Pocket-friendly: Best smartphones under Rs. 20,000

The Samsung Omnia W is a great Windows 

Phone available at under Rs 20,000. 

The operating system is sure to impress 

even the hardest of critics. 

Plus, the phone is very snappy to use.

These days, every other day we hear about a company releasing a premium smartphone. We all enjoy reading about them, using them and aspire to own them. But the truth is, not all of us can afford to spend upwards of Rs.30,000 on these phones. In fact, for most people, Rs.20,000 is the most that  they would ever spend on a mobile phone. 

Fortunately for such people, there is no shortage of good smartphones under this price barrier. Today, we shall be looking at some of the mid-range smartphones that you can purchase within the price range of Rs.10,000-20,000. Also, instead of simply listing models, we have tried to cover some of the popular needs that buyers usually have. 

Slim and light

Big, heavy smartphones are not everyone’s cup of tea. Some people like something that actually fits their hand and pocket and won’t make them look ridiculous while talking on them. For such people, we would recommend the Sony Ericsson Xperia ray.

It has a high resolution, 854 x 480 resolution display, which due to its smaller 3.3-inch size is incredibly sharp. There is also an 8 megapixel camera on the back that can capture 720p HD videos. On the inside there is a 1GHz processor and Android 2.3 Gingerbread, which shall soon be updated to Android 4.0. 

Although the official price of the phone is somewhere around the Rs. 18,000 mark, you can get it for less than Rs. 14,000 online. For someone who wants a thin and light smartphone, this is the perfect option. 

Rugged build

Maybe you don’t want something thin and light. Maybe you want something that is rugged and built to last, something that can take the rough and tumble of your daily life. A phone that you would not have to worry about damaging if you drop it or if it gets wet. In that case, you need something like the Motorola DEFY+.





With the Motorola DEFY+ you get a phone that is shockproof, waterproof and dust proof. Even the Gorilla Glass on the front is highly scratch resistant. You can drop it from a normal height without worrying about breaking it or submerge it completely under water without the phone getting damaged. It’s a phone that you can use without having to handle it like a newborn baby. 

And it’s not just tough, too. There is a 1GHz processor inside along with Android 2.3 Gingerbread. On the back there is a 5 megapixel camera that can do 720p HD video. 
The Motorola DEFY+ is the most rugged phone around and can be purchased for around Rs. 15,000. 

Camera phone

It’s hard to believe that it has been almost two years since this phone has come out, mostly because we are still to see a phone that can match the N8 in terms of camera performance. A lot of attempts have been made recently by almost every major OEM but none have succeeded.

Top budget phones you can buy
The main reason for the phenomenal camera performance on the N8 is the sensor that it uses, which is even today the biggest camera sensor on any mobile phone out there. The only phone with a bigger sensor is the upcoming Nokia 808 PureView, which is so far the only phone that seems capable of dethroning the N8.

>BR>This large sensor allows the N8 to capture a lot more light. Most cell phones cameras out there need heavy handed image sharpening and noise reduction through software tweaks performed by the camera but the N8 can churn outincredibly detailed and low noise images simply by using its massive sensor. 

Truly, the N8 has the best camera on the market today, which should make the Rs. 18,000 price tag seem like a steal. The rest of the phone may be tethering on the edge of being outdated but it is still a capable smartphone. Overall, if you want a camera phone, it doesn’t get better than this. 

Something different

These days, Android phones have become common place. If someone you know has a smartphone, there is a good chance that it will be running on Android. So what do you get if you want to stand out from the crowd, or if you used Android and didn’t like it or simply because you’re bored of seeing one all the time? Well, in that case, you get a Windows Phone.

Android smartphones: The big fight

Windows Phone has been around in India for quite a while now but hasn’t been quite successful due to the lack of sufficient choice and marketing. It’s only when Nokia started marketing its Lumia range of phones did people became aware of them. One of these phones is available under Rs. 20,000, but we won’t be talking about that today. Instead, we would recommend to you the Samsung Omnia W.

Although on paper it is virtually identical to the Nokia Lumia 710, it has some crucial advantages, such as a superior Super AMOLED display instead of LCD, front facing camera for video calls and at least according to us, better looks. What you get with the Lumia 800 is the beautiful and silky smooth Windows Phone operating system, along with features like Facebook and Twitter integration, built-in Microsoft Office for creating and editing documents and a pretty solid email experience. The interface is also very simple, especially to those who are intimidated by Android. The Live tiles don’t just look pretty but can also display information such as weather and missed calls and messages for viewing at a glance. Then you also have features like 1GHz processor, 8GB storage, 5 megapixel camera and 720p video recording. 

Priced at around Rs. 15,000, the Samsung Omnia W is good option for those who would like to try something different. 

The all-rounder 

Sometimes you just want a phone that can do everything well. A jack of all trades of sorts. Sure, you’d like to be good at everything it does but you don’t expect it to be the best at everything. One such phone is the newly launched HTC One V.

Sporting an aluminum unibody design, the One V looks as great as it is sturdy. The 3.7-inch Super LCD is pretty and the camera takes good quality photos and videos. There is also plenty of horsepower under the hood. Lastly, the phone comes with the latest version of Android – Ice Cream Sandwich – a claim that few Android phones can make today (it’s sad but true). 

For around Rs. 18,000, the HTC One V is one of the most all round phones available in the market today at any price.

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Top 5 Android phones under Rs 20,000

There aren't many options in the Rs 20,000 bracket this time. Within the limited choices that we have, here are some of the best.

There was a time when there were many choices at just below Rs 20,000, but now the best devices are either more expensive or way cheaper. However, here are the five devices in this range that make for a good buy:

LG Optimus Black (Rs 19,500)

This is the best Android phone in the Rs 20,000 bracket, and we said so last month as well.

LG Optimus Black has a thin, elegant and clean design, and comes with a 5 megapixel camera, 4 inch in-plane switching display, and the capability to record 720 pixels video as well.

It has a gyroscope key for motion control, and WiFi direct to enable different devices to talk to each other without having to connect to WiFi hotspots.

LG Optimus Black comes with a 1 GHz OMAP 3630 processor and has a minimal design, which explains why it weighs only 109 grams.

The phone is extremely sophisticated. Its light and proximity sensors aren't loud and the only thing visible easily is the front facing camera.

This phone can handle just about anything except heavy-duty gaming. The speaker phone volume and clarity are good and sound quality is good overall. There's Bluetooth as well. The only drawback of the phone is that its battery life is good, not excellent.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray (Rs 18,500)

This is one of the latest Android devices from Sony Ericsson. It has a sleek and stylish design, the latest Android 2.3 and a 1 GHz Scorpion processor.

The other attractive part is its 8.1 megapixel primary camera with Sony's Exmor imaging technology, which ensures that it is one of the best cameras in the business. It also records high definition videos and comes with a Flash. The phone has a secondary VGA camera for video calls.

The 3.3 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen, though small against the current crop of smartphones with huge screens, is attractive with Sony's Bravia engine display technology.

The music capability is good as is expected from a phone coming from Sony. Overall this phone is a good mix of tested technologies from one of the best in the industry. However, some might find the price too steep at Rs 18,500.

Samsung Galaxy S I9003 (Rs17,500)

Just a few months back this device was priced at Rs 20,000, but with newer updates from Samsung Galaxy S I9003 has lost its price significantly and remains a good buy. It has a 4.0 inch Super Clear LCD display. The only thing you might not like is Android 2.2, but that can be upgraded to Android 2.3.

The phone is powered by a 1 GHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU with PowerVR SGX530 GPU which is one of the best in this price bracket. The Samsung I9003 has a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and supports HD video recording (720p) and video playback.

Galaxy I9003 retains the same contoured chassis as the original Galaxy S I9000, with similar context menu button and touch sensitive menu and back button.

The Android smartphone is powered by a 1650 mAh battery which is big and offers good back up. Additionally, it comes with 4 GB of internal storage which can be upgraded upto 32 GB via a microSD card. WiFi, 3G, Bluetooth, GPS are all present in the Galaxy I9003.

HTC Wildfire S (Rs 13,500)

This phone follows the previously launched HTC Wildfire. However, with Wildfire S, HTC has plugged the loopholes of its predecessor and the new device has enhanced screen resolution and a better processor. The Wildfire S is a full touch mobile phone that comes with the latest version of Android operating system, Gingerbread (Android 2.3).

For the lower price comes the lower 600 MHz Qualcomm Scorpion processor but it has 512 MB of RAM onboard which ensures a smoother performance. The screen is also small at 3.2 inches. It is a TFT screen with resolution of 480 x 320 pixels but is a step ahead from the measly 240 x 320 pixel resolution of the Wildfire.

Like other HTC devices, the Wildfire S is also adorned with the proprietary Sense UI that brings in new features like improved settings in the notification bar and app drawer updates according to items downloaded. Also, the Friend Stream feature in the UI brings all the updates of your friends on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or Flickr together in one screen.

A 5 megapixel camera is loaded into the Wildfire S alongwith auto focus and LED flash capabilities. Other features are pretty much standard across all Android device and include 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS etc.

Wildfire S is certainly a good buy for this price.

Motorola Fire XT (Rs 12,465)

Another low priced choice but a good choice nonetheless. Fire XT is one of the latest from Motorola and comes with Android v2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system which sits on an 800 MHz processor coupled with a healthy 512 MB RAM.

The phone has a 3.5 inch screen with resolution of 320 x 480 pixels, and a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, digital zoom and LED flash. It also has a secondary VGA camera for video calling.

Fire XT has internal memory of 150 MB, which is expandable up to 32 GB using microSD, microSDHC cards. It gets a decent 1540 mAh battery as well. The phone has pretty decent social networking integration that works across camera, contacts and location.

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