New phone under 10k...please suggest

K

Hi, I want to buy a new phone under 10k. My requirements:

1. Budget: 10K
2. Display type and size: biggest my budget can get (min 2.8in)
3. Form Factor? bar, slider, flip: Bar
4. Preferred choice of brand: Nokia, SE preferred, can also consider Samsung, LG and HTC
5. Preferred input method (QWERTY, touchscreen, numpad, touch-n-type): Touchscreen (must; preferred is capacitive)
6. What camera option you want? Please specify need for flash, autofocus, front facing camera.: Any dual camera (video call is must)
7. Preferred operating system? (Android, Symbian, iOS, Windows Phone etc): Not fussed
8. Preferred connectivity options (3G, Wifi etc)Please specify clearly: 3G (must), wifi desirable
9. Preferred applications (Flash, Swype, GPS, etc): Good video player
10. Primary use of handset (multimedia, camera, mails, internet, gaming etc): Multimedia (music and video; avi is desirable)
11. Any specific mobile phones in consideration? 5230 and 5235
12. Any other info that you want to share: 3.5mm audio jack is must

Video calling could not catch up in the US or Europe. So most phones today do not ship with front cam. If I were you, I would have sacrificed the front cam & gone for the best phone your budget can buy : Samsung Galaxy Mini (Sold as Samsung Galaxy Pop in India).

If you're still hell bent on a front cam, get the Samsung Monte. It has all the features you want but remember that it is a Java phone. I will consider it as a wastage of money. You'll regret it later.

Check prices below:
Samsung Mobile Price: Buy Samsung Galaxy Pop S5570: Price, Reviews: Flipkart Mobiles (Grey)
Samsung Monte S5620 Price: Buy Samsung Monte S5620: Price, Reviews: Flipkart Mobiles (Black & Orange)

Samsung Galaxy Pop S5570 is way better than Monte. and the later is
+ Slower on 3G (compared to S5570 at 7.2)
+ its JAVA based with a sad interface..

N

Samsung Monte or LG Arena (if available)
But is this video calling feature so important???

K

Ok I drop video calling then, though it would have been a nice feature to have. What about a faster processor and 16m colours. The galaxy pop is only 256k.

^^Galaxy 3. But it doesn't make sense to buy that outdated phone.

Go for the Galaxy Pop, you won't regret.

K

ok I will make things a little more clear:

- Less emphasis on application support, so its ok if its not android
- Looks are more improtant
- Should be user friendly and less complicated
and this should be of most help; Its for my wife

who is not a tech freak like me

considering that you are buying the phone for a complete non techie
as you said
i would recommend you to look no further than your initial choices
i.e 5230.5235
Pro=rugged dependable phone, great battery, great audio, 3g(3.6Mbps),
3.2" resistive touchscreen(360x480) crisp video quality

Cons=Little sluggish OS,The phone has no visual appeal

i guess the pros are overwhelming the cons for you

p.s.
if looks are that important, you can consider the LG KP500@13k which is quite popular around here

Does the Galaxy Pop look bad ? But yes Android could be confusing to use.

The Nokia 5230 looks ugly to me. Larger than normal size & resistive touchscreen. Poor VFM.

If you want the least complicated phone, S40-based Nokia C3 should suffice . On the higher side, it would be Symbian-based the Nokia C5. Both these phones look good & have an excellent build quality as well are easy to use.

And even if your wife is not tech-savvy, getting her an Android device will make her a tech-savvy person unless she is over 40.

Again, as a last resort, what I recommended the first time: Samsung Monte

So my order of preference is:

Galaxy Pop > Nokia C5 > Samsung Monte> Nokia C3 > Nokia 5230

Seriously: NO TO SYMBIAN. buying Symbian S60 based mobile is a crime when the budget allows far better (& easier to use) mobile: Samsung Galaxy Pop & Samsung Wave 575. both will cost 8.5-9k & worth the penny.

also who Symbian is easy to use? just cause S40 got a good interface (with H/W keys) doesn't mean S60 too follows the same rule. Android is far far better & refined. just need the desire to use it.

K

^ S60v5 is not so bad ... used it for over a year on 5800xm ... And if you are not focused on apps, it makes sense buying that over a flimsy low end android with low res display ...

k4ce said:
^ S60v5 is not so bad ... used it for over a year on 5800xm ... And if you are not focused on apps, it makes sense buying that over a flimsy low end android with low res display ...

you can take back your statement. Have a look at Samsung Galaxy Ace and Optimus One. And who on earth would still go for S60v5 for a smartphone?

K

Sam.Shab said:
Seriously: NO TO SYMBIAN. buying Symbian S60 based mobile is a crime when the budget allows far better (& easier to use) mobile: Samsung Galaxy Pop & Samsung Wave 575. both will cost 8.5-9k & worth the penny.

also who Symbian is easy to use? just cause S40 got a good interface (with H/W keys) doesn't mean S60 too follows the same rule. Android is far far better & refined. just need the desire to use it.

Well...of course I dont want to be a criminal

but then the phones u suggested are 256k colour, so how will be the video quality? and the music quality is better than the Nokia phones?

^^ I don't think anyone would be able to find any differences between 256k colors & 16M colors. Still if you are not satisfied, go to a mobile showroom & check those models yourself.

I can't comment on the music quality. That differs from devices to devices. Check the phonearena.com & gsmarena.com reviews for comparison between music qualities.

I am using Samsung Champ currently & its has great music quality.

N

@kaudey
Correct me if I m wrong, but I don't think your wife really need a smartphone! So just go for a java phone which meets most of your given requirement.
My suggestion is still the same i.e. Samsung Monte (capacitive touchscreen, looks that could possibly please women, 3G, wifi, front cam, decent sound quality and somewhat budget friendly)
Further I don't recommend Samsung Galaxy Mini just cuz its android phone (smartphone)

K

Couldnt resist my temptation of owning an android, so got a Galaxy pop for Rs.9200 from Sangeetha, Jayanagar 9th Blk, Bangalore.
Nothing out of ordinary, android is a little difficult to use for the new users.
Screen is not good, and yes, 256k colour is noticeable when I compare it with my X6, which is just brilliant. Have not tried anything else with it yet. Will keep posting.

^^ 9.2k is higher then market price. still as a new mobile, it was expected. i think other then screen you shouldn't have other complains.