Budget Smartphones In The Market: Which one is for You?

• Posted By Amritesh
• On October 10th, 2014
• Comments: no responses

In the 2^nd quarter of 2014 we saw many new companies entering the Smartphone market and reputed brands launching their new devices. If you follow the launches closely you will find that most of the companies have tried to launch a smartphone for every segment in order expand their market and create brand awareness as well as maximize sale.

In this post I will be discussing some of the Budget Smartphones which you can possible buy based on your needs and budget.I will cover Smartphones which are in the range of `5000/- to `8,000/-.

MOTO E@`6,999/-

Please Use the Link  below if you want to buy this Phone.
Buy Moto E from Flipkart.com

It is a budget Android phone from the stable of the renowned Motorola available exclusively at the online retail store Flipkart @ `6999/-. It is a decent device at this price and runs on the latest android version with a promise of atleast one major software update. The phone will give stock Android experience as Motorola has gone not gone for any major customization. In day to day usage the performance of the phone is pretty decent and the battery life is good enough to last you through the day with moderate to slightly heavy use. Although the rear camera is pretty ordinary and images are decent in daylight but in low light the camera performance is not that good in absence of LED flash. In terms of gaming the phone is able to play most of the games in high graphic settings mode. It has an internal storage of just 4gb out of which around 2.2 gb approx is available for the user. Call quality and network reception is good too. The display on the phone is good and build quality is decent but few did report issues with the back cover and it had to be replaced. Further you cannot move all the apps completely to SD card so the storage may become an issue.

Key Specifications are given below:-

Processor	1.2 Ghz Dual Core(Qualcomm Snapdragon 200)
Storage	4GB(Micro SD card upto 32gb)
Operating System	Android Kitkat 4.4.4
Rear Camera	5 megapixel (No Led Flash)
Front Camera	NA
Ram	1GB
Battery	1980 Mah
Display	4.3inch (Corning Gorilla Glass3)
Type Sim	Micro Sim/Dual Sim/GSM 3G Support
GPU	Adreno 302
Dimension(mm)/Weight(gms)	124.8*64.8*12.3/142
Resolution	540*960 (256ppi)
Touchscreen Type	Capacitive

ASUS Zenfone 4 A450 @ `6,999/-

Please Use the Link  below if you want to buy this Phone.
Buy Asus Zenfone 4 A450CG from Flipkart.com


Asus recently entered the Smartphone market with four phones and all the phones have been priced aggressively. They have another phone A400 which is priced at `5,999/- but specs for that device is slightly crippled and moreover it does not come with the latest Android preinstalled. Although Asus has started rolling out Kitkat 4.4.2 for it. Furthermore, this phone has a better camera and slightly improved battery life compared to A400.

Asus Zenfone 4 A450 is pretty good device and comes with Android Kitkat preinstalled. The Intel Processor is able to perform multitasking with ease and the GPU is able to play most of the games at the highest settings possible. The striking thing on this device is the Zen UI which seems to be very user friendly and enhances the overall experience. The network and call reception is decent. The internal storage is of 8gb and it supports a Micro SD card so for gamers space won’t be much of a problem. The display is good and the overall build quality is decent but few did report some issues with the screen in some of the handsets. The phone does heat up a bit while gaming and battery is not the strongest point of the phone.

Key Specifications are given below:-

Processor	1.2 Ghz Dual Core(Intel Atom Z2520 with Hyperthread)
Storage	8GB(Micro SD card upto 64gb)
Operating System	Android Kitkat 4.4.4
Rear Camera	8 megapixel (Led Flash)
Front Camera	0.3mp
Ram	1GB
Battery	1750 mah
Display	4.5inch (Corning Gorilla Glass3)
Type Sim	Micro Sim/Dual Sim/GSM 3G Support
GPU	PowerVR SGX544MP2
Dimension(mm)/Weight(gms)	136.8*67.9*11.3/133
Resolution	854*480 (218ppi)
Touchscreen Type	Capacitive

ANDROID ONE @ `6,000/- to `6,500/-

Please Use the Link  below if you want to buy this Phone.
Buy Spice Android One Dream UNO Mi

Android One phones are low budget Android phones which Google launched last month in association with known local brand such as Karbonn,Spice and Micromax. The objective is to provide the latest android device at very economical price to the customers. The Google thus monitored the hardware configuration that is being used by the phones along with the Android OS installed. Google has promised that these will be the some of the first devices to receive the latest android update. The specs offered by these phones are similar and have been priced in between `6,000/- to `6500/- by the 3 manufacturers respectively. The display is decent and camera is average. The battery life is also average but overall performance at this price range is pretty good. In gaming also the phone is able to handle most of the games with ease. Also you can install apps directly to the SD Card and for camera to work you need to install SD card.

Key Specifications are given below:-

Processor	1.3 Ghz Quad Core Mediatek Processor
Storage	4GB(Micro SD card upto 64gb)
Operating System	Android Kitkat 4.4.4
Rear Camera	5 megapixel (Led Flash)
Front Camera	2 mp
Ram	1GB
Battery	1700 mah
Display	4.5inch (Corning Gorilla Glass3)
Type Sim	Micro Sim/Dual Sim/GSM 3G Support
GPU	Mali 400mp
Dimension(mm)/Weight(gms)	67*132*9.15/138
Resolution	854*480(217ppi)
Touchscreen Type	Capacitive

REDMI1s @ `5,999/-

Please Use the Link  below if you want to buy this Phone.
Buy Redmi 1S from Flipkart.com

Xiaomi Redmi 1s is probably the best phone in terms of specs and price out of all the phones discussed. However the battery is one of the biggest let down on this phone and there are few software bugs which I’m sure will be addressed in the future software updates. I have done an in depth review for the phone which you can check out. It also has some heating issues as well. But overall experience of using this device is pretty good. Camera is one of the strongest points of the device and I would say is the best in this range. Display is also very good. However I won’t for complete info please refer to the link below:-

http://amritfinaa.blogspot.in/2014/10/xiaomi-redmi-1s-review.html

Key Specifications are given below:-

Processor	1.6 Ghz Quad Core(Qualcomm Snapdragon 400)
Storage	8GB (Micro SD card upto 64gb)
Operating System	Android Jellybean 4.3 (Upgrade to Kitkat assured)
Rear Camera	8 megapixel (With Led Flash)
Front Camera	1.6 mp
Ram	1GB
Battery	2000 Mah
Display	4.7inch (AGC Dragontrail Glass)
Type Sim	Mini Sim/Dual Sim/GSM 3G Support
GPU	Adreno 305
Resolution	1280*720(312ppi)
Touchscreen Type	Capacitive
Dimension(mm)/Weight(gms)	137*69*9.9 /158

Nokia Lumia 520 @ `6,999/-

Please Use the Link  below if you want to buy this Phone.
Buy Nokia Lumia 520 from Flipkart.com

However if you want a Windows Phone in this price range then Lumia 520 is still the best bet. It has got an software update (Win8.1) and the camera on the phone is also pretty good.

Verdict

I’m rating the phones based on my personal experience and you can make your choice based on your needs as well as preference.

1.)  Xiaomi Redmi1s( Although has some build issues and software bugs but still it is the best phone in this price range.The recent software update has also helped in improving the performance.This phone is strictly for people who want to have decent camera, good gaming experience and enjoy the MiUi features.)

2.)  Android One(The phone is a great utility phone with assured updates to latest Android OS for next 18 months atleast. This phone is for users who want to enjoy a bit of everything. But before buying do find out about the after sales service for these phones.)

3.)  Asus Zenfone 4 A450(Android updates may be slow but overall a great device for gaming and camera is also decent. Battery life is mediocre. This phone is for gamers and people who want click pictures. But look for the Service Centre in your area as I find they don’t have many service centres.)

4.)  Moto E( Once again a pretty good device but with average camera. Battery life is good and you can expect latest ANDROID updates too. It is for people who love brands and want good battery life.)

5.)  Nokia Lumia 520 (Only if you like Windows phones with good camera and want to check out the Win 8.1)

I will post another article on the best Mid to High end phones available in the market in the next couple of days.