The Complete Smartphone Buyer's Guide

[adityavaidya91]

Motorola atrix 2 or lumia 620

I am looking to buy a phone around 15k, probably can stretch to 16-16.5 max. The moto atrix 2 is really tempting. The question is, with motorola exiting the indian market, is it worth going for it at 16.5k. I live in mumbai, and have an official moto service centre nearby, but am concerned about the phone's durability, considering that i plan to use it for 2 years minimum.
My question is, will the lumia 620 be worth it, or should i just shut my eyes and go for the atrix 2? Any help is much appreciated.

 

[Shah]

Re: Motorola atrix 2 or lumia 620

I am looking to buy a phone around 15k, probably can stretch to 16-16.5 max. The moto atrix 2 is really tempting. The question is, with motorola exiting the indian market, is it worth going for it at 16.5k. I live in mumbai, and have an official moto service centre nearby, but am concerned about the phone's durability, considering that i plan to use it for 2 years minimum.
My question is, will the lumia 620 be worth it, or should i just shut my eyes and go for the atrix 2? Any help is much appreciated.

Before, you decide to go with WP8 devices, Learn more about the "Other" storage bug in WP8. It is a deal-breaker for many.

 

[vipul619]

Re: Motorola atrix 2 or lumia 620

I am looking to buy a phone around 15k, probably can stretch to 16-16.5 max. The moto atrix 2 is really tempting. The question is, with motorola exiting the indian market, is it worth going for it at 16.5k. I live in mumbai, and have an official moto service centre nearby, but am concerned about the phone's durability, considering that i plan to use it for 2 years minimum.
My question is, will the lumia 620 be worth it, or should i just shut my eyes and go for the atrix 2? Any help is much appreciated.

Atrix 2 is a great option, and so is The new Canvas HD A116 (if you have no issues carrying a powerful phone with a less powerful brand value)
Also Win 8 is all happy & fun for a few months then you will crave for apps!
Better get the Atrix 2 in that case, since many sites have dummy called Moto service to check if they are delivering as promised, and yes they are!

 

[kriplani]

Re: Motorola atrix 2 or lumia 620

Dear Mods,

Just read about Lenovo IdeaPhone A690 @8k. Seems good value considering it is from a reputed brand; drawback being Andoid 2.3 and less internal memory. What is ur take on that?
Waiting for February 2013 buying guide and where do you position it.

 

[coderunknown]

Re: Motorola atrix 2 or lumia 620

Dear Mods,

Just read about Lenovo IdeaPhone A690 @8k. Seems good value considering it is from a reputed brand; drawback being Andoid 2.3 and less internal memory. What is ur take on that?
Waiting for February 2013 buying guide and where do you position it.

is it available here? well at 8k, you can't expect a hell lot of stuff. If you are a first time Android user, Android 2.3 or 4.0 won't make much difference but the small internal memory is definitely going to hurt. Closest competitor to A690 is Ascend G300 from Huawei. You get more internal memory and Android 4.0 (update available) but slightly less powerful processor.

And February doesn't mean new mobiles. New mobiles are added as soon as they are available. Month is there to let others know the guide is constantly updated

 

[eduku]

Re: Mobile Buying Guide: January 2013

Hi Sam, what are your impressions of the new micromax canvas HD a116?
Actually, I was searching for the p700i, but its still not available in Eastern India so the canvas HD seems to be a be a cooler alternative, but I am still a bit skeptical about Indian brands and their reliability..
And how does the Mediatek 6589 Quad core stack up against the other processors in the chart??
Thanks...

 

[quagmire]

Re: Mobile Buying Guide: January 2013

^Take a look at the MediaTek MT6589 quad-core Cortex-A7 benchmarks here-
MediaTek MT6589 (quad Cortex-A7)

 

[coderunknown]

Re: Mobile Buying Guide: January 2013

Hi Sam, what are your impressions of the new micromax canvas HD a116?
Actually, I was searching for the p700i, but its still not available in Eastern India so the canvas HD seems to be a be a cooler alternative, but I am still a bit skeptical about Indian brands and their reliability..
And how does the Media trek 6589 Quad core stack up against the other processors in the chart??
Thanks...

Micromax A116 offer VFM but it has its own set of problems:
1. Micromax service is bad or say non-existed.
2. no custom rom. so you are stuck with same Android version for life.
3. no major update (i mean version bump)

coming to the chipset, a dualcore Cortex A9 "should" still outpace it. If you can find a Galaxy Nexus under 20k grab it rather than A116. You get official update, custom rom, you can overclock the processor, GPU. A116 only makes sense if priced at 12-13k because the chipset even being a quadcore is weak. GPU is fine though. No warranty, no custom rom.

 

[lr7745]

Re: Mobile Buying Guide: January 2013

3. no major update (i mean version bump)

While I agree wholeheartedly with your post, having been a sufferer of Micromax's services, or rather the lack of them, did they not promise to update the A116 to JB 4.2?? I think I read somewhere that they did.

 

[Shibadip]

Re: Mobile Buying Guide: January 2013

Also sam to compete with Thw MMX canvas 2, Karbonn has launched - Karbonn S1 Titanium

What do u think about this phone (If it is available at 10-11k /-)
Specifications -
4.5-inch qHD (960 × 540 pixels) multi-touch capacitive touch screen display
Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) with Dual Standby
Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) OS
1.2 GHz quad-core processor
9.25 mm thick
5MP Auto Focus Camera with LED flash, VGA front-facing camera
3.5mm audio jack
3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth with A2DP and GPS
1GB RAM, 4GB internal memory, Expandable memory up to 32GB with micro SD
1600 mAh battery

 

[coderunknown]

Re: Mobile Buying Guide: January 2013

While I agree wholeheartedly with your post, having been a sufferer of Micromax's services, or rather the lack of them, did they not promise to update the A116 to JB 4.2?? I think I read somewhere that they did.

A116 will be a big launch by Micromax so version bump through an update is very much expected. AFAIK, Spice updated one of their flagship from 2.3 to 4.0 so this won't come as a surprise if Micromax follow the same route. But i am expecting something for the A110 customers. A110 customers deserve JB update.

Also sam to compete with Thw MMX canvas 2, Karbonn has launched - Karbonn S1 Titanium

What do u think about this phone (If it is available at 10-11k /-)
Specifications -
4.5-inch qHD (960 × 540 pixels) multi-touch capacitive touch screen display
Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) with Dual Standby
Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) OS
1.2 GHz quad-core processor
9.25 mm thick
5MP Auto Focus Camera with LED flash, VGA front-facing camera
3.5mm audio jack
3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth with A2DP and GPS
1GB RAM, 4GB internal memory, Expandable memory up to 32GB with micro SD
1600 mAh battery

If it sells for 10k then only (intro price will be ~11.5k) but the processor is a bunch of snail slow Cortex A5 cores. quadcore excitement won't last long when you realize it can't play HD games and even HD videos start to lag or shutter. But one can definitely brag

 

[vipul619]

Re: Mobile Buying Guide: January 2013

With a budget of 20k (+-1k) I've decided on the Xperia S?
Did i miss something out?
Tired of waiting for Nexus 4! :/

 

[coderunknown]

Re: Mobile Buying Guide: January 2013

if you can find XS for 21k, go for it eye closed.

 

[vipul619]

Re: Mobile Buying Guide: January 2013

ok, shopclues is selling it for 20990 and eBay for 20000.
But I guess 990 for a manufacturer's warranty would be a better option!

 

[har]

Re: Mobile Buying Guide: January 2013

Guys need a phone within 10k. Primary use is music and calls. Looking at the Nokia Lumia 510. Is it a good choice ? Will being stuck with Win 7.8 cause major problems ? And should I consider phones from Indian brands like Andi, Karbonn, Micromax,etc ? I heard that they are mostly rebranded chinese phones. And if customs ROM's are available, then it doesnt offer me full Android goodness !(My galaxy pop runs Android 4.2 flawlessly. Thanks XDA and Rohan !!)

 

[lr7745]

Re: Mobile Buying Guide: January 2013

^^ If you want to store music in your phone, you're probably better of without the 510 and its paltry 2.5 GB, unless you feel you can live with that. It's a heck of a phone otherwise. But I'd say save yourself some money and get the Huawei Ideos X5 Pro @8k from flipkart. Decent specs, decent ram, and CM 10.1.

 

[vipul619]

Re: Mobile Buying Guide: January 2013

Guys need a phone within 10k. Primary use is music and calls. Looking at the Nokia Lumia 510. Is it a good choice ? Will being stuck with Win 7.8 cause major problems ? And should I consider phones from Indian brands like Andi, Karbonn, Micromax,etc ? I heard that they are mostly rebranded chinese phones. And if customs ROM's are available, then it doesnt offer me full Android goodness !(My galaxy pop runs Android 4.2 flawlessly. Thanks XDA and Rohan !!)

IMO if the primary usage is music, get the tipo.
It even has CM10 available

 

[rohit0571]

Re: Mobile Buying Guide: February 2013

Pls suggest me 2 phones, budget for 1st phone is 4500 and second is 6000 each. Out of the list for the 1st phone I found Byond B54, Micromax A30 Karbonn A2 and Karbonn A5+ in my budget. For the 2nd phone I liked Lava A500, Karbonn A15 and videocon A30.

Pls help urgently....

 

[cacklebolt]

Re: Mobile Buying Guide: February 2013

@Sam I had previously started a thread about a new phone under 9k for my dad. He is a cdma user.
But just came across a HTC One V @ 8990
It it a good buy ? HTC One V-4GB - Black CDMA Smartphone|Sealed in Box | eBay

 

[a-raam]

Re: Mobile Reference Guide: January 2012

How is the Huawei Ascend G330 ? Or should I go for a different phone around 10k ? I saw a deal on an HTC One V for around 11k on ebay.Was thinking about it for its looks and dev support.