment of the reviewer is just non sensical. At best you could say in your/his experience/usage Z lasted longer, that's fair enough.

PS: @OP If battery life is a priority, I'd highly recommend extended batteries from Anker for S3 - if you're buying S3 that is.

 

[A320216]

Relax guys lol

Btw, I saw this deal :

HTC 8X (Black): Buy @ Rs.29983/- Online | Snapdeal.com

Is it genuine? I know this is a Windows phone having no FM radio but absolutely stunned by its looks

 

[omega44-xt]

Why on Earth do u require an FM radio ? I never used FM radio in any of my phones(having personal mobile from 2009)

Get Nexus 4.....Its only con is limited storage
Check its GSMArena review for camera quality

Galaxy S3 is also a good option.....Its not that everyone would face sudden death issue. My friend's S3 works fine.

But still I prefer Nexus 4 over S3

Relax guys lol

Btw, I saw this deal :

HTC 8X (Black): Buy @ Rs.29983/- Online | Snapdeal.com

Is it genuine? I know this is a Windows phone having no FM radio but absolutely stunned by its looks

Its a genuine offer but still that phone is not great. For that budget, get Xperia ZL or Optimus G(better UI & software features than Sony)

 

[A320216]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Got an Xperia ZL for 33K.