Budget 10-15K Smart Phone for Mum

S

Spy king

Adept
Hello,

I'm looking to pickup a phone for my mum. The main usage other than texts/calls will be whatsapp and some skype calls on wifi, some photographs here and there. Occasional activities would include opening pdf/doc email attachments.

I was initially looking at the Lumia 520, but the lack of Flash and front cam discouraged me hardware wise. I have also been reading on TE that Whatsapp on WP8 isn't as smooth as it's on Android? Is that true?

Won't be installing to many apps currently, just WhatsApp + Skype + PDFReader along with the usual Gapps. I don't wish to root or install custom ROMS for mum, so looking for Jellybean support out of the box.

1. Budget?
A: 10-12k
2. Preferred Form Factor(flip, bar, slider)?
A: Bar
3. Preferred display type?
A: TFT
4. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them.
A: Not too keen on MM/Xolo and the like
5. Preferred input method (Touchscreen, QWERTY, etc.)?
A: Touchscreen
6. Camera required or not? If required, please specify type like front camera/flash/etc.
A: Required a 5MP camera. Flash. Secondary cam preferable for Skype calls
7. Preferred operating system? (Android, Symbian, iOS, Windows Phone etc).
A: Android. WP8 will the the first device in the family and I won't be around to help if she has trouble. Symbian/Android I can troubleshoot over the phone.
8. Preferred connectivity options? (3G, Wifi, Edge etc).
A: Edge, Wifi
9. What is your intended use for this phone(internet, camera, multimedia, mails, etc)?
A: WhatsApp, Mails, Camera, Pdfs
10. Any other requirements?
A: Should have a 3.7 - 4" screen
11. If you have already considered a phone then please mention the model.
A: Nokia Lumia 520
 
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If you prefer android, how about Samsung Galaxy Ace or Htc One V. I think both the handset are priced approx around your budget.
Although, if you can increase your budget to around ~16k/-, you can go for Quattro, a Samsung brand Quad core Android phone in that price is not bad at all.
 
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Spy king said:
7. Preferred operating system? (Android, Symbian, iOS, Windows Phone etc).
A: Android. WP8 will the the first device in the family and I won't be around to help if she has trouble. Symbian/Android I can troubleshoot over the phone.
Click to expand...


IMO due to this point I would suggest to stick to Android. Few models I would suggest are Sony Xperia U, Xperia J, Xperia Neo L, Samsung Galaxy S Duos, Galaxy Fame, Galaxy S Advance.

If you can extend your budget till 13K Galaxy S Advance is a good VFM buy.
 
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vyral_143 said:
IMO due to this point I would suggest to stick to Android. Few models I would suggest are Sony Xperia U, Xperia J, Xperia Neo L, Samsung Galaxy S Duos, Galaxy Fame, Galaxy S Advance.

If you can extend your budget till 13K Galaxy S Advance is a good VFM buy.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I went through the lumia thread and noticed that whatsapp is indeed an issue.

Will focus more on Android.
 
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Comparing the rest of my options in the budget, I am leaning towards the Lumia 520.
The Android offering in the price range aren't really that appealing. I had a courtesy glance at the 520 the other day and was really impressed with the screen and wp8 seemed pretty intuitive.
Currently it's going for about 9k through various deals, any Android offering in that range from Sony/Samsung/likes that can swing my decision?
I was using a Xperia Tipo for a while and I really think the 520 might be a better option than it, agree?
 
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Spy king said:
Comparing the rest of my options in the budget, I am leaning towards the Lumia 520.
The Android offering in the price range aren't really that appealing. I had a courtesy glance at the 520 the other day and was really impressed with the screen and wp8 seemed pretty intuitive.
Currently it's going for about 9k through various deals, any Android offering in that range from Sony/Samsung/likes that can swing my decision?
I was using a Xperia Tipo for a while and I really think the 520 might be a better option than it, agree?
Click to expand...

I agree. L520 is a best in terms of VFM. How you going to manage your requirements about troubleshooting in case required ?
 
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I gifted a Lumia 520 to my in-law and I had some hands-on with the device before handing it over to him. Coming from a 920, there were a few niggles like the screen and camera but other than that this device is a complete winner in my books as far as a VFM smartphone goes. A great UI, super smooth browsing without lags, there is a very good GPS app. built in which also works offline if you have the maps downloaded (a map for a state weighs in anywhere between 35 to 150 MB; the whole Indian continent at 550 MB), Nokia Music store with plenty of DRM free tracks (limited validity of 3 months or so; 920 users get a 1 year validity), easy mail synchronization, absolutely no lags etc. There are a few downsides - WhatsApp is a major battery hog and is not optimized well for this platform as on today (new updates keep coming every now and then), applications are limited and few in quantity compared to the other 2 platforms - they keep coming however, there is no file explorer (if you are into that sort of thing; I have lived without one since January), some storage related issues (not a major biggie). All in all this is a solid phone.


There was some deal last week or so on some e-commerce site when it sold for some 8k odd after using a coupon!
 
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