15k. Android. Note4G v. Zenfone v. Zenfone 2.

1. Budget?
Around 15k (+-2 if worth it). Though would not mind saving a couple of grands either.

2. Display type and size?
Guess they don't make small screens anymore, do they?

3. Dual sim?
Doesn't really matter.

4. Preferred choice of brand?
HATE THESE: SAMSUNG, LAVA, MMX, etc.

5. What camera option you want (flash, front facing camera)?
Must have a good camera - both the primary and secondary.

6. Preferred operating system? (Android, iOS, Windows Phone, etc).
Android.

7. Preferred connectivity options (3G, 4G ready).
Doesn't matter much.

8. Primary use of handset (multimedia, camera, internet, gaming etc)?
Internet, Texting, Calling, Clicking Photographs, Light Gaming (2048, Daddy was a thief kind of games. Perhaps Asphalt too.)

9. Any specific mobile phones in consideration?
Considering Zenfone, Zenfone 2 and Mi Note 4G.

10. Any other info that you want to share

My current Xperia L has completely stopped working. Except for a couple of simple tasks, I'm unable to do anything (which includes inability to call). Hence, I am a bit impatient in getting a new phone. Other than what is stated (including camera), I expect good battery life, good looks and stability/reliability (current phone hangs and lags a lot - not tolerable).

So here's the confusion:

Zenfone looks good, but then so does Zenfone 2 and Note 4G.

The downside of Zenfone 2 is the two weeks' wait. I'm not sure if it would be worth it. What do you think? Especially considering the fact that there is no official information about the price, I'm not even sure if it would fall in my budget. The 4GB variant would obviously not. And what if the device isn't as good, I would waste the two weeks AND lose the choice of getting a trusted/tested device.
The downside of Zenfone seems to be poor battery and the fact that it's going to be "outdated" in a couple of weeks. But then, it's readily available and is 5k cheaper than original budget.
I cannot seem to find any downside of Note 4G other than poor ASS. The specs appear very similar to, if not better than, the Zenfone 2. Considering the price difference here, even this makes sense.

Not considering Moto G2 - too ugly.

EDIT: I might even consider Windows, but I don't think it has some of primary apps I require: Call Recorder, Spy Cam. Does it?

Note 4G as in Redmi Note 4G ? Asus would be a more reliable brand i suppose.

mitraark said:
Note 4G as in Redmi Note 4G ? Asus would be a more reliable brand i suppose.

Redmi Note 4G indeed.
The specs, particularly camera, is better on Note 4G.

I do not trust Xiaomi any more than Micromax, when you're selling phones at such low prices, you bound to go for cost reduction in any way possible, hence, lower quality parts ( not "BAD", just, lower quality ) which might, i said might, not last as long as more costlier phones.

Note 4G is better than Zenphone is all terms, have them both in my vicinity so can say that. Don't even dare to compare the camera.

The only thing in which Zenphone edges Note 4G is looks.

K

mitraark said:
I do not trust Xiaomi any more than Micromax, when you're selling phones at such low prices, you bound to go for cost reduction in any way possible, hence, lower quality parts ( not "BAD", just, lower quality ) which might, i said might, not last as long as more costlier phones.

Yeah Totally agreed!!! I have been saying the same thing about MMX,Xiaomi,Huawei,ZTE,Alcatel etc for a while now
People dont see the whole picture when buying a phone,only specs

@ op I highly suggest Moto G 2014,Lumia 730,Lumia 640 and 640XL(coming in 2-3 weeks),Zenfone 2(also coming in 2-3 weeks),One Plus One(if you can increase budget,dont worry about quality etc,OPO is an exception amongst Chinese OEMs like Xiaomi etc and offers top notch quality),HTC Desire 820(if you can extend)

^^Sorry if I included too many choices/choices for 20k as well
Just thought Id give you a list of VFM,Safe buys under 20k depending on preference,budget etc
Hope I helped

Note- About Windows Phone,WP is a great OS and within 25k,Lumia's(Carl Zeiss and Pureview Phones) camera and battery are unmatched and After sales etc are cheaper in comparison and readily available
Regarding apps,It has all the major,necessary apps and games,people who havent tried WP,just hate on it for no reason and say it has no apps which isnt true
App quality on WP is great even if it is lesser in number
the only reason android has more apps is due to fake,malware apps
I suggest you check out the Windows Phone app store site and see if your favorite apps and games are present just to be sure
only app missing is Snapchat atm
As for call recorder,there are 3rd party ones at the moment but the next update Windows 10 has a Call recorder inbuilt and will release in 2-3 months officially(right now you can use the BETA builds if you dont want to wait for the official update)

mitraark said:
I do not trust Xiaomi any more than Micromax, when you're selling phones at such low prices, you bound to go for cost reduction in any way possible, hence, lower quality parts ( not "BAD", just, lower quality ) which might, i said might, not last as long as more costlier phones.

Was thinking the same.

dashing.sujay said:
Note 4G is better than Zenphone is all terms, have them both in my vicinity so can say that. Don't even dare to compare the camera.

Does that mean that camera is that good or that is sucks a lot?

kkn13 said:
Yeah Totally agreed!!! I have been saying the same thing about MMX,Xiaomi,Huawei,ZTE,Alcatel etc for a while now
People dont see the whole picture when buying a phone,only specs

@ op I highly suggest Moto G 2014,Lumia 730,Lumia 640 and 640XL(coming in 2-3 weeks),Zenfone 2(also coming in 2-3 weeks),One Plus One(if you can increase budget,dont worry about quality etc,OPO is an exception amongst Chinese OEMs like Xiaomi etc and offers top notch quality),HTC Desire 820(if you can extend)

Certainly cannot extend for Desire 820. I'm unsure of Windows. Would the wait (and extra 6-7 grands over Zenfone 5) for Zenfone 2 be worth it?

Nipun said:
Was thinking the same.

I can't say about others but Xiaomi is definitely not that bad if not that good either, so haters should stay away.

Nipun said:
Does that mean that camera is that good or that is sucks a lot?

It means that Note 4G camera is light years ahead of Zenphone's; heck even Redmi 1S' is much better.

K

Nipun said:
Was thinking the same.

Does that mean that camera is that good or that is sucks a lot?

Certainly cannot extend for Desire 820. I'm unsure of Windows. Would the wait (and extra 6-7 grands over Zenfone 5) for Zenfone 2 be worth it?

Yeah Zenfone 2 will be worth the wait

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dashing.sujay said:
I can't say about others but Xiaomi is definitely not that bad if not that good either, so haters should stay away.

It means that Note 4G camera is light years ahead of Zenphone's; heck even Redmi 1S' is much better.

Zenfone 2 hasnt even launched yet,also its got a totally new camera sensor under the hood and is camera centric compared to the older Zenfones
as for camera quality,I cant comment on Note 4G and Zenfones but Redmi 1s camera wasnt upto the mark imho,there are better camera phones in the market and I own 4 of them

kkn13 said:
Zenfone 2 hasnt even launched yet,also its got a totally new camera sensor under the hood and is camera centric compared to the older Zenfones
as for camera quality,I cant comment on Note 4G and Zenfones but Redmi 1s camera wasnt upto the mark imho,there are better camera phones in the market and I own 4 of them

I was certainly not talking about Zenphone 2 and it's not launched so I'd better not comment on how good or bad it'll be.

Redmi 1S' camera wasn't upto the mark ? That's a news for me. Which "4" phones are you talking about who have got a better cam in same or even upto 10k except Yureka ?

M

Wait for Zenphone 2.

Wait for Zenphone 2.

But another good option would be Yureka (I don't like micromax either, but that actually is a good phone).

If in hurry go for yureka and if you can wait wait for zenphone 2 launch.

$hadow said:
If in hurry go for yureka and if you can wait wait for zenphone 2 launch.

Thanks a lot for reading the posts in this thread.

Nipun said:
Thanks a lot for reading the posts in this thread.

So what did you decide?

D

SaiyanGoku said:
Wait for Zenphone 2.

But another good option would be Yureka (I don't like micromax either, but that actually is a good phone).

Same. My brother has a yureka but still the issues such as overheating and proximity sensor have not been fixed. So yu lacks in this department. I hope they come soon.

K

dashing.sujay said:
I was certainly not talking about Zenphone 2 and it's not launched so I'd better not comment on how good or bad it'll be.

Redmi 1S' camera wasn't upto the mark ? That's a news for me. Which "4" phones are you talking about who have got a better cam in same or even upto 10k except Yureka ?

I dont own a yureka
Ive compared Redmi 1s with my Lumia 720,820 ,BB Z10 and Nexus 5
Of which only Z10 isnt camera centric but still managed to get better shots than Redmi 1s

also I wasnt talking about 10k phones,was comparing with phones upto 15-20k since op's budget is 15k
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I will say this however,Redmi 1s takes better photos than the lower samsungs such as Grand etc and even the low end xperia phones
Still,for a camera phone enthusiast,the Redmi 1s is just average

doom said:
Same. My brother has a yureka but still the issues such as overheating and proximity sensor have not been fixed. So yu lacks in this department. I hope they come soon.

No overheating here. What temperatures are you getting? 40* C is normal. Also, did he update the OTA?

kkn13 said:
I dont own a yureka
Ive compared Redmi 1s with my Lumia 720,820 ,BB Z10 and Nexus 5
Of which only Z10 isnt camera centric but still managed to get better shots than Redmi 1s

also I wasnt talking about 10k phones,was comparing with phones upto 15-20k since op's budget is 15k
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I will say this however,Redmi 1s takes better photos than the lower samsungs such as Grand etc and even the low end xperia phones
Still,for a camera phone enthusiast,the Redmi 1s is just average

Of course it's not even close to enthusiast's range but c'mon, would an enthusiast opt for 1S for his purpose ? Of course not.

And all the phones you are comparing with 1S are at least 2x or more times pricier than 1S, so the comparison isn't really valid.

The only sub 10k phone which I think would be 520, it really shot well, if you forget the resolution. Lumias have anyway much better camera than it's competitors.

PS: Z10 was launched for 40k IIRC then came to almost 15k, so at least do sensible comparison. Redmi 1S, of course has some shortcomings which primarily is battery in my point of view (& ASS) otherwise, it's a poor man's "complete" device, period.

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SaiyanGoku said:
No overheating here. What temperatures are you getting? 40* C is normal. Also, did he update the OTA?

Haven't personally used Yureka for long but some of my colleagues bought, and eventually sold it just due to heating issue.

Overheating is a devise specific issue. My 3 friends has yureka 2 of them has no issue and 1 has overheating issue on similar usage pattern.

I got a Redmi Note 4G for Rs. 8,999 finally. Yes, it might not be the best device but it suits me.

Thanks everyone.

Nipun said:
I got a Redmi Note 4G for Rs. 8,999 finally. Yes, it might not be the best device but it suits me.

Thanks everyone.

Congo man.

I camein to advice Zenfone 5... but redmi is good too i guess

^^This advice coming from a recent Z5 owner.

$hadow said:
Congo man.

Thanks!

anirbandd said:
I camein to advice Zenfone 5... but redmi is good too i guess

Well, yes. A friend got Zenfone just a couple of days before I got my Redmi, and it seems Zenfone's battery isn't satisfactory. Redmi, on the other hand, is enough to keep me happy. 50% runs through 12 hours easily with my usage. There are some problems, particularly with applications like music and gallery, but I think they can be overlooked.

Nipun said:
Thanks!

Well, yes. A friend got Zenfone just a couple of days before I got my Redmi, and it seems Zenfone's battery isn't satisfactory. Redmi, on the other hand, is enough to keep me happy. 50% runs through 12 hours easily with my usage. There are some problems, particularly with applications like music and gallery, but I think they can be overlooked.

There are always alternatives of the apps you do not like. So disable the apps you don't like and get a third part app for your requirement. On the contrary I find sony album app among the best for viewing your photos, side load it.

If you could also suggest a good (and simple) music player, that would be great.

Nipun said:
If you could also suggest a good (and simple) music player, that would be great.

Shuttle

Nipun said:
If you could also suggest a good (and simple) music player, that would be great.

you can also try the sony walkman app. You can ask a Xperia User to send you the walkman app apk using shareIt or software data cable OR Search Xperiablog.net for apk

Oh thanks. Walkman would indeed be great, as I have been using it for two years and am hence familiar with it.

An app for email too? I do not like the stock email app at all, and for some reason Gmail doesn't show the option for adding Exchange accounts on this device (on the other hand, it works fine on my Nexus 7). Only POP3 and IMAP options are displayed. CloudMagic?