Advice on WP7 device.. Budget - upto 20k

killmastern3

killmastern3

Adept
Guys,

Am planning to get a WP7 device in lieu of the upcoming Mango update. Requirements below. Please advice.

1. Q: Budget?
A: 20k

2. Q: Preferred Form Factor(flip, bar, slider)?
A: Bar

3. Q: Preferred display type?
A: LCD or better

4. Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them.
A: None

5. Q: Preferred input method (Touchscreen, QWERTY, etc.)?
A: Touchscreen

6. Q: Camera required or not? If required, please specify type like front camera/flash/etc.
A: Required a 5MP camera or above with Flash.

7. Q: Preferred operating system? (Android, Symbian, iOS, Windows Phone etc).
A: WP7.

8. Q: Preferred connectivity options? (3G, Wifi, Edge etc).
A: 3G.

9. Q: What is your intended use for this phone(internet, camera, multimedia, mails, etc)?
A: Heavy browsing (3-4hrs a day ), Music (3hrs a day), Ebook reading (around 4 hrs).

10. Q: Any other requirements?
A: None

11. Q: If you have already considered a phone then please mention the model.
A: HTC HD7, HTC HD7S, Samsung Focus

Is the HD7S available in India?? Would prefer EMI to pay. Reviews from Gsmarena suggests that the response time is poor in HD7 and there is ghosting on the screen. Can users of HD7 comment on this. Will this be a problem. HD7 is available for 17499 in Ebay which looks to me like a pretty decent price. Please advice.
 
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Of the phones mentioned, I have tried only the Samsung Focus and was very impressed. The display is outstanding to say the least, and the phone is very light. On the downside, I didn't rate the back too highly, but then apparently their newer breed of Galaxy phones too seem to have a flimsy back cover. This phone is available for around 10 - 11K based on what kind of deal you get on ebay.com
 
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Are you in market to buy one immediately or wait for a few months?

HD7S is available at ATT. I do not know or think it is available yet in India.

HD7 -

It is absolutely the best selling phone for Windows Phone 7. It is an Desire HD for Windows IMO. I bought one for my Dad from T-Mobile in April and he loves it. I have also personally used and never came across the problems you mentioned. I feel HD7 to be faster even than my dual core androids because of software optimization. I can vouch for it as I have personally used and it. Also my dad is using it now.

Advantages:

1) Big screen 4.3 inches

2) Kickstand for viewing

3) Digital Surround Sound

4) The build is solid and is not plastic or prone to scratches quickly.

Disadvantages:

1) Normal LCD screen with 16M colors

Specs - HTC HD7 - Full phone specifications

Samsung Focus -

Samsung Focus is the only phone to have Super Amoled screen in the Windows phone 7 lineup. They are exceptional screen for reading, viewing movies, playing games giving you excellent colors and unlimited viewing angles. But I would recommend against buying US phones without warranty as any electronics can get repairs. It is an hassle and also expensive to repair if something happens.

Advantages -

1) Super Amoled screen

2) 4 inch screen

3) Expandable slot so you can expand to 32gb

Disadvantages -

1) US phone, so no warranty

2) 4 inches is good but 4.3 inches is great.

Specs - Samsung Focus - Full phone specifications

So you will not go wrong with two of these phones. But still I am hesitant to recommend Focus only because of absence of warranty.

Also if you are willing to wait, why not look at what Nokia offers. I am sure their phones will have mango update right out of the box, excellent camera and lens.

Nokia Sea-Ray -

Nokia's first WP7 device codenamed Sea Ray breaks loose - GSMArena.com news

Nokia Sea Ray specs - Phone Arena
 
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Buying atleast by this month end. Even i was impressed by HD7 specs, good music, and good for reading. If there is no ghosting problem, i might just go for it. Any idea when official mango is coming?

@agantuk...Focus available for 11k??? Can you tell me where?? That would be an awesome deal..
 
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Mango is currently in testing phase with manufacturers. Unlike Android, Windows pushes the update and not the manufacturers. So according to current speculation, September 1st. But there is also disagreement that it will not release September 1st. I am also eagerly waiting to test out Mango update :) If it is what I think it is then I will just convince my dad to take one of my Android phones and will take back the HD7 :)

Speculation:

Rumor: Windows Phone 7 Mango is coming 1 September - GSMArena.com news

Microsoft Releasing Windows Phone 'Mango' on Sept. 1? Not So Fast | News & Opinion | PCMag.com
 
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HD7's screen and speakers suck imo. Speakers are terrible.

May i suggest Dell Venue Pro? AMOLED screen except it has a sliding keyboard and with the new firmware update, all problems have been fixed plus the camera is the same as that found in iPhone 4 also take a look at Samsung Omnia 7.
 
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killmastern3 said:
@agantuk...Focus available for 11k??? Can you tell me where?? That would be an awesome deal..
Click to expand...

On ebay.com. Watch out for the auctions, and bid for the 'New' ones. Most of them go for 190 - 210 USD. Add customs and shipping via Aramex and the amount usually comes to 10 K or at the most 11K
 
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Browsing is good in Mango and other windows user will attest to that when they recieve the update and get first hand experience. Here's a good read about the browser:

AnandTech - Windows Phone 7.5 "Mango" - Mobile IE 9 Browser Explored

Samsung Focus also has a good and nice music experience. But I do not know if they have the same Wolfson DAC found in Galaxy phones. How about HTC Surround? Those seems to have good music quality also. Also last time I checked they are priced same as Focus in US at around 200 - 225 dollars.

Samsung Focus vs HTC Surround:

Samsung Focus and HTC Surround comparison

I have tested out Surround and the music speaker is loud. Not crazy loud, but loud enough for a phone of its size. Quality is good also.
 
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killmastern3 said:
I heard browsing is good in Mango.. What do you think? Also, how is the music quality in focus?
Click to expand...

Browsing is very good..and scrolling and zooming is always smooth. Of course there is no flash support in browser but otherwise I didn't face any issues so far. And 4" SAMOLED is awesome for browsing.

Music SQ is good..I assume you will be using your own earphones for listening music coz the stock earphones are average. The loudspeaker is average in terms of loudness. Overall SQ of my previous phone - Nokia C7-00 was still better though
 
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RVK2488 said:
Browsing is very good..and scrolling and zooming is always smooth. Of course there is no flash support in browser but otherwise I didn't face any issues so far. And 4" SAMOLED is awesome for browsing.

Music SQ is good..I assume you will be using your own earphones for listening music coz the stock earphones are average. The loudspeaker is average in terms of loudness. Overall SQ of my previous phone - Nokia C7-00 was still better though
Click to expand...

I use Razer Moray... Dont care about the loudspeaker.
 
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Only one thing I want to add to this. All these devices have Snapdragon 8250 or 8650 with Adrenos 200. So if you are planning on investing on a Windows device for long term, then you can wait a little more for phones with more updated processor and gpu. There are phones that are coming out with Adrenos 205 and even dual cores. So think about that. But other than that, "RVK2488" has done an excellent job in posting his experience about the WP7. So kudos to him.
 
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I am only going to use the device for browsing and music, so I think I am good. Also, I will probably change in 6 months. My defy is only 4months old. Already thinking about the next phone.

Sent from my MB525 using Tapatalk
 
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