Article 28ARP Best Phones in India

Best Phones in India

by
Harish Jonnalagadda
from Android Central RSS Feed on (#28ARP)

Update, May 2017: The Galaxy S8+ is now our top pick for the best phone in India. The Pixel is still a great phone, but the S8+ offers much more for its asking price.

Best overallSamsung Galaxy S8+

galaxy-s8-plus-review-retail-box.jpg?ito

See at Flipkart

The Galaxy S8+ is Samsung's most ambitious phone yet. Its defining feature - the bezel-less Infinity Display - is nothing short of incredible. The glass panel curves on all sides and merges seamlessly with the metal frame, creating a design aesthetic that's unmatched.

The lack of bezels has allowed Samsung to fit a 6.2-inch display in a smaller chassis, making it easier to use. The QHD Super AMOLED panel sets the bar for smartphone displays, offering deep blacks and sharp colors.

Samsung hasn't cut corners anywhere else - the 12MP camera is class-leading in its own right, the phone retains its IP68 dust and water resistance, you get 64GB of internal storage, and there's a microSD slot.

Under the hood, you'll find the Exynos 8895, a chipset built on Samsung's latest 10nm manufacturing node. There's also 4GB of RAM, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, an iris scanner, and a 3500mAh battery that'll last you through the day.

Bottom line: Right now, there isn't a phone that offers quite as much as the Galaxy S8+.

One more thing: There are three color options of the S8+ available in India: Midnight Black, Coral Blue, and Maple Gold. The latter two variants are quite striking.

Why the Galaxy S8+ is the best

If all you want is a decent phone, then the a^130,000 OnePlus 3T or the a^116,999 Moto G5 Plus will serve you very well. When you're in the market for a device that costs north of a^160,000, you're looking for a phone that's at the cutting edge of what's possible in this segment: an astounding display, the fastest chipset, class-leading camera, and the best overall experience.

Currently, that phone is the Galaxy S8+. Samsung isn't a stranger when it comes to delivering a great flagship, but with the S8+, the manufacturer outdid itself.

The 6.2-inch QHD display on the S8+ is the best on the market. Samsung's AMOLED displays have consistently ranked at the top for a few years, and the situation is no different this year with the S8+. The fact that it doesn't have as many bezels around the edges as previous generations makes the device that much more enticing.

The internal hardware is top-notch as well: Samsung is using its latest 10nm node for the Exynos 8895, and what it essentially translates to is that the manufacturer figured out a way to cram more transistors into a smaller package. The result is that the S8+ is much more energy efficient, with the 3500mAh more than adequate to last an entire day.

The Galaxy S8+ is also the first flagship to offer Samsung Pay out of the box in India. Samsung's digital payments solution is easy to set up, and as it works with MST as well as NFC, you'll be able to use it to pay for purchases at most retail stores across the country.

Also greatGoogle Pixel

google-pixel-review-2.jpg?itok=anabi23Z

See at Flipkart

The Google Pixel gets the basics absolutely right. The understated metal design is complemented by great hardware in the form of a Snapdragon 821, 4GB of RAM, 32GB or 128GB storage, an astounding camera, and all-day battery life. It is available in two sizes: a 5.0-inch variant with a Full HD display, and a larger 5.5-inch model with a QHD panel.

The Pixel is the ideal device for showcasing Google's services, including the Google Assistant. With unlimited photo and video backup, you can take as many photos and 4K videos as you want and never worry about running out of space on Google Drive.

You also get the cleanest Android experience, and the Pixel will be the first to receive new software updates, whether they're monthly security updates or new platform versions. And because it's running first-party software, the phone absolutely flies.

Bottom line: If you're looking for the phone with the most refined software, then the Pixel is the device to get.

One more thing: The Pixel is available from thousands of retail stores across the country in addition to Flipkart.

Best mid-range optionOnePlus 3T

oneplus-3t-top-back.jpg?itok=YhaZRmJu

See at Amazon India

If you're in the market for a phone under a^130,000, the OnePlus 3T is your best option. OnePlus is selling both the OnePlus 3 as well as the newer 3T in the Indian market, and given that there is a minor a^12,000 difference in the retail price between the two models, it makes sense to get the OnePlus 3T.

You get a 5.5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display, Snapdragon 821 SoC, 64GB/128GB storage options, 6GB of RAM, 16MP front and rear cameras, and a 3400mAh battery.

The OnePlus 3T sports a minimalist aluminum design that gives it an upmarket feel, and the phone is consistently picking up security patches.

Bottom line: The OnePlus 3T dominates this price point, edging out the likes of the Galaxy A7 2017 and a multitude of phones from rival Chinese brands.

One more thing: The OnePlus 3T is available in gunmetal grey and soft gold, with both options exclusive to Amazon India.

Best budget phoneMoto G5 Plus

moto-g5-plus-back.jpg?itok=mangStYk

See at Flipkart

India is the number one market for the Moto G series. The brand has seen a resurgence in recent years, and the Moto G5 Plus brings several new updates to the series.

The phone is the first in the Moto G series to feature a metal body, and the result is that the G5 Plus looks much more upmarket when seen next to its predecessors.

There's also a new camera - a 12MP shooter with an f/1.7 lens - that uses the same imaging sensor as that of the Galaxy S7. While the G5 Plus doesn't quite manage to beat Samsung's 2016 flagship, it outmatches every other device in the budget segment, including the Redmi Note 4 and the Honor 6X.

Elsewhere, the G5 Plus has a 5.2-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 625, and 4GB of RAM along with 32GB storage. The 3000mAh battery delivers a full day's worth of charge, and you can be assured that the G5 Plus will be the first to receive software updates in this segment.

Bottom line: Even though it costs more than its predecessors, the excellent camera makes the Moto G5 Plus a worthwhile upgrade.

One more thing: The phone is available in two color options - Lunar Grey and Fine Gold.

More for lessLenovo Z2 Plus

lenovo-z2-plus-lede.jpg?itok=NRFnBnpc

See at Amazon India

The Z2 Plus comes from Lenovo's online-only ZUK sub-brand, offering exciting hardware at an affordable price. There aren't a lot of brands that can go head-to-head with the likes of Xiaomi and OnePlus and come out on top, but Lenovo has done just that with the Z2 Plus.

Available for a discounted price of a^116,155, the Z2 Plus offers a 5.0-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 820 SoC, 4GB of RAM, 64GB storage, 13MP ISOCELL camera, 8MP front shooter, and a 3500mAh battery.

The phone is made out of ceramic, and features a fiberglass frame that's designed to withstand tumbles. On the software front, you get Lenovo's own ZUI, and the phone recently picked up the Nougat update.

One of the more interesting aspects of the Z2 Plus is U-Touch, through which the home button doubles up as an all-in-one replacement for the standard navigation keys. The gesture-enabled system lets you go back, access the multitasking pane, launch apps, and much more with swipe left or right actions on the home button.

Bottom line: The Z2 Plus offers incredible hardware for its price, and it does so in a compact package.

One more thing: Lenovo will honor the warranty if you brick the device while flashing a custom ROM.

Best entry-level phoneXiaomi Redmi 4

xiaomi-redmi-4a-lede.jpg?itok=UgQdj401

See at Amazon India

The Redmi 4 is the successor to the wildly popular Redmi 3S. Xiaomi announced earlier this year that it sold over 4 million units of the Redmi 3S series in under six months, and the brand is looking to emulate a similar kind of success with the Redmi 4.

The phone features a 5-inch 720p display, Snapdragon 435, 13MP camera, 5MP front shooter, and a massive 4100mAh battery. The 720p screen combined with the large battery ensures that the phone lasts at least two days on a full charge.

The Redmi 4 comes in three storage variants: a base model with 2GB of RAM and 16GB storage for a^16,999, a version with 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage for a^18,999, and a model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage for a^110,999.

On the software front, the Redmi 4 is still running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, but there's a MIUI 8 built based on Nougat available for testing. Xiaomi also mentioned that it would roll out the stable Nougat update shortly.

Bottom line: If you're on a tight budget, the Redmi 4 is a great choice.

One more thing: If you want to pick up the Redmi 4, you'll have to put up with Xiaomi's flash sales model.

Conclusion

There are plenty of options available across price points if you're looking for a decent phone, but if you want the absolute test, then the Galaxy S8+ should be at the top of your list. The a^164,900 asking price is by no means affordable, but you're getting a phone that justifies its cost.

Best overallSamsung Galaxy S8+

galaxy-s8-plus-review-retail-box.jpg?ito

See at Flipkart

The Galaxy S8+ is Samsung's most ambitious phone yet. Its defining feature - the bezel-less Infinity Display - is nothing short of incredible. The glass panel curves on all sides and merges seamlessly with the metal frame, creating a design aesthetic that's unmatched.

The lack of bezels has allowed Samsung to fit a 6.2-inch display in a smaller chassis, making it easier to use. The QHD Super AMOLED panel sets the bar for smartphone displays, offering deep blacks and sharp colors.

Samsung hasn't cut corners anywhere else - the 12MP camera is class-leading in its own right, the phone retains its IP68 dust and water resistance, you get 64GB of internal storage, and there's a microSD slot.

Under the hood, you'll find the Exynos 8895, a chipset built on Samsung's latest 10nm manufacturing node. There's also 4GB of RAM, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, an iris scanner, and a 3500mAh battery that'll last you through the day.

Bottom line: Right now, there isn't a phone that offers quite as much as the Galaxy S8+.

One more thing: There are three color options of the S8+ available in India: Midnight Black, Coral Blue, and Maple Gold. The latter two variants are quite striking.

c571HqbBLVg
External Content
Source RSS or Atom Feed
Feed Location http://www.androidcentral.com/rss.xml
Feed Title Android Central RSS Feed
Feed Link https://www.androidcentral.com/
Reply 0 comments