Best GSM Android Phones in India

[rajanmehta 4,056]

Best Choices in GSM Androids in Indian Market

It has been quite some time since we last compiled the list of best Android devices in India. To make it easier for our readers, we will be dividing our list into three categories – High-end, Mid-range, and Budget Android smartphones.

Currently, there are over 40 Android smartphones available in Indian market with prices ranging from 32K to 6K INR. Now, that is HUGE number and sometimes it is hard to find the best device in a fixed budget. So let's try to make things easy for you.

Best High-End Android Smartphones in India:

Starting from the high-end Android devices, this category has the truly rocking phones with some great specifications. We have included phone with prices between 21,000 and 30,000 INR.

HTC Desire HD: 1 GHz processor with 8 MP camera, 4.3 inch display and Android 2.2 with HTC Sense. Priced around Rs 27,000.

HTC Desire Z: 800 Mhz processor, 5 MP camera, 3.7 inch display and Android 2.2 with HTC Sense. Desire Z has a huge dev community. Priced around Rs 25,500.

Samsung Galaxy S: 1 Ghz processor, 5 MP camera with front facing cam, 4 inch display, and Android 2.2 with Touchwiz. Although it is out of stock at most of the places, we are expecting more stocks with Super Clear LCD in February.

Dell Streak: 1 Ghz processor, 5 MP camera with VGA front facing cam, 5 inch display, Android 2.2 with Stage UI. It may be a little big for some, but you can fine with using headsets more often it is great. Priced around Rs 30,000.

Best Mid-Range Android Smartphones in India:

Coming to mid-range devices, this category might not having rocking specifications like high end phones, but still they are enough in making your Android experience memorable. We have included phones between prices Rs 14,000 and Rs 20,999 in this category.

HTC Desire: 1 Ghz processor, 3.7 inch SLCD display, 5 MP camera and Android 2.2 with HTC Sense. Desire was one of high end phone, but due to price drop is reached in the budget of people looking for mid-range devices. It is priced around Rs 21,000 in the retail market; a little bargain can help.

Motorola Defy: Launched recently; 3.7 inch display, 5 MP, 800 MHz processor, and Android 2.1 [Froyo coming later this year]. Priced around 18,000 INR.

Motorola Milestone: 3.7 inch display, 5 MP camera, 550 Mhz processor, and Android 2.1 [Froyo coming next month]. Priced around 20,000 INR in retail market.

Dell XCD35: Rebranded ZTE Blade, it is a great phone with awesome dev community. 3.5 inch display, 600 Mhz processor, 3 MP camera, and Android 2.1. Priced around 14,500 INR ·

HTC Legend: 3.2 inch display, 600 Mhz processor, 5 MP camera, and Android 2.2 with HTC Sense. Priced around 18,000 in the market.

Best Entry-level Android phones in India:

Coming last to the best Android smartphones for the budget conscious users, we have included best smartphone priced below Rs 12,999.

Huawei Ideos: 2.8 inch capacitive display, 3.2 MP camera, 528 processor, and Android 2.2. Priced around 8K in the market.

LG Optimus One: 3.2 inch display, 600 Mhz processor, 3 MP camera and Android 2.2. Priced around 11,500 INR

Samsung Galaxy 3: Android 2.1 with Touchwiz 3.0, 3.2 inch touchscreen, 3.2 MP camera, and 667 Mhz processor. Priced around 11,000 INR.

Samsung Galaxy 551: 667MHz processor, 3.2-inch display, 3MP camera, and Android 2.2 with Touchwiz. Priced around 12,500 INR.

Source: Androidos

[commonman 228]

I have used both Galaxy 3 and Spice Mi300 and would rate Mi300 above G3.

[taunk23 41]

i am using HTC wildfire, its a bit expensive but its a great handset.

[amitnsonu 72]

rajan sir thodi si jagah hamare wildfire ko bhi do.

itne paise kharch karke bhi hamare phone ka naam yaha nahi, itni be-ijjati ?

just joking ....

but actually I think in mid range phones if dell xcd 35 can have space then wildfire should also be there. I am having very good experience with my wildfire with froyo.

what u say ?

[rajanmehta 4,056]

Friends, this is not my list. The Article was good so put up here so everyone can have an overview.

If you feel a handset is deserving to be in one of the categories, write with some details why you feel so...

This info will be of help for all people looking for Androids in various categories.

[raccoon 53]

IMO, a lot of people who have not compared handsets will write. Many will say they are very happy with their Wildfire (or whatever other handset), but this does not really help a potential buyer as he is looking for the best bang for the buck handset and maybe to fulfill some specific needs.

[rajanmehta 4,056]

NOTE: This Guide misses India's First Android 2.3 Gingerbread HSPA+ Android Olive Smart-VS300 For Rs 20,000... Details Here http://www.rimweb.in...post__p__220277 Do Consider That..

Best Android Phones: February 2011

See which ones are worth your money in every price range

With new Android phones releasing month after month, there can be no definitive way to declare a particular phone to be the best buy for too long. That's why we've made it a monthly habit to keep updating the Best Android phones to buy list, so that potential buyers have one place to seek advice.

Phones under Rs. 10,000

There is a growing number of options in this cost conscious smartphone range, with every manufacturer trying to one-up the other by marginally improving the features. As a rule of the thumb, I'm not even going to consider all those phones with resistive touchscreens, and with good reason. As of now, we declare the newly launched Samsung Galaxy Pop S5570 as the champion of the paisa vasool range.

It's an upgrade to the popular Galaxy 5 i5500 model and it brings about some important changes -- the screen size is bumped up from 2.8 inches to 3.2 inches, although it still has the low QVGA (320 x 240 pixel) resolution. But for the price, we can forgive Samsung of this sin.

The camera resolution is upped from the pitiful 2 megapixel to the not-so-pitiful 3.2 megapixel. It still lacks autofocus and an LED flash; don't expect great photo quality from it.

The most important change is that it runs Android 2.2 Froyo from start, unlike the Galaxy 5 which still runs Android 2.1, with no clear update roadmap in sight. It may not be the most recent Gingerbread (2.3) version, but we still appreciate it running a fairly recent version, given how fast Google churns out OS updates every year.

It still has the i5500's 600 MHz processor, and with the same QVGA resolution and the Froyo performance optimizations, you can expect the User Interface to fly swiftly. Apart from this, the Galaxy Pop also adds a proximity sensor and a compass to the package.

Connectivity is sorted with 3.5G (HSDPA), Wi-fi 802.11n and A-GPS support. It sells for Rs. 9,000 -- the same price that its predecessor was sold at when launched. For the price, we think the Galaxy Pop S5570 is a good package for the Android lover who likes to hold back on splurging hard earned money.

Phones between Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 15,000

Till a few days, the LG Optimus P500 was the undisputed champion of value for money phones for people who want more quality than what the el-cheapo Andros offer. That was until Samsung launched the most tempting mid-range Android phone - the Galaxy Ace S5830 - for just a shade under Rs. 15,000.

While the Optimus P500 is still a decent buy for Rs. 12,500, let us tell you why investing Rs. 2,500 more to buy the Galaxy Ace will repay you aplenty. First -- the screen is bigger at 3.5 inches -- imagine the iPhone's screen size. Second, it comes with a higher resolution 5 megapixel autofocus camera with an LED flash (the P500 doesn't have one). Although both the P500 and the Ace run the same type of processor, the Ace gets a speed bump of 200 MHz which brings the clock speed to 800 MHz.

The Galaxy Ace too runs Android 2.2 out of the box. At a price of Rs. 14,990, it is a tempting buy and gets the upper hand in this spot.

Phones between Rs. 15,000 and 20,000

This range is currently ruled by the one and only champion -- the Motorola DEFY. We had a chance to use this phone intensively, and I walked away impressed. It's a tough nut to crack, thanks to the resistance from water and dust. The screen is protected by Corning's scratch-proof Gorilla glass. It has a bigger 3.7 inch high-resolution (854 x 480 pixel) screen, and yet the phone's body is very petite.

The interface runs pretty smooth thanks to the 800 MHz processor and the PowerVR SGX530 graphics chip. The camera doesn't take stunning pics but they're pretty decent in quality overall.

The call quality and network reception is awesome and the loudspeaker is powerful. The only bottleneck in the DEFY is its Android 2.1 OS, but it is expected to be updated to Version 2.2 in the second quarter of 2011.

At Rs. 18,500, you're getting a good set of add-ons when compared to the pick in the category before.

Phones between Rs. 20,000 and Rs. 30,000

For people willing to invest a good sum into feature-packed Android phones in this price range, we'd ask you to do one thing -- HOLD YOUR PURCHASES! Have we gone nuts? Of course, we're a little nutty all the time. But seriously, the main reason for why we're saying this can be explained in three letters -- MWC, or the Mobile World Congress 2011 that's going to happen next week.

The MWC will have all phone manufacturers launch their latest handsets. Phones like the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc and XPERIA Play and the Samsung Galaxy S2. Then there are phones like the Motorola Atrix 4G or the LG Optimus 2X that have been formally announced and are expected to start selling soon.

What will these monster phones bring to the table? Some will bring dual-core processors and 1080p HD video playback, higher screen resolutions and biometric fingerprint readers. 8 megapixel camera sensors will become a standard, and front-facing video-call cameras, that were a rarity even in the best Android phones till now, will also appear in many of them.

So, when these phones launch in India at that Rs. 30,000 price range, you'll feel like a fool having spend very close to that amount in purchasing a high-end Android phone today. And once these phones land, we can only expect the pricing of current "high-end" phones like the Dell Venue or the HTC Desire HD to go down for the fear of being called outdated, overpriced handsets.

But if you don't really care about all the features we mentioned above, and cannot wait any longer to buy one (maybe even both), then here are our recommendations. Just don't come crying back saying we didn't warn you.

In the under Rs. 25,000 bracket, we find the HTC Desire to be quite a tempting buy. A big S-LCD display with HTC's eye candy Sense UI and it runs Android 2.2 now. The Desire feels nice to hold and has a good build quality. It's got all the features that an avid smartphone user would want, and a Rs. 22,000 price tag that might seem very reasonable to many.

In the Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 30,000 bracket, if you really had to buy one now, we'd put our money on the Dell Venue, since the original Galaxy S isn't selling anymore. The Venue has a couple of pluses over the former; like a body that isn't entirely made of plastic and the 8 megapixel camera with an LED flash. It sells for Rs. 28,000.

Next week is going to be an insane week for mobile phones enthusiasts, and we can't wait to lay our hands on the new Titans that will be launched. But if you want to buy an Android phone today, hope this guide has helped you make a choice.

Source:Techtree

[rohan_4ever20 8]

Rajan Bhai,Again +1 for this Information....

[mgdelhi 192]

I got Dell XCD-35 which is being sold as Orange San Francisco in UK.

I got 3 phones (myself, my wife and a friend) for 99GBP to 110 GBP. Landed cost in India - 8-9k. Excellent phone.

Running Android 2.2 now. Very Happy with it.

Edited February 10, 2011 by mgdelhi

[raccoon 53]

How/where did you get the phones at that price??

[drali 6]

Gr8 info Rajan bhai

[kk999 25]

rajanmehta sir hi

and thank you....+1 for this topic

sir now i going to buy new android mobile budget under 15k.

but i want front face camera for video call also good camera music good sound 3G android 2.2+

samsung htc dell

sir can i go for NO-NOkia C6-01...(off topic)

[rajanmehta 4,056]

Haven't seen Front Camera in Android under 15K.. And not critical feature IMHO for choosing a handset...

Paying hefty video calling bills, 3G Plan Cost & how many of your known ones would possess front camera phones with 3G video calling?.. No Practical value..

Neither would suggest Nokia C6-01... Costs approx 16k... And Symbian Os... NO

If willing to spend that much... Motorola Defy is a good choice in Android for 18k... Details here http://www.rimweb.in...post__p__222118

[FEVIN-RAJ 61]

Guys and Tech Gurus

Am in a deep delema foe tha last 2 days

Having one LG optimus one.

Need a physical qwerty touch screen handset for my wify

Having already a Android handset , not much intersted in the same OS.

Shot listed the following

1.Samsung wave 533 (BADA OS)

pros : VFM handset,

physical qwerty,

capacitive touch screen,

goof battery life in BADA os

cons :

Not much downloadable apps available.

AFAIK its a dying OS,

No processer.

Poor RAM

2.HTC Touch Pro 2 (Win OS)

pros :

Now, our beloved Sadikk bahi has made it much VFM deal(really tempting)

physical qwerty,

3.6 touch screen

Great looks

cons :

Out dated set,

Resistive Screen,

Not much downloadable apps available.

Little Bulky,

no warranty.

I think I have to consider Samsung Galaxy Fit also, But the resolution (240 X 320) backs me

wat to do ...

Now waiting for the Samsung Galaxy Pro

[digitalnirvana 646]

How/where did you get the phones at that price??

http://shop.orange.co.uk/mobile-phones/san-francisco-from-orange-in-grey

99GBP+10GBP talktime

[raccoon 53]

Thanks. But I guess one would need someone in UK to buy it for him, right?

[digitalnirvana 646]

^

Yes.

[sliver1 102]

Very informative......I think Samsung Galaxy SL I9003 is also a good choice...its selling for 19500......all details n specs are here http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i9003_galaxy_sl-3761.php

[rajanmehta 4,056]

Everyone looking for High End Top of the Line GSM Androids Officially in India (Say Budget Above Rs 25,000), Hold on to your purchases for some time...

You Will have wide choice and latest models...

Samsung Galaxy S II Coming in April (Confirmed by Samsung)

HTC Incredible S Rs 27,500 Already reaching stores now..

Sony Ericsson Experia Arc Rs 28,999 2nd Week of April http://www.flipkart....obcv849gznhtk2f

LG Optimus 2x Expected in April Around 32K

And seeing all the above launches within the next month, do we really think Motorola won't join the party and not float ATRIX here in India?

[Greatest 55]

hmmm... worth the wait rajanbhai..

I personally think, the Atrix is better than all of the above...

[rajanmehta 4,056]

HTC Desire S Vs Incredible S Vs Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc Vs Nexus S

Source

India has seen plethora of Android phone launches from HTC, Samsung and Sony Ericsson recently. Hovering in a price band of INR 25,000 to INR 29,000, these smartphone come with similar features. But, what is the real difference in these devices?

We have done a quick specs check to help you in choosing your next Android smartphone.

[shalok 6]

HTC Desire S is now available for 23,749 at Flipkart.com http://www.flipkart.com/htc-desire-s-mobile-mobcx72ykfgvhjnp

and for 23,999.00 at Letsbuy.com http://www.letsbuy.com/htc-mobile-phone-desire-s-p-14840

making it approx. 3,000 cheaper than Incredible S and Nexus S.

[raysmanindi 4]

I had Milestone 853 ,I sold it and got a Milestone XT720.And Milestone XT720 is TOOOOOOOOOOO good. Try it people,and price is around 22000/-

[rajanmehta 4,056]

Best Android Phones in India [April Edition]

Source

It has been two months since we compiled a list of best Android devices available in Indian Market. We have seen lots of product launches in this period and we expect our new list will be a lot different in high end and mid-range segment, while entry level Android choices might still be the same.

Disclaimer: The prices mentioned below are MRPs, online and street prices would be lower.

High-end Android smartphones in India:

LG Optimus 2X: This is the only dual core Android smartphone available in Indian market right now, although Samsung has announced that Galaxy S2 will reach sometime in May, but till then Optimus 2X is your best bet. With company's confirmation regarding the Gingerbread update for the device, this dual core beauty is a must have if you are looking for a performance giant.

Optimus 2X features a 4 inch display, 1 GHz dual core nVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, Android 2.2, 8 MP camera, 512 MB RAM, 8GB internal storage & Expandable external storage of upto 32GB.

MRP: INR 30,000

HTC Desire S: HTC recently started selling Desire S in Indian Market, powered by Gingerbread it is one of the few devices with Android's latest smartphone OS version in the country. Although it does not possess the rocking specs as Optimus 2X, it does come with some pretty decent internals at its price.

HTC Desire S features HTC Sense, 1GHz Snapdragon MSM8255 processor, dual front and back cameras, and 3.7-inch WVGA display.

MRP: INR 25,490

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc: It is an absolute beauty, by far the best Android smartphone in term of the looks. Don't worry, it's not just the looks, it does come with solid internals to give you nice performance.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc features 4.2 inch multi-touch screen, 8.1 MP camera with HD video recording, Android 2.3, 1500mAh battery, and 1 Ghz Qualcomm processor.

MRP: INR 30,000

Nexus S: Manufactured by Samsung in partnership with Google, Nexus S is a great device for anyone who wants to experience true Android. Its software aspects are all as per Google's instructions, so it will always be the first device to receive Android update until the next Nexus phone launches in the market.

Nexus S features Android 2.3, NFC hardware, 1 GHz processor, 5MP rear camera with front VGA cam, 512 MB RAM, 16GB internal memory

MRP: INR 30,400

Other choices in the segment: HTC Incredible S, Samsung Galaxy S, Dell Venue, LG Optimus Black, Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, HTC Desire HD, HTC Desire Z

Mid-Range Android smartphones in India:

Motorola Defy: This rugged Android smartphone from Motorola is one of best mid-range Android smartphone available in India. There is one small catch here in the form of Android version, Motorola ship it with Android 2.1 with FroYo update scheduled for sometime this quarter. But considering the Motorola's record with Android updates, I would not suggest this to anyone who wants latest Android version.

Defy features Android 2.1, 3.7-inch touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, flash and OMAP 3610 chip running at 800MHz.

MRP: INR 18,000

Samsung Galaxy SL: A variant of popular Galaxy S, Galaxy SL leaves out Super AMOLED to sport Super Clear LCD. While the specs are pretty much in line with original Galaxy S, SL comes at a much lower price and is a solid device for anyone looking for best Android smartphone below 20K.

Galaxy SL features TI-OMAP 1GHz processor, 4GB internal memory, 4 inch display, Android 2.2 and 5MP camera.

MRP: INR 19000

Acer Liquid Metal: This Android beauty from Acer is a good value for money and a great option for anyone looking to combine style and performance.

It features 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7230 processor, which is also in HTC Desire Z, 5-megapixel autofocus camera with flash, 720p HD video recording, 3.6-inch display, Dolby Surround sound support, Android 2.2 and DLNA/UPnP media streaming.

MRP: INR 20,000

Samsung Galaxy Ace: Part of recent additions to Samsung's Galaxy series, Galaxy Ace is a decent mid-range Android smartphone. It features Android 2.2 Froyo, 3.5-inch HVGA TFT display, 800MHz processor, 5-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, and 1350 mAh battery.

MRP: INR 15,000

Other devices in the category include HTC Wildfire, HTC Legend, Motorola Milestone, Motorola Flipout, Motorola Backflip, and Acer Liquid.

Entry-level Android smartphones in India:

Samsung Galaxy Pop: Decent performance in affordable price, comes in both GSM as well as CDMA variants. Galaxy Pop features 600 Mhz processor, Android 2.2, 3.14 inch display and 3MP camera

MRP: INR 9000

Samsung Galaxy Fit: Another budget Android smartphone from Samsung, it comes with Android 2.2, 600 MHz processor, 5MP camera and 1350 mAh battery.

MRP: 10,100

Dell XCD35: This ZTE made Android smartphone, which was launched by Dell in India has seen a huge price-drop from INR 18K to 11K today. With a great dev community, this smartphone will give you more than what you would expect.

It features 3.5 inch touchscreen, 3.2 MP camera, Android 2.1, MapmyIndia Maps pre-installed, FM Radio, HSDPA, Wifi, and Bluetooth 2.1 EDR.

MRP: INR 11,500

Huawei Ideos: Featuring a stock Android 2.2 build, this smartphone was developed with clear instructions from Google to take Android to masses. It features 2.8 inch capacitive display, 3.2 MP camera, 528 processor, and Android 2.2.

MRP: INR 8,000

LG Optimus One is another smartphone which deserves a mention here. Priced around INR 10,000, it comes with Froyo pre-installed and will get Gingerbread update soon.

[dkaile 1,051]

^

I think u left the most important one out i.e. the Galaxy S II which is to be available shortly in India (4-6 weeks) at around 30-35K....