Last month we recommended the best phones you can pick up without crossing the 20k mark. This time, we are back with some unbeatable deals for those ready to shell out up to Rs 25,000. Be it Android, Windows Phone, or even iOS, you get them all in this price-range. While these may not be the most desirable handsets in the market, they're only a notch below the flagship products. Some of them are in fact last year's top-end phones that offer excellent value after recent price cuts. Without further ado, here's the list of phones you should consider buying under Rs 25,000.
Nokia Lumia 820
Street Price: Rs 22,500
The Lumia 820 is a solid piece of hardware with colourful replaceable shells. The handset's AMOLED screen with ClearBlack tech does full justice to Windows Phone UI, which is a mixture of deep blacks and vibrant hues. The Windows Phone 8 OS is not only refreshingly different, but is also very well optimized. The phone is powered by a dual-core Snapdragon S4 chip clocked at 1.5 GHz. Apart from that you get an 8 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, 1 GB RAM, 8 GB internal storage, microSD card slot, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.1, 1650 mAh battery, and optional wireless (induction) charging accessory. To further sweeten the deal, the Finns offer Nokia Music, HERE Maps, and exclusive camera lenses (software, that is).
Apple iPhone 4 (16 GB)
Street Price: 24,500
Street Price: 24,500
This one's for the Apple aspirants. The iPhone 4 features a 3.5" IPS screen with 640x960 pixels. Its compact form-factor makes it perfect for single-handed use. The phone is powered by a 1 GHz Cortex-A8 CPU coupled with PowerVR SGX535 GPU. Now before you frown over its single core processor, let me tell you that the OS is so well optimised that this phone runs smoother than most quad or even octa-core Android devices in the market. The 5 megapixel camera is good enough to please casual shutterbugs. Other specs include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 (for device pairing), and 1420 mAh battery.
LG Nexus 4
Street Price: 24,700
Street Price: 24,700
The holy grail of Android purists, the Nexus 4 is finally available in India, officially. Of course, the phone runs the latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and being a Nexus device, it will be the first one to receive future OS updates. The Nexus 4 features a 4.7" True IPS Plus screen with 1280x768 pixels. Inside is a powerful 1.5 GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, and 2 GB of RAM. In the camera department, it's equipped with an 8 megapixel auto-focus snapper. Other specs include Bluetooth 4.0, 3G, Wi-Fi, NFC, and 2100 mAh battery. If you do not like any customisations that most vendors offer, and are looking for a pure Android experience, this is the phone for you.
Panasonic P51
Street Price: 22,300
Street Price: 22,300
The Panasonic P51 is the only dual-SIM phone to make it to our list in this segment. The handset packs in a 5" HD IPS screen with impressive colour reproduction. The show is run by a MediaTek MT6589 SOC with a 1.2 GHz quad-core CPU, and PowerVR 544 GPU. The onboard 1 GB of RAM is enough to handle Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) quite well. For photography there's a very good 8 megapixel auto-focus camera. It covers other essentials such as Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS, and has a 2500 mAh battery. So if you're in for a high-end dual-SIM phone, the Panasonic P51 is the way to go. Oh, and it's way better than the Samsung GALAXY Grand.
Samsung GALAXY S III
Street Price: Rs 25,000
Street Price: Rs 25,000
Almost a year after its launch, the GALAXY S III is still one of the best Android phones around. The phone is powered by Exynos 4412 chipset that boasts of a quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9 processor, and Mali-400MP GPU. The 4.7" HD AMOLED screen offers vibrant colours and great contrast. The rest of the features include an 8 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, 1 GB RAM, 16 GB internal storage, microSD card slot, and 2100 mAh battery. It comes with Android Jelly Bean 4.1. Since the phone looks very similar to the latest GALAXY S4, you also get good flaunt value.
