What’s the best budget Android to buy ?

he Indian Android market has come down to hit the scene with a new range of budget android smartphones recently & and it sure seems like buyers are loving it, with a couple of them going out-of-stock on flipkart.com & other major retail stores too. Choosing one amongst so many is a pickle. So, right now, the one question on everyone’s mind is, “What’s the best budget Smartphone to go for within a budget of INR 15,000?”

Micromax A110 Canvas 2:

Price: INR 9,999 (approx)

The first thing you notice holding this phone is its texturized back-panel which looks like cheap-plastic but is elastic & lightweight. With Dual-SIM support the phone needed a 2000 mAh battery which did justice to running two SIM cards at a time. But, again you can never expect too much battery out of an Android Smartphone. The FWVGA Capacitive display is fine and vibrant with very dynamic viewing angles, putting out about 196 ppi (which isn’t very great, honestly) but looks just fine and is good value for money. Webpage rendering and HD Video playbacks over the Wi-Fi seemed smooth & responsive to pinch-to-zoom viewing. The phone surprisingly packs a punch with very loud and clear audio output with video and music. The 8MP camera throws a bit of light on the objects which makes clicked pictures look washed-out. It’s paired with a Dual-LED flash & auto-focus which, ironically took a little too much time while focussing on objects making it really easy to miss a good and a perfect  moment.

TLDR: Overall , the phone packs all of what you’d normally expect in a higher-range Android in a budget body, a little performance lags in places intermittently, a less responsive camera & a value for money Droid, for someone with a tight budget.

Micromax A90S:

Price: INR 12,990

When you hold this phone, what hits you is the vibrant and dynamic screen, given it’s a Corning Gorilla Glass SUPER AMOLED 4.3” display with decent 217 ppi which fairs really well. This is again a Dual-SIM phone backed by a 1600 mAh battery which is decent when new but is sure to disappoint over a period of time. The phone is pretty light-weight and easy to hold. The front and the back panels for this device are both glossy, but, the back is not elastic and does not look like a scratch resistant surface you’d probably expect. Micromax has really gone all out to make the UI very feature-packed although it’s a bit laggy at some places and needs fixes. Interestingly, the phone sports a set of Nexus-Style on-screen keys which compliments the screen and does not occupy space while watching a video or full screen web browsing.

TLDR: The phone boasts of a superlative processing power & fits perfectly in your hand compared to the A110. Its brilliant screen, interactive UI and light-weight are noticeably good, and comfortable to use. Though its battery could prove to be a let-down in the long run, we liked this phone!

Karbonn A30:

Price: INR 11,900

 

First impressions with this ICS running, Dual-SIM , 1GHz processor phone was its impractical size, with a 5.9” WVGA display, it’s most certainly going to be a hassle carrying it around in your front pocket. The display has very poor viewing angles and is washed out, given it’s a WVGA which is zilch compared to the displays even on standard phones today. The screen is accompanied by 4 responsive capacitive keys. With an 1800 mAh battery backing up the huge display I’m sure it’s going to be a disappointment, more sooner than later. The box comes with two covers, one standard white plastic back-panel & a leather flip-case both of which seem to be of good quality. The 8MP, face-detection built-in camera is not very appealing and does not bring out the colors in the pictures it takes while the auto-focus & flash accompanying the camera seems to work just fine. HD Video playback is certainly not up to the mark. The phone has a lot of glitches and is laggy at more places than you can imagine.

TLDR: This phablet is an outrageous buy even for its pricing. The screen is too big and doesn’t live up to the standards everyone’s set out there. Karbonn has adorned the UI with a million features but most of them are useless or laggy. Most certainly won’t recommend buying this.

LG Optimus L5 Dual E615:

Price: INR 12,999

The chrome rim around the body definitely enhances its look, this Dual-SIM device running the latest ICS available publicly. The phone is a capacitive 4 incher and has an arguably good screen. Below the screen is a single physical Home button and 2 capacitive buttons. The 5MP is sharp and good for a quick shot with the autofocus and LED flash. The battery is a downer on this phone with a 1540 mAh should be powerful enough to support the phone for a long day of work. The features customized by LG in stock ICS are very impressive- the unlock screen for instance is very distinctive, as are the customizable notification bar & other features. There was little or no lag whatsoever in the UI and is fast when running multiple applications. The small stock keyboard can take some practicing to get used to, but you always have 3rd party ones you can easily download.

TLDR: I love the phone for it’s value for money. LG has taken the effort to put in so many features and custom enhancement over stock ICS to make it a better UI over-all. The Screen is good for its price range and the camera does its job pretty well.

Samsung Galaxy S Duos:

Price: INR 15,000

This ACTIVE-Dual-SIM (both SIM’s running at the same time) phone is very good and is my personal preference in this comparison. With 4.0.4 ICS running stock on a Cortex A5, It delivers a very good user experience. Although, the UI randomly lags sometimes you might need to restart your phone to get away with it. The LCD screen is of a good quality given its pricing with very good viewing angles. The phone has a rigid plastic body and certainly does not look cheap with the Samsung branding and also, resembles the Samsung Galaxy SIII. Samsung’s custom Touch UI running does the job well, but again, as mentioned, is randomly laggy at places. Audio & Video playbacks are good and does not shutter when trying to play HD content. If you’re an impatient web browser, the phone won’t keep up with your fingers and will be slow at places like pinch-to-zoom. The 5MP camera has a LED flash but lacks auto focus (tap-to-autofocus) and takes brilliant pictures outdoors than indoors.

TLDR: With a good camera, sharp screen and relatively good video playback, the phone is a definite purchase for its price, with the Samsung brand name it won’t disappoint you anywhere but the random lags I mentioned.

Sony Xperia Tipo:

Price : INR 8,990

The small, matte finished phone has a very solid build quality and a very compact, minimalist and clean design. It comes in basic white, red, blue & black colors in the box and with a Screen Protector too (truly a budget phone). The small screen is backed by a very good 1500 mAh battery which is bound to give the phone a good battery life. The “Xperia” logo shines below the capacitive buttons while at the back a 3.2 MP fixed focus camera does a decent job and incorporates different features too. There are, obviously a few lags here and there, but overall, I found the custom Timescape UI by Sony very impressive and quick. I also loved the new keyboard with gesture input, certainly helps type easily on a smaller screen. Xperia application on the phone is a handful but the Music Player stand out with its UI, I personally loved it. The HD video playback did give a shutter to my eyes but the Audio is very loud and clear for a phone this size.
TLDR: The small and zippy phone is worth a buy if you’re looking from a non-performance point of view. Will do the job well at Browsing and Audio & wouldn’t be a total disappointment with its pictures with the 3.2 MP camera, considering its price. Don’t worry, Facebook and Whatsapp applications come pre-installed for the lazies.

Verdict :

The best one to go for if your budget can take a little hit , is the Samsung Galaxy S Duos.
I’d be confused to choose between the LG L5 and the Micromax A90S on the second place.
If you’re really low-balling your budget , the Tipo is an ideal purchase .