Although all the smartphone brands have released their updated flagship devices earlier this year, a majority of sales happen in the mid-range price category. If you are in the market, planning to buy a mid-range Android smartphone, here are the 5 devices that you should be looking at right now.
1. Motorola Moto G
The Motorola Moto G is one of the best-selling smartphones in the India, thanks to its value for money factor along with its hardware and software quality. It comes with a 4.5 inch HD IPS LCD screen with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. It is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB of RAM and 8/16 GB of internal storage. It comes with Android 4.4 KitKat installed out of the box and guaranteed future software updates. Rather than bloatware which comes with smartphones from Samsung, LG, etc, this device comes with some seriously useful applications like Motorola Assist and Motorola Migrate. Motorola Assist helps you in setting Do Not Disturb mode while Motorola Migrate helps you in transferring all the data and content from your old smartphone to the Moto G. Right now, it is the best smartphone under INR 15,000.
2. Micromax Canvas Knight A350
Micromax’s costliest smartphone, the Canvas Knight A350 is still considered as a mid-range smartphone due to its price tag. Nonetheless, it comes with a 5 inch full HD 1080p screen and a 16 MP autofocus camera with full HD video recording. It is powered by a 2GHz octa-core processor from MediaTek (MT6592T) which combines eight ARM Cortex A7 CPU cores along with Mali-450MP4 GPU. There is 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage as well. It comes with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean on board which is 2 generations old but Micromax has promised Android 4.4.2 KitKat update very soon. It covers all the necessary sensors including accelerometer, proximity, digital compass and gyro. Connectivity wise, it is equipped with dual SIM card slots with HSPA+ 3G, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS and MicroUSB v2.0. This is also the first device from Micromax that comes with premium design with glass front and back with metal frame. The Micromax Canvas Knight price in India is around INR 20K and at this price, no other device seems as powerful as this one providing excellent value for money.
3. Samsung Galaxy Grand 2
Last year’s Galaxy Grand was a huge hit. It combined large 5 inch screen, dual SIM card slots and some of the Samsung’s software features such as multi-window into an affordable package. This year, Samsung has come up with an upgraded version of the Samsung Galaxy Grand. The Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 has an updated screen with HD resolution, 8MP camera with 1080p video recording, newer software and a larger battery at almost similar price. Instead of the older dual-core processor from Broadcom, the Galaxy Grand 2 comes with a new 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 1.5 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage.In terms of connectivity, it comes with dual SIM card slots, 42Mbps HSPA, dual-band Wi-Fi b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Bluetooth v4.0, NFC, A-GPS and microUSB port. A 2600 mAh battery usually lasts a day and a half with normal usage and over 2 days with low use. This is one of the most value for money and refined Android smartphone from the house of Samsung and definitely worth upgrading to.
4. Motorola Moto X
After a series of price drops, Motorola’s flagship smartphone, the Moto X has dropped in the mid-range price category. Rather than providing top of the line hardware specifications on paper, Motorola has worked on providing best user experience that is possible. It comes with a dual-core Snapdragon Pro processor, Adreno 320 GPU, 2 GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and a 2200 mAh battery. Running completely stock version of Android 4.4.2 KitKat, it feels one of the most elegant Android smartphones in day to day use. It has Active Notifications and an always an Google Now. Notifications show up on the lock screen and unlocking the device in the right direction will take you down to that particular app which is related to that notification. The Moto X has good battery, decent camera, nice screen and a completely satisfiable user interface.
5. Sony Xperia T2 Ultra
Sony’s first mid-range phablet is quite a looker. It comes with a large 6 inch IPS LCD screen with 1280 x 720 pixels HD resolution and a 13 MP Exmor R camera at the back. It is powered by a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal storage and a large 3000 mAh battery. It comes with Android 4.3 Jelly bean but Sony has promised the Android 4.4 KitKat update very soon. The device comes with dual SIM connectivity along with dual-band Wi-Fi b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, A-GPS and microUSB. According to initial reviews, the display, although doesn’t match up with high end smartphones in pixel density, still performs very well in terms of viewing angles, contrast and brightness. The Xperia T2 Ultra turns out to be one of the longest lasting smartphones on a single charge.
All these devices come with fast processors, enough storage, good camera and long battery life. Most importantly, they all are either already running Android 4.4 KitKat or will be updated soon to one. These are the 5 best Android smartphones in the mid-range price category in India. Pick any one of these devices and you can’t go wrong.