Top 5 smartphones under Rs 20,000 March-April

Take a dig at the smartphones worth considering for anyone looking to purchase a new one within Rs 20,000.

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The Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona ended just last week and we are not expecting most of the new mobile phones to be launched in India any time soon, though the mid-range smartphones should arrive in the coming months.

The five most eligible smartphones cover most mobile operating systems except Apple iOS. Honestly, we believe that the iPhone 3GS will make you feel more left out than welcome in the Apple iOS gang. Take a look at our choice of the top smartphones for a Rs 20,000 budget.

• 5 - Samsung Omnia W GT-I8350

Samsung was the first to announce a Windows Phone 7.5 Mango based device - Omnia W, but took quite a while to make it actually available for purchase. The Omnia W runs Windows Phone 7.5 Mango mobile operating system and features a 3.7 inch Super Amoled display. Supporting WVGA (480 x 800 pixel) resolution, the Omnia W packs a single core 1.4 GHz Qualcomm Scorpion core mobile processor with 512 MB memory. Physically, the Omnia W is a good looking handset with a physical Windows button in the center below the screen. Omnia W wins over the Lumia 710 just because of the screen.

Samsung has added a 5 megapixel camera at the back to click good quality images using the LED flash. The secondary camera in the front can be used for video chat. It packs 8 GB onboard memory and you will have to live with that because there is no expansion slot.

Omnia W promises 14 hours of continuous talk time on 2G networks, which should be your best bet considering the alternative is 6 hours of continuous talk time over 3G. Samsung Omnia W GT-I8350 retails for about Rs 15,500 which is a great price for anyone who wishes to try out Windows Phone with a brilliant display.

• 4 - BlackBerry Curve 9360

RIM introduced the new BlackBerry Curve 9360 two months ago with BlackBerry 7 OS and priced it under Rs 20,000. New BlackBerry Curve 9360 features a unibody-like single panel front chassis with a good keypad. Physically, the Curve 9360 seems to have just a two panel body -front and back. RIM has added an 800 MHz processor with 512 MB memory and together they power the BlackBerry 7 OS to run smoothly.

Weighing a mere 100 grams, the new Curve 9360 has a 2.44 inch display with 480 x 360 pixel resolution and touch-sensitive optical trackpad. Curve 9360 has a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash that will capture pleasant images. Other features of the device include WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. BlackBerry Curve 9360 has a Qwerty keyboard and a light body. It is certainly a good buy for BlackBerry geeks who want a taste of the new design and brand new BlackBerry 7 OS. Supporting 3G networks (at up to 7.2 Mbps,) the device is said to last for about 5 hours of talk time. RIM BlackBerry Curve 9360 is available at an approximate price of Rs 19,250.

• 3 - Sony Xperia Pro

Sony Mobile's Xperia Pro has a full Qwerty slide-out keyboard. Its 3.7 inch touchscreen supports 480 x 854 pixel resolution, which is good enough for crisper text. Sony Mobile has added a single core 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 mobile processor with an Adreno 205 graphics chip. Along with 512 MB RAM, the hardware has combined power to run and play most new games smoothly.

The Xperia Pro has an 8 megapixel camera at the back, which is capable of recording 720p HD video. Sony Mobile has added its fancy 3D Panorama feature to let users click panoramic photos. There is also a front facing camera so you can use VoIP and video chat apps like Skype or OoVoo. This smartphone features xLOUD Engine Audio technology that promises better audio. Packing a 1500 mAh li-polymer battery, this Xperia device is available online at a best buy rate of Rs 20,030.

• 2 -  Nokia 701

Nokia 701 comes with the new Belle OS and Near Field Communication chip. At only 11 mm thickness, the Nokia 701 weighs just 131 grams. This smartphone has a 3.5 inch LED backlight touchscreen with 360 x 640 pixel resolution and houses a 1 GHz ARM11 mobile processor that consumes less power than usual 1 GHz mobile processors do. This smartphone supports 3G networks promising up to 14.4 Mbps download speeds and WiFi. It features the new generation Bluetooth 3.0 with EDR and operates on lower power compared to its predecessor.

With the 8 megapixel rear camera, users can record 720p HD video at 30 frames per second. Camera specific updates are expected to be released soon. This smartphone offers great battery life and thus pushes Android handsets out of the league. Nokia 701 is available in the market for Rs 17,850.

• 1 -  LG Optimus Black P970

With the bright Nova touchscreen display Optimus Black has proved a good choice for many. The 4 inch display is built with IPS panel technology, and is an impressive 700 nits bright. Under its slim body the device houses a 1 GHz TI OMAP 3630 mobile processor with a PowerVR SGX 530 graphics chip. This hardware combination is good enough for the latest Android OS update, which has unfortunately been delayed by LG.

Featuring a 5 megapixel camera at the back with autofocus and LED flash, this smartphone can capture good quality images. One can easily record 720p HD videos at 30 frames per second. There's also a 2 megapixel camera in the front for video calling. This handset supports DivX and XviD video codecs out of the box and hence is a good choice for folks who love to watch movies on the go. LG has already announced Android 2.3 Gingerbread update for this smartphone and it can be expected sometime soon.