Upcoming smartphones under Rs 20k in April 2013

Are you looking to buy a brand new smartphone anytime soon? Then my suggestion would be to wait till the next month as the top global brands have lined up their mid range champs which will be released next month in India.
Believe me the smartphones releasing between Rs 10k to Rs 20k are probably the best handsets with the value for money. And since our country people always love to spend their bucks on the really deserved ones so the big brands are coming up with some real good stuffs with affordable price tags for the Indian Customers.
Here is the list of smartphones under rupees 20,000 price tag which are expected to launch in the next month in the country. I prepared the below list with the information available until today only. I am sure that apart from these phones there will be many other smartphones releasing in the market next month. So I will try to update here whenever i get the information.

1. Smartphones from Nokia between Rs 10k to 20k:
Nokia is currently the top player in the Microsoft’s Windows Phone Os based devices. Company is ramping up its smartphones inventory with beautiful, durable and affordable smartphone running on the latest WP8 platform.
Since India is one of the top consumer hub for the Finnish Giant therefore the Company has scheduled to release its two new smartphones Nokia Lumia 720 and Nokia Lumia 520 next month. Both the smartphones were unleashed in the MWC 2013.
Price of NL 520 is Rs 10,500 and the price of NL 720 is unknown currently. But it is expected to be priced under Rs 20k.

Specs of Nokia Lumia 720

– Windows Phone 8 Os
– 4.3inch WVGA display
– 1 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor
– 512MB RAM, 8GB Internal Storage
– microSD card up to 64GB
– Microsoft Office Hub
– 6.7MP camera, 1.3MP front facing camera with wide-angle lens
– Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, NFC
– 2,000 mAh battery

Specs of Nokia Lumia 520

– Windows Phone 8 Os
– 4″ IPS LCD Display
– 1 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor
– 512MB RAM, 8GB Internal Storage
– microSD card up to 64GB
– Microsoft Office Hub
– GPS, GLONASS and Nokia HERE services
– 5MP camera
– Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0
– 1,430 mAh battery
– Available at flipkart.com for pre order.

2. Smartphones from Sony under Rs 20k:


India was one of the few countries to receive the Sony’s 2013 flagship model Xperia Z pretty soon. But this 5 inch beast comes under premium price range and costs like hell (nearly Rs 38k). So the company has introduced a smartphone with similar properties of the Xperia Z i.e, elegant design and beautiful looks.
USP of Xperia L is its 8MP primary camera which is integrated with Exmor RS sensor supporting HDR photos and 720p HD video recording. Inline with NL 720 even the Xperia L has a 4.3 inch LCD touch display but running on the android Jelly Bean platform. One can buy this handy smartphone for Rs 19k (expected price tag) in the April last week.

Specs of Sony Xperia L

– Android V4.1.2 operating system
– 4.3″ Capacitive touchscreen display with Scrath resistant glass
– 8 megapixel camera with Exmor RS sensor, HDR photo & 720p HD video recording capability
– 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory
– expandable upto 32GB
– 1GHz dual-core processor Snapdragon S4
– NFC, micro USB, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0, GPS
– 1,700mAh

3. Smartphones from HTC under Rs 20k:
The Taiwanese cell phone maker is currently facing the bad time as its shares are falling like they did once to Nokia. But nonetheless HTC is one such brand which provides good quality smartphones both software-wise and hardware-wise.
After the grand launch of the super grand smartphone the all new HTC One now the company has turned its head towards providing an affordable handset for emerging markets like China and India.

HTC E1 is the latest smartphone from HTC running on the android v4.1 platform with HTC Sense 4+ UI which is one of the best user interface I have seen (better than TouchWiz for sure).
The 4.3 inch smartphone is perfectly placed to compete with the Xperia L and NL 720. If specs and prices are to be compared between the three then HTC E1 has the upper hand as the 1.2GHz dual core smartphone is expected to be priced under Rs 16K. Looks are similar to HTC One X.

Specs of HTC E1 Dual SIM smartphone
– Android V4.1.1 operating system
– 4.3″ Super LCD2 Capacitive touchscreen display
– 5 megapixel camera with 720p HD recording and 2.1MP front camera
– 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory
– Micro SD support
– 1.2GHz dual-core processor
– NFC, micro USB, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0, GPS, HDMI, 4G, dual SIM
– 2,100mAh

Update: 05/April/2013
This week the Taiwanese smartphone maker has launched two new handsets under its Desire series i.e. Desire P and Desire Q. Currently they are officially unveiled in the home country, Taiwan.
The Desire P is priced around NT$10,900 (Rs 20k, US $365) and the Desire Q costs NT $6,990 (Rs 12,750, US $234). It is expected that these phones will be released soon in India and other parts of the world.

Specs of HTC Desire P

– Android 4.0 ICS operating system
– 4.3-inch Super LCD2 touch screen display
– 8 MP rear camera with LED flash and BSI Sensor
– 768MB RAM, 4GB internal memory
– Micro SD support
– 1 GHz Cortex-A5, Dual Core processor
– Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.0, 3.5mm, GPS
– Li Ion 1620 mAh battery

Specs of HTC Desire Q
– Android 4.0 ICS operating system
– 4-inch touch screen display
– 5-MP rear camera with LED flash
– 512MB RAM, 4GB internal memory
– Micro SD support
– 1 GHz, Single Core processor
– Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.0, 3.5mm, GPS
– Li Ion 1650 mAh battery

4. Smartphones from Samsung under Rs 20k:
To give a tough competition to all the budget smartphones, the Korean giant has also announced series of mid range phones under its Galaxy series. The list includes Galaxy win, Galaxy Trend 2, Galaxy Trend Duos 2, Galaxy Star and Galaxy Pocket Neo.

Specs of Samsung Galaxy Win
Samsung Galaxy Win features 1.2GHz quad core processor, Adreno 203 GPU, a 4.7-inch WVGA TFT display with 199ppi, android 4.1 JellyBean, 5MP rear camera and 0.3MP front camera. On the connectivity front, it includes Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth v3.0 and GPS. Currently there is no much information on memory segment of the device.

– Android 4.1 JB operating system
– 4.7- inch WVGA TFT display
– 5-MP rear camera and VGA front camera
– 1.2GHz quad-core Cortex A15
– Adreno 203 GPU
– Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v3.0, GPS
– Single SIM Slot
– 2000mAh battery
– Expected price $250 (Rs 13,710)

Specs of Samsung Galaxy Trend II & Galaxy Trend II Duos
Galaxy Trend II and Galaxy Trend Duos II have similar specifications. Both the device features a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 4- inch WVGA display, Android 4.1 JellyBean, 3 MP rear camera. The additional feature of these device include Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth v 3.0, microSD card and packed with a battery capacity of 1,500 mAh. The two device differs in SIM Slot support. Trend 2 is equipped with a single SIM slot while the Trend Duos 2 comes with dual-SIM support.

– Android 4.1 JB operating system
– 4 WVGA display with 233ppi
– 3-MP rear camera
– 1.2GHz dual-core processor
– Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v3.0
– Single SIM Slot (Galaxy Trend II)
– Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) with dual standby (Galaxy Trend II Duos)
– 1,500 mAh battery
– Price : Unknown

The two other new smartphones under the economical price segment are Galaxy Star and Galaxy Pocket Neo. Currently there is no official information on the price and availability of the handsets but it is expected to cost below Rs 12k (EUR 150) and releasing by this month end.

Specs of Samsung Galaxy Star s5280
– Android 4.1.2 JB operating system, TouchWiz UI
– 3 inch QVGA TFT LCD
– Display resolution of 240 x 320 pixels with ~133 ppi
– 2-MP rear camera, No front camera
– 1 GHz Processor
– 512MB RAM, 4GB internal memory
– 32GB microSD card slot
– Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.0, 3.5mm, microUSB
– Dual SIM support
– Li Ion 1200 mAh battery
– Price : Expected under Rs 12,000

Specs of Samsung Galaxy Pocket Neo S5310
– Android 4.1.2 JB operating system, TouchWiz UI
– 3 inch QVGA TFT LCD
– Display resolution of 240 x 320 pixels with ~133 ppi
– 2-MP rear camera, No front camera
– 850 MHz Processor
– 512MB RAM, 4GB internal memory
– 32GB microSD card slot
– Dual SIM support
– Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.0, 3.5mm, microUSB, 3G, GPS with GLONASS
– Li Ion 1200 mAh battery
– Price : Expected under Rs 12,000

Tags: , , , ,

List of Smartphones powered by Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064) processor

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 “Pro” (APQ8064) processor was announced in the MWC 2012 last year. It is the optimized version of the Snapdragon™ S4 MSM8960 processor. The SD S4 Pro has a powerful Adreno 320 graphics processor unit which supports higher resolution displays and provides superior experience in the Web browsing, 3D Games and other graphics applications.

Now the semiconductor company has introduced a new set of kraits named as Snapdragon 200, 400, 600 and 800 where SD 800 is the superior of all.
There are couple of smartphones with this new set of processors which are already announced in the market. HTC One features the mid range SD 600 processor where as the ZTE Grand Memo will be the first handset to feature the powerful SD 800 processor.

Currently there are five smartphones which are running on the older Snapdragon S4 Pro processor.

1. Sony Xperia Z:

Sony’s 2013 flaghip model the Xperia Z is a 5 inch Full HD android Jelly bean smartphone powered by the 1.5GHz SD S4 Pro Quad core processor. The handset comes with 2GB RAM to handle multiple applications and has a 16GB of internal storage expandable upto 32GB.
Xperia Z’s USP is its water proof and dust proof features which its rival doesn’t have. The device has a 13MP rear camera and a 2330mAh battery. Yesterday Sony unveiled the Xperia Z in Indian Market for Rs 38,990. The handset will be available in stores starting from March 12th.

2. Sony Xperia ZL:

Similar in specs when compared to Xperia Z with minor differences like Xperia ZL is not Water/Dust proof, slightly better battery of 2370mAh capacity, Compact in size, front camera only 2MP, Infrared port and an external storage expandable upto 64GB.
Xperia ZL will be releasing only in few countries in the world. In India it is expected to be released in the last week of March with comparatively lesser price tag than Xperia Z.

3. HTC Butterfly:

 

Another 5 Inch android phablet with Full HD display of resolution 1080 x 1920 pixels and 440PPi. HTC Butterfly (aka Droid DNA) is the costliest smartphone released until now from the company. The handset is designed elegantly and looks a definite head turner.
HTC Butterfly is powered 1.5GHz Qualcomm SD S4 Pro quad core processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal memory which can be further expanded via micro SD Card slot upto 32GB. But the limitation of this smartphone is its poor battery capacity which is just 2020mAh.
Now that HTC One is also pushed into the market only coming days can tell till how many days this beast survives.
Currently the smartphone is available around Rs 44,900 in the country.

4. LG Optimus G:

LG Optimus G smartphone sports a 4.7-inch HD IPS display of resolution 1280 x 768 pixels. The display unit comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 2 protection. Optimus G is powered by 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro and Adreno 320 graphics processor unit clocked at 400 MHz. It runs on the Google’s android 4.1 Jelly Bean and has a decent battery of capacity 2100mAh. This device has received good critics/reviews when compared to Samsung Galaxy S3.
The smartphone was officially released in the last week of Feb in India. Currently Optimus G is selling around Rs 30,990.

5. LG Google Nexus 4:

Google in collaboration with LG released the Nexus 4 in the mid of last year. It sports a 4.7″ True HD display of resolution of 768 x 1280 pixels with 318ppi.
The handset comes with the latest Android v4.2 JB Os and is powered by the 1.5GHz APQ8064 Snapdragon 4 core processor with 2GB RAM support. The phone ships in 8GB or 16GB variants and doesn’t support external memory slot.
Battery capacity of Nexus 4 is 2100mAh and one can currently buy it from Online retail storesstarting from Rs 25K in India.

Tags: ,

Nokia Lumia 920 vs HTC Windows Phone 8X

HTC Windows Phone 8X and Nokia Lumia 920 are currently the top two WP8 smartphones released this year. Both the handsets are powerful, beautiful and are built for different audience. HTC 8X is a thinner and slick device where as Lumia 920 is bit thicker and wider device. Below is the brief comparison of the features of both the handsets which can be helpful for the people who are bit confused on which one to buy.

Os:
HTC Windows 8X and Lumia 920 are running on the latest Windows Phone 8 Os from the Microsoft. WP8 is the second generation of the WP Os as the apps running on the WP 7. X are not compatible with the WP8 and vice versa. Major advantages of WP8 Os is it supports multicore Cpu’s, high resolution displays, microSD support, security components, NFC capability where you can transfer the data not only with a WP device but even with a Windows 8 desktop or tablet.

System:
As the WP8 supports multitasking, both the devices are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon dual core 1.5Ghz processors. Which means more or less they perform with same speed. Integrated with 1GB RAM which would be sufficient to open multiple apps at a time. Both the handsets has Adreno 225 as the GPU. Windows Phone 8X has 16GB in-built memory and Lumia 920 has the double i.e, 32GB internal storage. Both the handsets doesn’t have the microSD card slot for memory expansion.

Display:
The 8X has a 4.3 inch Super LCD2 touchscreen with 720 x 1280 pixel resolution where as Lumia 920 has a bit longer screen size of 4.7 inch TFT LCD type display with 1280 x 768 pixel resolution which makes it a wider phone compared to the HTC 8X. Display’s of both the devices are protected from Gorilla Glass for scratch and damage resistance.

Camera:
Both the handsets feature an 8MP rear camera with 1080p video recording. HTC 8X has a single LED flash with touch focus where as the Lumia 920 has a dula led flash with auto focus. Nokia’s PureView technology is used in Lumia 920 camera which gives an extra edge over anyother smartphone.
HTC 8X has a 2.1MP front facing camera and Lumia 920 has a 1.3MP camera at the front for video chatting.

More:
HTC 8X has comparatively a lower capacity battery of 1800mAH than Lumia 920 which has a 2000mAH battery. The 8X supports beats audio which can be an advantage compared to the Lumia 920 which has no exclusive technology in the Music section. Both the devices are integrated with GPS for navigation, supports NFC, Bluetooth v3.1, USB 2.0, 3G & 2G and Wifi in the connectivity section.

Looking at the above mentioned specs and features one can decide wisely which one to go. For me both the handsets looks almost the same but somewhere Nokia Lumia 920 wins the comparision, be it in looks or in the camera.
HTC Windows Phone 8X is released in India and cost around Rs 35000, Nokia Lumia 920 is available in some markets but it is scheduled to be released in India perhaps in Jan 2013 and the expected price of the handset would be around Rs 32000.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Official: Jelly Bean update for HTC One X and HTC One S by October end

“The Android Jelly Bean with HTC Sense 4+ update is scheduled to begin rolling out for the HTC One S and HTC One X from October,” 
This is the latest statement HTC has officially announced. It means both the HTC One X and HTC One S phones will get the latest version Android 4.1 update by this month end. The company hasn’t mentioned any specific release date of the update yet.
It was in June the company had officially announced about supporting the upgrade to some of its Android ICS smartphones. So it is also expected that the Android 4.1 update will follow for some of its other mid range smartphones.
Still there is no news on when this update will be rolled out in India but looking at the HTC’s Indian market share and customer’s enthusiasm perhaps this update will be rolled out during the same period.

Another good news for Indian customers, HTC has slashed the price of some of its Android smartphones in India including its flagship smartphone Htc One X. As of October the updated price of HTC One X and One S are Rs 35000 and Rs 28700 respectively.

Tags: , , ,

HTC One S Officially launched in India for Rs 33,590

HTC launches the HTC One S officially in India for Rs 33590. Some of the Indian online retail storeshad already started to sell the smartphone last week for a price of Rs 33k.
Currently, HTC offers One X for about Rs. 37k and One V for Rs. 17k approximately.

Quick glance on the features of HTC One S android smartphone:
– Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 1.7GHz Dual-Core
– Os: Google™ Android™ v4.0 (IceCream Sandwich) with HTC Sense 4.0 UI
– GPU: Adreno 225
– RAM: 1GB, Internal Memory Storage: 16GB
– No microSD card slot
– MicroSIM only
– 4.3″ Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with multitouch
– Screen Size: 540 x 960 pixels with 16M colors
– Protection: Corning® Gorilla® Glass
– 8 MP rear camera with LED flash and autofocus
– HTC ImageSense allows Simultaneous HD video recording and image capturing
– Front Camera: Yes, VGA
– Connectivity: 3.5mm, MicroUSB, Bluetooth v4.0, Wifi: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n, GPS, HDMI
– DLNA certified
– Supports 2G and 3G Networks
– Sensors: G-Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Light Sensor, Accelerometer
– Lithium Polymer battery of capacity 1650mAh
– Weight: 119g

Tags: , , , ,