Top 5 Android smartphones under Rs 30,000

A few good recent launches as well as old workhorses that cost less than Rs 30K but are feature-rich and value-for-money neverthelss.

Most phones being launched these days are priced way above Rs 30,000, making them way too expensive for even the well heeled. However, there are quite a few good recent launches as well as old work horses in the below Rs 30K price as well.

These phones are powerful and will meet all the needs of any smartphone user.

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1. Intel Xolo X900 (Rs 22,000)

This is the first smartphone to come with an Intel processor inside, and therefore Intel has put all its might behind the phone. And the resulting product is great, it performs well, in fact it beats Galaxy SII in certain benchmark scores.

The quality is top notch, and so is the screen. On top of all that you get it for Rs 22,000; at this price there is no comparable product in the market.

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Only drawback of the phone is the fact that it supports only 95 per cent of apps (Intel claims so) and misses out on some popular games.

In terms of specs the phone gets 1.6 GHz processor and 1 GB of RAM, 4-inch screen, an 8 megapixel camera with flash, 16 GB internal memory (not expandable) and a good battery backup of almost two days of normal usage.

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2. Motorola RAZR XT910 (Rs 27,900)

Measuring just 7.1 mm, the Motorola Razr XT910 is claimed to be the slimmest smartphone in the market.

The XT910 runs on the Android v2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system, but will soon be upgraded to Android 4.0. What is special about this phone apart from sleek and stylish design, is the fact that it is made of Kevlar fiber and is water resistant and shock proof to a great extent.

Besides a 1.2 GHz dual core ARM Cortex A9 processor, the Razr also comes armed with 1 GB of RAM and a PowerVR SGX540 GPU. It sports a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen, 8 megapixel camera with LED flash, 1.3 megapixel front facing camera. The phone also has 16 GB internal memory.

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Some small but important aspects of the phone like three microphones in the device along with features such as wind and microphone blocking detection and audio zooming, makes this phone really special. While the rest of the features are similar to other top of the line phones, one special feature that stands out is the 'Smart Actions', a tool that lets you automate your phone's settings throughout the day.

For example, you can set your phone to automatically turn off its ringer when you get home from work and set it to turn off e-mail while you sleep, or dim the screen when battery life gets below 30 per cent.

The phone is priced at Rs 27,900 currently which is a very good bargain for such a powerful and stylish phone. However, if you can expand your budget by few grands, you can get a Razr Maxx that boasts the largest battery of 3300 mAH amongst all smartphones, offering a whopping 21 hours of talk time on a single charge.

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3. Sony Xperia P (24,999)

Sony Xperia P is the latest handset from the Sony. In fact it is part of first series of phones to come from Sony after it merged Sony Ericsson into itself.

The phone is the middle of the range and is priced below the Xperia S, but gets the same new design element like a 4-inch screen along with Sony's latest Bravia engine display technology.

The phone comes powered by a 1 GHz dual-core processor. Sony Xperia P comes preinstalled with Android 2.3 but Sony has plans to upgrade the device to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich later.

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The Sony Xperia P has an 8 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash and a VGA camera in the front for video calling and conferencing. The Xperia P comes with an internal storage of 16 GB out of which 13 GB worth of storage will be available for the user to store data.

The phone also gets NFC capability.

Sony Xperia P however has a very close competition from its own sibling in Xperia Arc S, which in fact has a bigger 4.2-inch screen and a slightly better 8.1 megapixel camera with CMOS sensor and is even priced lower now.

Only drawback that phone has is the lack of internal memory, and no NFC support.

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4. LG Optimus 3D Max P725 (Rs 28,990)

LG optimus 3D max is the upgraded version of the Optimus 3D.

This Android 2.3-based smartphone has a 4.3-inch screen with WVGA resolution and Nova display. It is powered by 1.2 Ghz OMAP4430 processor and has 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal storage with a micro SD card slot, two 5 megapixel cameras, and a 1,520 mAh battery.

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The phone supports glass-free 3D viewing and also captures 3D images and videos with its dual rear camera, and in this upgraded avatar it does both these things even better. LG has even taken care of editing and acquire 3D content on the phone.

The pricing of the phone at Rs 28,990 makes it a very attractive option.

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5. Samsung Galaxy SII (Rs 27,900)

Galaxy SII was till recently the Samsung's flagship product, but now Galaxy SIII has arrived and has stolen all the limelight from this capable phone. The phone has been the bestseller for quite some time and even now holds on its own especially given that the price is now much lower.

The handset now runs on Android 4.0, and has a 4.27-inch Super Amoled Plus display. The phone is powered by a 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex A-9 Dual core processor.

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There is an 8 megapixel camera which supports full HD video recording at 1080p resolution and is flanked by an LED flash. There is also a front facing 2 megapixel camera for video calls. There are many other features that go into making this handset successful.

However given that there are many products launched afterwards, those features have been made available by other rivals too. But nevertheless it is a good option to choose.

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