Windows Phone 8 or Karbonn A30 vs Micromax A110

[Ankur.J]

I am looking for windows phone 8, I think some of you must be surely owning one of this phones. I have a low budget of 15k, so please suggest me good phones.

1. Q: Budget?
A: 15k

2. Q: Preferred Form Factor(flip, bar, slider)?
A: Bar

3. Q: Preferred display type?
A: Not sure what this is.

4. Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them.
A: Nokia, HTC are my top choice, but I am open to others.

5. Q: Preferred input method (Touchscreen, QWERTY, etc.)?
A: Touchscreen

6. Q: Camera required or not? If required, please specify type like front camera/flash/etc.
A: Required a 5MP camera. Flash.

7. Q: Preferred operating system? (Android, Symbian, iOS, Windows Phone etc).
A: Windows Phone

8. Q: Preferred connectivity options? (3G, Wifi, Edge etc).
A: Wifi needed

9. Q: What is your intended use for this phone(internet, camera, multimedia, mails, etc)?
A: Camera, mails, internet, apps, GPS, chat, music, video call.

10. Q: Any other requirements?
A: Want the best quality phone, will use this for 3 years minimum.

11. Q: If you have already considered a phone then please mention the model.
A: I am looking at Nokia Lumia 620, also I really loved the HTC 8S, but is it in my budget? I mean 620 is around 13k and specs are almost same as 8S then why is 8S so costly? Also looking at the Lumia 820.

Please tell me your suggestions.

Update:
Hey guys sorry for creating new thread, but I am locked onto this confusion the A30 or A110?
I need this for maps, internet, reading (studying), light gaming and apps.
Both come in my budget.
1. I chose this because of big screen, as reading will be easier??
2. Also will PDF files work on this??
3. Can I update OS to 4.1 or 4.2?
4. How is the build quality for both?
5. Is reading easy on both?
6. Are the exclusive showrooms like Nokia for both?

 

[Sub]

I think everyone will tell you the same thing - wait for Lumia 620. If you must buy one now, the only option is 8S at Rs. 19k. As to why it is so costly - it is largely because of a premium design and build that is on par with best flagship phones. In fact some would even say it is the most beautiful phone on the market, bar none. Lumia 620 will use cheaper plastics, be much heavier and bulkier, but yes, the specs are very close.

 

[Ankur.J]

I think everyone will tell you the same thing - wait for Lumia 620. If you must buy one now, the only option is 8S at Rs. 19k. As to why it is so costly - it is largely because of a premium design and build that is on par with best flagship phones. In fact some would even say it is the most beautiful phone on the market, bar none. Lumia 620 will use cheaper plastics, be much heavier and bulkier, but yes, the specs are very close.

Yea the specs are so close, I am hearing rumors that 620 is priced at 13k. I don't really care much about the design and colors, I see 620>8S in terms of performance?
Also what about Android? This will be my first ever smartphone.

 

[Sub]

Performance should be identical, both have exactly the same SoC and screen resolution. 8S should have better battery life. Anyway, there's a large difference in price so I don't think they are even in the same market.

I think 13k is probably a bit ambitious, but it will be <15k. As for Android vs Windows Phone, that has been covered extensively. For a first time smartphone owner Windows Phone is a great choice I think, especially if you plan to upgrade your laptop to Windows 8. Even so, there's no Android phone nearly as good as 620 in the <15k market.

 

[Ankur.J]

Nice to hear from you about Windows Phone being a good choice for first time owner, many people are forcing me to get Android, that too only a Samsung one.
Also if the 620 is >14k, I am also thinking about the Lumia 820. What do you think it will be priced at?

 

[DarkAngel]

The Lumia 820 should be priced @ ~27k or so since it has the better MSM8960 Krait processor with FHD playback and recording + 1GB RAM. H/W wise its better than the GSII and so it will be priced more than the GSII.

The Lumia 620 has been suggested to be priced @ $250 and it would probably replace the Lumia 710 @ the 14k price point. Other than the dual core Krait S4+ Adreno 305 the rest of the specs are almost identical to the Lumia 710.

Nokia Lumia 620 vs. Nokia Lumia 710 - GSMArena.com
Nokia Lumia 620 vs. HTC Windows Phone 8S - GSMArena.com

Expect the slightly smaller screen size 4" vs 3.8", the much smaller battery (1700mAh vs 1300mAh) and a much blander design the Lumia 620 specs are identical to the HTC 8S. Expect the performance to be similar.

Beware that Samsung doesn't have good android phones in your budget. So avoid them. If you cant wait till the release of the Lumia 620 then I would suggest the Motorola Atrix 2 ~16.2k (flipkart deal) from the Android stable.

 

[sandy453]

If you main criteria of purchasing a phone is apps, then I would not touch windows phone with a ten foot pole. It very good for messaging, mail ,facebook and Microsoft office. I have seen a very few apps that I can vouch for which are as good as their iOS/Android counterparts .The UI looks nice at first then you kind get used to it. I am also appalled at the screw you attitude which microsoft has shown towards windows phone 7 users. With the path they are taking , there is a good chance windows phone 9 will not be compatible with windows phone 8.

Also, windows phone 8 are being priced exorbitantly for the value they provide. This is just my opinion.

My advice at you: wait for sometime. You will see phone coming with Android 4.2 jelly bean at your price point or go for Motorola Atrix 2 as suggested by Dark Angel. Go for them.

-- Disappointed Lumia 710 user

 

[aquaticbullet]

Mate the win 8 has not been ported to older phones because of hardware incompatibility. Win 7 has been updated time and again and 1 of the most important feature on win 8 that is updated live screen is going to be given out in the form of 7.8. So no I won't say that win 7 users have been left out in lurch. Compare it to android where u many phones are not updated more than once.
I do agree what you said regarding the apps but other os were also in same position during their nascent stage. Just give it some more time.
Simply put
Power user, gaming a lot, heavy tinkering and rooting : android all the way
Normal user with telephony and great visual appeal, casual gaming plus low budget : win 8
Power user, lots of gaming, tinkering, great integration plus high budget : ios

I am sure win 8 will cover the hurdle of apps shortage in sometime.

 

[Sub]

To be fair, WP7 was always a time-to-market thing. I stayed away from it even though it was an awesome looking OS. But Windows Phone 8 is a different game altogether. They had two choices, 1) Wait till 2012 to release Windows Phone 7 with Windows NT core or 2) Release Windows Phone 7 with Windows CE core in 2010, establish a market, while work on the Windows NT core Windows Phone continued till 2012. Now that Windows Phone 8 is on Windows NT, they have set up a long term future that is tied directly to Windows. Microsoft has guaranteed updates for at least 18 months, till mid-2014, maybe more. We are already seeing the Portico update go over the air to many users, and will cover everyone worldwide by Jan 2013. As for WP7 users, I think they are doing a great thing by releasing WP7.8. That's not the end of the road either, there's at least one more WP7.8 iteration coming in 2013. The logical thing to do would be to cancel WP7.8 and concentrate on WP8, but they really want to support early adopters.

Regarding apps, the situation is improving dramatically very quickly. This is because WinPRT on WP8 and WinRT on Windows 8 are so similar it makes too much sense to go cross-platform. With WP8 the argument was always "low market share", but Windows 8 is going to sell hundreds of millions rapidly. There will probably be 100 million Windows 8 users by the time Lumia 620 releases. Also, Windows Phone 8 is selling 4x versus WP7.5, so things are improving drastically directly too. A word about gaming - Windows Phone 8 actually supports DirectX 11 and we all know Microsoft's pedigree with gaming on Xbox and Windows. I

Even today though, there are some excellent Windows Phone apps. The first party apps are of course great too and probably the best aspect of WP8 is how apps can be so closely integrated into the OS. A good example is Skype, which acts like a second phone connection. But there is definitely some things missing versus iOS or Android. It would be unfair and unwise to dismiss Windows Phone just because of apps, but rather one should consider what apps they need.

 

[Ankur.J]

I just checked the Apps market and they are pretty decent. I think I will also have the power of Nokia apps if I get the 620? I mean I can make a call using skype? Have Nokia and Google maps?
A front camera for skype call? Also good support during work, I can carry my files nicely and presentations too?

 

[Sub]

I just checked the Apps market and they are pretty decent. I think I will also have the power of Nokia apps if I get the 620? I mean I can make a call using skype? Have Nokia and Google maps?
A front camera for skype call? Also good support during work, I can carry my files nicely and presentations too?

Yes, you will get all the Nokia apps. You can even receive Skype calls at any time, even when phone is locked, like you would a normal phone call. This is a pretty awesome feature if you communicate often with people over Skype. One thing that we forgot to mention is that HTC 8S does not have a front camera, so for Skype 620 is definitely a better choice. For Office, all your documents and presentations are synced automatically between all your devices. If you use Office 2013 on your PC this is particularly seamless. For Office 2010 you just need to save in SkyDrive, and it will sync up with your phone. There is no official Google Maps but there is a third party app called GMaps which is decent.

 

[R0H!T]

@OP
Do not buy HTC 8S. It has only 4GB internal memory, of which ~1.5GB is available for apps/games. Eventhough you can add memory card and use it for music/videos/photos, you CANNOT install apps/games on the external memory. So you will be left with <2GB space for apps/games. This is a big disadvantage when you are spending 18-20k on this phone.
As everyone is suggesting, wait for Lumia 620 (8GB internal memory, ~15k price), which is a smart choice if you want budget WP8 device.

 

[Ankur.J]

Confusion Confusion!
Okay I am on and all ready for the 620 release and buying it right away on release, but my dads also needs a phone for almost the same purpose as mine. He will get the 620 mostly, but then there would be 2x 620 in my house, is there any other comparable phone to 620? Android will be fine.

 

[Ankur.J]

Karbonn A30 vs Micromax A110

Hey guys sorry for creating new thread, but I am locked onto this confusion the A30 or A110?
I need this for maps, internet, reading (studying), light gaming and apps.
Both come in my budget.
1. I chose this because of big screen, as reading will be easier??
2. Also will PDF files work on this??
3. Can I update OS to 4.1 or 4.2?
4. How is the build quality for both?
5. Is reading easy on both?
6. Are the exclusive showrooms like Nokia for both?

 

[DarkAngel]

@Ankur.J
1. Yes it should be.
2. Yes pdf will work fine.
3. No, unless the manufacturer releases it. There is very little dev support for such devices. So you can't find 3rd part ROMs to upgrade. You are pretty much stuck with Android 4.0 (ICS)
4. Okaish. You can check out video reviews in youtube and sites like igyaan and gogi
5. Should be. Check them out in stores to check your comfort levels.
6. Nope. They dont have exclusive showrooms. But you can find demo pieces in big showroom of universal mobiles and poorvika mobiles etc....

IMO 5.9" will be too big and the MMX A110 would be a better bet. But then you will have to decide for yourself after checking them out in the store.

 

[Sei]

^ Plus the IPS display of the A110 looks downright gorgeous.

 

[vivek.krishnan]

A110 if you can wrangle one cheap. I found that A110 is OOS everywhere online. A30 AFAIK is a new entry (correct me if wrong) so would say go with the A110

Also, dont bother to go with WP8. Its good for people who need a no lag (read dumb IMO) smart phone, but TBH, would recommend to stay away.

Oh and unless WP8 throws away Zune I would not bother to even try it.

 

[blkrb0t]

A110 if you can wrangle one cheap. I found that A110 is OOS everywhere online. A30 AFAIK is a new entry (correct me if wrong) so would say go with the A110

Also, dont bother to go with WP8. Its good for people who need a no lag (read dumb IMO) smart phone, but TBH, would recommend to stay away.

Oh and unless WP8 throws away Zune I would not bother to even try it.

You are out of touch, WP8 experience is great, and no lag is just an icing on the cake. And you don't need Zune for simple file transfers, drag-n-drog is now possible. Though WP8 doesn't have a file manager built-in, it's expected in the next update.

 

[Sei]

You are out of touch, WP8 experience is great, and no lag is just an icing on the cake. And you don't need Zune for simple file transfers, drag-n-drog is now possible. Though WP8 doesn't have a file manager built-in, it's expected in the next update.

+1 to all of this. You have been offline for most part of the year it seems, as your signature says.

 

[sandy453]

Mate the win 8 has not been ported to older phones because of hardware incompatibility. Win 7 has been updated time and again and 1 of the most important feature on win 8 that is updated live screen is going to be given out in the form of 7.8. So no I won't say that win 7 users have been left out in lurch.

Says who and where ? . Could you be kind enough to link me to the official article where this has been said. iPhone 3GS until recently supported the previous versions of OS. I am saying this because microsoft follows similar closed model. The updates were because some of the even basic features like copy paste were missing. To be fair, WP8 is the first major update and that is incompatible with older handsets even the lumia 900 which was recently launched. As far app hurdle is concerned , I have been hearing this since the last year and situation is the same. If you own a windows phone, then go to the top free and top paid apps and you will know what I am talking about.