April 2013 Mid-Level Smartphone Buyers Guide

My entry level smartphone recommendations include a phone with an HD display, a quad-core offering and even one with a amazingly large battery, all for under Php8,000. Still, each choice represents a compromise. A budget of over Php10,000 to Php20,000 offers some interesting choices, but the reality is that many of the Android offerings available in the market are looking less interesting, with the newer 2013 mid-level Android handsets not yet in the market. I do not expect to this situation to change soon though.

The prices posted are those covered by an official manufacturers warranty.

1. Nokia Lumia 620 (Php10,990) - Amazingly good value for money smartphone

There are two good reasons for selecting the Nokia Lumia 620. If you prefer a Windows Phone over Android, it is the cheapest current Windows Phone device in the marker. The other good reason is that this phone comes with a Qualcomm Krait processor and Adreno 305 graphics, which is a step-up from the lower end Qualcomm and Mediatek chipsets you find in lower end units.

Quick specifications:

• Windows Phone 8
• 3.8-inch ClearBlack WVGA (480 x 800) display
• 8 GB internal storage expandable via a MicroSD card slot
• 512 MB RAM
• 1 GHz dual core Qualcomm Krait Snapdragon processor
• 5 MP autofocus primary camera with LED Flash
• 0.3 MP front camera
• HSPA
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• A-GPS
• 1300 mAh battery

You can read more about the Nokia Lumia 620 at this link.

2. Lenovo P770 (Php11,490) - A big battery can keep a mediocre offering viable

The main draw of the Lenovo P770 is the battery. It comes with a large 3500 mAh battery. This is not as large as the battery on the lower cost Cloudfone Thrill 430x. The Lenovo P770 does offer more RAM and a more powerful chipset than the Thrill. It also comes with Android 4.1, Jelly Bean, out of the box. Basically, it offers just enough to stay on this list. 

Quick specifications:

• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
• 4.5-inch qHD (540 x 960) display
• 4 GB internal storage expandable via a MicroSD card slot
• 1 GB RAM
• 1 GHz dual core MediaTek processor
• 5 MP autofocus primary camera with LED Flash
• 0.3 MP front camera
• HSPA
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• A-GPS
• 3500 mAh battery

You can read more about the Lenovo P770 at this link.

3. Lenovo K860 (Php16,690) - Almost a Galaxy S III under the skin

The Lenovo K860 has dropped in price last month. We liked it at the old price, and are much happier with it a its new price.

The main draw of the Lenovo K860 is the 5-inch HD (720 x 1280 ) display. This phone which looked a tad large when it was launched last year, has become the standard size for the flagship Android phone in 2013. This phone has aged well.

Inside, well it is pretty much a Samsung Galaxy S III, with a Exynos 4412 Quad chipset and Mali-400MP graphics. What you do not get with this package is the excellent 8 MP camera in the Samsung Galaxy S III, which is one of the best, if not the best mobile phone cameras. Still, given the much lower price of the Lenovo K860, the lower grade camera is a acceptable compromise.

Quick specifications:

• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• 5-inch HD (720 x 1280) display
• 8 GB internal storage expandable via a MicroSD card slot
• 1 GB RAM
• 1.4 GHz quad core Samsung Exynos 4 processor
• 8 MP autofocus primary camera with LED Flash
• 2 MP front camera
• HSPA
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• A-GPS
• 2250 mAh battery

Another compromise, is that this runs on Android 4.0.4, Ice Cream Sandwich, and at this point it does not look like Lenovo will upgrade this phone to Jelly Bean.

You can read more about the Lenovo K860 at this link.

4. Nokia Lumia 820 (Php18,350) - Windows Phone with LTE onboard.

This Windows Phone 8 device is a mix of the old and the new. The 4.3-inch WVGA (480 x 800) AMOLED display was cutting edge in 2010. The AMOLED technology on a Windows Phone interface is still stunningly beautiful today. Still, WVGA is a bit on the low end of the scale these days for Php18,900.

Inside, though the hardware is top class. The dual core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Krait with SoC LTE chip was the cutting edge of smartphone technology in 2012, and it is the best chipset you can expect to find in a mid-level phone today.

Quick specifications:

• Windows Phone 8
• 4.3-inch WVGA (480 x 800) display
• 8 GB internal storage expandable via a MicroSD card slot
• 1 GB RAM
• 1.5 GHz dual core Qualcomm Krait processor
• 8 MP autofocus primary camera with LED Flash
• 0.3 MP front camera
• LTE/HSPA
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• A-GPS
• 1650 mAh battery

You can read more about the Nokia Lumia 820 at this link.

April 2013 Entry Level Smartphone Buyers Guide

I start of every month, with a suggestion of the best phones available in the Philippine market, breaking them into different price clusters. Under entry level smartphones, are those priced at below Php10,000. These entry level phones have gotten to the point where, for many consumers, they really need nothing more.

The prices posted are those covered by an official manufacturers warranty.

1. Huawei Ascend Y300 (Php5,490) - Bringing premium features to the entry level

At first glance, the Huawei Ascend Y300 is nothing spectacular. A 4-inch, dual core Android phone for Php5,490 is a dime a dozen these days. There are some very competent phones at cheaper prices. You can find the Cherry Mobile Flare, Burst and Thunder, priced from Php3,999 to Php4,999. You will also find similar phones in the 5K-6K ranger priced offerings from Cloudfone, MyPhone and Starmobile.

Quick specifications:

• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
• 4-inch WVGA (480 x 800) display
• 4 GB internal storage expandable via a MicroSD card slot
• 512 MB RAM
• 1 GHz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
• 5 MP autofocus primary camera with LED Flash
• 0.3 MP front camera
• HSPA
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• A-GPS
• 1730 mAh battery

Despite the higher price tag, I recommend that you make the Huawei Ascend Y300 your point of entry into the smartphone world. It offers several advantages over it lower cost and similarly priced rivals.

The Huawei Ascend Y300 runs Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), while its competition still runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Given that low cost phones rarely, if ever, receive a software upgrade it makes sense to select one with a later version out of the box. Running a newer version of Android is worth a premium of a few hundred pesos in my opinion.

The Huawei Ascend Y300 comes equipped with Gorilla Glass. This, though scratch and shatter resistance glass, is what you find protecting higher end and mid-level handsets. Equipping the Huawei Ascend Y300 with Gorilla Glass now means that lower priced does not have to equate to lower quality materials.

The trend these days is to equip smartphones with larger batteries. The bigger the display, the heavier the power consumption, and hence the need for a larger battery. The "standard" has been to equip lower priced 4-inch phones with a 1500 mAh battery, and larger 4.5-inch phones with a 1700 to 1800 mAh battery. The Huawei Ascend Y300 comes with a 1730 mAh battery. Mated to a 4-inch diaplay, this will give you 15-20% longer battery life than cheaper or similarly price phones.

Basically, while many of the local smartphone brands offer nice low cost phones, the Huawei Ascend Y300 sends the message: It is time to level up.

You can read more about the Huawei Ascend Y300 at this link.

2. Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0 (Php6,999) - Bringing quad-core power into the entry level.

The Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0 should be available in retail shelves in the next two weeks or so. It is a more powerful device than the Huawei Ascend Y300.  But it also takes a few steps back. Compared to the Huawei Ascend Y300, you get a larger 4.5-inch display, a more powerful quad core processor and double the RAM. However, the Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0 does not come with Gorilla or Dragontail Glass to protect the display, and the 1600 mAh battery is small for the phones screen size.

Quick specifications:

• Android 4.1
• 4.5-inch qHD (540 x 960) display
• Dual sim support
• 4 GB internal storage expandable via a MicroSD card slot
• 1 GB RAM
• 1.2 GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor
• 5 MP autofocus primary camera with LED Flash
• 0.3 MP front camera
• HSPA
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• A-GPS
• 1600 mAh battery

For most users, the 4.5-inch display is probably the main draw. With smartphones now having gone beyond communication, being a hand held web browser, photo and document editor, eBook Reader and gaming device, the larger display is a much more comfortable to interact with. For gamers in particular the quad core processor will be a must have.  The main spoiler is the smaller 1600 mAh battery, but that can be worked around with a spare battery or portable power bank.

Overall, the Huawei Ascend Y300 provides a more balanced device for those whose primary need is a device that can do typical smartphone chores. It is a polished version of last years low cost smartphone. The Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0, on the other hand, is the first of the next generation entry level smartphones.

You can read more about the Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0 at this link.

3. Cloudfone Thrill 430x (Php7,777) - Endurance king

One way to stay on this list long time, is to offer something unique. The Cloudfone Thrill 430x  does so via a 4160 mAh battery. The large battery gives the Cloudfone Thrill 430x two to three times the battery life of other smartphones in this list. It does run on the older version of Android 4.0 out of the box, but if you are after smartphone marathon grade battery life on a budget, this is the one for you. Nothing else matters. Overall, the specifications are better than the Huawei Ascend Y300 too.

Quick specifications:

• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• 4.3-inch qHD (540 x 960) display
• Dual sim support
• 4 GB internal storage expandable via a MicroSD card slot
• 768 MB RAM
• 1.2 GHz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor
• 8 MP autofocus primary camera with LED Flash
• 0.3 MP front camera
• HSPA
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• A-GPS
• 4160 mAh battery

You can read more about the Cloudfone Thrill 430x at this link.

4. Cherry Mobile Omega HD (Php7,999) - Bringing 720p to the budget level

If you are like the latest generation of Android handset with large screens and high resolutions, but just don't think they are worth shelling out 30K for, you may want to take a look at the Cherry Mobile Omega HD. 

Quick specs:

• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• 5-inch IPS HD display (720 x 1280) protected by Dragontail Glass
• 4 GB internal storage, expandable via a microSD card slot
• 1 GB RAM
• 1 GHz dual core Mediatek processor 
• 12 MP primary camera (BSI sensor), autofocus with flash
• 2 MP (BSI) front camera
• HSPA
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• A-GPS
• 2100 mAh battery

This phone offers a lot of interesting technology at a low price. The crowning glory of this phone is that it brings a large and sharp 5-inch HD display to the budget level. It has scratch resistant glass using Dragontail Glass, a technology I am not familiar with. Both the front and rear camera use Backside Illumination Sensors, which should make for better low light performance.

One area of concern would be 3D graphics performance. Mating the 1GHz dual-core MediaTek MT6577 processor with its PowerVR SGX531 graphics processing unit with a 720p display is really pushing the graphics ability of this chipset to the limit. It might not be the best choice for the hardcore gamer.

Four nice choices. So there you have it, at 8K or less, you can have a quad core processor, an HD display or a large battery, and even a nice offering from the world third largest smartphone manufacturer. Not all in one package, but given the asking price, a few compromises are in order.