Three upcoming iPhone 4S alternatives [poll]
Now that the ridiculous iPhone 4S prices have been made official and disappointment seems to be the common sentiment, it is time to look for alternatives to put the money you had been saving up to good use. On a personal level, I would still prefer the iPhone 4S over any of the three alternatives mentioned after the break but I just cannot justify spending Rs 44,500 for it. For a change, I would recommend people to buy a factory unlocked iPhone 4S from the US or Hong Kong (if you can find one, that is) as asking for a 33 percent premium is just not done. Anyway, hit the break my selection of three upcoming smartphones that are likely to benefit, thanks to the unjustifiable iPhone 4S prices by Airtel and Aircel.
SAMSUNG GALAXY NEXUS
Expected to be available in India sometime next month, the Galaxy Nexus will be the only smartphone to come with Android 4.0 ICS and support all the features this year. Watch out for its 4.65-inch 720p HD display, a 5.0 MP camera to which Google has added new features (check out Android 4.0 features here). The Galaxy Nexus will also get all Android OS updates for the foreseeable future, making it the smartphone to have for those who are more concerned about future software updates than just having the latest hardware. The Galaxy Nexus should be priced between Rs 35,000-40,000.
MOTOROLA RAZR
The RAZR brings sexy back to Android, which of late has been dominated by plastic droids with no class or appeal. Expected to be launched this month for Rs 33,990 (according to Flipkart, which seems to have stocks already), the RAZR is the thinnest smartphone out there at just 7.1 mm thin. As can be expected from Motorola, it sports a stainless steel chassis, a non-removable Kevlar back and even its internals are splash proof. Other specs include a qHD (960×540 pixels), 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and a 8.0 MP rear and 720p front cameras.
NOKIA LUMIA 800
The stars seem to be lining up for Nokia and this iPhone 4S pricing fiasco and related negative PR was exactly what the doctor must have ordered. The Lumia 800 launch is around the corner and Nokia has a pretty good looking smartphone with a relatively new but unique Windows Phone OS. The smartphone is decently specs and Nokia will slap its Music Store (unlimited song downloads for a year) and its voice-based turn-by-turn navigation app (Nokia Drive) for good measure. The Lumia 800 is expected to be priced below Rs 30,000.
Which one of these will you pick up? Or is there any other smartphone alternative that I have missed?
- MWC reveals the nominees: Phones & Tablets that are battling it out for the top spot
- Nokia Lumia 800 receiving Windows Phone 7.8 update right now: Report
- Rumor has it: Next version of Android coming this month on LG’s Nexus phone
- Nokia to cut prices of older Lumia phones: Reuters
- Samsung reportedly launches Galaxy Nexus in India for Rs 25,900 [update]
Comments
Showing 9 Comments
I am such a fan of Google services, but I have suffered the amateurishness of Android enough. The OS has enough quirks and bugs to keep you frustrated every day. I use Nexus One which stays up to date via Google’s updates. In fact, if any one asks me which phone they should buy my only advice is “don’t buy Android; i’ts not ready yet”.
For the poll above – iPhone 4S at the US/HK prices is the best deal. But if the warranty of a US/HK iPhone is not valid in India, then you are better off buying Nokia Lumia 800.
I voted for Nokia Lumia 800.
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Amrut 577 days agoI had the same opinion, Android is just not… polished. It still doesn’t, but Android 4.0 ICS is a surprisingly big qualitative leap for Android. The software is finally showing signs of maturity, but will suffer from the current fragmentation for quite some time.
Windows Phone looks very promising. I’d wait another generation to jump on the Nokia+Windows Phone bandwagon. It’s the perfect balance between Apple’s iOS (too closed/restrictive) and Google’s Android (too open?)
Windows Phone hits the sweet spot. It’s the right balance between Open & Closed – the user experience will be maintained, while avoiding a lot of Android’s fragmentation issues or Apple’s restrictions.
Look out for Windows Phone + Nokia.
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Raghu Prodduturi 577 days agoI don’t understand in which way Apple is being a CLOSED system and why people whine about it always. As a end user you always benefit from it.
In what way is WinMo OPEN when compared to iOS exactly?
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Azeem 561 days agoYou’re using one of the the oldest Android phones around and wondering why Android “isn’t ready yet”. You, sir, are a fool.
Try using at least a HTC Desire HD or a Galaxy S2, and you’ll know the pure power that is Android OS. I haven’t had one lock-up one hang-up, or the slightest bit of lag, and I’ve had my phone for well over a year and lost count of the amount of apps I’ve downloaded and used. Forming an uninformed opinion is fine. Sharing it is foolish. -
mitesh 556 days agoI had the same opinion, Android is just not… polished. It still doesn’t, but Android 4.0 ICS is a surprisingly big qualitative leap for Android. The software is finally showing signs of maturity, but will suffer from the current fragmentation for quite some time.
Windows Phone looks very promising. I’d wait another generation to jump on the Nokia+Windows Phone bandwagon. It’s the perfect balance between Apple’s iOS (too closed/restrictive) and Google’s Android (too open?)
Windows Phone hits the sweet spot. It’s the right balance between Open & Closed – the user experience will be maintained, while avoiding a lot of Android’s fragmentation issues or Apple’s restrictions.
Look out for Windows Phone + Nokia.
Will be getting a iPhone 4S for sure which will be my primary phone. Apart from that I would like to try a winmo phone and will be buying a samsung focus. Voted for iPhone 4S!
Warranty or not I will be getting it from US just coz it just costs 33K only for me (friend coming from oregon – no taxes :D).
@rajat
Don’t you think apart from the form factor the HTC Sensation XE is a better alternative to Moto droid razr? Has equal specs, price but better screen and beats audio which alone is worth almost 5000 bucks and a great pair of earphones?
It’s strange that Moto Razr doesn’t have too many votes? What’s the reason? Is it becoz its expensive or jst hatred for Moto brand?? FYI, I voted for Razr and will buy it inspite of all the -ve reviews!
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Raghu Prodduturi 572 days ago
Apart from the awesome build I dont really see a great advantage here. I heard the battery life isn’t as great as other android devices and so is the display.
So the engineering marvel is flawed with some problems. I would rather buy a phone which is around 2 or 3 mm more thicker but has a better display and battery life which will prove to be more useful for my usage at least.
so glad to see nokia lumia 800 lead by far. and guys its windows phone and not winmo. and it is awesome.
