Best Phones: 15K+

[cindrell@]

Best Phones: 15K+
Today we come to the last installment of our phone buying guide series for 2008; we'll talk about handsets priced at Rs 15,000 and above. Essentially, the phones we'll list below are worth the money, we think. This segment of the market is a tricky one -- some buyers will be willing to spend on a phone for just one reason or feature which might not seem like a reason at all to someone else!


Nokia E61i: Rs 15,800


The best value-for-money business phone out there. It's sleek, compact compared to the E60, and weighs 150 grams. The compactness doesn't reduce the usability of the handset; in fact, its QWERTY keyboard is more comfortable. A sharp 2.8-inch screen makes for easy reading and more workspace than available on many other business handsets. The E61i has GPRS, EDGE, and HSCSD; it is 3G-ready and Wi-Fi enabled, has Bluetooth v1.2 and infrared, and has USB 2.0 for quick PC sync and data transfer.

The 2MP camera, among other things, has a rather respectable video recording capability. A battery life of 9 hours (talktime) means three days of working without the need to recharge, unless there's a lot of Wi-Fi usage. Office applications, push services, and BlackBerry connectivity help with accessing, opening, and editing documents on the fly.

[cindrell@]

HTC Touch: Rs 16,500



Some time ago, we reviewed the new Dual Touch from HTC, but we aren't too much in favor of that one. The earlier HTC Touch still takes the spotlight; to put it in simple words, it's worth the money. Even without sufficient processing power to back up the highly functional Windows Mobile 6 Professional Edition OS, its operation is overall smoother than that of the Dual Touch. This, the original Touch, has a large 2.8-inch screen, a 2MP camera, and weighs 112 grams -- with a build quality that's a notch above others in its class. It can handle office files through Pocket Office. It has Wi-Fi, GPRS, EDGE, and Bluetooth v2.0. The Touch isn't 3G ready, but that doesn't really matter now, with 3G still not available in the country.

[cindrell@]

Sony Ericsson P1i: Rs 16,700



The Sony Ericsson P1i can't be left out of this list, now that it fits perfectly in the shoes of the M600i, priced at Rs 16,700. It's compact, and the design combines the aesthetics of PDA and touchscreen phones. The unique QWERTY keypad takes a little time to get used to, but is really comfortable once you get the hang of it. With a 2.6-inch screen and Office applications installed, working with office documents is comfortable, too. The P1i has a good 3.15MP auto-focus camera with flash; under business handsets, this is shared only by the Nokia E90. It has business card scanning and secondary video calling capability. There is GPRS and Wi-Fi, it's 3G-ready, and it has Bluetooth v2.0 with wireless stereo audio profile (A2DP). A smooth video player and a Walkman-like Music player are accompanied by an FM radio tuner. A powerful 1120 mAh battery delivers 2 days of life even after some Wi-Fi usage.

[cindrell@]

Nokia N81 8GB: Rs 17,500



Trying hard to revive the gaming platform that Nokia created with the N-Gage & N-Gage QD, Nokia came up with a new gaming device: the N81. It does face some build issues, but otherwise it's a good phone. It has a large 2.4-inch screen with gaming buttons that come alive when playing a game. The 8 GB of internal memory allows you to install many games from those that the N-Gage platform has to offer; you can also carry around quite a few audio and video files. The N81 has a unique feature: the Navi Wheel, something along the lines of the touch wheel from Apple: just move a finger over the sides of the D-Pad to scroll up/down. The N81 has GPRS, EDGE, HSCSD, 3G (with video calling), and Wi-Fi connectivity. It's got Bluetooth v2.0, and its possible to enjoy your music collection on stereo wireless Bluetooth headsets (A2DP). A 3.5mm standard stereo jack is provided to plug in your choice of headphones, and an FM tuner is also provided. The 2MP camera seems the only downer, but that's only relatively speaking. The battery lasts just two days, though.

[cindrell@]

Nokia N82: Rs 21,500



Now here's one powerful and feature rich handset. It has a quality 5MP camera with Xenon flash, a large 2.4-inch screen, and weighs just 114 grams. The tactile menu buttons are surprisingly light and soft (as are the Menu and Call buttons, and the D-Pad as well). The motion sensor means the screen orientation changes from portrait to landscape automatically, and with hardly any lag. Along with its ability to open various kinds of documents, the N82 also has A-GPS, and is equipped with an inbuilt GPS receiver. Nokia Maps comes preloaded; you get maps covering lots of cities, but you are charged for turn-by-turn navigation. The 3.5 mm jack allows you to attach your own headphones, and also to route TV signals to a TV set. You also get GPRS, EDGE, HSCSD, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP profile.

The expected price drop will make it one of the best of the best buys, especially considering that the battery easily lasts two to three days.

[cindrell@]

Nokia N95 8GB: Rs 27,800



The N95 8GB is an upgrade from the N95, released a year back. Over a year, the original N95 has seen lots of updates to rectify bugs. The new N95 8GB is a class ahead. I's bug-free, and offers great storage (like the N81 8GB); also, the weight of the phone has increased by just 8 grams, but it's got a sharp 2.8-inch screen. The phone is quick through the menus, and launch times of most applications are low. The phone has a 5MP auto-focus camera with flash. Its features are similar to that of the N82, but only show up a difference in the form factors. The N95 8GB has a GPS receiver with A-GPS and Nokia Maps.

There's TV-out though its 3.5mm jack, and FM radio as well. You can view various kinds of document files using Office Document Viewer. GPRS, EDGE, HSCSD, 3G, and Wi-Fi cover all the data connectivity options available on mobile handsets. The Bluetooth v2.0 supports stereo audio (A2DP), and the phone also has an infrared port so it can be used as a remote for presentations. With 6 hours of specified talktime, the phone easily lasts two days with around 5 hours of talktime.

A Final Word

There you go -- my list of phones for those who have a budget of 15K+ and aren't very clear on what would best justify spending that much. There are, of course, niche markets where people want the best music phone or the best camera or something unique or extremely stylish; this is as general a list as I could manage, so if you're very particular about a certain aspect, you'll have to research some more.

I haven't mentioned the SE K850i because its USP is its great 5MP camera; apart from that, there isn't anything really great about the phone. The Apple iPhone would also have its spot in this list, but it's still not officially available in India. Then there are the Vertu phones and other lifestyle phones (standard phones in designer suits, for example, the RAZR D&G) which could actually enhance one's self-esteem! Then, a Treo 750 or BlackBerry will not only provide functionality, but will also provide a much-needed business aura for some.

[oni]

N95 is the extreme
Love that

[cindrell@]

hmm thanks for ur reply