Budget 15-20K Advice on Android Phone under 20k

R

Rickyk

Skilled
Questions:-
1. Budget?
A: Up to 20k

2. Preferred display size, type and resolution?
A: 4.5"-5.5", IPS LCD/AMOLED, FHD and above

3. Preferred operating system? (Android (with version), iOS, Windows Phone etc).
A: Android

4. Preferred connectivity options? (4G, 3G, 2G etc).
A: No preference

5. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them.
A: I would like to avoid Chinese brands IF possible. Would this eliminate pretty much every phone? I dont know. I would consider a Chinese brand if there was no other option.

6. What is your intended use for this phone (internet, camera, multimedia, mails etc.)?
A: Camera, Voice calls, SMS. No Internet/Mail features reqd. as I don't don't use Internet services on my phone to begin with.

7. Single SIM/ Dual SIM?
A: No preference

8. New or Used? Online or Offline?
A: New. Don’t mind buying online

9. Any other requirements?
-Need good battery backup, MicroSD card slot if internal storage < 32GB
-If a stock Android option is available with good hardware then this would be my ideal choice.

10. If you have already considered a phone, then please mention the model
No models considered so far.

Hi Guys.
My good old Nokia 808 Pureview died an hour ago. :(

A very sad day indeed.

Problem is the CHARGING Port on the phone has broken off. Can this be fixed anywhere? I really have no idea about whether such an old phone can be repaired.

I am in Gurgaon and and willing to go to Delhi for this if anyone can suggest a RELIABLE place where this might be fixed. Doesn't matter even if it costs a couple of thousand - I am fine with that.

Any advice on a new phone as well as possibly repairing the 808 would be greatly appreciated.

One last thing - I dont want to buy a 20k phone just because its a 20k phone.

I have zero issues with suggestions for a 5k, 10k or 15k phone. It doesnt have to be a 20k phone. Thats just the max I am willing to pay. Having said that I would like decent build quality and a good camera.

The only other Phone I have ever liked is a Nexus 5. I can see Nexus 5 unlocked phones for sale on Amazon US for a $100 which do ship to India but they have no warranty whatsoever and that puts me off them.

Is there a more modern reasonably priced Nexus 5 like phone with a nicer camera available these days?

If so please do let me know as that would be my first choice.

Thanks in advance...
 
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indy1811 said:
If you want to stick with ~5 inch phones i'd recommend you check out the following for ~>20k
  • Samsung Galaxy S7 - around 30k from what I found. Outside my budget
  • Motorola G6
  • Motorola X4
  • Panasonic Eluga
  • Nokia 5
There are a few more models i can't seem to recollect.

BTW, didn't know you were planning on getting the Nexus from Amazon US. That should be ok since Amazon will take care of the formalities. It's if you get it shipped on your own then you'll run in to problems. I still wouldn't recommend getting the Nexus though.
Click to expand...


Once again - thanks for taking the time to reply indy1811. :)

I looked up your suggestions across multiple review sites.
  • Samsung Galaxy S7 - Around 30k from what I found online which is well over my budget
  • Motorola G6 - Saw all 3 Versions- Sub Par Camera (I am only concerned with the quality of the REAR camera in a phone)
  • Panasonic Eluga - Too many complaints regarding this phone specifically from Indians
  • Nokia 5 - Sub Par Camera
  • Motorola X4 - Now THIS one I really liked until I read the reviews stating it has a SLOW camera with more than a few issues when it comes to daily use :(
Pity considering FK has the 32GB ver listed for 16k which is was within my budget. The 5.2" size was (near) PERFECT as well.

If you can think of any others please let me know.

Thanks
 
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Hi. I recently bought the following phones
1) Moto z2 play from paytm mall - very good battery. Audio is okish. Video is good. Only minus point is the camera jutting out at back. Used a Spigen case and camera is safe now.

2) redmi note 5 slim and tall

3) redmi 6 pro. Little short and thick when compared to note 5.

All above phones cost me under 10k.
Right now paytm mall has z2 play for 14299
Cb 1430 and additional 10% off if you have axis bank card.
 
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Hi
chetansha said:
Hi. I recently bought the following phones
1) Moto z2 play from paytm mall - very good battery. Audio is okish. Video is good. Only minus point is the camera jutting out at back. Used a Spigen case and camera is safe now.

2) redmi note 5 slim and tall

3) redmi 6 pro. Little short and thick when compared to note 5.

All above phones cost me under 10k.
Right now paytm mall has z2 play for 14299
Cb 1430 and additional 10% off if you have axis bank card.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that info chetansha.

I have ZERO issues with a jutting camera. However I do want a GOOD camera. I am not expecting Pixel 2 or iPhone X quality in my budget but I still do want a reasonable quality camera with a fast response time.

For some reason, Sub 20k Motorola phones all seem to be having Camera "lag" related issues. I see this is in review after review. If it wasnt for this I would have picked up the X4 (prefer this to the Z2 due to its smaller size) for sure if my 808 cannot be repaired.

As for the Redmi Note 5 & 6 pro- they are simply too big.

Please dont get me wrong guys.

I am not intentionally trying to be difficult here & sincerely appreciate all your posts/advice.

I just dont want a phone over 5.5" in size if I can avoid it.

Heck, ideally I want a device thats LESS than 5" in size but that just doesnt seem to any options for this on android.[DOUBLEPOST=1539873017][/DOUBLEPOST]
PoBoy said:
Nokia 7.1 Plus ? If you can wait a bit.

https://www.techenclave.com/community/threads/nokia-x7-7-1-plus-vs-xiaomi-mi-a2.188360/#post-2163969
Click to expand...

Isnt that with a 6.1" display? If so its way too big for me.
 
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On what basis are you rating the camera? You are calling cameras of Moto G6 and Nokia 5 sub par cameras, when both have 13 MP rear cameras, and you are saying Moto X4 is good for you, which has 12 MP rear camera. Didn't understand this.

What are your requirements for the camera?

Amazon doesn't have the options to fine tune choices in phones according to size, camera etc, but Flipkart does have a wide range of these choices, so maybe you should research a bit there yourself, to see if any phones suit your demand. You can select size, camera, OS, etc there.

As said by others, it would be better to visit a store, and check out the phone models suggested here for size. They might look big, but they aren't that big.

Nokia 7.1 Plus won't be in his price range, so no use suggesting it.
 
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Practical hands-on is a must for phones since everybody's likes are different. Some phones with so so camera seems good for somebody while for some, phones size is another factor. Everybody's likes and preferences differ ones you handle the phone.
You need to have hands-on for camera, size and ui to get the real feel and choice accordingly.
No point ordering randomly online and then returning or struggling to sale.
 
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Rickyk said:
Once again - thanks for taking the time to reply indy1811. :)

I looked up your suggestions across multiple review sites.
  • Samsung Galaxy S7 - Around 30k from what I found online which is well over my budget
  • Motorola G6 - Saw all 3 Versions- Sub Par Camera (I am only concerned with the quality of the REAR camera in a phone)
  • Panasonic Eluga - Too many complaints regarding this phone specifically from Indians
  • Nokia 5 - Sub Par Camera
  • Motorola X4 - Now THIS one I really liked until I read the reviews stating it has a SLOW camera with more than a few issues when it comes to daily use :(
Pity considering FK has the 32GB ver listed for 16k which is was within my budget. The 5.2" size was (near) PERFECT as well.

If you can think of any others please let me know.

Thanks
Click to expand...

The Samsung S7 is available for 25k on Flipkart and might drop down further closer to Diwali. Keep an eye out for it since it has the best camera at that price range.

Not sure how good the camera is but Sony XA1 has a 5" screen with a 23 megapixel camera. Check it out. It's 14k

Another option is the Samsung A5 (2017). It also has a 5.2" screen.
 
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Sony phones esp their ui is way too clean, soothing and pro compared to others. Their cameras are also good. Just due to their price factors people underlooked them and now due to the obvious competition by beloved chinese brands around even once upon a time asm admi phone Samsung has lost its strong base as well.

Also a valuable tip: dont always get attracted by mere MP numbers on cameras. Focus on the output. Even 8mp kicks many 15mps, so how good is the quality, exposure, software compression, depth and reality counts. Don't get carried away with some vibrant unrealistic output producing phones as you will tend to get used to it and will go far away from realistic photos.
 
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CapriAnupam said:
On what basis are you rating the camera? You are calling cameras of Moto G6 and Nokia 5 sub par cameras, when both have 13 MP rear cameras, and you are saying Moto X4 is good for you, which has 12 MP rear camera. Didn't understand this.
Click to expand...

Fair question. To clarify - I am going by website reviews specifically www.androidauthority.com & techradar.com apart from some other sites as well. The comments below are from the FINAL Pros/Cons verdict for the phones and not some lines I cherry picked from within the article. Just so you know. :)

Fron androidauhority -
Moto G6 - NEGATIVES
Camera struggles in low lighting conditions (Moto G6)
Camera struggles in just about all lighting conditions (Moto G6 Play)

Nokia 5 - NEGATIVES
Photos come out dark, blurry, or over-exposed

Moto X4 - NEGATIVES
Camera is slow and weak in low light

You will find similar reviews on TechRadar as well.

CapriAnupam said:
What are your requirements for the camera?
Click to expand...

At least 10-15MP but more importantly I expect the "review" for the Camera bit of the phone to be on the "POSITIVES" side of the final verdict for the device rather than on the Negative side! Thats the best way I can explain it. :)

CapriAnupam said:
Amazon doesn't have the options to fine tune choices in phones according to size, camera etc, but Flipkart does have a wide range of these choices, so maybe you should research a bit there yourself, to see if any phones suit your demand. You can select size, camera, OS, etc there.
Click to expand...

Thanks - thats useful advice. Will research that on the weekend.
 
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See if you can get your hands on a Lumia 1020. It has the same lens and sensor as the 808. I currently have 808, Lumia 1020 and Lumia 1520 and they still have the best cameras amongst phones even with the current crop of phones.
My 808 is also currently undergoing repair.

I don't know why no one has suggested this, but the best option for you seems to be a second hand Google Pixel 1st gen. It had a great camera and stock android experience and should be easily available in your budget and at 5 inches is perfect in size for you as well.
 
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nRiTeCh said:
Practical hands-on is a must for phones since everybody's likes are different. Some phones with so so camera seems good for somebody while for some, phones size is another factor. Everybody's likes and preferences differ ones you handle the phone.
You need to have hands-on for camera, size and ui to get the real feel and choice accordingly.
No point ordering randomly online and then returning or struggling to sale.
Click to expand...

Completely agree with you about camera quality being "relative" for various people.

Thing is, coming off using an 808 I expect a certain standard when it comes to the Camera specifically.

Now I dont expect these budget phones to have better cameras than the 808 [41 MP Camera (38 MP effective), Carl Zeiss optics, Xenon flash, Lossless Zoom, Dedicated camera chip etc. ] - BUT I would still expect them to be "good enough".

However my expectation of whats "good enough" will vary versus someone else who has used a lower end camera phone compared to the 808.

And herein lies the problem which makes the question of "what are you looking for in a phone camera" very difficult to explain to someone who has not used an 808.

The only way I can explain it is that the Camera quality for the phone should be a POSITIVE rather than a Negative when it comes to a review.
 
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rdst_1 said:
See if you can get your hands on a Lunia 1020. It has the same lens and sensor as the 808. I currently have 808, Lumia 1020 and Lumia 1520 and they still have the best cameras amongst phones even with the current crop of phones.
My 808 is also currently undergoing repair.

I don't know why no one has suggested this, but the best option for you seems to be a second hand Google Pixel 1st gen. It had a great camera and stock android experience and should be easily available in your budget and at 5 inches is perfect in size for you as well.
Click to expand...

rdst_1- i LOVE the 1020! :)

One of my friends has it and still uses it from time to time. One major advantage it had over the 808 was OIS - something that was missing from the 808.

In fact I made a post on TE ages ago (pretty sure it was TE) when I pointed out it was on sale on FK for some ridiculously low amount of 13-15k!

What happened to your 808 and more importantly WHERE are you getting it repaired!? I would love to know! :)

Will also check out the Google Pixel 1st Gen.
 
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indy1811 said:
The Samsung S7 is available for 25k on Flipkart and might drop down further closer to Diwali. Keep an eye out for it since it has the best camera at that price range.

Not sure how good the camera is but Sony XA1 has a 5" screen with a 23 megapixel camera. Check it out. It's 14k

Another option is the Samsung A5 (2017). It also has a 5.2" screen.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that info indy1811. Will definitely check out the Sony XA1 which sounds very interesting both in terms of camera as well as size as well as being within my budget. :)
 
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Rickyk said:
rdst_1- i LOVE the 1020! :)

One of my friends has it and still uses it from time to time. One major advantage it had over the 808 was OIS - something that was missing from the 808.

In fact I made a post on TE ages ago (pretty sure it was TE) when I pointed out it was on sale on FK for some ridiculously low amount of 13-15k!

What happened to your 808 and more importantly WHERE are you getting it repaired!? I would love to know! :)

Will also check out the Google Pixel 1st Gen.
Click to expand...
I don't know yet what has happened but the screen suddenly went blank one day.
I am getting it repaired from a local guy in Chandigarh who is our go to guy for phone repairs and he is actually an ex-Nokia Care employee so he is great with Nokia phones for sure.
Let me see if he has a solution for your problem.

Edit - I just asked the guy and he is saying it is a very easy repair. Should cost anywhere between 200-600 bucks depending upon what part is broken. You should be able to easily get it repaired in Delhi and if not, I would be able to get it repaired for you in Chandigarh for sure.
 
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rdst_1 said:
I just asked the guy and he is saying it is a very easy repair. Should cost anywhere between 200-600 bucks depending upon what part is broken. You should be able to easily get it repaired in Delhi and if not, I would be able to get it repaired for you in Chandigarh for sure.
Click to expand...

My point exactly. I am pretty sure its not a difficult repair.
 
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OMG - rdst_1 - that would be AWESOME. :)

Basically the Micro-USB port is whats partly broken. Funny thing is its broken in a very "quirky", See image below -



To explain - when I plug it in to charge using the wall adapter, 50% of the time it refuses to charge the phone while 50% it charges it flawlessly like nothings wrong. Its weird.

However when it comes to PC connectivity it refuses to work altogether.

What happens is that when I plug it into my PC USB, the 808 switches to "USB Data Mode" but Windows refuses to access either the main memory or the MicroSD and just goes into circles looking for it endlessly.

The main problem I am having getting it fixed here is not the "complexity" of the repairs per se.

A couple of guys who's shops I visited here told me was that it was the REPLACEMENT PART availability that was the issue.

They "claimed" that if they had the correct replacement part then its literally a 30 minute job to replace it. I didnt know if they were being honest or just exaggerating but without the part being available I considered it quite pointless to speculate.

Will let you know how my attempts at trying to get it fixed locally on Sat/Monday goes.

Thanks again. Like Vivek - you have given me HOPE!!

I do -NOT- want a new phone if I can get my 808 fixed.

I love it - its all I need. :)
 
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Vivek - thats EXACTLY the part I need! :)

Best case would be if the part could be sourced here directly - preferably by one of your repair guys. That way I would save time as well as be assured the part is 100% correct.

If I cant get it fixed in Delhi & your repair guys cant arrange the part then I will order the part and send the phone along with the part to either you or rdst_1 and request one of you guys to get it changed by your chaps who are at least known to you and are therefore reliable. I would pay for all repairs etc. in advance and cover you guys for the return shipping costs as well.

I dont know any repair guys here TBH and I'm paranoid that these random guys will scavenge parts from my 808 and claim it could not be repaired. :(

A micro-usb Extension cable wont solve my PC connectivity issue as the pins on the port of my phone are broken/bent so the data signal wont go through anyway.

As for charging it - it does charge but its takes 2-3 attempts to get it connected properly. Plus the port on the phone is quite brittle in its current state which is why this is not a long term solution. I need to get it replaced.
 
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If you are in Delhi, IXC would be much closer and just a drive away - this would be better than sending to BOM. As for the cable, I suggested it as a temp solution so that you dont need to insert it daily 2-3 times and damage it, fix it in place with some adhesive so that it can be used to charge the phone till your replacement pins arrive.

I will also see if I can source these pins and send them over. Shipping a phone is expensive...
 
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Thing is i charge my phone once every 3-4 DAYS!

Thats how low my usage is. :;p

Basically SMS's more than anything.

Believe it or not, I am still running on the Original battery that came with the phone.

I do have a seal packed unopened original battery 808 battery as well but I have never had to use it.

In fact one of the options I was toying with was buying this -

https://www.amazon.com/SLLEA-Univer...1539888165&sr=8-14&keywords=nokia+808+charger

and using it to charge my batteries and swap them out as required. A pain for sure but it would work as far as the charging problem is concerned.

However this is not a long term solution as data transfer would still be an issue...
 
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