Budget 10-15K Good quality phone for 10K

C

CapriAnupam

Adept
Questions:-
1. Budget?
A: INR 10K-11K

2. Preferred display size, type and resolution?
A: Preferably HD

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

4. Preferred connectivity options? (4G, 3G, 2G etc).
A: 4G

5. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them.
A: No Oppo, Vivo or Redmi.

6. What is your intended use for this phone (internet, camera, multimedia, mails etc.)?
A: Mainly calls and whatsapp

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

8. New or Used? Online or Offline?
A: New

9. Any other requirements?
A:

10. If you have already considered a phone, then please mention the model
A: Moto G9

-----------------------------

Hi guys,

I need a phone for my friend's wife, for a budget around 10K. Can put 1K extra for a good phone.

My friend wanted a smartphone for the budget of around 6-7K, but I don't think you will get any decent phone in that range, which will last for long time. So I suggested to go upto 10K, where you start getting decent phones.

The main requirement is for calling and whatsapp.

I want a decent phone, which his wife can handle on a daily basis, and it should be durable and reliable, and offer good experience for a casual user.

I did some search in the 10K range, and came across 4 choices that I can consider.

Samsung Galaxy M02S: Rejected this as the processor is old, and the lack of a fingerprint sensor is just quite bad, which is quite a basic requirement nowadays.

Moto E7 Plus: Considered this, but then rejected, because for just 1K more, I can get the Moto G9, which is much better option than this in terms of specifications.

Poco M3: Looks like a good phone at this price and it is said that the phone doesn't have ads like Redmi phones. But, there are still bloatware apps, some of which are hard to remove, and that is a negative. Also, read in a review that despite saying lack of ads, there were some app suggestions somewhere. So, looks a bit sneaky.

Moto G9: Seems like the phone to go for. Processor is same as Poco M3. The good thing is the near stock Android OS, which I prefer. Even with 4 GB RAM, it will give a good experience, for normal usage. Price also is same as Poco M3. Poco M3 does have Corning Gorilla glass protection which is lacking in this phone, but I think that can be overlooked. The phone does seem to have spill protection, which is also great.

So, Moto G9 seems a good choice for me.

Any other suggestions or input please?
 
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becool773 said:
Agli sale kab hai?
Click to expand...

Sale is on right now. It was to start today from 12 noon. Hurry dude :D.
Tejas01 said:
@CapriAnupam just curious, which fone would you be going for after May 2021. I mean our security patches would stop by April/May.
Click to expand...

I don't think I will buy a new phone so soon, even after the security patches stop coming for my phone. I like to keep my phone running mostly until it starts giving problems, or, the phone really becomes old.
I follow safe practices on phone or PC, so I think I should be good without security patches too.

I am basically a budget oriented person, LOL. That's why I like to buy phones that will last long.

I will also wait for 5G to launch in India, and 5G phones to be widely available, so that there are choices when I decide to buy a phone.

I hope new and good Nokia phones with good specs are there when I do decide to buy a phone. I am still willing to go with Nokia again.

The things I look for in a phone are stock Android, or near stock Android, so that I get a clean OS, which will be fast without any bloatware apps installed, or easy to remove/disable, if any are there.
And I want regular updates for the OS and security patches.
Then there is the build quality.
Corning Gorilla glass protection if there, will be an added advantage, because I do not like screen protectors on the screen. I like the screen as it is.

In these aspects, Nokia phones are the best. I get stock Android, and they are very timely with the OS upgrades and the security patches. It is a peace of mind to know that you are covered for the next 3 years atleast. With other brands, there is no guarantee whether you will get updates, and for how much time.

Nokia phones do have a solid build quality too, and they have a premium feel compared to other phones in that budget.

But, Nokia are seriously lagging behind in providing good hardware for a given budget. They really need to pay attention to that aspect.

For example, just today I read about Nokia 5.4 being launched soon (probably tomorrow from what I read). Even at the budget of 15K+, the phone does not have a full HD display, even with a good processor and RAM. That way, Poco M3 seems much better choice given its much lower price and almost the same specifications. Also, there is just 10W charger with Nokia 5.4. Again, at that budget, fast charging should be there. Given the price, Nokia 5.4 looks overpriced heavily when you compare it to Poco M3. These little things do matter for users today, and they pay attention to this.

I also do not read anything about Corning Gorilla glass protection in any of the new Nokia phones. My Nokia 7 Plus has Corning Gorilla, and if they are not providing it for their new phones, it is quite a shame.

Still, my first choice will be to look for a Nokia phone in my budget range, when I decide to buy a new phone. If not, then I will have to look for other brands which provide stock Android experience.
I wouldn't want to go with any Chinese brands, including Moto, but if there are no other decent choices for my budget, then who knows which phone I might end up buying... maybe even a Poco or Xiaomi/Redmi phone... LOL.

Poco had launched a stock Android phone, I think Poco A1/A2, but I think they discontinued it?

Emperor said:
if for Ladies go with lighter & upto 6" screen only. 6.5 may be bit heavy to handle...
Click to expand...

Yes, that is a good consideration. My mother has a Moto G3, and it is quite heavy, even more with a flap cover. Even my hands get tired using it after sometime. When I use that phone for a while, and then use my Nokia 7 Plus, I can feel the difference in weight and width significantly.

Moto G9 is also on the heavy side, but I decided to overlook it because of stock Android.
 
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It was Mi A1 and Mi A2. But I won't recommend getting stock Android phone from Xiaomi. They simply sabotage stock Android so that people go for MiUi based phones. You can read about issues faced by A1, A2 users.
Even their A11 update is botched up.
For example, just today I read about Nokia 5.4 being launched soon (probably tomorrow from what I read). Even at the budget of 15K+, the phone does not have a full HD display, even with a good processor and RAM. That way, Poco M3 seems much better choice given its much lower price and almost the same specifications. Also, there is just 10W charger with Nokia 5.4. Again, at that budget, fast charging should be there. Given the price, Nokia 5.4 looks overpriced heavily when you compare it to Poco M3. These little things do matter for users today, and they pay attention to this.
Click to expand...
This is what irritates me the most about Nokia. Sub spec phone. 1-2k above the competition for stock android is understandable but 5k is way too much. Why would anyone take a hd+ screen when fhd is available at a lower cost.
 
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CapriAnupam said:
Sale is on right now. It was to start today from 12 noon. Hurry dude :D.


I don't think I will buy a new phone so soon, even after the security patches stop coming for my phone. I like to keep my phone running mostly until it starts giving problems, or, the phone really becomes old.
I follow safe practices on phone or PC, so I think I should be good without security patches too.

I am basically a budget oriented person, LOL. That's why I like to buy phones that will last long.

I will also wait for 5G to launch in India, and 5G phones to be widely available, so that there are choices when I decide to buy a phone.

I hope new and good Nokia phones with good specs are there when I do decide to buy a phone. I am still willing to go with Nokia again.

The things I look for in a phone are stock Android, or near stock Android, so that I get a clean OS, which will be fast without any bloatware apps installed, or easy to remove/disable, if any are there.
And I want regular updates for the OS and security patches.
Then there is the build quality.
Corning Gorilla glass protection if there, will be an added advantage, because I do not like screen protectors on the screen. I like the screen as it is.

In these aspects, Nokia phones are the best. I get stock Android, and they are very timely with the OS upgrades and the security patches. It is a peace of mind to know that you are covered for the next 3 years atleast. With other brands, there is no guarantee whether you will get updates, and for how much time.

Nokia phones do have a solid build quality too, and they have a premium feel compared to other phones in that budget.

But, Nokia are seriously lagging behind in providing good hardware for a given budget. They really need to pay attention to that aspect.

For example, just today I read about Nokia 5.4 being launched soon (probably tomorrow from what I read). Even at the budget of 15K+, the phone does not have a full HD display, even with a good processor and RAM. That way, Poco M3 seems much better choice given its much lower price and almost the same specifications. Also, there is just 10W charger with Nokia 5.4. Again, at that budget, fast charging should be there. Given the price, Nokia 5.4 looks overpriced heavily when you compare it to Poco M3. These little things do matter for users today, and they pay attention to this.

I also do not read anything about Corning Gorilla glass protection in any of the new Nokia phones. My Nokia 7 Plus has Corning Gorilla, and if they are not providing it for their new phones, it is quite a shame.

Still, my first choice will be to look for a Nokia phone in my budget range, when I decide to buy a new phone. If not, then I will have to look for other brands which provide stock Android experience.
I wouldn't want to go with any Chinese brands, including Moto, but if there are no other decent choices for my budget, then who knows which phone I might end up buying... maybe even a Poco or Xiaomi/Redmi phone... LOL.

Poco had launched a stock Android phone, I think Poco A1/A2, but I think they discontinued it?



Yes, that is a good consideration. My mother has a Moto G3, and it is quite heavy, even more with a flap cover. Even my hands get tired using it after sometime. When I use that phone for a while, and then use my Nokia 7 Plus, I can feel the difference in weight and width significantly.

Moto G9 is also on the heavy side, but I decided to overlook it because of stock Android.
Click to expand...
Will order in the morning. No card discount :( Want to see specs of Nokia 5.4 before ordering.
How to get gst invoices from FK? My friends needs a gst bill.
 
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becool773 said:
Will order in the morning. No card discount :( Want to see specs of Nokia 5.4 before ordering.
How to get gst invoices from FK? My friends needs a gst bill.
Click to expand...
even thogh you will get GST Invoice, most probably you won't able to claim GST benefit . Talk with seller and get it clear (or read fine writing on GST Inovice at seller/FK page)
 
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Tejas01 said:
It was Mi A1 and Mi A2. But I won't recommend getting stock Android phone from Xiaomi. They simply sabotage stock Android so that people go for MiUi based phones. You can read about issues faced by A1, A2 users.
Even their A11 update is botched up.

This is what irritates me the most about Nokia. Sub spec phone. 1-2k above the competition for stock android is understandable but 5k is way too much. Why would anyone take a hd+ screen when fhd is available at a lower cost.
Click to expand...

That is why I do not trust these Chinese phones. They are sneaky little pests.

Really, Nokia phones are disappointing in terms of hardware. That is why they are lagging in competition from all these Chinese phones, which provide much better hardware at lower price.

I mean, really, you could've atleast provided full HD display and fast charging at a price of 15K.

There will be more Nokia phones coming up in the later months of 2021, in the upward price range... let us see what they offer in that.

becool773 said:
Will order in the morning. Want to see specs of Nokia 5.4 before ordering.
Click to expand...

You could've seen the Nokia 5.4 specs yesterday only from the official Nokia site. Even from many other different websites.

www.nokia.com

Nokia 5.4 mobile | Nokia phones

Capture your world in stunning detail with the 48 MP quad camera and cinematic effects. Do more of what you love thanks to the long-lasting battery. The Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 662 platform delivers performance you can rely on. Ready for Android™ 11 and beyond.
www.nokia.com www.nokia.com

Nokia 5.4 sale is online now on Flipkart. Was to start at 12 noon today.

You missed out on Poco M3 sale though... you will have to wait for a few days.
Any suggestions for websites/blogs where I can get latest news regarding the mobile world?
 
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Tushar Sharma said:
Since you already mentioned no Mi, Oppo or Vivo, I think you are not looking for Chinese brands. So if you think Korean brands could do well for you, you can go for an LG or a Samsung smartphone which would be a little over 10k in India. LG recently launched LG K42 in India and this is a near rugged smartphone with military grade toughness. You drop it from a height or spill water on it, it would make no difference. This smartphone and its design look so good to me and at 11k in India, this could be a really good option for those who just need a smartphone for normal uses.
Other than this, Samsung too launches Samsung Galaxy A12 smartphone recently which has Mediatek Helio P35 chipset, a 5000mAh battery, a 48MP quad camera and side fingerprint scanner. This smartphone is 13k in terms of price, but the features of even this smartphone seem to be really good. What matters here is that the smartphone user does not need heavy features for gaming etc. and you are not looking to buy the Chinese brands. So these smartphones could do pretty well with the kind of features they contain. Poco M3 is an option but I have seen it with a friend and it was lagging terribly so I would not suggest you this.
Click to expand...
MIL-STD-810G compliant*
*does not guarantee ruggedness or use in extreme conditions
Bhaiyo how is this K42? Vfm or not? @Tejas01 @CapriAnupam
 
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Sorry mate, no idea about LG phones. If you can extend budget then Lg G8X seems to be a good choice as mentioned by some members here.
Quality of updates from LG is another issue you need to be aware of.
Edit: K42 has 3gb ram..thanks, I will pass. LG'S software really needs to be optimised to run good on 3gb ram. Else it can leave anyone frustrated in the long run.
Had it been 6gb, then it could have given some competition.
Edit 2:- If you want to purchase this purely on the so called Military Standard claims from LG then watch this video.
 
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As @Tejas01 mentioned, LG K42 has just 3 GB of RAM, so not enough for consideration. Minimum 4G of RAM should be there, Even that isn't good from a future point of view. But, 4G is minimum nowadays for a good performance.

I don't have much knowledge about the different mobile processors, but its processor too seems to be slower from what one posted on a review on an online site.

And what use is the military certification, I don't know. Unless you are providing good specs with it, I don't think it is of much use. As the video shows, even that certification does not live up to expectations in the real world testing. Further, there are no details about the certifications.

Build quality does matter... like Nokia gives with its phones. A solid build quality is enough with good protection like Corning Gorilla glass for the screen. Otherwise, military grade protection does not matter. It might matter in high end phones where there is good quality hardware to protect. When hardware/specs are of sub par quality, what sense does it make, unless it is made for really clumsy people.

Samsung Galaxy A12 is above the required budget of 11K. It too doesn't have good enough specs like Poco M3. And why would I get Samsung A12, when I get same specs and near stock Android for less with Moto G9?

BTW, Poco M3 will be on sale tomorrow, @becool773 , so be prepared.

I posted this yesterday in my last post as an edit, but it got merged and no one noticed it. Let me post again.

Any suggestions for websites/blogs where I can get latest news regarding the mobile world?
 
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Tejas01 said:
No rooting.. it's as simple as tap-tap click, click, click. Yes, it involves use of computer to use a small java software and viola its done. Check this youtube video and check if you find something rocket science. If you don't get anything we will help you out.

Just ensure that GetApps are not installed while setting up your phone, or set Europe as a region. It won't ask for GetApps.

That is something a bit dicey depending on how you look at it given our experience with 7+. While 7+ only gives security patches in a month , MIUI has security patches + OS optimisations, bug fixes, new features in 2-3 months. While Nokia gives Maintenance release/bug fixes after say 6 months or so so I see MIUI ahead in that aspect. It dpends on your priority.. if you want security patches on a monthly basis skip MIUI. For me MIUI patches exceed Nokia.
Although if you are looking for OS upgrades both will be same. Nokia's latest device 5.4 comes with A10(A11 already in market, A12 developer preview already out). So Nokia is basically fooling by giving old OS.

No idea about moto, but I did get positive feedback about Moto Fusion+. But it's beyond the reach of the budget. Again money speaks... there will be some difference between a 10k and a 18k phone(fusion plus).

If your friend is going for media consumption then get a FHD+ screen like in M3. I have used M2 for a while and was quite happy for what was offered in the price. G9 gives HD+ which could be quite overwhelming for media. Besides you are sought of future proofing if you want to use phone beyond 2-3 years with M3. 4gb on android is beginning to get outdated but only time will tell how it holds up in the future.

I dumped mine... too many issues, like the ones faced by ur bro. Luckily, no charge port issues. It's a pain how HMD screwed Android experience and horrible support despite being such a wonderful software. I do have it, but I barely use it. It lasts only a day. Or maybe I am expecting too much battery from 7+ coz I now get 3-3.5 days batery casual use on Poco X3. Maybe I am spoilt by Xiaomi.. Glad to hear phone's working great for you. Hmd really needs to get its basics right about phone.

If budget is a constraint, then wait for sometime. If price of G9 falls below 10k go for it.
Click to expand...
@Tejas01 Bhai any similar way to remove bloatware from Samsung phones? AFAIK without root it's not possible. And all Samsung phones, despite price range, have them. One can only disable them afaik.
 
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I think you can give it a try. It should also work on Samsung since it supports Java and apps are Java based. Try with the similar steps as mentioned in the video, it should work.
I had tried this on Realme and it worked for me.
 
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Tejas01 said:
I think you can give it a try. It should also work on Samsung since it supports Java and apps are Java based. Try with the similar steps as mentioned in the video, it should work.
I had tried this on Realme and it worked for me.
Click to expand...
Didn't work. Tried in an old Samsung device with Android 9.
Please tag other Samsung users here.
P.S. Ordered a poco, hope they don't cancel it. Ekart in my city sucks. Does it have a normal screen protector installed?
 
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Tried watching some videos on youtube. Didn't find any screen protector. It would be too much to ask fkr., given gen budget.

On another note, your device supports intra band carrier aggregation. So jio, air tel, voda should give you speeds at band 40-40. Also lpddr4x, ufs 2.1 that's pretty good for the price.
 
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I have similar budget(10-15K), requirements are similar, just YouTube videos and web browsing and calling. Camera and Music are least important. Battery life and performance is of utmost importance as intended area of usage is a rural with scanty coverage and 4G is available only at few choice spots. As such use case would stress battery and radios, need a device that can sip battery even when signal strength is low.
 
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Ryunosuke said:
I have similar budget(10-15K), requirements are similar, just YouTube videos and web browsing and calling. Camera and Music are least important. Battery life and performance is of utmost importance as intended area of usage is a rural with scanty coverage and 4G is available only at few choice spots. As such use case would stress battery and radios, need a device that can sip battery even when signal strength is low.
Click to expand...
Did you check the M3?
 
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Yes, specs look good on paper but don't know how it would perform in my case. Can't really trust "reviews" either for it.
Phone will be operating in zone where signal strength is usually 1 to 2 bars, at max 3 ( haven't measures actual dBu values)
 
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