Hi TE Folks,
I just ported my CDMA number out to a GSM 3G operator and need to buy a GSM handset by the end of this week at the latest. My ideal budget is Rs. 20K and I can extend to a maximum of Rs. 25K. I am looking for an android phone because of the variety available in the android market place and the tight integration with Google products (I extensively use search, voice, chat, gmail, calendar, contacts etc. both personally and professionally.
I do not want to root the device as even though I have read and seen how awesome phones are running on CM7 and the like, I do not want to take the risk of bricking my phone and neither am I too thrilled about the instability of most custom ROMs (atleast I can yell at Samsung if my WiFi stops working!) So here are my needs:
· Budget: 20K to 25K.
· OS: I prefer HTC Sense, followed by skinless UI (Pure Google) and then Touchwiz. Upgradability to ICS is important.
· Processor: Will prefer a dual core simply because of the added power savings (I understand that Apps are not optimized for dual core yet)
· RAM: 1GB preferred.
· Camera: I have never used a camera on any of my previous camera equipped phones. However, I am carrying my P&S less and less and seeing some good results that friends have with their iPhone 4, I am wondering if I can use this as a primary camera (It sure is convenient!). MP does not mean much. Good optics and a flash would be nice.
· Storage: Would prefer at least 8 GB on board storage.
· Battery: I want to go 8 to 12 hours on a single charge. This is with push gmail \ exchange, Texting, Gtalk always on, using the organizer, RSS feeds, twitter, FB and 3G surfing for about 30 mins in the day. Maybe add about 30 mins of calls. Occasional use of the GPS. No BT \ No Music and No Movies.
· Rooting: The likelihood of me rooting the device is next to none. Maybe post 6 months & 1 year, I could see myself running CM7/9.
· Form factor: This is important. I want to carry the new phone in my pocket like I currently do with my old phone. I really dont understand the point of these mammoth 5"; phones! Should be slim and not too big. Ideally, I would like a 4" device but a paucity of such form factors means I have to go 4.3"; at least. The only redeeming factor here is that, the bezel sizes on the larger screen phones are decreasing so a larger screen does not mean a larger phone.
So after laying such conditions out, I have managed to narrow down the following. The prices mentioned are the best prices I am seeing on LB or Flipkart post any applicable discount (I have a 10% discount coupon on LB with a Rs.2900 cap)
1.Galaxy SII: Rs. 27,000 @ LB: Current favorite. Build quality average, but that's okay. I would probably enshroud it in a Molife or Amzer resin case anyway. Big turn off is Touch wiz but I guess I can use launcher pro or ADW. Upgrade to ICS is a big plus. Honestly, I think I would have bought this device last week on letsbuy when I was getting itfor 25.6K but now with the price increase, I am not sure if I want to spend 2K extra this week just to have the price fall again in the next few weeks. Plus now it's out of my budget.
2. Galaxy R: Rs. 22, 400 @ LB plus free BT headset, screen guard, pouch, etc: This one checks all the marks minus Touch Wiz as well (though can be rectified with LP or ADW as well). Good price too. But what's scary is that Samsung has not confirmed this device for ICS rollout. Also this may be trite but do you get cases / screen guards etc for this device? (So far I have seen an abysmal selection). I really like this device but lack of support makes me wary! Also, I may be the rare exception but when I compared this phone to the S2 at a Croma, I thought that the R had a brighter more vivid display of the two and I would have picked the R over the II for the screen alone!
3. Sensation: Rs. 26,800 @ LB: I would have bought it in a heart beat if the price was a bit lower. Better build quality, nice form factor and Sense UI. But, it has 768 MB Ram and the onboard storage is paltry. And many apps only install on board storage. So this is out for me.
4. Galaxy S Plus: Rs. 19,700 @ LB: pros are 4" screen, Super AMOLED, decent onboard storage. But no ICS and no flash camera is a deal breaker. Plus an extra two and a half grand gets me the R, a technologically superior phone.
5. Razr; Rs. 30,150 @ LB: One of the nicest looking phones out there, but in my opinion overpriced and have heard negative reviews about the screen in the international market.
6. Incredible S \ Desire S - Price Rs. 19k and 21K on LB; I like these phones but they are both a bit old now and that 1GHZ snapdragon processor is a battery drainer. Plus usual HTC RAM and on board storage problems.
7. Galaxy Nexus - Price: TBA. I really like the specs of this phone. And it's pure google which works for me. The only thing is that I am not very sure about the 4.65"; screen. I thought that the SII was the biggest I could go, and this is crossing the border (Literally and figuratively!). Also price could be an issue. Rumors indicate this will be in the 30 to 35K which blows my budget. Also launch date for India is unknown.
8. LG Optimus 2X P990 - Rs. 18000 @ LB: The dark horse and this phone literally checks everything on the list! Spec wise it is golden minus the 512 MB ram but read a few negative reviews regarding battery life. Also, the screen seems a bit less vivid when compared to the Sammy R (Both are LCD's). And the protruding bezel negates the 4" size of the phone and the 4.3" SII feels just as small (big?). But the biggest problem that this phone has is that the LG stock UI is terrible. It felt laggy and slow. I dont't know if installing ADW or LP would help here. Also is the 512MB ram good enough for a dual core device? But the price is mouthwatering. I just wasn't happy while trying it out at Croma - did not feel zippy as Android models from Samsung and HTC.
So now fellow, TE enthusiasts, armed with this knowledge, please help me make a decision from the set above or throw in your own wild card entry.
Also, can anyone indicate the approximate expected price of the Galaxy Nexus and launch date. If it is under 28K (So with my 10% discount; It will be ~25K) and the launch is within the next week, I could probably wait for this device.
Cheers,
V
I just ported my CDMA number out to a GSM 3G operator and need to buy a GSM handset by the end of this week at the latest. My ideal budget is Rs. 20K and I can extend to a maximum of Rs. 25K. I am looking for an android phone because of the variety available in the android market place and the tight integration with Google products (I extensively use search, voice, chat, gmail, calendar, contacts etc. both personally and professionally.
I do not want to root the device as even though I have read and seen how awesome phones are running on CM7 and the like, I do not want to take the risk of bricking my phone and neither am I too thrilled about the instability of most custom ROMs (atleast I can yell at Samsung if my WiFi stops working!) So here are my needs:
· Budget: 20K to 25K.
· OS: I prefer HTC Sense, followed by skinless UI (Pure Google) and then Touchwiz. Upgradability to ICS is important.
· Processor: Will prefer a dual core simply because of the added power savings (I understand that Apps are not optimized for dual core yet)
· RAM: 1GB preferred.
· Camera: I have never used a camera on any of my previous camera equipped phones. However, I am carrying my P&S less and less and seeing some good results that friends have with their iPhone 4, I am wondering if I can use this as a primary camera (It sure is convenient!). MP does not mean much. Good optics and a flash would be nice.
· Storage: Would prefer at least 8 GB on board storage.
· Battery: I want to go 8 to 12 hours on a single charge. This is with push gmail \ exchange, Texting, Gtalk always on, using the organizer, RSS feeds, twitter, FB and 3G surfing for about 30 mins in the day. Maybe add about 30 mins of calls. Occasional use of the GPS. No BT \ No Music and No Movies.
· Rooting: The likelihood of me rooting the device is next to none. Maybe post 6 months & 1 year, I could see myself running CM7/9.
· Form factor: This is important. I want to carry the new phone in my pocket like I currently do with my old phone. I really dont understand the point of these mammoth 5"; phones! Should be slim and not too big. Ideally, I would like a 4" device but a paucity of such form factors means I have to go 4.3"; at least. The only redeeming factor here is that, the bezel sizes on the larger screen phones are decreasing so a larger screen does not mean a larger phone.
So after laying such conditions out, I have managed to narrow down the following. The prices mentioned are the best prices I am seeing on LB or Flipkart post any applicable discount (I have a 10% discount coupon on LB with a Rs.2900 cap)
1.Galaxy SII: Rs. 27,000 @ LB: Current favorite. Build quality average, but that's okay. I would probably enshroud it in a Molife or Amzer resin case anyway. Big turn off is Touch wiz but I guess I can use launcher pro or ADW. Upgrade to ICS is a big plus. Honestly, I think I would have bought this device last week on letsbuy when I was getting itfor 25.6K but now with the price increase, I am not sure if I want to spend 2K extra this week just to have the price fall again in the next few weeks. Plus now it's out of my budget.
2. Galaxy R: Rs. 22, 400 @ LB plus free BT headset, screen guard, pouch, etc: This one checks all the marks minus Touch Wiz as well (though can be rectified with LP or ADW as well). Good price too. But what's scary is that Samsung has not confirmed this device for ICS rollout. Also this may be trite but do you get cases / screen guards etc for this device? (So far I have seen an abysmal selection). I really like this device but lack of support makes me wary! Also, I may be the rare exception but when I compared this phone to the S2 at a Croma, I thought that the R had a brighter more vivid display of the two and I would have picked the R over the II for the screen alone!
3. Sensation: Rs. 26,800 @ LB: I would have bought it in a heart beat if the price was a bit lower. Better build quality, nice form factor and Sense UI. But, it has 768 MB Ram and the onboard storage is paltry. And many apps only install on board storage. So this is out for me.
4. Galaxy S Plus: Rs. 19,700 @ LB: pros are 4" screen, Super AMOLED, decent onboard storage. But no ICS and no flash camera is a deal breaker. Plus an extra two and a half grand gets me the R, a technologically superior phone.
5. Razr; Rs. 30,150 @ LB: One of the nicest looking phones out there, but in my opinion overpriced and have heard negative reviews about the screen in the international market.
6. Incredible S \ Desire S - Price Rs. 19k and 21K on LB; I like these phones but they are both a bit old now and that 1GHZ snapdragon processor is a battery drainer. Plus usual HTC RAM and on board storage problems.
7. Galaxy Nexus - Price: TBA. I really like the specs of this phone. And it's pure google which works for me. The only thing is that I am not very sure about the 4.65"; screen. I thought that the SII was the biggest I could go, and this is crossing the border (Literally and figuratively!). Also price could be an issue. Rumors indicate this will be in the 30 to 35K which blows my budget. Also launch date for India is unknown.
8. LG Optimus 2X P990 - Rs. 18000 @ LB: The dark horse and this phone literally checks everything on the list! Spec wise it is golden minus the 512 MB ram but read a few negative reviews regarding battery life. Also, the screen seems a bit less vivid when compared to the Sammy R (Both are LCD's). And the protruding bezel negates the 4" size of the phone and the 4.3" SII feels just as small (big?). But the biggest problem that this phone has is that the LG stock UI is terrible. It felt laggy and slow. I dont't know if installing ADW or LP would help here. Also is the 512MB ram good enough for a dual core device? But the price is mouthwatering. I just wasn't happy while trying it out at Croma - did not feel zippy as Android models from Samsung and HTC.
So now fellow, TE enthusiasts, armed with this knowledge, please help me make a decision from the set above or throw in your own wild card entry.
Also, can anyone indicate the approximate expected price of the Galaxy Nexus and launch date. If it is under 28K (So with my 10% discount; It will be ~25K) and the launch is within the next week, I could probably wait for this device.
Cheers,
V
