Need to buy a phone under 30K

Hi guys, I am going to have my exams from 12th to 24th and I am planning to buy a new phone right after my exams end. Below are the specifications for the phone I want:

1) At least 4 inch screen size, Android OS, 8 mp camera preferable (5mp will also work), latest android version

2) If it has some internal memory, it will be preferrable

3) Good battery backup, the higher the better.

4) Should be able to play video formats like mkv and rmvb

5) Budget is 30K

6) Bottom Line: Something which can compete with the S3

One more thing, do you guys think that phones of reputed brands like Samsung and other have international warranty applicable,, so that if I buy it from abroad and the warranty is applicable here in India.

Another thing I want to know is that if a good and competitive phone is going to be launched in the next two or three months then I can delay my purchase, is anything like this going to come out soon?

HTC One X if you can sell out the extra 3-4k or LG Optimus 4X HD if you want to stick to ~30k budget and don't like Sense UI. Current flagships are overkill mobile. 720p display, quad core processor, 4.7-4.8" display. these specs will remain more or less the same in the next gen smartphone except that the processor will get even more better or maybe 2GB ram but thats serious overkill to say the least. so grab what you can find now.

So you mean to say that for the next two month no mobile going to come out which is going to compete with the likes of One X and S3? Is that what you are saying?

One more question from all you guys: Is there any way I can get a phone like S3 or something above 30K for a price below 30K? I mean using some ebay coupons or some cheap but original mobile selling shop in Delhi? Any help is appreciated.

What new launch we have? Samsung Note II but that will cost 40k as S3 cost 38k. Maybe LG G but i doubt it'll hit India and even if it does will have an insane pricetag of 40k+. Sony will launch a few but if you read the note, India (Asia actually) will get a slightly modified unit with last gen processor not the current Snapdragon S4 Krait ones. Dual core Krait is better than tegra 3, Exynos and all quad core processors but India won't get any mobile with such processor anytime soon if you ask me. So best bet, grab whats available now.

even without bill S3 will cost around 35k. If you want a 30k mobile check LG Optimus 4X HD. It is just a notch below One X. Read the anandtech review. But One X is still the better choice as it cost just 1-2k more than 4X. Else you may look for Sony Xperia S.

PS: Dual core mobiles won't get extinct by 2013

So what will be your final suggestion, for me, in a hierarchical order please?

1. One X: (Almost) Best in every department.
2. Xperia S: If you are ok with dual core based mobile. Just keep your mindset right. More and more quadcore mobiles will appear but what will you do with so much power? Dual core mobiles can do what quads can do. Games will run lagfree on dual as well as quads. GPU can be more powerful on quads but that doesn't make a lot of difference in a mobile where you can configure the game to use Antialising or blur or shadow. Moreover Xperia S have better screen than similar mobile (read more pixel density) and is 4.3" against 4.7".
3. 4X HD: Take One X and degrade picture quality a bit. keep the UI as simple as possible.
4. S3: Overpriced.

So One X seems the best option for me, BTW if you keep the price factor aside do you think that S3 has better specs than One X?

it has better processor actually and the inclusion of a memory card is a big plus point. but the look and UI are plain boring. Specially the button placement and the corners are not exactly rounded.

Galaxy Note is powerful enough , but you have to be comfortable with a 5.3" screen device.

One X is the best option for you.
And refer to my this post, it will be really helpful for you if you are planning to buy that

Thanks for this, I hope I can get some price reduction, can you tell me how is this One S?

Avoid One S at all costs in India until its priced around 25. It's not getting the better krait processor in India and is using a Gen older much slower compared to S4, the S3 proccesor. They are just Overclocking S3 and selling it. Avoid. One X is the way to go or if you dont have any prejudices against LG 4x is good too.

daksh said:
Avoid One S at all costs in India until its priced around 25. It's not getting the better krait processor in India and is using a Gen older much slower compared to S4, the S3 proccesor. They are just Overclocking S3 and selling it. Avoid. One X is the way to go or if you dont have any prejudices against LG 4x is good too.

I do have prejudice against LG, that is why its a no-no.

So now that I am slightly certain of getting One X, can you guys tell me what is wrong or what are the problems with the phone, just incase of them might turn out to be a dealbreaker.

I just saw things which might be worrying:
Can I get a micro sim for Vodafone, is it possible to keep my current normal sim and also get a micro one. I don't want to make one myself.

Secondly will the phone play Rmvb files?

None whatsoever for me.

Please read my edited post, I have asked a few things, as you own the phone @daksh

Never tried rmvb files, will check and tell.
and micro sim, there is a stapler type device which will cut it to a micro sim and you also get micro sim extenders in the market very very cheap. Your micro sim gets cut from your original sim and you can put it back in place from where it is cut and use it in a normal phone. Nothing to worry.

You can cut down your sim,there will be no problem or can also get a micro sim but for that you have to visit the vodafone store in your city.
And after you can take a micro sim adapter which will convert it into a normal size sim so that you can use it any other mobile also.

Everything in the phone seems good to me but I am worried about the battery? Daksh, how long does the battery last for you? Will it last 2 days, because thats a minimum I require, my N900 use to give me 2 day battery, will One X also give this much? and what about S3 when it comes to battery?

nope, dont even think of two days.
Current Battery stats-
9% remaining
16 hours on battery
1 hour and 45 mins of voice calls
2 and a half hour of screen on time
About 10 hours on 3g and 6 on wifi
about 3-4 hours of music on headphones.

Id say it will last you one day in moderate to heavy usage, dont expect more. 2 days from any android phones except razer maxx is not possible.

And the S3 is slightly better in terms of battery. Itll give you about 3-4 hours more.

Thats saddening, why is the battery so less for these android phones, this makes me feel that I might give a look at razr maxx. What are your thoughts about that?

Don't opt for Motorola phones.

aroraanant said:
Don't opt for Motorola phones.

Any specific reason why you say so?

They are shutting down all of their operations in Asia Pacific region.

Oh, didn't know that.

Go for sony Tx, I will buy that as soon as it gets out.. and all confusion has been cleared.. To clear it will have s4 Dual core krait processor.. and Tx is going to release in India.. Most probably in September.. as it was scheduled to be released in Q3 and September is last Q3 month. .. In uk releasing on 5th Sept.. so in a week or two after that should be in India. but it is going to be way above your budget..

clmlbx said:
Go for sony Tx, I will buy that as soon as it gets out.. and all confusion has been cleared.. To clear it will have s4 Dual core krait processor.. and Tx is going to release in India.. Most probably in September.. as it was scheduled to be released in Q3 and September is last Q3 month. .. In uk releasing on 5th Sept.. so in a week or two after that should be in India. but it is going to be way above your budget..

Thats a problem, budget. BTW being quad core , it will be a battery eater, right?

It's dual core as I stated.. It will be costlier then s3 too as Ion (bad phone IMO) is selling at same price of s3.. so tx will touch 40K

intentionally I am avoiding quad core as it will drain battery very much..and even s3 has 4.8 screen more battery drainer.. I am good with max 4.5 -4.6 screen

I have searched too, so waited, in that budget their no good phone other then one x.. xperia v is going to launch too but with s3 processor..

check here benchmarks of sony T, TX, V, HTC one X, Galaxy S3, LG 4x

*www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_tx_t_and_v_benchmarks_are_here_promising_too-news-4722.php

In the above link, it seems that S3 and One X both are outclassed by the new sony series.

Tx is good but it will be **** expensive. It is winning by slight margins in benchmarks and not outclassing it and moreover you won't be able to use a dual core to its full potential let alone a quad. Dual core kraits are almost equal to quad a9s. One x/ s3 both will last you a day, not more. Avoid moto. If you can wait do wait for Sony pricing though.

Hm. Okay so this what I have decided till now, Incase I am not able to buy One X due to budget problem,
Then I might go for either of the two: Sony Experia S or HTC One S
Any word about these two and which will be better amongst the two, to me Experia S seems to be better in almost everything.

Xperia s coz of more memmory. One s better looking and ics with sense 4.1. Completely your choice.

I was thinking that Experia S will be a better choice, before I read this, can someone please have a look and tell me, what this guy has written, is it true or not: DO NOT BUY THE XPERIA S | The Verge Forums

^

I own the Xperia S and I don't agree with that guy at all. With the latest ICS update the touch buttons work perfectly fine, its easy to hold and operate with one hand thanks to the narrower but taller design and the screen is simply the best there is currently in the market. Battery easily lasts a day of moderate usage. In fact its on par with Galaxy S3 or any other modern HD screen smartphone except the Razr MAXX.

P.S. If you are a viewing angle freak and want to view the screen from 50 degree or beyond then please don't buy the Xperia S.

As for the TX and V they will cost around 40k. Street price would be about 38k.

I am gonna be getting the V most likely to replace my Xperia S. Also another thing to note is that the Xperia T/TX/V have a 100% NTSC color gamut screen, a first for any smartphone.

That's about 96% Adobe RGB gamut, and you get this in business class laptop screens costing 1 lac +

randomuser111 said:
^

I own the Xperia S and I don't agree with that guy at all. With the latest ICS update the touch buttons work perfectly fine, its easy to hold and operate with one hand thanks to the narrower but taller design and the screen is simply the best there is currently in the market. Battery easily lasts a day of moderate usage. In fact its on par with Galaxy S3 or any other modern HD screen smartphone except the Razr MAXX.

P.S. If you are a viewing angle freak and want to view the screen from 50 degree or beyond then please don't buy the Xperia S.

As for the TX and V they will cost around 40k. Street price would be about 38k.

I am gonna be getting the V most likely to replace my Xperia S. Also another thing to note is that the Xperia T/TX/V have a 100% NTSC color gamut screen, a first for any smartphone. That's about 96% Adobe RGB gamut, and you get this in business class laptop screens costing 1 lac +

Hearing these words from you is a sigh of relief, can I know one thing, when was the Xperia S released and if you like it so much then why are you planning to replace it?

Xperia S was released in April in India. I am replacing my Xperia S only because I'm a crazy Sony lover

. No other reason. I LOVE my XS to death. But ultimately, I love SONY more

so need to get the latest and greatest Sony.

There were only very few issues I had with my XS but the latest ICS update fixes them all.

1. The touch buttons weren't responsive enough. But now they work perfectly fine.

2. The UI was slightly laggy. That too is fixed with the latest update, its butter smooth now.

3. Audio Quality at first didn't impress me THAT much even though it was still much better than Galaxy S2/Note/One X. But now thanks to XSIncredibleBass mod and Rockbox player its FANTASTIC.

4. After the first ICS update available RAM used to hover around 200 MB or even less than 100MB when multitasking, but now I have more than 300MB free and while multitasking around 200MB which is great.

V

Guyz m thinking of buying One X tomorrow..Just wanna know does india version has dual or quad proccy???

Also read some report of it being a bit slow as compared to S3 and NEXUS..So m confused..I want speed(in Android!!!!@@!##)

I have always dealt with iphone..so last ques--is flashing with stock jelly bean easy? and Does it void the warranty?

THANX!!

sam9953 said:
Hearing these words from you is a sigh of relief, can I know one thing, when was the Xperia S released and if you like it so much then why are you planning to replace it?

Man, your budget is 30k you should get a quad core HTC One X phone for 31k with HTC warranty by using discount coupon.
Xperia S is good but made with old S3 scorpion processor, and its best price is 26k with sony warranty.

As per CNET UK Xperia S is nearly tied with the HTC One X for the best camera, don't just look on megapixels.

I love everything about this phone by looking at its specs but to me it seems that it is slightly old, released 5 months back. Well i think its a little old.

sam9953 said:
I love everything about this phone by looking at its specs but to me it seems that it is slightly old, released 5 months back. Well i think its a little old.

Yea, man sony should drop the price, other mobiles with scorpion processor are discontinued like HTC Sensation.

V

rider said:
Man, your budget is 30k you should get a quad core HTC One X phone for 31k with HTC warranty by using discount coupon.

@Rider, Where did you find the deal for HTC One X for 31k. Can you send me the link plz..

sam9953 said:
I love everything about this phone by looking at its specs but to me it seems that it is slightly old, released 5 months back. Well i think its a little old.

LOL. One X is older. Hahaha. Don't judge a phone by how old it is lol. Anyway, as rider suggested since your budget is 30k I too think you should get the One X or the Galaxy S3. You will need to stretch your budget a bit for the S3 but it will have better resale value later on than any other phone in the range. Or just get a FU Iphone 4S. Oh OOPS Iphone 4S is more than a year old.

Still, IMO choose between Galaxy S3 and Iphone 4S. One X won't hold its value well at all, same or worse for Xperia S.

rider said:
Man, your budget is 30k you should get a quad core HTC One X phone for 31k with HTC warranty by using discount coupon.
Xperia S is good but made with old S3 scorpion processor, and its best price is 26k with sony warranty.

As per CNET UK Xperia S is nearly tied with the HTC One X for the best camera, don't just look on megapixels.

I have extended the budget with a lot of difficulty, so If I am getting a good specs mobile for below 30 I might go for it, little short on money. Secondly, I am not going to buy from ebay or most probably online, I am quite sure that I will buy from local market. So I cannot use any discount coupon.

Well then that leaves you with the Xperia S once again, and AFAIK there is no new phone that will arrive anytime soon in that price range.

sam9953 said:
I have extended the budget with a lot of difficulty, so If I am getting a good specs mobile for below 30 I might go for it, little short on money. Secondly, I am not going to buy from ebay or most probably online, I am quite sure that I will buy from local market. So I cannot use any discount coupon.

Don't afraid to purchase online, its completely safe, you can get refund by ebay easily if anything happen. Always check the ratings, star and score of ebay seller before buying, that's it.
If you still worried about it, get from some local shop Xperia S is of 27k with sony warranty.

randomuser111 said:
Well then that leaves you with the Xperia S once again, and AFAIK there is no new phone that will arrive anytime soon in that price range.

When is Xperia TX coming?

^
In India earliest by end October. Price will be 37-38.5k +

^^No it should be next month.. as I believe it's release date is Q3 and in uk it is releasing on 5 sept.. so a week or two later we should see in store.. sept is last month for q3...

Edit:-
sorry correction it should be this month.. sept already started.. lol

I would obviously love to buy a new phone, I mean which is newly released. Out of the new three sony phones that are coming out, can you tell me if any of those will be below 30K?

sam9953 said:
I would obviously love to buy a new phone, I mean which is newly released. Out of the new three sony phones that are coming out, can you tell me if any of those will be below 30K?

I think Xperia J would come under 30k most possibly in HTC One V price range, but alas its a single core budget phone like HTC One V.

Dunno, wtf happening to companies they are only launching new high range phones, and keeping the price drop for older phones in 25-30k category.

The same krait S4 processor phone HTC One S is priced 26k on ebay.in will less with some coupon though is it's imported T-mobile phone under dealer warranty. Sony should launch Xperia TX around 30-32k (under $550 USD) or it may fail like ion.

I think, I might consider waiting for this new range to be launched.

It's always better if you can wait. Even if the new models are priced high, ion will get cheaper, that might make the s cheaper and so on. Hence if you can wait then wait. Else xperia w/one x.

Xperia S. Don't go for One S unless the price is 25k as for 26-26.5k you get Samsung Galaxy S2.

Sam said:
Xperia S. Don't go for One S unless the price is 25k as for 26-26.5k you get Samsung Galaxy S2.

This is in reply to the post when I asked which one is better out of Xperia S and One S, right?

Anyway, guys I have decided to wait for now, will delay the buying till that new Sony series comes out. Till then, thanks a lot for helping me.

^^^
What is the problem in getting One X from ebay?

aroraanant said:
^^^
What is the problem in getting One X from ebay?

Budget. I don't think I can get this phone below 30k anywhere, right? That is why I have decided to wait.

Xperia S and One S both are good,I suggest get your hands on both and then decide.
In One S you will get better UI i.e. Sense UI which is awesome.And also pretty good build quality.

Specs wise Xperia S is looking better to me.

sam9953 said:
Budget. I don't think I can get this phone below 30k anywhere, right? That is why I have decided to wait.

The price on ebay is 33.4k and you can use any coupon there, or can get some deal like get a free 500GB Portable HDD or anything whichever they have in offer.
So considering that it is costing you around 30k only

Yeah, that is another good option.

Go for any of the dual core kraits like HTC one S!

^
NEWS FLASH for you. There is currently NO dual krait phone available in India. The HTC one S sold in India uses S3 CPU.

randomuser111 said:
^
NEWS FLASH for you. There is currently NO dual krait phone available in India. The HTC one S sold in India uses S3 CPU.

So is xperia s, both have old S3 scorpion processor, but ebay seller randeep (100%) 4100+ score is selling imported S4 krait based HTC One S with dealer's warranty, priced 26k and would cost 25k or less with coupon.

^

Didn't I say the same thing ? That there is no dual core krait based phone available in India ? And I wouldn't count those imported models as they don't have warranty.
When Did I say Xperia S has s4 krait?

randomuser111 said:
^

Didn't I say the same thing ? That there is no dual core krait based phone available in India ? And I wouldn't count those imported models as they don't have warranty.
When Did I say Xperia S has s4 krait?

You are getting wrong, bro. It's your problem that you are counting imported phones. BTW It's under dealer's warranty, and dealer is 100% reliable as per ebay scores. You didn't say Xperia S has S4 krait, neither I said read again.

^
Dealer Warranty = No warranty. Simple as that

randomuser111 said:
^
Dealer Warranty = No warranty. Simple as that

not applicable for all sellers man, some sellers send abroad for the repair as it comes with international warranty.

^
I know about that and also I'm 99% sure this particular guy won't do the same. Only large international retailers do that. And even then you will have to be without a phone for a minimum of 1 or two months and on top of that the expenses to send your phone also will have to be incurred by you.

You are free to think dealer warranty = as good as manufacturer warranty but I'm speaking from experience.

Okay guys I have some update on my situation, My budget has taken a hit. I have got two options: Either buy a phone below 25K before October or buy some phone later. Tell me guys what do you suggest?

sam9953 said:
Okay guys I have some update on my situation, My budget has taken a hit. I have got two options: Either buy a phone below 25K before October or buy some phone later. Tell me guys what do you suggest?

If I was in your place I will get Galaxy S2 I9100 for 25k for now and sell it after 6 months and get some other phone.

Okay guys I have some update on my situation, My budget has taken a hit. I have got two options: Either buy a phone below 25K before October or buy some phone later. Tell me guys what do you suggest?

The only reason why I am hesitant to buy such an old phone is because I will not get any good resale value after 6 months because then the phone would have become nearly 2 years old from its release, thats the only thing.

Buy Galaxy s2 I guess if you are in hurry or can buy another phone in next 8-10 months..but september is the month when many phone are launching,, most phone I heard are either in mid range.. blow 20K or above 30K .. nothing new is in between.. and we have seen now that high end phones will range between 35-40K.. that is now new average for high end.. anything to launch in october must have been in news or announced till now.. so there is very less chance of any new phones in next two months.. other then september.. as many phone are being launched.. so wait might go to December.. can you wait that long..

s2 is very good phone and it is no way outdated IMO.. but I am soon going to buy a phone in mid high end range.. So I waited months as no phone was good enough for last 6 months..I did not liked one x and s3.. as once I buy phone I am not getting another in next two years at least with those good specs now it should easily go for 3 years I believe. I just mean if you think like me and won't spend that much amount any time sooner then wait.

sam9953 said:
Okay guys I have some update on my situation, My budget has taken a hit. I have got two options: Either buy a phone below 25K before October or buy some phone later. Tell me guys what do you suggest?

The only reason why I am hesitant to buy such an old phone is because I will not get any good resale value after 6 months because then the phone would have become nearly 2 years old from its release, thats the only thing.

Man, if you think practically galaxy S2 is a record breaking android phone 16 million sold in 2011 and it has the best mod support in XDA forum, even if it get discontinued, the programmer will provide lots of things to this phone. And I'm sure if u purchase today for 25k, you will not have to sell below 18k easily in delhi market after 6months for sure.

rider said:
Man, if you think practically galaxy S2 is a record breaking android phone 16 million sold in 2011 and it has the best mod support in XDA forum, even if it get discontinued, the programmer will provide lots of things to this phone. And I'm sure if u purchase today for 25k, you will not have to sell below 18k easily in delhi market after 6months for sure.

You see I am not very sure about how good S2 is or how record breaking it has been but the only thing that I don't want to compromise in, is RESALE VALUE. Even if I buy S2 by september end, and I sell it after 6 months which means march end, the phone would have almost completed two years from its release which was April 2011, so you still think that I will be able to fetch 18K?

sam9953 said:
You see I am not very sure about how good S2 is or how record breaking it has been but the only thing that I don't want to compromise in, is RESALE VALUE. Even if I buy S2 by september end, and I sell it after 6 months which means march end, the phone would have almost completed two years from its release which was April 2011, so you still think that I will be able to fetch 18K?

Second hand market has top demand of samsung phone in this segment. No other brand selling would be as good as samsung phone in delhi for sure.

rider said:
Second hand market has top demand of samsung phone in this segment. No other brand selling would be as good as samsung phone in delhi for sure.

I agree but before making my post I checked a few listing on OLX and people are selling their 3 months to 9 months Galaxy S2 at prices from 20K to 24k or something close to that, that is the reason why I am worried, I will go in total loss if I buy a 25K new S2 and then I will have to sell it for 15K after 6 months.

Don't think of it as business. Save and buy a phone which you'll keep for as long as you like. Don't think of buying a phone with the thought of selling it later. You never know about how the prices might fall or rise.

sam9953 said:
I agree but before making my post I checked a few listing on OLX and people are selling their 3 months to 9 months Galaxy S2 at prices from 20K to 24k or something close to that, that is the reason why I am worried, I will go in total loss if I buy a 25K new S2 and then I will have to sell it for 15K after 6 months.

OLX is very unreliable website, I see people sell fake chinese dummies on the name of original. And few days ago I read in TDF that one user was able to sell his Galaxy S2 for 25k. From that prediction, 16-18k will be easily sold out after 6 months.

daksh said:
Don't think of it as business. Save and buy a phone which you'll keep for as long as you like. Don't think of buying a phone with the thought of selling it later. You never know about how the prices might fall or rise.

The trouble here is that my budget will not allow me to buy a phone like S3 which I can keep for a very long time. But I think

rider said:
OLX is very unreliable website, I see people sell fake chinese dummies on the name of original. And few days ago I read in TDF that one user was able to sell his Galaxy S2 for 25k. From that prediction, 16-18k will be easily sold out after 6 months.

I can't say that OLX is unreliable, people might be, but not the website. I have sold over 10 items of mine with the help of that website. I am not doubting you but can you give me the link to that guy who sold his S2 for 25K?

+1 to what Rider is saying. There is simply no phone in 25k range with the resale value of the Galaxy S2. It might be old but it still holds its value really well, much better than any HTC or Sony alternative. You simply do NOT have any other option in that budget except S2.

^ If that is so then I think I will need to give it serious consideration, I have still got time because my exams will get over on 24th, till then I can keep searching for the best option, BTW I am getting really impressed by the Xperia S, is there any way or any shop in Delhi from where I can get it for something like 25K or close to that?

The best price of Xperia S will be between 26-27k

I guess you might get it for 27, not sure though.

Anyway here's my Xperia S vs LG Optimus 4X HD shootout. Originally posted in my Xperia S review thread, but posting it here for you.

A shootout between the cheapest Quad Core phone LG Optimus 4X HD and Xperia S.

Note:- I took figures for the LG Optimus 4X HD from Anandtech

1. GL Benchmark 2.5 Egypt HD (Offscreen 1080p)

LG Optimus 4X HD - 8.7 fps
Sony Xperia S - 8.4 fps

2. GL Benchmark Classic (Offscreen 1080p)

LG Optimus 4X HD - 34 fps
Sony Xperia S - 21 fps

3. Linpack Single Threaded

LG Optimus 4X HD -48.665
Sony Xperia S - 52.892

4. Linpack Multi Threaded

LG Optimus 4X HD - 115.222
Sony Xperia S - 89.786

5. Sunspider Javascript 0.9.1

LG Optimus 4X HD - 2209.2
Sony Xperia S - 1548.9

6. Basemark ES 2.0 V1 Taiji

LG Optimus 4X HD - 30.89 fps
Sony Xperia S - 21.37 fps

7. Vellamo

LG Optimus 4X HD - 1539
Sony Xperia S - 1774

8. BrowserMark

LG Optimus 4X HD - 91918
Sony Xperia S - 108726

The above benchmarks are what anandtech uses in its smartphone reviews and I have not selectively chosen benchmarks to benefit the XS. Two more benchmarks are used by Anandtech - Basemark ES Hoverjet and Basemark OS but I haven't included these two as these two benchmarks are not available to the public.

So as you can see, 4 cores doesn't always mean better than 2. The Xperia S won in 4 out the 8 benchmarks here and Optimus 4X won in 4 as well.

Anyway, hope it clears some confusion that some people have about the Xperia S and those who think that it lacks power

Never trust vellamo, its made by Qualcomm and favours Qualcomm processors hellalot.

^
I think you should say that to Anandtech

I only chose the same set of benchmarks Anandtech uses. And they are one of the most respected and unbiased tech sites out there.

Another one.Xperia S @ 1.89ghz Blowing away the Quad Core One X, Nexus 7, Transformer Prime, Apple Ipad 2, New Ipad

and S4 Krait One S.

*i46.tinypic.com/15hn39t.png

I know about anandtech. I'm just saying in general about vellamo. And don't compare ocd phones to stock ones

^
Well I don't think it's unfair really. Your One X got twice the cores as my XS so even overclocked a Quad Core phone should beat a last gen Dual core handset. 1.3 ghz x 4 vs 1.4 ghz x 2 still gives the advantage to Quad Core phones. Which is why we see Intel Dual Core chips having higher clocks compared to Quad Core i7 ones and still even with the higher clock dual core chips cannot outperform the quad core ones.

Anyway my point in sharing that score was that Xperia S is no slouch, when overclocked it can give even quad cores a run for their money.

EDIT: Just ran Peacekeeper benchmark on stock clocks and it still scores more than One X - 445

P.S. Can you open www.html5test.com on your default browser and post your score ? Also post your Google V8 benchmark score. Just Google "Google V8 benchmark"

Hmm and one more thing, benchmarks on different Roms cant be trusted too. They're kernels are made to score more. I've made my optimus one beat galaxy sl sl and desire at benchmarks. No doubt Sony have really optimized the processor well on stock too but it is no comparison to any quad core.

^ Well you should use a Xperia S running latest firmware and then say that. "No comparison" is really stretching it a bit too far. There is little real world difference between both.

And Optimus One overclocked beating Desire and Galaxy SL isn't surprising since they all do not have worlds apart chipsets. Optimus One beating Galaxy S or Xperia Arc or Desire HD would be quite something though

aroraanant said:
The best price of Xperia S will be between 26-27k

Seriously is that lowest, even 26K would do. Any suggestions on the cheapest shop in Delhi that you know?

488 in peacemark.
361 in html5test in chrome and 310 in default browser. But I use chrome hence that's relavent to me. And moreover you're not comparing one x scores after the firmware update. It even beats s3 in many more benchmarks now. Don't insult it by comparing it with xperia s. No offence intended.

sam9953 said:
Seriously is that lowest, even 26K would do. Any suggestions on the cheapest shop in Delhi that you know?

Those will be the best online prices, in local market it will be 27-28k

@
Daksh

I am aware of the fact that the latest firmware has brought performance improvements.

Anyway it was short lived for the One X, with Galaxy Note 2, Xperia T/V/TX, Optimus G zipping past the One X and GS3 both.

It's not just about the benchmarks. And there is no signifacant performance difference in dual core kraits and quad A9's. And moreover you cant go wrong with Tegra 3 as nexus 7 uses it and the chipset a nexus device uses is used for reference mostly so Tegra 3 is going to perform till google don't release a nexus device with another processor. Whereas the Qualcomm s3 is old now and no new devices come with it. Heck all tablets come with tegra 3 now.

^
If it's not too much of a trouble for you, can you PM me your latest benchmark scores in Antutu, Quadrant, Sunspider, Nenamark 2 and other major benchmarks ? Just curious to see where the One X stands now compared to GS3.

Also how far can the One X be overclocked ?

Anyway it's sad that even with the latest update One X sales are so low, hope HTC comes back next year with a better flagship device

Even though I don't like HTC a lot they are definitely better than Samsung in quite a few ways. And it would be sad to see HTC go down.

Umm companies don't advertise updates to software's. Moreover HTC doesn't have the popularity and brandname like galaxy does. And worldwide HTC are doing better than Sony in smartphones. Moreover sales don't talk about smartphones much. If that was the case iPhone would have been the best phone around but we all know what's better. I'll send you the benchmarks when I get time.

aroraanant said:
Those will be the best online prices, in local market it will be 27-28k

Really, you mean to tell me that in local market, lets say Gaffar or Nehru Place I will get it for a higher price than FK or Homeshop? I thought that locally it will be much cheaper, somewhere close to 26.

^

Thanks

And well Xperia S sold quite a lot more than the HTC One X and One S combined actually. It's the third largest selling smartphone in the world after Galaxy S3 and Iphone 4/4S. Also Q1 sales Sony was ahead of HTC globally, and in Q2 HTC got ahead by a tiny margin. So they aren't really doing any better.

But most importantly Sony market share and revenue grew in triple digits whereas HTC sales as well as revenue dropped quite steeply. Samsung, Apple and Sony are the only manufacturers this year whose mobile revenue increased. All others including HTC saw a huge drop in revenue.

M

HTC One X is the 1 for you. You'll just need to strech your budget a little

Well, a logical flaw in your comment. When HTC were behind in q1 sales and were ahead in q2 that means that HTC grew and Sony dint unlike what you stated. Moreover xperia s was launched in CES and one x in MWC hence xperia s was launched earlier.
Not doubting the xperia S just saying don't compare it to optimus 4x one x or s3.

^
I meant YoY figures and also revenues QoQ And I was talking about July 2012 sales so one X launch date has nothing to do with it. One X is at number 6 among top selling smartphones.

LINK
*news.cens.com/cens/html/en/news/news_inner_41061.html

Second link if you wanna about how HTC is actually doing.

*focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aECO&ID=201208070007

One more

*online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444246904577574423772557382.html

This too

*smarthouse.com.au/Phones/Smartphones_And_PDAs/G3C6K8C3

Possible HTC takeover By Lenovo or ZTE/Huawei

*blogs.wsj.com/deals/2012/08/14/cheap-shares-but-htc-deal-is-a-hard-sell/

*www.gomonews.com/htc-to-target-low-end-market-in-brand-rethink/

"But with HTC One series proving a flop and with Apple and Samsung dominating the top end, it could be that Chou has had a serious rethink."

manojbhagat said:
HTC One X is the 1 for you. You'll just need to strech your budget a little

Budget is the only problem na.

M

You can always wait and collect more money. I ensure you it would be worth the wait. Just a suggestion though.

sam9953 said:
Really, you mean to tell me that in local market, lets say Gaffar or Nehru Place I will get it for a higher price than FK or Homeshop? I thought that locally it will be much cheaper, somewhere close to 26.

One can lower down the prices by using some coupon or finding the correct deal for urself.
Apart from that I haven't checked the market rates of Xperia S from many days, I suggest you to have a look and then decide.

Okay, will check the deals from homeshop and other websites, waise do you think that for mobile are they available cheaper online or in the local market?

That depends from time to time and phone to phone.
Like Sensation is not available online anymore so the only place to buy it is local market

Yeah, thats true.

randomuser111 said:
^
NEWS FLASH for you. There is currently NO dual krait phone available in India. The HTC one S sold in India uses S3 CPU.

thnx for the info though i knew that already anyway i thought he'd go for an imported one !

^ you referring to me?

sam9953 said:
^ you referring to me?

yeah i was referring to you !sorry mate i just quoted an old reply to my post by randomuser !

Na no trouble, as of now I am still in a dizzy as to what I should, will just wait for my exams to get over and then think.

sam9953 said:
Hi guys, I am going to have my exams from 12th to 24th and I am planning to buy a new phone right after my exams end. Below are the specifications for the phone I want:

1) At least 4 inch screen size, Android OS, 8 mp camera preferable (5mp will also work), latest android version

2) If it has some internal memory, it will be preferrable

3) Good battery backup, the higher the better.

4) Should be able to play video formats like mkv and rmvb

5) Budget is 30K

6) Bottom Line: Something which can compete with the S3

One more thing, do you guys think that phones of reputed brands like Samsung and other have international warranty applicable,, so that if I buy it from abroad and the warranty is applicable here in India.

Another thing I want to know is that if a good and competitive phone is going to be launched in the next two or three months then I can delay my purchase, is anything like this going to come out soon?

you can buy one of this-
1) samsung galaxy note
2) samsung galaxy s2
3) sony xperia S
If you want bigger screen then go for galaxy note.
Either go for xperia S.
The new Iphone is coming on 12th sep. So iphone 4s's price will be dropped....
choose any of these...
Xperia S is highly preferable as it has nice camera & it is playstation certified phone....

I believe the only problem that I can find with Xperia S is that it has a lot of battery life issues, is there any way to improve battery life on that phone?

^
With latest update, battery life is quite good. Go through this thread. It's definitely no worse than other smartphones with HD screens.

Xperia S battery life - Page 109 - xda-developers

randomuser111 said:
^
With latest update, battery life is quite good. Go through this thread. It's definitely no worse than other smartphones with HD screens.

Xperia S battery life - Page 109 - xda-developers

Thanks for this, btw do you own the phone?

^
Yes

Here's my review in case you haven't read it already

*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/reviews/157639-sony-xperia-s-review.html

randomuser111 said:
^
Yes

Here's my review in case you haven't read it already

*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/reviews/157639-sony-xperia-s-review.html

Thanks for this, I was thinking of calling you but you have given me this link. Thanks.

^
Sorry, I didn't get you.

Oh I am sorry for the above post, it was a typo. What I meant was that I was going to ask you more about this phone but it is even better to see the review now.

Oh Okay!

So guys any news on the pricing of the new Xperia series phones?

K

I bought xperia s recently. Battery was not an issue for me from day 1 though I am a very light user. Only calls most days and using 3G and GPS when I am out on my bike- around 1,2 hours a weeks.10 to 15 Minutes of videos for kids and battery lasts around 2.5 to 3.5 days for me. I am happy with the phone and can happily use the phone for next 2 years hopefully. I am keeping some of the negative points below as they are not covered in many reviews here. Mind you I am still happy with phone and +vs overweigh -ves but if I have to make a new purchasing decision these may become factor.

The speaker volume when using speaker phone is very low making its usage impractical more often than not. If you use speaker phone a lot consider this. In my case I use speaker phone atleast once a day for my kids to talk to their grand parents.

One thing I noticed is Sony's SW is not at the level of my earlier brand Samsung. There are so many little things that make life easier with using the samsung phone. For e.g. from contacts menu swipe left to message or right to call whereas with xps its atleast 2 touches from the contacts. Swipe down brings menu to disable/enable wifi, gps etc but with my phone now I have to go to the home screen and to the home screen where the widget is there and then activate the widget - you get the idea. Some of these features you can get using some apps and some dont have even apps unless you root, change ROMs etc. These are small annoyances only if you are used to those conveniences before but actual android experience is as good as any phone.

I am still figuring out how to make the phone read and show SIM contacts in contacts app (heard the problem is due to ICS, every solution involves importing contacts to phone from SIM and I want to leave contacts on SIM and access) and filter the call log to show only dialled calls or received calls or missed calls. As of now the call log shows every call.

Thanks for this detailed message. I think this will help me take a decision, the speaker problem you addressed might be an annoyance for me.

^
Yes the loudspeaker is not loud when on calls, but very loud when playing music or videos. I had already mentioned this in my review as well. It's not severely low either, most Android smartphones have similar output through the loudspeaker when on Call.

Though compared to Nokia feature phones and such yes it is SEVERELY low

Ah Okay, BTW sorry for repeating the question but I just had a talk with my dad who is right now in Ukraine and will be coming to India in november so I am planning to get a phone at that time, he will buy it probably from abroad and do you think that if I buy any Sony or Samsung or HTC product there will be eligible warranty here in India? I mean can I get it repaired if anything goes wrong within a year?

No International warranty on any phone except Apple Iphone AFAIK. Correct me if I'm wrong @others.

Not even on iPhone

Oho, so incase I get a phone from abroad it will be a good idea to use it for atleast an year.

OKAY guys my exams are over and now I have pretty much made up my mind. I will go for Xperia S if I get it for 25 to 26 K else will go for Xperia P.
Any better suggestion guys?

Note selling for under 30k now and S2 for just 25k. Do check both. And S is replaced (or kind of upgraded) by SL. Though both S & SL are available side by side.

Sam said:
Note selling for under 30k now and S2 for just 25k. Do check both. And S is replaced (or kind of upgraded) by SL. Though both S & SL are available side by side.

SL is nearing 30K mark. I want a phone which is near 25K so that's I am going for S. Infact might get a P if budget becomes too much of an issue. Note and S2, both are too old and too many users already have them in my friend circle, so don't feel like joining the gang.

S

sam9953 said:
SL is nearing 30K mark. I want a phone which is near 25K so that's I am going for S. Infact might get a P if budget becomes too much of an issue. Note and S2, both are too old and too many users already have them in my friend circle, so don't feel like joining the gang.

Just tell me one simple reason for not buing an S2

If you had researched correctly then you miaght have seen difference between the devlopment of apps ; S2 vs P
other than that S2 beats S in every benchmark test so why are you willing to leave such agreat deal

Well other then that its your choice, still S2 would be the strongest suggestion right now..

Guys one more thing, my father is coming to India on november 7. So can you guys tell me a somewhat exact date as to when will Xperia T, TX and V will be released. If they will be released in December then I will ask him to get it from France.

Xperia TX is only for Asia so strike that out. Xperia T is already on sale In UK and Germany and in France too. Xperia V will be available by the last week of November in Europe though it won't be available in France perhaps.

Okay so I will ask him V and T then, what about release date in India? When are they releasing in India?

^
In India, maybe December or next year.

You sure, any source?

sam9953 said:
You sure, any source?

I had a talk with sony employee regarding release date of xperia T and he said I have not yet received an E-mail for it.. so I guess it is still at least 45-60 Days to go for release.. and I think sony is in now very problem as they don't know at what price new phone should be launched as high end price range it is pretty much tight.. They already have Xperia s & ion selling .. plus sl , xperia acro s and then Xperia T.. to compete with s3 and one x.. I wished to buy Xperia tx but at last I bought samsung galaxy s3 on last saturday after I got tired of waiting..

^ wow, so there is still a long time for the T, V and others to get released.

shanukumar10 said:
Just tell me one simple reason for not buing an S2

If you had researched correctly then you miaght have seen difference between the devlopment of apps ; S2 vs P
other than that S2 beats S in every benchmark test so why are you willing to leave such agreat deal

Well other then that its your choice, still S2 would be the strongest suggestion right now..

The only reason why I don't want to buy this phone is because it is very old. I mean it was released last February or April I believe and I think that now I have reconsidered and I am keeping it my second choice. If I don't get an S, I will buy an S2.