From Rs 4k to 47k: 20 phones launched in July

From the cheapest Intex Cloud X3 to the costliest Sony Xperia Z Ultra, the Indian smartphone market buzzed with 20 launches in July offering consumers a choice to experience the best of features at various price points.

1. Sony Xperia Z Ultra

Of course, this is the most noted and the costliest phone to be launched in the market last month. It was launched towards the fag end of July for a price of Rs 46,990.

The Sony Xperia Z Ultra has a 2.2 GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system, 6.4-inch display, and an 8 megapixel rear camera.

This dust and water proof smartphone has connectivity options like NFC, LTE, Bluetooth 4.0 and FM radio with RDS.

2. LG Optimus G Pro

Trailing the Xperia Z Ultra is LG Optimus G Pro -- the second costliest phone to be launched in the market last month. It was launched early last month in India for Rs 42,500.

The Optimus G Pro smartphone sports a 5.5-inch full HD display and packs a quad core Qualcomm mobile processor inside. It is, in fact, the first 5.5-inch display bearing smartphone from LG. This 5-inch display comprises a full 1080p HD IPS panel and supports 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution.

LG has packed a quad core 1.7 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 mobile processor with Adreno 320 graphics in the Optimus G Pro. This core hardware along with 2 GB RAM is expected to make the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update work flawlessly with Optimus UI.

LG has implemented a dual recording feature on both the 13 megapixel rear camera and the 2.1 megapixel front facing camera of the phone. Both these features offer a unique picture-in-picture experience by capturing images as well as video simultaneously.

VR Panorama allows taking 360 degree panorama shots.

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3. HTC Desire 600

It is yet another noted smartphone to be launched in July. Priced at Rs 26,990, the HTC Desire 600 comes with a quad core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 mobile processor, a 4.5-inch Super LCD2 display with 960 x 540 pixel resolution, 1 GB RAM, and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system.

By default, the phone packs only 8 GB on-board storage.

Weighing 130 grams, the Desire 600 is 9.26 mm thick and also features a memory card slot capable of accommodating up to 64 GB. At the rear, HTC has added an 8 megapixel camera with auto focus and smart flash.

In the front lies a 1.6 megapixel camera with BSI sensor to enjoy high quality video chat.

HTC has also added dual front stereo speakers with built-in Beats audio amplifiers to deliver stereo quality BoomSound experience. Other features include Wi-Fi, DLNA support, Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX, GPS with A-GPS support and Near Field Communication.

HTC has added an 1860 mAh battery to power the device.

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4. BlackBerry Q5

BlackBerry Q5 was launched this July in India for Rs 24,990. It comes with a Qwerty keypad, a 3.1-inch touch display, a 1.2 GHz dual core processor, 8 GB internal storage, and a 32 GB micro SD card slot.

The Q5 has a 5 megapixel main camera along with a 2 megapixel front facing camera; while the Q10 has an 8 megapixel rear camera and a 2 megapixel front camera.

BlackBerry Q5 comes with Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0, and a 2180 mAh battery. It weighs 120 grams. BlackBerry Q5 is just 10.8 mm thick.

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5. Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom

Samsung launched the much-awaited Galaxy S4 Zoom Android smartphone in India last month for Rs 29,900.

The Galaxy S4 Zoom digital camera features a 16 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor and a dual core mobile processor. Sporting a 4.3-inch Super Amoled display with qHD (960 x 540 pixel) resolution, the Galaxy S4 Zoom bears a physical design similar to the Galaxy S4 Mini.

Its display has been constructed using Corning Gorilla Glass 3 technology for a thinner and stronger display with resistance from scratches.

The Galaxy S4 Zoom is powered by a dual core 1.5 GHz mobile processor with 1.5 GB RAM and 8 GB on-board storage. Also, there is a memory card slot to accommodate up to a 64 GB micro SD card.

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6. Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini

Samsung also launched this handset for Rs 27,900.

The Galaxy S4 Mini features a 4.3-inch Super Amoled display with 960 x 540 pixel resolution natively. This display is powered by a dual core 1.7 GHz mobile processor and 1.5 GB RAM.

By default, this hardware will drive Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with a layer of Nature UX on top of it.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini features an 8 megapixel camera at the back along with a 1.9 megapixel camera in the front for HD quality video chat. It comes with Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n 5.0 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0, GPS with Glonass support, and an IR LED port on the device.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini has 8 GB on-board memory of which 5 GB is available for users and one can add up to a 64 GB micro SD card.

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7. Micromax Canvas 4

This was the most anticipated handset in India last month, which was launched at Rs 17,999.

Micromax Canvas 4 gets a 5-inch Tru HD display covered with Gorilla Glass 2 for display protection. It uses a 1.2 GHz Mediatek 6589 chipset and comes with 42 Mbps 3G speeds.

Canvas 4 has the latest PowerVR 5XT GPU instead of PowerVR SGX544. 5XT chips are multi-core variants of the SGX series with some updates. It also has 1 GB RAM, along with 16 GB inbuilt memory. The latest Micromax flagship phone is based on Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean operating system.

Canvas 4 gets a 13 megapixel rear camera with BSI sensor for better low light photography, and a 5 megapixel front camera. Micromax Canvas 4 gets a 2000 mAh battery that promises 20 hours of talk time.

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8. Xolo Play T1000

The Nvidia Tegra 3 based Xolo Play T1000 smartphone was launched for Rs 15,999, making it the cheapest smartphone to have the quad core processor.

Android Jelly Bean 4.1 operating system based Xolo Play T1000 comes with a 4.7-inch IPS display with high definition resolution. It has an 8 megapixel rear auto focus camera with BSI sensor, a 2 megapixel front camera, 1 GB RAM, 4 GB built-in memory which is expandable up to 32 GB and a 1900 mAh battery.

Besides, the 3G handset has Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS/A-GPS.

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9. Xolo Q600

Priced at Rs 8,499, the Xolo Q600 comes with a 4.5-inch TFT display with a resolution of 480 x 854 pixel. It runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system, a 1.2 GHz quad core processor and Power VR SGX544 GPU.

Internally, Xolo Q600 comes packed with 512 MB RAM and 4 GB of internal storage, which can be further expanded by up to 32 GB via a micro SD card.

The smartphone comes with a 2000 mAh battery, which is claimed to deliver up to 13.4 hours of talk time on 2G networks and have a standby time of 333 hours.

There is a 5 megapixel rear camera that can also record videos at 30 frames per second and there is a VGA camera in the front for video chat. It is a dual SIM smartphone with dual standby.

Other connectivity options include 3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS.

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10. Spice Pinnacle FHD

Regarded as one of the prime opponents of Micromax Canvas 4, Spice Pinnacle FHD was launched in the market for Rs 16,990. As the name suggests, it has a 5-inch screen with full high definition (1920 x 1080 pixel) resolution.

The phone is powered by a 1.5 GHz quad core processor and is based on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system. It has 8 GB onboard memory, 1 GB RAM and support for an external memory card of up to 32 GB.

The phone comes with dual SIM and both SIMs can support 3G connectivity. Spice Pinnacle FHD has an 8 megapixel auto focus rear camera along with dual LED flash and a 2 megapixel front camera.

Spice Pinnacle FHD runs on a 2100 mAh Li-Polymer battery.

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11. Spice Coolpad Mi496

Last month, Spice had also announced the launch of this smartphone for Rs 9,499. The phone has a 4.5-inch display with qHD (960 x 540 pixel) resolution, a 1.2 GHz quad core processor coupled with 1 GB of RAM and 4 GB of inbuilt memory which is expandable to 32 GB via a micro SD card.

The Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system based smartphone has a 5 megapixel auto focus rear camera but misses out on a front facing camera, which is a big downside of this phone.

For connectivity, it has GPRS, Bluetooth, 3G, Wi-Fi, and USB. Other features are A-GPS, a 1700 mAh battery and FM radio.

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12. Spice Stellar Virtuoso Pro

Launched for Rs 7,990, the Stellar Virtuoso Pro features a 4.5-inch LCD display with 480 x 854 pixel native resolution. The smartphone packs a 1 GHz dual core mobile processor inside and runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Virtuoso Pro also boasts of SRS Sound Enhancement for better quality output. It packs a 1700 mAh battery, which should be decent enough for the dual SIM configuration. At the back, the smartphone has a 5 megapixel camera with auto focus and there is a 1.3 megapixel camera in the front for video chat-call.

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13. WickedLeak Wammy Passion Z

This is yet another quad core phone that was launched in the market last month for Rs 15,990.

WickedLeak's Wammy Passion Z comes with a 5-inch FHD IPS display, which offers 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution. It is powered by a 1.5 GHz quad core Mediatek MT6589 Turbo processor.

On the memory front, the smartphone features 1 GB RAM and is blessed with 4 GB internal storage, which is expandable to 64 GB.

WickedLeak Wammy Passion Z is a dual camera smartphone featuring a 13 megapixel rear camera and 2 megapixel camera at the front. Fuelled by a 2500 mAh battery, the dual SIM smartphone comes with 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS for wireless connectivity.

Other features of the device include FM radio, missed calls notification LED, E-compass etc.

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14. Intex Cloud X3

This ought to be the noted phone launched in July since it is the cheapest (at Rs 3,790) to have Android 4.2 operating system.

Intex Cloud X3 has a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen and is powered by a 1 GHz dual core Mediatek MT6572 processor, but has 256 MB of RAM and 115 MB of internal memory.

However, it comes with an expandable storage slot for up to a 32 GB micro SD card. Cloud X3 has a 2 megapixel rear camera and VGA front camera. Other key features include dual-SIM capability, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth and 1450 mAh battery.

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15. Karbonn A29

Karbonn A29 was launched last month for Rs 8,990. The smartphone has a 4.7-inch IPS, LCD display with qHD (960 x 540 pixel) resolution.

Karbonn A29 is powered by a 1.2 GHz dual core processor. It has 4 GB inbuilt memory of which 2.53 GB is available for users. Besides, it has an expandable memory slot for 32 GB.

It has only 512 MB RAM though. Karbonn A29 comes with an 8 megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 2 megapixel front camera. Its connectivity options include GPRS, EDGE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB.

The smartphone has a decent 2000 mAh battery as well.

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16. Karbonn Smart A27

Priced at Rs 8,999, the Karbonn Smart A27 comes with a 5-inch display with qHD (960 x 540 pixel) resolution, 1 GHz dual core processor and an 8 megapixel rear camera.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS based Karbonn Smart A27 has a front facing VGA camera and a 2000 mAh battery with claimed talktime of up to 7 hours. There is 512 MB RAM and 4 GB inbuilt memory in the phone too.

The 3G phone comes with dual SIM support, Wi-Fi, 3G, GPS and a couple of sensors.

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17. Karbonn A50

Karbonn also launched this handset for Rs 3,999. The best part of the phone is that it gets Android 4.0 ICS operating system and not the aging Android 2.3 Gingerbread version that other phones in this segment get.

The phone gets a 3.5-inch display with 480 x 320 pixel resolution, 1 GHz processor and though RAM is not mentioned we assume that it will have 512 MB RAM since Android 4.0 requires that as a basic minimum.

The 2G only Karbonn A50 gets 1300 mAh battery, connectivity options include GPRS/Edge, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB. There is a 3 megapixel camera at the back though there is no front facing camera.

Other features include a G-sensor and 32 GB expandable memory.

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18. Karbonn Titanium S9

At Rs 11,000, this was the costliest offering from Karbonn last month. The Karbonn Titanium S9 comes with a 5.5-inch HD (1280 x 720 pixel) IPS display, and has Android Jelly Bean 4.2 operating system.

The phone also comes with a 13 megapixel autofocus rear camera with flash, a 5 megapixel front camera, 16 GB internal memory, 1 GB RAM, 2600 mAh battery, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and USB.

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19. iBall Andi 4Di

Indian mobile phone manufacturer iBall has launched this Android 4.0 ICS based smartphone in July for Rs 5,995. The phone comes with a 4-inch IPS display with WVGA (480 x 800 pixel) resolution, a 1 GHz Cortex A9 processor, and 512 MB RAM.

The iBall Andi 4Di has a 5 megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a front facing camera. The smartphone is powered by a 1700 mAh with four hour claimed talktime. The iBall Andi 4Di comes with 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and also supports GPS for navigation.

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20. Videocon A24

This is yet another low cost phone that comes with Android 4.2 operating system. Priced at Rs 4,699, the Videocon A24 comes with 1.2 GHz dual core processor but sadly it has only 256 MB RAM, which might make it very slow.

The phone features a 4-inch WVGA (800 x 480 pixel) display, a 3.2 megapixel rear camera and has a 1450 mAh battery. Videocon A24 is available in white chrome and black colour casings.

The phone misses out on 3G connectivity but offers Edge, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It is a dual SIM device.

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