The Sub 10K Phone : Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorolloa

[Deepak]

While there are many phones from many companies in the just under 10k Budget, I’ll be discussing a little something about three of the most hot selling phones from 3 of the most reputed brands in India. All these are non Symbian/Linux so if you were looking for something of that magnitude, this thread is not for you

Anyway the three handsets are

**

Nokia 6233

SE K750i

Moto Razr V3i/**Krzr K1

First of their specifications and some pics :

Nokia 6233 - Full phone specifications

Sony Ericsson K750 - Full phone specifications

Motorola RAZR V3i - Full phone specifications

The Krzr K1 and Razr V3i are almost similar in nature except for a 2MP cam and a slighly better keypad layout.

Motorola KRZR K1 - Full phone specifications

Specification Comparision between the 2 phones :

Compare phones - GSMArena.com

Here are some very professional reviews of the these phones :

Nokia 6233 review: Discreet business tool - GSMArena.com

Main advantages:

• 2 megapixel camera

• Video recording in VGA resolution

• microSD memory card slot (hot-swap)

• Metallic body frame/casing

• MP3 player and stereo FM radio

• QVGA display resolution

• 3G and EDGE support

• Stereo speakers with 3D effects

• Bluetooth, Infrared port and USB support

• Rather comfortable keypad and navigationMain disadvantages:

• Lack of front video call camera

• No camera macro mode

• No camera LED flash

• FM radio has no RDS support

• Side buttons are rather hard to press

Final words…

Nokia 6233 impressed us from the very beginning. During the tests we were convinced that it is user-configurable in almost every possible way. The menu is organized logically; functions are detailed, offering high control comfort and brilliant work efficiency. When compared to other Series 40 phones, this one has taken care of a lot of their drawbacks. We can say for sure that it’s a trustworthy successor of the famous 6230 and 6230i business phones.

The phone has a very nice design, although a bit on the conservative side, we must admit. It doesn’t have the looks of a very expensive device and on the other hand it’s not expected to be one. There is always a possibility to go for the cheaper Nokia 6234 which has the same functionality and is the Vodafone-branded version of this mobile. While being cheaper in price, we must say that it also has cheaper looks – but that’s our personal taste of course.

Summing it up, the feature-rich package would undoubtedly turn this handset into a market hit. Just wait and see.

Sony Ericsson K750 review: Get excited! - GSMArena.com

Key features

• Very high quality camera with auto focus function

• Memory card

• Brilliant sound quality in the MP3 player

• Good quality display

• New Activity menu

• Built-in radio equipped with RDS

• Recharge through a USB cable

• Flashlight function Main disadvantages

• No EDGE

• Display is not imbedded

• Lower quality touch orientation on the keypad

• Menu animation cannot be switched off

• No standard support for USB Mass Storage

• MP3 ringtones of average quality

• Camera shutter sound can’t be switched off (update - on some firmware versions it can be switched off)

Is this the best present-day mobile phone?

What could I conclude this review with? Sony Ericsson K750 is one of the best mobile phones ever. Its new phonebook comes to correct one of the main disadvantages of the forerunners - the much too small contact list. The new model is equipped with a memory card, which makes the MP3 player usable. What’s more, the sound performed by the player is excellent.

As a matter of course, the phone features some less attractive characteristics. I really hope I managed to mention all of them in this article. None of them is however so crucial to make me warn you against buying Sony Ericsson K750… except for the damnable EDGE, which may lure away a significant amount of customers! In Europe Sony Ericsson focuses on 3G in particular.

Here is my final conclusion: Sony Ericsson K750 is a brilliant mobile phone, which is going to hit the market at a relatively acceptable price (if you do not consider the price reasonable enough, just wait for a while).

Sony Ericsson K750 camera review: Compared to the best - GSMArena.com

Conclusion

Sony Ericsson K750i is a class above the compared camera phones and two classes above all others. Pictures, of course are not perfect. You may have remarks on the local defocusing on the right side of all the pictures (of course, this is the disadvantage of the pre-production unit), the pictures often are more colorful than normal, but this is also a feature of the Sony digital cameras. However, this is the best camera phone for nowadays and the near future.

What is the result of the comparison between Sony Ericsson S700 and Nokia 6630? Although in the previous tests we had more sympathized S700, when comparing the pictures in this paragraph, Nokia is now looking better to me.

I have an explanation for this. While in the previous tests, most of them individual, we have tested different settings, this time we had only taken pictures with on auto. While dealing with Nokia is cool, because there’s nothing to adjust, with Sony you have to play a little - to edit the compensation of the exposure, to use different modes for balancing the white color, to turn off the spot metering when needed. The question is: aren’t such advanced methods necessary for a camera phone? And, on the other side: why not appreciate the approach “just press the button”.

So the winner is apparent - Sony Ericsson K750i. More interesting is the fight for the second place.

Motorola PEBL U6 & RAZR V3i review: Fashionable duo - GSMArena.com

Motorola RAZR V3i

Key features

• Top-class construction

• Slim design similar to the original RAZR

• Large brilliant display

• Passive outer display with 4096 colors

• 1.23 MP camera

• microSD memory card slot

• Email client

• Bluetooth Main disadvantages

• Minor innovations against the original RAZR

• Outer display’s protecting glass catches fingerprints

• Illogically organized menu items

• Full size photos cannot be taken without the use of an additional memory card

• Poor MP3 player

Does the design make up for the rest?

Both Motorola PEBL U6 and Motorola RAZR V3i are highly stylish devices of attractive design and top-quality construction. Owning one of these phones guarantees you an ever-present attention on behalf of people around. Yet, in order to achieve originality Motorola has sacrificed a number of important functions, offering at the same time rather low levels of user-friendliness in interface in general. It seems as if Motorola failed to catch up with technological innovations as it still uses interfaces from models like V300, V500, and V600, which are three-year old now. In the mean time other manufacturers have made a huge progress in making their interface more user-friendly, leaving Motorola far behind.

Motorola KRZR K1 review: It’s all about the looks - GSMArena.com

Key features:

• extraordinary design plus high-quality materials

• excellent construction

• slim design similar to the original RAZR

• good legibility of the main display

• exceptional keypad

• 2 megapixel camera

• some elements are copied from the rich equipment of Motorola V3x

• slot for a microSD memory card

• USB Mass Storage

• charging via USB

• Bluetooth Main disadvantages:

• few innovations as to the original RAZR

• the top half of the clamshell catches fingerprints extremely easy

• two music players of average quality instead of a good single one

• camera takes images of very poor quality

• main display has low resolution

• poor legibility of the external display

Too few improvements…

Motorola KRZR has perfect design. Naturally, users are free to have their own tastes, but one thing is for sure: this phone is going to become popular for its look more than anything else. The materials used in it are very good. Its overall “visage†is miles away from triviality. Motorola KRZR is going to sell well thanks to its face, not its functions. KRZR is a babe, who loves tabloids and luxurious parties.

Let’s now sum up: Motorola has made a high-quality handset with original design and very good phonebook. Its time organizer is perfect. USB Mass Storage support and the comfortable keypad are strong advantages too. The pity is that Motorola has only improved its aged user interface by few elements from the V3x model leaving plenty of details untouched: the built-in camera is bad, the external display is rather poor, and once again you will find two music players, none of which is really efficient.

**My Take on the Phones :

Get the Nokia 6233 For :**

1. Decent Cam Quality.

2. Superb VGA Video Recording (Even though its at 15fps) No other phone in this range gives you this.

3. Two Speakers for very loud and clear audio quality with MP3’s on loudspeaker.

4. Decent Looks. Atleast in Black.

**Get the SE K750i For :

**1. Superb 2MP Autofocus Camera with LED Flash

2. Great Looks.

3. No EDGE, so stuck with GPRS speeds.

**Get the Krzr K1/Razr V3i For :

**1. Superb Looks, honestly is there any competition in that regards.

2. If you want a clamshell phone.

3. Ok Cam quality.

**Where all Phones Meet :

**1. If its audio quality of the MP3’s you are after, lets get this thing very very clear, coupled with good earphones (Say Creative EP630’s) all these phones have great sound quality, where the Nokia 6233 shines is the loudspeaker quality.

2. Phone Call Quality : In this day and age, nearly every mobile has superb connectivity and sound reception and transmission while talking on the phone, allowing all phonecalls to proceed smoothly.

**A Diversity :

**As far as I know, while its pretty easy to find an adaptor for plugging in standard 3.5mm earphones/headphones like the Creative EP630’s for the Nokia and Sony Ericsson Phones, same is not the case with Motorolla. So tread wisely. Somebody correct me if I am wrong here.

**Conclusion :

If its looks you are after :**

Moto Razr V3i/Krzr K1

**If its cam quality you are after :

**Sony Ericsson K750i

**If its VGA Video Recording and Great Loudspeaker volume you are after :

**Nokia 6233

Sadly there is no phone which can combine all these three segments in the Sub 10K segment as of now.

Latest Prices (taken from indiaplaza.in)

Nokia 6233 : Rs. 9000

Sony Ericsson K750i : Rs. 8999

Moto Razr V3i : Rs. 7849

Moto Krzr K1 : Rs. 8875

Comments are most welcome

[ultra_vires]

Nice review

btw the listed price is on a higher side ( all the models are available for atleast Rs 800 lesser or so )
Krzr K1 has been having some problems with reception (its not bad but not as good as SE K750i/ Nokia 6233 )
^^
Motorola Krzr K1 Ratings. Cell Phones User Opinions.

Motorola KRZR K1m

[Deepak]

Well the K1 and K1m are different phones : K1m has a 1.3MP camera…

Dunno about the reception problems though, this review didnt mention it, maybe that guy had a bad piece…

Will search around for more reviews of this

[deathvirus_me]

Hmmm , why miss the 5300 ??

[ultra_vires]

^^ 5300 is a nice phone too but its camera sux

[deathvirus_me]

Hmmm , if V3i could be in the list , then i just thought why not include the 5300 too .. plus its infact priced much below 10k’s ..

[Dark_Star]

Gr8 comparison! And awesome compilation Repped Keep it up gr8 threads dude

[Ank1t]

Good comparison You should’v used the RIZR instead of KRZR as its a much better phone. Also, what about 5500? I saw an ad in the paper the other day that its available for 8.5k (though i think that was a one day offer).

[Deepak]

Couldnt find the price of the RIZR on the net, so didnt do that

Didnt kno about the 5500, maybe tomorrow or day after

[Private_Ryan]

Of the lot, the 6233 beats the rest, left right and center…

trust me guys, i had tht phone n if not for the temptation of the p990i, i wud have had kept it for a much much longer period…particularly, in tht price, nothing beats it…the loudspeakers of the 6233 are something i still miss…

the display was a delight and it was quiet a capable all round performer with music, cam and phone functions… the best buy under 10k…

[Yo93sh]

add the SE w710i to this list… available for Rs.9950/-

[Deepak]

^^ The W710i and K750i are almost similar except the K750i having a better cam (autofocus) and W710i having a dedicated music key.