<div>M<span style="font-size: larger;"><strong>icromax Canvas Nitro<br />Rs 12,900</strong></span><br />just look at the sheer number of new phones in the budget class suddenly. Would Micromax sit by and watch someone eat its lunch? Unlikely. So it came up with a competitor to the Moto G and whatever else costs Rs 12,900 or so. The Canvas Nitro has a faux leather look as is found on the Note 3, and has a solid if slightly heavy feel to it. Definitely nicer than the older Micromax phones. <br /><br />The back opens up to show two SIM slots, micro-SD slot and a 2500mAh battery that lasts through the day. <br /><br />Specs include a 720x1280 LCD screen which is good enough, a 1.7GHz Mediatek MT6592 processor with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. It performs well and isn't rough and glitchy. But it's the software that's annoying. First, there's a bunch of apps like Truecaller that you're forced to keep. You can't offload them. Then there's a rip-off of HTC's Blinkfeed (which Samsung also helped itself to) and that's less than stellar. It's a magazine app in which you can get content from multiple sources including social networks. But open up an article and there's a noticeable unpleasant blueness over the bottom half. I'm not sure where that comes from. Otherwise, there's no heavy interface on top of the Android 4.4.2 that it's running on. <br /><br />The cameras are 13MP and 5MP, but both photos and video on this device is not much fun at all.<br />Overall, the Canvas Nitro is a middling smartphone that has quite a bit of competition.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 255);"><span style="font-size: larger;"><strong><img width="200" vspace="5" hspace="5" height="254" align="right" alt="" src="/image/image_gallery?uuid=a84b01fb-d9c7-4e17-ab0e-6c47555b8319&groupId=520986&t=1412135085594" />Xiaomi Redmi 1S </strong></span></span><span style="font-size: larger;"><strong><br />Rs 6,999</strong></span><br />With the redmi 1s in your hand, you'll invariably feel you have something of unquestionable value for money. It's solid and well built. There's a happy mismatch between the way it looks and feels, and the fantastic price of Rs 5,999. <br /><br />Now if only it was possible to buy it the good old way. But Xiaomi seems to be continuing with its flash sales on Flipkart. 40,000 units were sold out in 4.2 seconds, according to Xiaomi's charismatic Hugo Barra. <br /><br />It has a 4.7-inch IPS HD screen with 1280x720 pixels, and 312ppi density. It's not Gorilla Glass but Dragontrail Scratch-resistant Glass. There's a 1.6GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with just about 1GB RAM and 8GB internal memory. The camera is a not-bad 8MP with LED flash and 1080p FullHD video recording and 1.6MP front camera with 720p HD video recording. The back panel can be opened and hides a 2000mAh battery, two SIM slots, and a micro SD card slot. <br /><br />It runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and Xiaomi's MIUI interface which is easy and a bit Apple-like. The Redmi 1S's benchmark performance is not bad but don't expect top-end gaming. You may encounter the occasional crash. It has good external sound, an adequate screen but it is very reflective. <br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 255);"><strong><span style="font-size: larger;">Sony Xperia T3 </span></strong></span><strong><span style="font-size: larger;"><br />Rs 27,990</span></strong><br />the one thing that the Sony Xperia T3 has going for it is that it’s really really slim. It wears the totally familiar look of Sony’s design for phones — everything straight. It’s a large phone at 5.3 inches but it’s so light that it doesn’t feel it. It’ll stick out of a pocket but won’t cause too much pocket-sag. <br /><br />The T3 is like many other phones from Sony, but it’s a mid-range offering, if you call Rs 27,990 mid-range today. <br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 255);"><strong><span style="font-size: larger;"><img width="600" vspace="6" hspace="6" height="422" align="middle" src="/image/image_gallery?uuid=4c9b191a-b942-46d1-b682-578633f4e51b&groupId=520986&t=1412135827784" alt="" /></span></strong></span><br /><br />Be that as it may, the Xperia T3 might have fared better if it had any big differentiators, other than sheer thinness. The phone has a steely metal strip all around, which doesn’t look bad at all, and a soft back that will stay pretty neat and clean, provided you don’t oil it up too much. This model isn’t waterproof, so please don’t take her into the shower.<br /><br />The display is a 720p, but a nice one. It’s bright, has no big problem with angles, and doesn’t do at all badly with colours. The device runs on a 1.4GHz Snapdragon 400 quad-core and though it’s okay for the most part, it did freeze on me a few times. Don’t expect heavy gaming abilities. It’s got 1GB of RAM, an expansion slot for an SD card, and an average 8MP camera. The front camera is a 1.1MP so no selfie craziness. The battery is 2,500mAh and does fine, especially with the power saving mode on.<br /><br />Check for freebies along with the T3 if you’re buying as Sony is offering the Smartband and a case worth a lot.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 255);"><strong><span style="font-size: larger;"><img width="200" vspace="7" hspace="7" height="374" align="right" alt="" src="/image/image_gallery?uuid=f0638ebe-f151-4cfb-92b9-5206dfe74f52&groupId=520986&t=1412135198541" />Moto G </span></strong></span><strong><span style="font-size: larger;"><br />Rs 12,999</span></strong><br />A short while ago, I found myself recommending the Moto G pretty often to those who asked for budget phone suggestions. The value for money formula was compelling and the phone worked well. However, Motorola can't afford to rest on its laurels as new players barge in with rather good phones, so it's launched new versions of the Moto G and Moto X — the Moto X, coming soon, and the Moto G available now on Flipkart for Rs 12,999. Both these will be able to work with the Moto 360 smartwatch, also coming soon.<br /><br />The new Moto G is now a bigger phone. The screen is 5 inches and the 0.5 change from earlier makes a difference. It's narrow, though, so not awkward to hold. The Moto G's design and general look and feel and its build stay much the same. Sturdy and comfortable. The customisable back cover option isn't offered in India but the default back is the soft type, helping the grip. The back is removable for access to SIM and micro-SD slots, but the 2070mAh battery can't be removed. Pity, as that's one of the weak points on this phone.<br /><br />The 720p screen is really comfortable enough, bright, good colours and angles. One welcome difference is that there are two front speakers, so you get louder, clearer sound. The Moto G runs on a 1.2-GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with 1GB of RAM. It has the very latest Android, and will always update early. The Moto G also comes with software improvements. It has a front camera and its 8MP shooter is rather nice. It's also a dual SIM. <br /><br />(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 20-10-2014)</div>
BW Reporters
Mala Bhargava has been writing on technology well before the advent of internet in Indians and before CDs made their way into computers. Mala writes on technology, social media, startups and fitness. A trained psychologist, she claims that her understanding of psychology helps her understand the human side of technology.
