The Complete Smartphone Buyer's Guide

dashing.sujay

dashing.sujay

Moving
Staff member
Even if it's available, go for the v2.
Reason - lollipop on board, slightly better battery and front cam, 4g and much much much lighter (weight). + readily available.
 
G

GeorgeJ

Right off the assembly line
Sam,

Thanks for a wonderful Guide. It has helped me alot and I am suggesting many others to refer it before buying a phone.

Am planning to buy a smartphone for my son who is in the 9th Standard. I have finalized on two options viz:

1. Lenovo A7000
2. Yu Yureka

Which of these two would be the better choice ?

Also since both these phones are sold in flash sales, what would be a good alternative in case I fail to get one. Would it be Lumia 540 or MotoE (4G). My only doubt about Moto E is its non removable battery. Or should I go for Redmi 2.

Looking forward to hearing from you. In anticipation, thanks a lot
 
rohitshakti2

rohitshakti2

In the zone
I am also sailing in the same boat for my wife. I had also liked Micromax Canvas Nitra A311 among others. But I am waiting for Lenovo K3 note to be out for sale and would prefer it over other phones.
 
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thinkdigit123

Broken In
Hi guys,
awesome work [MENTION=88006]sam[/MENTION]

But some recent updates are missing... Zenfone 2's ZE550ML/ZE551ML Intel Atom Z3560/Z3580 + PowerVR G3560 GPU aren't compared. Also, Xiaomi Mi 4 is in the 15k category now after the recent price drop. Also, Xiaomi Mi 4i is missing from the comparison.

I am having a budget of a max of 15k and i am stuck between the Zenfone2 15k version, the Zenfone2 13k version, the Mi 4i (13k) and the Mi 4 (16GB) (also 15k).
My dilemmas are:
Zenfone2 (15k version) vs Mi 4 --- Mi4 is previous generation and has no 4G. Even after some research i got no clear winner between the Atom Z35XX and the Snapdr.801. The camera performance.
Zenfone2 (13k version) vs Zenfone2 (15k version) --- does that fullHD screen on 15k version really matter? In fact, it causes a performance drop on the fullHD version and a lower battery life. But, the 15k one has NFC and Gyroscope. :p
Zenfone2 (13k) vs Mi 4i (13k) --- camera, chipset performance and brand.

Also, do you think that the upcoming release of OnePlus Two will call for a price drop for OnePlus One? One of my friends has it and I'm in love with the OnePlus One device. :p
 
omega44-xt

omega44-xt

Gear up ...
thinkdigit123 said:
Hi guys,
awesome work [MENTION=88006]sam[/MENTION]

But some recent updates are missing... Zenfone 2's ZE550ML/ZE551ML Intel Atom Z3560/Z3580 + PowerVR G3560 GPU aren't compared. Also, Xiaomi Mi 4 is in the 15k category now after the recent price drop. Also, Xiaomi Mi 4i is missing from the comparison.

I am having a budget of a max of 15k and i am stuck between the Zenfone2 15k version, the Zenfone2 13k version, the Mi 4i (13k) and the Mi 4 (16GB) (also 15k).
My dilemmas are:
Zenfone2 (15k version) vs Mi 4 --- Mi4 is previous generation and has no 4G. Even after some research i got no clear winner between the Atom Z35XX and the Snapdr.801. The camera performance.
Zenfone2 (13k version) vs Zenfone2 (15k version) --- does that fullHD screen on 15k version really matter? In fact, it causes a performance drop on the fullHD version and a lower battery life. But, the 15k one has NFC and Gyroscope. :p
Zenfone2 (13k) vs Mi 4i (13k) --- camera, chipset performance and brand.

Also, do you think that the upcoming release of OnePlus Two will call for a price drop for OnePlus One? One of my friends has it and I'm in love with the OnePlus One device. :p
Click to expand...

For 15k budget if you have no problem with just 13GB storage, get Mi4i or Mi4.....
I don't think 4G is a deal breaker, companies haven't yet rolled 21Mbps 3G properly (most 3G networks have 7.2 or 14.4 according to me)

Zenfone 2 has 5.5" screen compared to 5" in xiaomi, so decide what screen size you want.....

Camera & performance wise I would prefer xiaomi over ASUS because intel's processors have issues with some games (they don't perform as good as they do in benchmarks)

Oneplus one is good. A friend of mine owns it, CM version, he is not a tech savvy person. After using OPO, its small bugs n all (random reboots, random hangings), he is now planning to get an iPhone instead because of its stable OS (he earlier had HTC One X, which he liked)....... I told him earlier to get a Note 4, now he is regretting his decision after using his brother's Note 4

I don't know much about the oxygen OS though

MIUI seems to be stable (one of my friend likes MIUI in his Redmi 1S, even though it lags sometimes)
 
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thinkdigit123

Broken In
anupam_pb said:
For 15k budget if you have no problem with just 13GB storage, get Mi4i or Mi4.....
I don't think 4G is a deal breaker, companies haven't yet rolled 21Mbps 3G properly (most 3G networks have 7.2 or 14.4 according to me)

Zenfone 2 has 5.5" screen compared to 5" in xiaomi, so decide what screen size you want.....

Camera & performance wise I would prefer xiaomi over ASUS because intel's processors have issues with some games (they don't perform as good as they do in benchmarks)

Oneplus one is good. A friend of mine owns it, CM version, he is not a tech savvy person. After using OPO, its small bugs n all (random reboots, random hangings), he is now planning to get an iPhone instead because of its stable OS (he earlier had HTC One X, which he liked)....... I told him earlier to get a Note 4, now he is regretting his decision after using his brother's Note 4

I don't know much about the oxygen OS though

MIUI seems to be stable (one of my friend likes MIUI in his Redmi 1S, even though it lags sometimes)
Click to expand...
[MENTION=60562]anupam_pb[/MENTION]

I am looking to future-proof my new phone as much as possible. Hence the 4G requirement. I know its unnecessary to buy a 4G phone right now, but its just paranoia future-proofing

I have a 'thing' for large screens! ;) ;) :p :p So i would prefer 5.5" over 5". But it wont be a deal-breaker requirement. I currently use a 5" Micromax Canvas 2 and the screen size seems quite ok to me. But 0.5" more wont hurt. :p

I am primarily looking at intel processors with CISC and x86-64 architectures. I will probably do some weird **** with my phone, like triple booting Ubuntu Phone, WP8.1 and Android. But, however, on a more general phone usage terms, i feel MOST apps and games from reputed app makers are supported on x86 Atoms. And in terms of raw performance, Zf2 beats Mi 4i hands down. And Zf2 is almost at par with 1+1 and Mi4.

The camera story is somewhat strange. I dont know why Asus went with a Toshiba sensor for the camera, when there was the much appreciated Sony IMX214. But reviewers say that the camera issue on Zenfone2 is only software based and is due to faulty optimization algorithms of Asus. I am almost confident that Asus would correct these in future updates. Xiaomi Mi 4 and 4i uses the Sony IMX214, which is indeed a great camera sensor.

I really love the ZenUI. My mom has Zenfone 4 and I feel that ZenUI is seriously beautiful. I havent used MIUI but I hear from Mi phone users that MIUI is good too. Of course, it only boils down to personal preference in OS choice. BUT, whatever it is, almost immediately after buying a new phone i would root it and put in a snazzy custom ROM from Xda, so the OS really doesnt matter. :p :p

The most crucial part of zenfone2 that has captivated me is its design. Its just too good. The Mi 4i is also good but not as good as the Zenfone2. And the rear-design of the Mi 4 simply doesnt attract me. It looks like the 6k Redmis :-(

I would really love to get the OnePlus One. Only if the OnePlus Two release causes a drop in prices of OnePlus One. :p

And i still cant decide on a phone! :-/
 
omega44-xt

omega44-xt

Gear up ...
I don't think Zenfones have good dev support

You should have bought Oneplus one during flipkart app shopping days @ 18k, that too 64GB

I would say, if you want to put custom ROMs n all in your phone, get Oneplus one.... It would be better suited for you
 
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thinkdigit123

Broken In
anupam_pb said:
I don't think Zenfones have good dev support

You should have bought Oneplus one during flipkart app shopping days @ 18k, that too 64GB

I would say, if you want to put custom ROMs n all in your phone, get Oneplus one.... It would be better suited for you
Click to expand...

Zenfones DO have good dev support! As do 1+ and Xiaomi.

My MAX budget is 15k. It was actually 10k, but my maximum stretched budget is 15k. Just cannot go beyond that. :p :'(

Yeah man, 1+1 is perfect!
 
Zangetsu

Zangetsu

I am the master of my Fate.
Zenfone 2 battery stamina mode is super-awesome....doesn't even deplete the battery by 1%.
Camera is good not that gr8
build quality is excellent with matte back finish.

My cousin is using it and more than happy :mrgreen:


Mi4i has superb camera and is very very light weight :mrgreen:
 
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thinkdigit123

Broken In
hey guys,

I did some research and found out the following...

Here's Zf2's Toshiba t4k37 camera sensor datasheet:
T4K37 | Sensors | TOSHIBA Semiconductor & Storage Products Company | Asia-Pacific

And here's Sony's IMX214 sensor found on OnePlusOne's and Mi4's:
Sony Global - IMX214

Although T4K37 may not be better than IMX214, but it still has a great spec sheet and i believe almost at par at least on paper.
AND...after the latest firmware update from ASUS, the camera performance has increased several times and very noticeably. GSMArena has updated their review with the camera performance updates. Check it here... Asus Zenfone 2 review: A balancing act - page 8 - GSMArena.com

So camera issue is almost solved... :)
 
braindead

braindead

Bankaiiiii
why is k3 note the best buy?
Someone point me to a good review of the device.

I like the complete list but is it just the OP's opinion or is the list a general vote of agreement?
I don't want to buy a device by the spec sheet.
help!
 
omega44-xt

omega44-xt

Gear up ...
braindead said:
why is k3 note the best buy?
Someone point me to a good review of the device.

I like the complete list but is it just the OP's opinion or is the list a general vote of agreement?
I don't want to buy a device by the spec sheet.
help!
Click to expand...

Lenovo phones are generally good (A6000+ has some heating issue, but that's under heavy load)
K3 Note has good specs for its price. although I would suggest not buying it in the first sale

Zenfone 5 was good but zenfone 2 isn't so great,, it has some minor issues, still good buy though
 
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