Android runs on 4 out of every 5 smartphones sold. This fact can be greatly attributed to Android being available for all kinds of budgets. Prior to Android, it was ridiculous to even think of getting a smartphone for Rs. 5000. These days, we have some decent ones up for sale priced as low as less than Rs. 3000 ($50). In this post, we shall look at the current options you have and filter them out to present the best ones.
If you are brand conscious and don’t want to sport a locally branded phone, Galaxy Star S5282 will probably be your best choice. Galaxy Star can be thought of as the successor to Galaxy Y. It runs on the relatively newer Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, powered by a 1 GHz single core processor and 512 MB of RAM which should be enough to do basic multi-tasking operations smoothly.
Other features of the phone include 4 GB of internal memory which should be enough for installing quite a lot of apps, a 2 MP rear camera and 1200 mAh battery which, according to the company, gives a talktime of around 14 hrs. Connectivity options include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G and GPS, which is pretty much all we expect from a phone at this price point.
The phone has earned a 3.9 star rating, which is slightly on the lower side but people seem to get carried away by what they get from other local brands at the same price point. We can’t expect a Samsung phone to have the same features at the same price.
Sorry if you find me favoring it a bit more, I perceived this phone as the best option at this price point, that’s why it lured me into preferring it over the others. I haven’t even once resented my decision of investing my money in this device, as has been made clear in our review of the A12+.
The device packs some of the best specifications present at this cost. The notable ones include a 5 MP primary camera, 2 MP front camera, 4 inch WVGA screen, 1.3 GHz dual core processor, 512 MB RAM, Mali 400MP GPU, 3G support and all this hardware makes sure that Android 4.2 Jelly Bean runs without any problem on this beautiful device. The looks might resemble that of a Lumia or a Xperia, but we pardon Karbonn for not being original as long as the device performs as it is expected to be, and till now, it has been doing a fair job. Moreover, Flipkart buyers have rated this device a handsome 4.2 stars out of 5, which speaks of their satisfaction.
This phone is selling for about a hundred bucks more than the upper limit we have set for this article, but it is quite worth it. Bolt A67 runs Android 4.0 ICS using a 1 GHz Cortex A5 dual core processor and 512 MB of RAM. The 4 GB of internal storage makes sure that you wont’ be hit by the Internal storage is low warning message. A modest 2 MP camera is present at the rear side of the phone while a VGA camera at the front will make it possible to Skype and Video chat on the device itself.
The 4.5 inch screen size is a good one that sits nicely between the too big 5 inch and too small 4 inch sizes. The screen has FWVGA resolution which means that 854x480 pixels will work in tendom to display content on the screen. Apart from this, the phone has all the basic connectivity options except 3G, which can rightly be a deal-breaker for some.
Micromax, for sure, is a more trusted brand than other local Indian brands these days, which speaks for the slightly beefed up price tag of the Bolt A67.
If it hadn’t been for the low 256 MB of RAM, this phone would’ve showcased the best value for money factor in this lot. RAM aside, the Videocon A24 is powered by a 1.2 GHz dual core processor. The 4 inch display will produce crisp images with its 480x800 resolution. On the camera front, we get a 3.2 MP camera at the back while a 0.3 MP camera at the front side.
The internal memory, too, is on the lower side – 512 MB to be precise. 1250 mAh battery is probably not too much, but the official specs lead us to believe that this battery will give a talktime of upto 4 hrs. On the connectivity front, this phone also skips 3G and has almost every other connectivity options viz. Wi-FI, EDGE, Bluetooth etc.
Other than the single big disadvantage that the Lenovo A269i runs on the ancient Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system, this phone has two major advantages over most phones in this list. For one, Lenovo is a more reputed brand than every other brand, except Samsung. Also, the acquisition of Motorola Mobility will only do more good to Lenovo in boosting its reputation and trust. The other one is that this phone has both a dual core processor and 3G support, a combination present only in Karbonn A12+ in this list.
Though this phone also has just 256 MB of RAM, Gingerbread consumes much less memory than Jelly Bean, and thus should not face frequent lagging problems. This phone earns a magnificent 4.6 star rating out of 5 from Flipkart users, which depicts the public’s approval of the budget Android device.
Conclusion:
If you were to ask me which phone I would go for for this budget, I would go for Karbonn A12+ yet again, without hesitating for a second. This phone hasn’t disappointed me in the 3 months or so I’ve used it till now. I can’t vouch for other phones whether their performance in real world will be as good as they sound on paper.
So, this was it. We hope you find one of these smartphones intriguing enough. Best of luck with your new Android smartphone. If you ever feel bored with your Android device, don’t feel scared in going adventurous and rooting it, to make sure your device works exactly the way you want it to be by controlling even the most miniscule elements of the operating system.
Droidiser Recommends: 5 Android Smartphones to buy with Rs. 5,000 in your pocket
1. Samsung Galaxy Star S5282 (Rs. 4399)
If you are brand conscious and don’t want to sport a locally branded phone, Galaxy Star S5282 will probably be your best choice. Galaxy Star can be thought of as the successor to Galaxy Y. It runs on the relatively newer Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, powered by a 1 GHz single core processor and 512 MB of RAM which should be enough to do basic multi-tasking operations smoothly.Other features of the phone include 4 GB of internal memory which should be enough for installing quite a lot of apps, a 2 MP rear camera and 1200 mAh battery which, according to the company, gives a talktime of around 14 hrs. Connectivity options include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G and GPS, which is pretty much all we expect from a phone at this price point.
The phone has earned a 3.9 star rating, which is slightly on the lower side but people seem to get carried away by what they get from other local brands at the same price point. We can’t expect a Samsung phone to have the same features at the same price.
2. Karbonn A12+ (Rs. 4899)
Sorry if you find me favoring it a bit more, I perceived this phone as the best option at this price point, that’s why it lured me into preferring it over the others. I haven’t even once resented my decision of investing my money in this device, as has been made clear in our review of the A12+.The device packs some of the best specifications present at this cost. The notable ones include a 5 MP primary camera, 2 MP front camera, 4 inch WVGA screen, 1.3 GHz dual core processor, 512 MB RAM, Mali 400MP GPU, 3G support and all this hardware makes sure that Android 4.2 Jelly Bean runs without any problem on this beautiful device. The looks might resemble that of a Lumia or a Xperia, but we pardon Karbonn for not being original as long as the device performs as it is expected to be, and till now, it has been doing a fair job. Moreover, Flipkart buyers have rated this device a handsome 4.2 stars out of 5, which speaks of their satisfaction.
3.Micromax A67 Bolt (Rs. 5125)
This phone is selling for about a hundred bucks more than the upper limit we have set for this article, but it is quite worth it. Bolt A67 runs Android 4.0 ICS using a 1 GHz Cortex A5 dual core processor and 512 MB of RAM. The 4 GB of internal storage makes sure that you wont’ be hit by the Internal storage is low warning message. A modest 2 MP camera is present at the rear side of the phone while a VGA camera at the front will make it possible to Skype and Video chat on the device itself.The 4.5 inch screen size is a good one that sits nicely between the too big 5 inch and too small 4 inch sizes. The screen has FWVGA resolution which means that 854x480 pixels will work in tendom to display content on the screen. Apart from this, the phone has all the basic connectivity options except 3G, which can rightly be a deal-breaker for some.
Micromax, for sure, is a more trusted brand than other local Indian brands these days, which speaks for the slightly beefed up price tag of the Bolt A67.
4. Videocon A24 (Rs. 4098)
If it hadn’t been for the low 256 MB of RAM, this phone would’ve showcased the best value for money factor in this lot. RAM aside, the Videocon A24 is powered by a 1.2 GHz dual core processor. The 4 inch display will produce crisp images with its 480x800 resolution. On the camera front, we get a 3.2 MP camera at the back while a 0.3 MP camera at the front side.The internal memory, too, is on the lower side – 512 MB to be precise. 1250 mAh battery is probably not too much, but the official specs lead us to believe that this battery will give a talktime of upto 4 hrs. On the connectivity front, this phone also skips 3G and has almost every other connectivity options viz. Wi-FI, EDGE, Bluetooth etc.
5. Lenovo A269i (Rs. 3999)
Other than the single big disadvantage that the Lenovo A269i runs on the ancient Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system, this phone has two major advantages over most phones in this list. For one, Lenovo is a more reputed brand than every other brand, except Samsung. Also, the acquisition of Motorola Mobility will only do more good to Lenovo in boosting its reputation and trust. The other one is that this phone has both a dual core processor and 3G support, a combination present only in Karbonn A12+ in this list.Though this phone also has just 256 MB of RAM, Gingerbread consumes much less memory than Jelly Bean, and thus should not face frequent lagging problems. This phone earns a magnificent 4.6 star rating out of 5 from Flipkart users, which depicts the public’s approval of the budget Android device.
Conclusion:
If you were to ask me which phone I would go for for this budget, I would go for Karbonn A12+ yet again, without hesitating for a second. This phone hasn’t disappointed me in the 3 months or so I’ve used it till now. I can’t vouch for other phones whether their performance in real world will be as good as they sound on paper.
So, this was it. We hope you find one of these smartphones intriguing enough. Best of luck with your new Android smartphone. If you ever feel bored with your Android device, don’t feel scared in going adventurous and rooting it, to make sure your device works exactly the way you want it to be by controlling even the most miniscule elements of the operating system.
