Entertainment
Bang for your buck
With a new smartphone releasing every other month, your mind might be clouded with choices.Mamina Shrestha
With a new smartphone releasing every other month, your mind might be clouded with choices. Everyone, however, might not necessarily have the budget to get the best gadgets that are out there. For those who aren’t willing to burn a hole in their pockets just yet, the good news is that there are budget-friendly options available in the market that allow customers get competitive features for a decent price. Today, we will be exploring how you can make a budget of around Rs 15,000 go the distance in the crowded smartphone market. These phones might not be high-end brands, but they have been designed to provide a great experience for a budget.
Huawei Y7
Priced at Rs 15,900, the Huawei Y7 sports a 5.5-inch display and runs on Android 7.0 Nougat with EMUI 5.1 on top. In terms of the CPU, the phone has an octa-core Cortex-A53 processor which clocks in at 1.4 GHz and Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 chipset in the phone. The phone comes with a 12MP rear camera with f/2.2 aperture that has features like: Phase detection autofocus and LED flash. There is also an 8MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture along with a 2GB RAM with an expandable storage of 16GB. For battery backup and power, the phone boasts a non-removable Li-Ion 4000 mAh battery. The phone is a good choice for those seeking for similar features like that of the Huawei Y7 Prime for a cheaper budget, as the Huawei Y7 is similar to the Y7 Prime, apart from a few key upgrades.
Xiaomi Redmi 4A
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4A is the phone that is a favourite when talking about budget buys in the country. Powered by Quad-Core Snapdragon 425, 64-bit processor, the Redmi 4A arguably delivers the best performance in this budget. The phone comes with a 5-inch HD IPS display that has 720 by 1280 resolution which offers good viewing angles and colour reproduction. The plastic build on the phone has been designed in such a way that it feels premium. There is a 13MP rear camera with dual tone LED Flash and PDAF, along with a 5MP front-facing camera. The phone comes with 2GB RAM and is available in expandable 16GB or 32GB internal storage variants. Running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow with MIUI 8 on top, the phone also provides a good battery backup with its 3120 mAh non-removable battery. Xiaomi Redmi 4A is priced at Rs 14,499 for the 16GB variant and 15,999 for the 32GB phone.
Colors P85+ Selfie Pro:
The Colors P85+ Selfie Pro is the most affordable, camera-centric smartphone available in the Nepali market as of now. The phone has been designed elegantly with a 5.5-inch IPS LCD screen with 2.5D glass topping and metallic chassis. Powering the device is MediaTek MT6735 chipset backed by 2GB of RAM and 16GB of inbuilt storage. The phone has a promising 13 MP camera at the back and an 8 MP shooter up front—which isn’t as good as it was promoted to be, even though the LED flash in both of these shooters helps provide good lighting for pictures. The phone also come with in-built security features in the phone like the Emergency Rescue and Smart Lock which lets the customers stay safe rather than be sorry. Moreover, the Stock Android UI, on top of Android Nougat 7.0 provides a refreshing UI experience. The snappy fingerprint scanner at the back is an added bonus as well. Colors P85+ Selfie Pro comes for the bargain price of Rs 14,999.
Nokia 3
Marketed by Paramount Electronics, the authorised distributor of Nokia mobiles in Nepal, Nokia 3 is one of the best deals available out there for budget buyers. The phone boasts a 5-inch IPS LCD HD display. Further, powered by a Quad-core MediaTek 6737 processor, the phone houses 2GB of RAM with an expandable internal storage of 16GB. Both front and back cameras are of 8MP with f/2.0 aperture. Running on bloatware free Stock Android skin, the phone operates on Android Nougat 7.0 and houses a comparatively smaller 2650 mAh battery. The 2.5 curve over the display brings this phone a step up that other budget phones don’t. This Nokia budget phone comes for Rs 16,500.
Gionee X1
Priced at Rs 13,999, the Gionee X1 is probably the best deal that there is within this budget range. The phone houses a 5-inch IPS display, which is good enough but feels quite lacking compared to other budget phones. Backed by MediaTek MT6737 processor clocked at 1.3GHz, the phone is quite commendable when it comes to the actual performance factor. There is a 2GB RAM and an expandable internal storage of 16GB. In the camera department, the phone has 8MP cameras with LED flash on both sides. The phone operates on Android 7.0 Nougat with Amigo 4.0 that provides a refreshing user experience. Moreover, the metallic build of the phone and its rear mounted fingerprint scanner makes the phone a top choice in this budget range.