New Touch Screen Phone: ~20k

T

teche

Adept
Since I got my iPhone last year, have been pretty much out of touch with what's been happening in the Mobile Phone arena. Went to Croma yesterday & saw some awesome phones. There was a plethora of phones, the ones that caught my facny were: SE XPERIA MINI/pro, Samsunch Galaxy, HTC, Nokia X7, E7(Like last time around Nokia did not invoke much interest),etc.

Most were Android based, don't know which version, etc. Please guide me through as to which one to buy. Budget is flexible, hovering ~ 20k mark. I can stretch if there's something really exciting.

Not much keen on iPhone 4G as 5G is around the corner.

Main requirements:

-Responsive TS

-Fast interface

-Good looks, not much bulky

-With/wo additional Querty

-Good battery backup

-No software glitches

Thanks in advance!
 
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Finding phones for your requirement and your budget is easy but also confusing. So I will try to recommend only two phones that I believe will suit your requirements and also give you pleasurable experience.

1) Nexus S

Specs - Samsung Google Nexus S I9023 - Full phone specifications

Price -18990

Requirements -

Responsive TS - YES

Fast Interface - YES due to Vanilla Android

Good Looks, not much bulky - YES

Without Qwerty

Battery Backup - Decent (Refer to specs. Also keep in mind that all Android smartphones tend to have only decent battery performance due to OS)

No Software Glitches - YES unless you custom Mod it.

Other Advantages

NFC Chip

First phone to get the next major ICS update

Fast processor rated at 1 Ghz and excellent GPU

Pleasurable music experience thanks to Wolfson DAC

Missing

FM Radio

720P video recording

Gorilla Glass

2) Galaxy S

Specs - Samsung I9000 Galaxy S - Full phone specifications

Price - 19899

Requirements -

Responsive TS - YES

Fast Interface - YES

Good looks, not much bulky - YES

Without Qwerty

Good Battery backup - Decent (Refer to specs. Also keep in mind that all Android smartphones tend to have only decent battery performance due to OS)

No Software Glitches - No

Advantages

Gorilla Glass

Super Amoled Display (Best screen for the money)

FM Radio

Dolby Digital 5.1 sound

Disdvantages

Do not have Vanilla Android

No Faster updates. So might or might not get ICS update.
 
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Galaxy S will absolutely fit your requirement. The reason why I choose Galaxy S or Nexus S is because they have similar hardware. Also Nexus S is google developer phone, so it will get all major updates from google without restriction from manufacturer. So whatever Nexus S gets can be ported to Galaxy S because of similar specs. So that I why I choose those two phones.

Xperia mini and pro are small and in the long run would not be better. Why? With 4 inch screen you have better viewing as compared to 3.2 inch which is small. For extended browsing, watching movies or playing games, atleast 4 inch screen is needed for pleasurable experience.

Nokia X7 is different OS and something that I have not used personally. But from the looks and review, I find it to be quite good. The design is also quite good and looks futuristic. Only reason why I tend to recommend Android towards other OS is because of freedom and options. I do not know if you are into modding, but with android you can custom mod it to make it work to your preference. You can overclock and underclock in turn increasing GPU performance and also update software by yourself. Also you can sideload apps so you have options to download apps from other places and just download it to your phone. Unlike Apple, Windows and Nokia which requires you to buy or download apps officially. But be careful of malware and spyware apps. Also since there is no sync involved, adding music/videos/files have never been easier. With Iphone 4 and WP7 phones it is quite an hassle to load music/videos/files with the software. Also you can use your phone as a personal drive to carry files. The option of third party video and music players which can let you play any files. I play all kind of video files so it is better with Android. Also the quantity and quality of apps.

That is why when asked between Android and other OS, I tend to choose Android. But X7 will also be perfect if anything I mentioned above doesn't seem like a big deal to you.

Remember this, buying Dual core is recommended for future proofing. It also depends on your requirement. If you use your phone for calling, playing music, browsing, watching movies then Galaxy S and Nexus S will last you as long as dual core phones like S2. But if you are interested in using your phone as your only device as camera/camcorder recording at 1080p, gaming machine and something that replaces your laptop then going for S2 is absolutely recommended. So by looking at your requirements I believe Galaxy S and Nexus S will last longer. But in my opinion phones cannot replace laptop due to size so you want something like that then forget about phones and go for a Tablet, which can be even better.
 
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Thanks again, very informative post. Nokia X7 runs on Symbian?

What about New Samy Galaxy & HTC devices?

You are right, more screen estate is always welcome. I just found Xperia Mini very handy & good looking. Let me just add, most probably I will be retaining my iphone 3gs & buy a 2nd phone.

Yes would like to watch movies sometimes & play some games, Apps is also exciting. Definitely free Apps & easy addition of music/files is a great plus in Android devices.

Btw which is the newest Android upgrade, Froyo or something?
 
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Nokia X7 runs on Symbian. Galaxy S is the single core Samsung Galaxy device while the S2 is the dual core Samsung Galaxy device. HTC seems to be expensive and also less in performance compared to Samsung Galaxy S/S2 phones. Gingerbread is the latest Android upgrade with major upgrade "Ice Cream sandwich" (ICS) coming out anytime between October and January.
 
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^^ You can also sideload apps in symbian and add files/music/apps etc directly with no need of any software. Also you can customize Symbian a lot using themes etc and it plays most of the video files including mkv files.
 
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Galaxy S is a fingerprint magnet whereas Nexus S is oleophobic(?). Scores major points in my book. I noticed lag issues with Symbian interface of N8(esp. homescreens flipping). I hope it is fixed with the Anna update
 
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@RS4:

Thank you for letting me know. I did not know until now about Symbian.

@teche:

I apologize for not being clear on Symbian. It seems you can sideload apps/music/videos. But personally Android lets me play even .vob DVD rip files. So I am certain that Android has more video playing capabilities than Symbian. Also quality and quantity of apps.
 
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samsung galaxy s,nexus s, and if you have a 25k budget samsung galaxys2.any other phone you consider will have inferior screen in the price range.touch screen phones with big displays are all about screens.nokia phones will have 360*640 resolution due to symbian limitations.
 
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