Mid Range Android Phones...the best phones to look forward to

[me1]

Hi,
As the topic suggests I am looking for a mid range android phone that is worth buying. Is there a good midrange android phone available in the market right now? I am not very sure of the ones that are available, I am hoping we will have better choices, will there be many good launches in this category that may be worth waiting for?


Untill last month the only good choices available were Samsung Galaxy3, HTC Wildfire, Sony ericson X8. Of the three, Samsung seemed like a better choice considering that it was 3.5 k lesser than the HTC. I preferred the HTC though, because it looked so much better than the Samsung G3, and not only that, HTC is a better brand..and I am brand conscious. But, I wasn't sure if it is worth paying the extra money..only for the brand and the looks. Sony x8 again a good brand, but is running on Android 1.6, a big disadvantage.

Recently, two new phones have been launched in the same category. The Motorola Quench XT3 and LG Optimus One (i think its p500..not sure).
Motorola Quench I've heard is better than the Galaxy 3,but this phone does not come with the additional SD Card, which is given with all the android phones. I saw the unboxing video on youtube, the ear phones are not of good quality. The price is the same as Galaxy3.
LG Optimus is launched with Android 2.2 thats the first phone to be launched with 2.2, BUT..its LG?!?! Personally I don't think much of this brand, its good for home appliances..but Phones?!?!
Honestly, I don't think much of any of these brands, LG, Samsung and even Motorola. I know as a brand, Motorola maybe way better than LG or Samsung..but Samsung is picking up fast..don't know about LG.

I'd like to know the user opinion on these phones, with so many choices, its hard to make pick one..user experience and opinions might help me decide on any of these phones.

If you know of any other phone that may be launched soon, in December..within the same category, and if it is worth waiting, I willing to wait. Do you know of any such good launches?

Thank you in advance.

[Sam]

Originally Posted by me1

Hi,
As the topic suggests I am looking for a mid range android phone that is worth buying. Is there a good midrange android phone available in the market right now? I am not very sure of the ones that are available, I am hoping we will have better choices, will there be many good launches in this category that may be worth waiting for?

phone required but no budget?

Originally Posted by me1

Untill last month the only good choices available were Samsung Galaxy3, HTC Wildfire, Sony ericson X8. Of the three, Samsung seemed like a better choice considering that it was 3.5 k lesser than the HTC. I preferred the HTC though, because it looked so much better than the Samsung G3, and not only that, HTC is a better brand..and I am brand conscious. But, I wasn't sure if it is worth paying the extra money..only for the brand and the looks. Sony x8 again a good brand, but is running on Android 1.6, a big disadvantage.

how can you say that? have you done some kind of market survey?

also the mobiles you talking, many key handsets are missing. LG OO (optimus one) is one of them.

X8 have 128Mb ram vs LG OO which comes with 0.5Gb of ram.

Originally Posted by me1

Recently, two new phones have been launched in the same category. The Motorola Quench XT3 and LG Optimus One (i think its p500..not sure).
Motorola Quench I've heard is better than the Galaxy 3,but this phone does not come with the additional SD Card, which is given with all the android phones. I saw the unboxing video on youtube, the ear phones are not of good quality. The price is the same as Galaxy3.
LG Optimus is launched with Android 2.2 thats the first phone to be launched with 2.2, BUT..its LG?!?! Personally I don't think much of this brand, its good for home appliances..but Phones?!?!
Honestly, I don't think much of any of these brands, LG, Samsung and even Motorola. I know as a brand, Motorola maybe way better than LG or Samsung..but Samsung is picking up fast..don't know about LG.

AFAIK, Samsung is No.4 smartphone maker now. so expect something good from them, in the smartphone arena. Motorola is making a comeback but beware of their batteries. their batteries are more bad than cheap chinese ones. came across battery problems on many Motorola mobiles. using ROKR E6e. so have experienced it personally. LG is good. but just "good", nothing more than that. maybe OO will change the game for them.

Originally Posted by me1

If you know of any other phone that may be launched soon, in December..within the same category, and if it is worth waiting, I willing to wait. Do you know of any such good launches?

Thank you in advance.

for now, G3 & OO are the ones to look out for. i'll suggest wait till G3 gets froyo update officially.

BTW, you budget (i guess its between 10-15k).

[Gollum]

If video playback is not on your list of must have features then 01 (optimus) is the best choice. Even with froyo optimus still does not support flash in it's browser, but this is the same case with g3. So only after the update on g3 can we consider g3.

[me1]

Hi, Thank you for replying.


I said Mid Range Android phones so I assumed the budget was understood. I also only mentioned the mid range phones such as Galaxy3 and Wildfire..so I thought it was clear. Sorry, if I wasn't clear. Just to clarify, yes, I am looking for a phone withing the range of 12 to 15 thousand Indian Rupees.

As for your question, Have I done any research to make a statement that HTC is a better brand, well, I didn't do any research but most people who are aware of the current mobile market know that HTC is a better brand.

Also, I did not say X8 was a good buy, I didn't compare it to any of the other android phones simply because it runs on Android 1.6 and and the updates to Froyo may never happen, though an update to Eclaire might happen..eventually.
I didn't have to look at the other specs of the phone when the main purpose of buying the phone(android os) was outdated.

Yes, I know that for now the only 3 phones to consider are Samsung Galaxy3, Motorola Quench XT3 and the LG Optimus One (p500 maybe)

To be honest, I don't like any of these, and was hoping there will be a new launch..with better android phones.

As for LG Optimus, I heard that although it runs on Froyo, it does not support Flash 10.1.
The poster just below yours, says, that Samsung doesn't support Flash on its browser either..I didn't know that.
If thats true, then both these phones are not worth buying. That leaves me with Motorola, but I sure..Motorola will have many flaws too.

Hi, Thank you.

What do you mean by video playback? Do you mean youtube? If it means playing youtube, then yes, I'd like to play youtube and other videos/movies on my phone and, for me thats is one big criteria in deciding on a phone.

If LG Optimus One does not support flash, I am assuming I can't watch these videos. So, LG is ruled out.
How can you be sure that Galaxy 3 will support flash after it recieves the froyo update? You know I've heard that Galaxy 3 might not get the froyo update at all.

EDIT: For some reason I can't make a second separate post, everytime i write another post, it gets merged on to the first. :S

[ssb1551]

^^Gollum was talking about which kinda(resolution) videos does the O1 play?O1 can't play 720×480 videos.It can only play 420×260 resolution videos which frankly speaking is really bad for guys like us who are used to watching videos in phone with 640×360 resolution.But G3 on the other hand can play 720×480 videos.

[me1]

Thank you for clarifying.
What kind of videos require 720x480 resolution?

Sorry, if I sound stupid. I don't really bother to check the resolution of the videos I watch. Mostly I watch youtube, but there maybe other sites for videos, perhaps gaming sites. Is that what you mean by 720x480 resolution videos, is that for games?

When he said flash, I assumed the Adobe Flash we need to watch youtube videos. Adobe Flash is constantly updated, and without an updated Flash version its not possible to watch the youtube. So, the phone should support updating of the adobe software, right?

Although I don't use my phone for gaming purpose, I'd prefer a phone which is good for this purpose, because I might want to give the phone to someone who wants to play. Also, I want my moneys worth, If I am paying a good price for it, it should serve all purposes, whether or not I use it for that purpose.

[ssb1551]

Sometimes when I'm bored & I don't have my computer around or for that matter a T.V I watch some movies(mostly T.V series like How I met Your Mother, 2½ Men,Supernatural n many more)stored in my phone.Now mostly I download 720p(1280×720) videos to watch on my computer, so I need to convert 'em for my phone.Moreover my phone can play videos of resolution upto 640×360.Higher the resolution of a video better the viewing experience(since O1 can play videos of resolution upto 420×260 I assume the viewing experience is gonna be crappy).Thats what I meant.I rarely,infact would be appropriate to say never, watch Youtube videos on my phone.

[me1]

Which phone do you have?
I don't download anything, Someone had suggested safe sites to download TV Shows, but I am paranoid. I am constantly worried about virus/trojans..etc. That said, I would still prefer a phone which plays videos of a higher resolution. Like I said in my previous post, I want my moneys worth.

That poster said that G3 might be able to play these videos AFTER it gets the Froyo update. That means it cannot play right now with the Eclair version. What if G3 doesn't get the update, there are rumors that it might not get the update.

Don't you directly download on your phone? I'd like to know how you convert the videos from computer format to mobile viewing format?

[ssb1551]

I have Nokia 5233.I download from Megaupload/Rapidshare/Fileserve/Hotfile n others.They don't have any trojans/viruses 'cause the uploaders make sure of that.
I don't know about HD resolutions but G3 can easily play 720×480 resolution videos.

Nope I don't download anything on my phone.I convert to phone format by using a software Xvid4psp.

[Hrithan2020]

Dell XCD 35 sounds to be a really good handset. (Its foreign counterpart, Orange San Fransisco aka ZTE Blade has got some great reviews.)..

Street prices would be below Rs 16k and hopefully come down to Rs 15k soon ..(But , you get a full 800x480 WVGA AMOLED screen,solid build quality, the now standard 600 Mhz A8 (similar to iPhone 3GS),256 MB RAM, a decent 3 MP camera)

@ssb1551,
It seems niraj87, an LG Optimus 540 user is able to play upto 640x360 resolution videos fine on his mobile. So, O1 should be able to do that much, I figure.

@me1,
You don't need Adobe Flash to play Youtube videos. There is a youtube app which does that perfectly well (even on Android 2.1 devices ). Most videos you may be watching on youtube would be either 360 p (which reportedly would run fine on O1) or 480p. (though in phone, I think it won't be set to play in 480p if the screen's native resolution is lower than that..Anyone?)

The biggest advantage, of having a phone which plays HD videos is that, you can simply drag n drop all your videos. No need to convert (It won't however look better vs the native resolution videos).

[Gollum]

@me1
g3 has a you tube application which plays all you tube videos. The same asp exists on lg too. This means you can watch you tube videos by browsing you tube with the youtube application only and not the default browser.

[desiibond]

Originally Posted by me1

Which phone do you have?
I don't download anything, Someone had suggested safe sites to download TV Shows, but I am paranoid. I am constantly worried about virus/trojans..etc. That said, I would still prefer a phone which plays videos of a higher resolution. Like I said in my previous post, I want my moneys worth.

That poster said that G3 might be able to play these videos AFTER it gets the Froyo update. That means it cannot play right now with the Eclair version. What if G3 doesn't get the update, there are rumors that it might not get the update.

Don't you directly download on your phone? I'd like to know how you convert the videos from computer format to mobile viewing format?

I would not rely on added functionality that is supposed to come with future updates. Look for what is available now.

Personally, I feel that LG Optimus One and Dell phones are much better than the Galaxy and HTC Wildfire.

On the other hand, we have two very good phones from Nokia, C6-01 and C7. C7 supports native DivX and plays them at 640x480 resolution on a 3.5" display. C6-01 doesn't support DivX but can be done by installing 3rd party s/w.

If I were you, I would wait for C7 to get a price cut. It retails for 19k+ right now but the price should come down to 17k soon which would make it VFM phone.

Android is a great OS but it loses its shine when put on sub-par hardware. If you really want Android device, you better increase your budget to 20k and get Moto Milestone atleast. This phone puts every single sub 20k android to shame. Or try to get a used one atleast.

[Gollum]

Originally Posted by desiibond

I would not rely on added functionality that is supposed to come with future updates. Look for what is available now.

Personally, I feel that LG Optimus One and Dell phones are much better than the Galaxy and HTC Wildfire.

On the other hand, we have two very good phones from Nokia, C6-01 and C7. C7 supports native DivX and plays them at 640x480 resolution on a 3.5" display. C6-01 doesn't support DivX but can be done by installing 3rd party s/w.

If I were you, I would wait for C7 to get a price cut. It retails for 19k right now but the price should come down to 17k soon which would make it VFM phone.

Android is a great OS but it loses its shine when put on sub-par hardware. If you really want Android device, you better increase your budget to 20k and get Moto Milestone atleast. This phone puts every single sub 20k android to shame. Or try to get a used one atleast.

htc wildfire has only a 5mp camera as a saving grace. It lags in every other aspect. The two new dell phones are rather crap since they are old re branded versions. Not to mention both are having 600mhz cpu with no divx support.
Lg leads galaxy in all aspects but not when it comes to video playback.
Lg is even better on gaming.
imo if you have a computer to convert videos then go for optimus one. Heck the phone even looks classy.

[desiibond]

Originally Posted by Gollum

htc wildfire has only a 5mp camera as a saving grace. It lags in every other aspect. The two new dell phones are rather crap since they are old re branded versions. Not to mention both are having 600mhz cpu with no divx support.
Lg leads galaxy in all aspects but not when it comes to video playback.
Lg is even better on gaming.
imo if you have a computer to convert videos then go for optimus one. Heck the phone even looks classy.

Forget about all these sub-15k androids. When Nokia C6-01 has:

1. display (3.2", 640x480 px, AMOLED, CBD) that puts every sub-20k droid to shame
2. 1GB ROM, 340 MB user memory, 256 MB RAM
3. camera (8mp) that puts every sub-20k droid to shame
4. h/w that pawns every sub-20k android to shame (680MHz CPU, 3G accelerator)
5. Superb build quality

I got an update that C6-01 has support for DivX playback and with USB OTG support, one need not run to nearest PC to copy content from a friend's phone or USB drive. yes. you can connect another phone to this phone using the OTG cable and copy content to this phone.

Trust me, C6-01 is far far far better than any sub-20k Droid out there.

@OP, Just try out C6-01 once in Nokia Priority store. Also check C7. Then come back here to discuss about these cheap android devices.

[Gollum]

Symbian^3 is still behind Android and iOS usability (mostly in text input and web browsing)

The camera is a fixed-focus unit, tends to oversharpen images by default

No office document editing (without a paid upgrade)

Relatively limited 3rd party software availability
so better hardware with crap os does not result in a clear winner.
However if one is willing to sacrifice on a good web browser, unimaginable number of free apps and games then c6 01 is good since it can easily record 720p video and play the same too. The audio quality is good too.

[desiibond]

Originally Posted by Gollum

Symbian^3 is still behind Android and iOS usability (mostly in text input and web browsing)

The camera is a fixed-focus unit, tends to oversharpen images by default

No office document editing (without a paid upgrade)

Relatively limited 3rd party software availability
so better hardware with crap os does not result in a clear winner.
However if one is willing to sacrifice on a good web browser, unimaginable number of free apps and games then c6 01 is good since it can easily record 720p video and play the same too. The audio quality is good too.

yeah. I know that S^3 is behind Android.

The h/w and features make up for the lack of richness in UI. The 25k segment is a whole different scenario where Droids attack with everything.

Though it is fixed focus camera, it's far better than the mediocre camera on the droids.

The office app (quick office premium) costs some 500 bucks, which I think is worthy to get if one really needs and still makes the phone much more worth the price tag.

What is use in having thousands of apps if the h/w on which the apps run is subpar and the cheap display negates the experience. And please don't talk about gaming on these phones. They may be able to run games but run NFS Shift on these and then run the same on C6-01, you will then know what gaming on mobile means.

Before talking about apps and OS, you better use a 'real' android device. There is a reason why I have been stressing on ignoring these cheap droids. yes, they are cheap devices and I would put them next to Micromax, Lava etc in terms of h/w quality. If you think that all a phone needs is Android, why not get those chinese phones that run Android? You can get an android running cheapo device for some 5k-6k. Why to spend 24k on quality droids? Why stick to brands?

Anyone who tried any of G3/G5/O1/HW and one S^3 device understand what i am trying to tell. And I know how reckless Samsung and LG support is when it comes to these low and mid-range devices.

Note: Nokia will be putting all future updates that come to Symbian on current gen S^3 devices (till they reach EOL). Can you guarantee the same for these cheap androids from Samsung and LG?

talking about gaming:

NFS Shift and Avatar on C6-01: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9bbEGW5X6Q


The only phone that I liked in 15k budget was Samsung Spica. That's what I call a good comination of h/w and s/w. The more the current gen budget droids are sold, the more the chance is that we will never see quality h/w in 10k-20k segment.

[NainO]

If you want a phone with android only then you can look at- LG Optimus One and Dell XCD35...

Both of these comes with good features and good reviews.
IMO every latest phones comes with a dedicated app to play youtube videos. I dont know about XCD35 but Optimus one do has it.
And about max video playback resolution restricted to 420x260 on Optimus One is falacy. This phone can record videos on VGA(640*480) resolution, so according to above statement it cannot even play its recorded video...

[me1]

Hi, Thank you all for replying.

ssb1551,
Since this thread is discussing phones, maybe its not the right place to ask about converting files to phone formats. But if its not a problem, would you mind further explaining that. Do you conver it with the help of the software in you computer and then transfer it to the phone? how do you transfer it to phone?

Hrithan,
I am a little apprehensive about that Dell phone. But, I might consider it, if I read any indian reviews. So far no one is talking about it, everyone is happy with Samsung G3. How long will it take to hit the indian market, or is it already launched? You said the prices might fall, so I am guessing its already launched.
And yeah, I always wondered why there was a youtube app in the phone, when all you need to do is just type in youtube.com on your browser. Now, I get it, thanks.

Gollum,
Why did you ask me to wait till it gets the froyo update? will that change anything in video resolution? will it get better? When will the update happen?

Desiibond,
I am bored of Nokia, I've been using Nokia all these years, I don't want another Nokia handset. Thank you for suggesting though.
I wouldn't take a high end Nokia or even an Android, because, I might as well pay a little more and get an Iphone. There is a reason why I am planning to buy a midrange android, it is to experience the android market. I agree the experience might not be as good as that in a high end phone, but it gives me an idea nonetheless. And eventually when I have to buy a high end phone, I will have a clearer Idea of what I want in my phone.
I would never buy a used phone. If I can't afford a high end phone, I will not buy it, period. I would never buy a used high end phone simply because its better than what I can afford. BTW, no used phone is better than a brand new phone.

NainO,
Ok, so is it better than G3 in terms of video resolution? I've been hearing some good things about the LG Optimus One. Its the brand name that holding me back..I might take it if the specs are better than G3. G3 seems to be the most popular phone these days.

[ssb1551]

^^I don't mind buddy!!I use Xvid4psp to convert downloaded movie/T.V series files to my phone format.I do the conversion using my computer & then later on transfer the converted files to my phone using the USB cable(data cable) given along with the phone.

"I might take it if the specs are better than G3."Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't O1's specs better than G3's?

[NainO]

LG Optimus One vs Samsung Galaxy Apollo

Take a look at above link.
Just include multitouch for Optimus One and exclude bluetooth 3 for Galaxy Apollo

[Aditya11]

Originally Posted by NainO

If you want a phone with android only then you can look at- LG Optimus One and Dell XCD35...

..and Galaxy 3.

Originally Posted by me1

Ok, so is it better than G3 in terms of video resolution? I've been hearing some good things about the LG Optimus One. Its the brand name that holding me back..I might take it if the specs are better than G3. G3 seems to be the most popular phone these days.

Yep, Samsung as a brand is far better than LG. You are correct in having apprehensions about LG.

Originally Posted by ssb1551

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't O1's specs better than G3's?

No they aren't. Analyzing the pluses and minuses, they even out.

[me1]

Originally Posted by ssb1551

^^I don't mind buddy!!I use Xvid4psp to convert downloaded movie/T.V series files to my phone format.I do the conversion using my computer & then later on transfer the converted files to my phone using the USB cable(data cable) given along with the phone.

I guessed it requires the data cable for transfer, and theres a reason I asked about the transfer, the Motorola Quench does not come with a data cable. The box contains nothing other than the battery, phone, charger and earphones. No sd card, and no data cable. Not that I was considering buying this phone anyways, but people who are considering this phone should know this.
There maybe other methods also for transfer, are they?

"I might take it if the specs are better than G3."Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't O1's specs better than G3's

Didn't you tell me that the video playback is not as good as that of G3?

Originally Posted by NainO

LG Optimus One vs Samsung Galaxy Apollo

Take a look at above link.
Just include multitouch for Optimus One and exclude bluetooth 3 for Galaxy Apollo

I'll check the link. Thanks.
I read the other thread, G3 vs Optimus One. Didn't find the time to read the entire thread..but I think you posted there too. Do you have the optimus one phone?

Originally Posted by Aditya11

..and Galaxy 3.


No they aren't. Analyzing the pluses and minuses, they even out.

Really? then other than the brand factor, optimus one is not a bad choice.

I haven't made my choice yet, but at one point I had. That was last month, and I actually went to the store to buy the G3 phone, guess what? it was sold out. There was a display piece, which I didn't want to buy. but I got to compare that with the HTC wildfire which was also on display. The HTC looked a lot more better, and also the UI was wayy better than the samsung phone. Then again, HTC is known to have the best skin.

[NainO]

No, i m a galaxy 3 user...
Gonna buy Optimus one on 28th or 29th...

[gxsaurav]

Originally Posted by Gollum

Symbian^3 is still behind Android and iOS usability (mostly in text input and web browsing)

Updates to both of these are coming within a month which will bring S^3 on par with Android in terms of browser & text input. In case you want something better, you can always switch to Opera Mobile 10 for browser & Baidu Input for Split screen text input & portrait QWERTY.

No office document editing (without a paid upgrade)

Practically, do u need it ever?

Relatively limited 3rd party software availability

This is debatable. Have a look at Ovi store to find all the apps U need. Let me know if u really miss an app for your needs on Symbian

[me1]

Originally Posted by NainO

No, i m a galaxy 3 user...
Gonna buy Optimus one on 28th or 29th...

I thought the Optimus One was already lauched, is it?
Galaxy 3 was launched recently, isn't it too quick to be taking up another similar phone? Even if the Optimus phone is better than Galaxy, it can't be so much better that you dump your 2 month phone to buy that.
Or is there another reason for buying the Optimus One..

*I am not saying one is better than the other, honestly I don't know..

[Sam]

Originally Posted by me1

I guessed it requires the data cable for transfer, and theres a reason I asked about the transfer, the Motorola Quench does not come with a data cable. The box contains nothing other than the battery, phone, charger and earphones. No sd card, and no data cable. Not that I was considering buying this phone anyways, but people who are considering this phone should know this.
There maybe other methods also for transfer, are they?

G3 comes with data cable. so i feel O1 too should, if LG ppls not trying save 100 bucks (max) by not giving the cable. also a 2Gb card is common nowadays when 8Gb cards are bundled with most sub 20k mobiles.

Originally Posted by gxsaurav

Practically, do u need it ever?

someone without PC will prefer use a cafe or office PC to edit.

Originally Posted by gxsaurav

This is debatable. Have a look at Ovi store to find all the apps U need. Let me know if u really miss an app for your needs on Symbian

you got the point. Android market app have more apps than Ovi store but any particular mobile doesn't need so many apps, nor a mobile support even half.

[NainO]

Originally Posted by me1

I thought the Optimus One was already lauched, is it?
Galaxy 3 was launched recently, isn't it too quick to be taking up another similar phone? Even if the Optimus phone is better than Galaxy, it can't be so much better that you dump your 2 month phone to buy that.
Or is there another reason for buying the Optimus One..

Yup. Optimus one is already launched but sadly its not avaialable here in my city .
Dealer has confirmed 28th as the date of arrival of optimus one in store...

The reason(s) i m considering to buy optimus one are- nice look, 340*480 screen resolution, physical softkeys, froyo, 3G 7.2Mbps.
First three points are more important to me though...

[me1]

Heyy

I just watched an Optimus One unboxing video on youtube. Guess what?!?
That phone is not sealed. The box that contains the phone and its accessories is not sealed.

It may sound silly, but I am very particular about packaging. If I don't get a sealed pacakaging, I am not going to buy that phone even if its the best in the world.

Why can't LG package their product properly? Its only seal..why cant they do that.

PS: I don't think their is a SD Card either. Well I didn't watch through the end of the videos to see everything the box contains..the fact that it was not sealed was enough for be decide against that phone.

[Sam]

^^ they may have opened that package before to confirm everything was ok & working. quality testing is really strict. & i sure those guys opened the packaging once.

abt accessories, it differs from country to country so can't say if you'll get a data cable also.

[NainO]

The box contain both data cable and 2 GB card.
- Some optimus one owner(from india) confirmed this on gsmarena...

And dont worry about removed seal of box. They must hav removed it before shooting the video...