Top 5 Value for Money Mobiles under Rs. 5000 – Dec’10

some decent value for money mobiles available in Indian market under Rs. 5,000.
Before starting I would like to let you know some essential facts of under 5K price range. This range is flooded with China clad Indian mobile manufacturers e.g. Lava, G-Five etc. No doubt these companies dominate under 5K segment but the major issue with these manufacturers is the quality. They add the features just for the hake of it and there is no perfection guaranteed. Normally I try to avoid these phones in the list compilation.
Getting a decent phone under 5K is definitely a tough job since manufacturers tend to compromise a lot due to budget constraint. But boy, don’t you worry. Hum hain na. Lets see what are the best available options in the market under 5K.
And yes, since 3G has entered India, I have tried to incorporate more 3G mobiles in the list.

Top 5 Mobiles under Rs. 5000 for December 10

1. Samsung Squash C5010 – Price in India : Rs. 3499

An entry-level 3G GSM mobile phone which weighs just under 81g. Supports a range of connectivity options including Bluetooth v2.1, 2G & 3G connectivity up to 384 Kbps

• 2.0 inches, TFT, 65K colors
• 1.3 Mega Pixels main camera
• VGA front camera for video calling
• MP3/AAC/FM player
• Java, 3G, email
• Social networking services
• Expandable up to 8GB

2. Nokia 2730 Classic – Price in India : Rs. 4149

Aesthetically beautiful 3G, up to 3.8 Mbps data transfer speeds, combined with Windows Live Messenger support lets you stay connected and keep up with mails with ease.

• 2.0 inches, QVGA, TFT, 256K colors
• 2 Mega Pixels camera
• Support For E-mail Attachments
• MP3 player and FM stereo radio with RDS support
• 3G, Java, Games, Opera Mini
• Expandable up to 2GB

3. LG GU285 – Price in India : Rs. 4529

Sports a 1.3 megapixel main camera and a VGA camera in the front for video calling. The LG Buzz GU285 is preloaded with all the SNS apps, Instant messengers and games. Its easy and quick Internet and Email functionality supports up to 5 email accounts with ease and the Scheduled SMS feature allows you to send a pre-typed SMS at a specified time and date.

• 2.0 inches, TFT, 256K colors
• 1.3 Mega Pixels main Camera
• VGA video call camera
• Expandable up to 8GB
• 3G, email

4. Motorola Starling EX115 – Price in India : Rs. 4749

Looks a bit like Samsung Omnia Pro. Features like is a Dual Sim, 3 Mega Pixel camera, 32 GB expandable memory (generally found in high-end phones), battery backup of 10 days standby and 3 hours talk time etc. makes it a great buy. No 3g though

• 2.3 inches, TFT 256K colors
• 3.2 Mega Pixels Camera
• Dual Sim (GSM+GSM), Qwerty
• Expandable up to 32GB

5. Samsung mPower TV S239 – Price in India : Rs. 4899

Last phone of the list is dedicated to our CDMA readers who are looking for an option to go 3G for a budget. Samsung S239 is a 3G CDMA handset which comes embedded with the MobiTV to get bufferless access to 50 Live Channels. Since It is developed on the OMH platform, can be used with any CDMA operator. 3G connectivity (up to 2.4 Mbps) is also well optimized for Tata Photon/Reliance Netconnect.

• 2.4 inches QVGA Display, TFT 262K Colors
• 1.3 Mega Pixels Camera
• 3G, Java, Games
• Expandable up to 16 GB

Please note that all the price are as on 5 Dec 2010 and can be changed later on.

Top Music Mobiles Under Rs. 5000

For some mobile users one of the main criteria for purchasing a new handset is the multimedia capabilities that the phone brings to the table. More often that not it’s the audio player that ends up being one of the main reasons for a handset being popular, other than the budget of course. With that in mind, here are a few multimedia handset choices for those with a budget of Rs. 5000.

Micromax X360 - MRP - Rs. 4999, Approx. MOP - Rs. 3775
The X360 is Micromax’s music phone that’s tied up with MTV for content. It’s a chic looking well constructed handset that’s also comfortable to use. Micromax has also included a 2GB microSD card with the handset that’s loaded with plenty of popular music, MTV reality show videos and wallpapers of popular VJs. The main feature is of course the Wolfson and Yamaha sound engine that the X360 is equipped with. This seriously enhances the over all audio output. It even has an 8 band graphic EQ for a further customization. The bundled handsfree is also quite comfortable to use. If you’re looking for a handset purely for calls, messages and kick-ass audio, the X360 is a really good choice.

The Good: Well designed
Excellent audio player
FM radio has good reception
Bundled 2GB card comes with plenty of MTV content
The Bad: Lacks Social Networking features,
No Email support,
Video playback didn’t work out too well
The Rating: 3.5/5

Intex IN 4495 - MRP - Rs. 4500, Approx. MOP - Rs. 3895
Intex’s extremely funky IN 4495 manages to easily incorporate a touchscreen display into an otherwise standard candy bar form. Like the X360, the IN 4495 also comes with both EQ presets and a customizable graphic EQ which make a significant difference to the overall audio output. The well placed 3.5mm handsfree port means you can opt to use your own earphones if they happen to be better than the ones bundled with the package. Like Samsung’s TouchWiz UI, the IN 4495 also has a drag and drop widget system for the desktop.

The Good: Well designed
UI is quite smooth and user friendly
Really good sound quality
FM reception was good
Good battery life
The Bad: FM radio had issues with earphones
Camera quality is bad
The Rating: 4/5