Budget 10-15K Mobile phone for teenage girl (budget 15K)

Padmanabh

Recruit
May 29, 2013
4
0
1
Dear all,
Need your valuable advice regarding which touchscreen mobile phone to buy for a teenage girl after scoring good marks. Music, camera could be the priority I guess. Around 15K is the budget.

Thanks.
 

Padmanabh

Recruit
May 29, 2013
4
0
1
1. Budget?
A: 15k

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

3. Preferred display type?
A: TFT

4. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them.
A: Will not go for Indian/chinese made phones.

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

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

7. Preferred operating system? (Android, Symbian, iOS, Windows Phone etc).
A: None

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

9. What is your intended use for this phone(internet, camera, multimedia, mails, etc)?
A: Camera, Music and internet.

10. Any other requirements?
A: Don't require dual sim.

11. If you have already considered a phone then please mention the model.
A: Was thinking of Experia U
 

creative420

Adept
Aug 25, 2010
401
40
93
42
Bangalore
For just Camera, Music and Internet I would suggest Nokia Lumia 720. It retails for about 15.8K on Homeshope18 Superdeals. It has got a very good camera and good music playback too. And a huge battery to support it. But if she's going to use apps like instagram (Don't know when is it coming for Windows phone) and Whatsapp (It's available, but with limited functionality rather) I think you should can consider from the following android phones:

1. HTC Desire X: http://www.ebay.in/itm/HTC-Desire-X...87034?pt=IN_Mobile_Phones&hash=item27d34a4f1a

2. Sony Xperia P: http://www.ebay.in/itm/DOW22-Brand-...bile_Phones&hash=item20d36ed887#ht_3212wt_872

3. Samsung Galaxy Advance S available on Flipkart for a good price.

But I suggest you take her to the store. I've seen kids flaunting iPhones and other kids feel a lot more jealous of them. So take her to a store and let her know that this is the budget for her. And then see what she decides.

Personally, my suggestion will be Lumia 720 as it's a beautiful looking phone with simple interface and it will tick all your requirements.
 

blkrb0t

It's Nothing Personal
Skilled
Nov 3, 2010
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Skynet
+1 to Lumia 720. WhatsApp is not the best on WP8, but the important thing is that it is still accessible. There are third party Instagram apps for WP8 that work great - example: Itsdagram. The next update for WP8 is going to enable FM radio and add in many other features. Apart from that, Nokia are themselves going to give an exclusive update for their WP8 Lumia line.

Camera - Best in class in the budget range OP is opting for
Music - Great
Internet - Silky smooth on WP8

I would suggest you to take her to the store as @creative420 suggested, but also make her read this thread. I'm sure she'd like the Lumia 720, it looks great too.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Nalin

Skilled
Nov 15, 2011
1,715
608
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Delhi
Desire X as the design will surely appeal to her, ask her if she even wants a WP8 device.

Most teenagers will surely prefer android as being impatient of waiting for apps and features that are coming later.
 

bigbyte

Skilled
May 14, 2007
1,346
268
172
The teenagers are more active socially and if you can get then opt for the Facebook phone HTC first. Though not launched officially in India it should be available in grey market. At 16-17k range it would be a very good buy.
 

blkrb0t

It's Nothing Personal
Skilled
Nov 3, 2010
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if she is not into apps what abt nokia 808. simple easy symbian, nice camera, lil over budget
I don't think teens would buy into that design, especially girls. It is the best camera phone and also has a decent music player, but it's bulky. Another reason 720 wins over here is because it runs smoothly unlike the Android variants in this budget; they are laggy as hell.
 

Brendon

Skilled
Mar 21, 2005
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My younger sis has a Lumia 620. She had an el cheapo Dell XCD35 earlier but she hates her Lumia now. She finds the app support a big joke and while she hardly uses any apps the sheer lack of good games puts her off Windows 8. A few months of usage hasn't warmed her up to Windows Phone either.

So your best bet would be an Android device. At 15k you should get a dual core Android device which would have barely any lag.
 

blkrb0t

It's Nothing Personal
Skilled
Nov 3, 2010
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Skynet
My younger sis has a Lumia 620. She had an el cheapo Dell XCD35 earlier but she hates her Lumia now. She finds the app support a big joke and while she hardly uses any apps the sheer lack of good games puts her off Windows 8. A few months of usage hasn't warmed her up to Windows Phone either.

So your best bet would be an Android device. At 15k you should get a dual core Android device which would have barely any lag.
My sister has the 720 and adores it very much compared to her previous Android phone. She hardly plays any games on her device and uses it mostly to browse, call and message. She finds the interface a lot better compared to Android, and she was really taken aback the first time she felt the smoothness of the UI. Every budget Android phone has a considerable lag. You'll hate to go back to it once you're on WP8 or even a high end Android device. Music and Camera is also the features she needs and there the Lumia 720 is the best offering in the <15k budget range.

If you are buying it to use every app there is, do not buy it. WP8 doesn't have the numbers on its side, but all the major apps are present. There are 3-rd party apps to a few services which don't have official support.
 
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Altair

Skilled
Nov 28, 2010
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Believe me if she's looking for apps the DO NOT go for WP. If she's a teen she is most probably to play these game Temple Run 2, Subway Surfer games which are in trend and we compete with friends for the high score. Which are not available on WP at the moment.
Else if she's looking just for music and camera go for the lumia. Its very important that you ask her all this stuff before buying the device I know this because i know how much i missed apps and games while on HTC Titan.

Best of Luck.
 

Brendon

Skilled
Mar 21, 2005
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No one uses every app out there. But Angry birds, Temple Run 1/2, Fruit Ninja, CSR Racing and quite a few other games are very popular among Teens. None of the games are available for free on WP8 and while Temple Run 1 is free, the Lumia 720 lacks the hardware to run the game.

If she just wants music and camera then there's no doubt the Lumia is a great phone but if she wants to even try out the games her friends play then she is out of luck.
 

Brendon

Skilled
Mar 21, 2005
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As I said the Lumia is a great phone for people who just need a well built good looking phone with a good camera.

In fact if I had to choose a business phone I probably would go for WP8 as it would have better battery life and a lag free experience which is not what I get from my current Android phone.

For those that like using even a few apps and games will be better served with Android. Android outsells WP8 not because Android phones don't have any lags (cause they do have lags) but because of Androids vast market place.

For my dad or mom I would recommend a WP8 to them anyday. For a teenage girl who might wish to try out apps and games an iOS or Android device is a better option IMO.
 

shanx

Disciple
Feb 9, 2013
287
28
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Eh gaming and social networking on a WP8 device is more of a pain! My cousin has a 520 and though the interface is fluid, most good games from android are not free and also everything seems to be integrated. Whatsapp is pathetic on WP8. I hope Nokia fixed whatsapp in v3. Now as far as a teen is concerned they seem to be online 24x7!!!! So i would not recommend a WP8! You are considering samsung but leaving out LG and HTC! Try out the Optimus l7 II and the L9. Both are amazing phones. Also the HTC desire X is also pretty good!!!
 

cbrcoder

Disciple
Jan 19, 2012
65
2
18
Ahmedabad, INDIA
Samsung Galaxy Core seems to be good enough. Retails at 12.8k now.

As for WP8, I was using WP since Dec 2010 (when it released, picked HTC HD7 while in US). Though I used it extensively and was happy, 2-3 months ago I switched to Galaxy Note II out of sheer boredom. Now I know what I was missing! Seriously can't go back to WP ever again after using Android. Android is the Windows of phones. I would recommend Windows Phone only to senior citizens...