Smartphones have become an essential part of urban life. Gone are the days when phones were used for making calls, sending text messages and playing snake-ladder kind of games. Now a phone is used for checking mails, getting connected to the world through social networks, play music/ video, take pictures, getting weather updates, track daily activities and what not.
Impressively, there are a plethora of choices available in the market to choose from. Available across a wide range of price bracket, it's hard to choose a particular smartphone which may serve you perfectly according to your needs.
Here's our pick from the bunch of best available phones under Rs. 25,000.
Moto G 2nd Generation (Rs. 12,999)
Modifying the first generation G smartphones of Motorola Mobile, the Moto G 2nd generation features a 5-inch screen, 8MP camera, MicroSD card support to make it more versatile than ever.
Though it uses a similar processor and RAM featured in the previous generation, this Moto G performs almost similar or better than several smartphones priced much higher than this.
Moto X 1st Generation (Rs. 16,174)
Released last year, the Moto X caters to the sub-Rs. 20,000 smartphone market in the country. The ground breaking success of this handset compelled Motorola to bring a more powerful 2nd generation smartphone of similar model. Following the demand among the consumers, India exclusive seller Flipkart is selling both the versions till date. While the latest generation costs above Rs. 30,000, the Moto X 1st generation is still one of the most in demand smartphone across India.
Powered by Android Kitkat 4.4.4 the Moto X 1st generation features a dual-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC along with a 10MP rear camera. Boasting a 4.7-inch 720p AMOLED screen, Moto X 1st generation couples decent battery life too.
OnePlus One (Rs. 22000)
Currently facing a temporary sale ban in the country, the OnePlus One is one of the most in demand Android smartphone around the world. Though it's difficult to buy due to OnePlus's weird invitation only selling process, the One offers amazing hardware specification in its price bracket. The already sold version features a Cyanogen modified Android OS, CyanogenMod 11s but the future models may feature a different OS version of Android. OnePlus has already confirmed that it is working on a revamped version of Android 5.0 Lollipop and is expected to be as popular as before once it becomes available through their exclusive seller Amazon.
HTC Desire 816/ 816G (Rs. 17,549)
Following the decent response to HTC Desire 816, HTC Corporation brought another smartphone named HTC Desire 816G. Both the smartphones boast similar screen size, camera sensor and internal storage capacity but differ in Processor, RAM and SIM specifications. While the Desire 816 features a single SIM on the device, the 816G features two SIM slots. But the Desire 816 is slightly ahead as it features 1.5GB RAM instead of 1GB and 1.6GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SoC instead of similar modelled SoC with less clock speed of 1.3GHz. The Desire 816 also supports up to 128GB of MicroSD cards while the 816G supports cards up to 32GB.
So if you want a smartphone with dual SIM slot, go for Desire 816G and if you prefer a more powerful one, buy HTC Desire 816.
Sony Xperia M2 Dual (Rs. 15,299)
The Sony designed smartphone is similar to HTC Desire 816, though it features half a GB of less RAM. The Sony Xperia M2 Dual is basically a premium looking smartphone with mid budget price (within Rs. 15,000) and average specification. The Xperia M2 Dual features 8GB of memory on board and features a 8MP rear camera and a 4.8-inch qHD (540x960) screen.
The Sony Xperia M2 Dual is a perfect choice for them who want a better looking and more powerful smartphone than Moto G.
Lenovo Vibe X2 (Rs. 19,990)
Focused towards the young crowds the Lenovo Vibe X2 has been crafted in triple layers and features 3 colours on the bezel. The Dual SIM Vibe X2 supports 4G networks while sporting Android Kitkat 4.4 as operating system with a Lenovo designed UI over it.
Lenovo has cleverly chosen the specifications, which makes the vibe x2 comparable to several flagship smartphones. Sporting a 5-inch full HD display with 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution, the Vibe X2 features a MediaTek 6595m True octa-core processor clocked at 2.0GHz and integrates 4G LTE capability. Vibe X2 also comes with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory.
Powered by a 2300 mAh battery, the Vibe X2 is also coupled with a 13MP rear and a 5MP front camera.
Micosoft Lumia 1320 (Rs. 24,996)
Itis a well designed budget phablet with 6-inch monstrous screen from Nokia. Boasting a huge 6-inch LCD capacitive touchscreen, the Lumia 1320 features a 1.7 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Dual Core Processor, 1GB RAM and 8GB of ROM memory. The 6-inch 720p IPS display pairs the well acclaimed clear black feature and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The device also pairs 5MP primary camera along with 64GB additional memory expandability.
Huawei Honor 6 H60-L04 (Rs. 17,999)
The Huawei Honor 6 is a fantastic and desirable under Rs. 20,000 smartphone with great hardware specification and a decent built. Honor 6, a 3G only smartphone sports a 5-inch Full HD display with 1.7GHz octa-core processor with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of ROM memory. It also features a 13MP rear and a 5MP front camera for fulfilling the photography requirements.
The Android Kitkat 4.4 based device has been powered with a 3000 mAh battery and is expected to receive Android 5.0 Lollipop update by the beginning of 2015.
Samsung Note 3 Neo (Rs. 21,908)
Though Galaxy Note 4 comes among the top 5 devices released this year, the price makes it affordable to the premium customers only. The Note 3 cost is also on a little steeper side, so our suggestion for the budget category customers is to go for Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo. The 5.7-inch screened device features 720p display, 1.6GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM memory with additional extension support of 64GB through MicroSD card slot.
The Note 3 Neo also couples an 8MP camera with image stabilization, panorama, LED flash and autofocus and a 2MP camera for selfie and video calling. The 3G enabled handset comes with a 3100 mAh battery and the Samsung made multi-utility Note stylus.
Google Nexus 5 (Rs. 22000)
Google Nexus 5 is undoubtedly one of the best designed smartphones by LG. Coupling the power of Google's stock edition, Google Nexus 5 is a killer value-for-money smartphone.
Google Nexus 5 is one of the few smartphones to receive the Android 5.0.1 OTA update. The Nexus 5 features a 4.95-inch 1080p IPS screen, 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC, 2GB RAM, 16GB on-board memory and 8MP primary camera. Though Google hasn't announced any single price-cut till date, the Nexus 5 is available on eBay, Amazon and Flipkart for some impressive deals.
P.S.- The prices quoted are the best available online prices at the time of filing this story. Readers are requested to check the actual price online/ offline while buying the actual product.
