Top 5 smartphones in India, July 2017

Recently, we have seen a slew of launches in the smartphone market ranging from budget segment to high-end premium one. Manufacturers are leaving no stone unturned to project their smartphone(s) as one of the best in the market.

With a sea of options, it becomes a difficult task to select a smartphone that is best suited for you. But you need not worry! We have handpicked the best smartphones that give some top-of-the-line performance in almost every department under different price segments. So, without further ado, here is the list of the top 5 smartphones available in India.

The latest flagship smartphone from Samsung is turning out to be the best Android smartphone for this year. With the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, the company introduced a host of new trends for the smartphone market including a new aspect ratio of 18:5:9 along with Infinity display. The brand has also introduced its virtual assistant, Bixby, with the latest smartphones. Though Galaxy S8 is a good option, Galaxy S8+ is currently shining bright, all thanks to its large display in a compact form factor.

Samsung Galaxy S8+ 6.2-inch Quad HD (2960 x 1440 pixels) Infinity display which is curved on both sides and boast a new aspect ratio of 18:5:9. The Indian variant of the S8+ come with Exynos 8895 Chipset which is an Octa-Core processor clocked at 2.3 GHz. This is because Samsung sells the Qualcomm variant of its flagship in select regions only. However, the Exynos variant is equally powerful and power efficient as the Qualcomm variant. Apart from this, the device packs 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, which can be further expanded up to 256GB via microSD card. Samsung also introduced a special 6GB RAM and 128GB storage variant for the Indian market for Rs 74,990.

On the camera front, the Galaxy S8+ is equipped with a 12-megapixel rear camera with Dual Pixel technology and Aperture f/1.7 and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with smart Autofocus and aperture f/1.7.MP F1.7 Smart autofocus front camera.

The phone runs on the latest Android 7.0 Nougat and boasts a 3500mAh battery with Fast charging on wired and wireless. On the connectivity front, both the devices support Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, USB Type-C, GPS, GLONASS and 4G LTE. The Samsung Galaxy S8 measures 148.9 x 68.1 x 8.0 mm and weighs 155g, while the Galaxy S8+ measures 159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm and 173g.

Though Samsung might heavily advertise the new Infinity Display with an unusual aspect ratio of 18:5:9, it was LG that become the first brand to introduce this ‘tall’ aspect ratio with the G6. The smartphone comes loaded with some interesting features and since its launch, the phone has witnessed a slew of a price cut and it currently retail for Rs 41,990 on Amazon. Unlike, Samsung Galaxy S8+, which has curved display, the one used in LG G6 is a flat one, which makes it more durable than the flagship smartphone from Samsung.

To recall, the smartphone was first unveiled during Mobile World Congress 2017. As far as specifications are concerned, the LG G6 features a 5.7-inch 18:9 QHD+ FullVision display with a resolution of 2880 x 1440 pixels and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor. It comes with 4GB LPDDR4 RAM and 32GB/64GB on internal storage, which can be further expandable up to 2TB via MicroSD card. It runs on Android 7.0 Nougat operating system and is backed up by a 3,300mAh (embedded) battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 support. It also houses a fingerprint scanner and comes with USB Type-C 2.0 (3.1 compatible) as well.

On the camera front, it has Dual rear camera setup with a combination of 13-megapixel Wide (F2.4 / 125°) and 13-megapixel Standard OIS 2.0 (F1.8 / 71°) sensor with LED flash. On the front, it has a 5-megapixel Wide (F2.2 / 100°) selfie camera. Besides, the smartphone offers 4G/LTE, Wi-Fi (802.11 a, b, g, n, ac), Bluetooth 4.2 BLE, NFC, Water and Dust Resistant support, UX 6.0, Dolby Vision, HDR10 and 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC. The handset measures 148.9 x 71.9 x 7.9mm and weighs 163 grams.

Huawei’s sub-brand Honor has recently introduced its next flagship device, the Honor 8 Pro for the Indian market. However, the company will release the pricing details on July 6, but it is expected to fall under a price bracket of Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000. The smartphone has a lot to offer and surely gives the tough competition to the ‘Flagship Killer’. During our comparison story, we found out Honor 8 Pro gives a stiff competition to the OnePlus 5 and in some departments, it was at par with the latest flagship from OnePlus.

The major highlight of the smartphone is the dual rear cameras. The camera comes with a combination of 12-megapixel Sensors with one being used to capture RGB, while other captures details in monochrome. The smartphone also supports 4K recording at 30 frames per second and comes with an 8-megapixel front camera for selfies and video calling.

As per the specifications are concerned, the device will feature a 5.7-inch QHD LTPS LCD display with a screen resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and a Pixel density of 515ppi. The device is powered by company’s in-house Kirin 960 octa-core processor and is backed by a 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, which can be further expanded up to 128GB via microSD card slot.

The device runs on Android 7.0 Nougat and is juiced by a 4000mAh battery. On the connectivity front, the smartphone support 4G, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, dual-SIM, Infrared sensor and measures 157 x 77.50 x 6.97 mm and weighs 184 grams.

Motorola Moto G series is one of the most famous ones and the next generation Moto G5 Plus is no exception. The smartphone not only comes loaded with a new metal unibody design but sports some good hardware as well. The 3GB RAM + 16GB Storage variant is priced at Rs 14,999 while the 4GB RAM + 32GB Storage variant is priced at Rs 16,999. With this, the smartphone is no doubt one of the best smartphone available at this price point. One thing we all like about Motorola is that the fact the brand provides with a clean user interface and roll out of updates at a regular interval of time.

For the specifications, the Moto G5 Plus comes with a 5.2-inch full HD display with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor coupled with Adreno 506 GPU. The phone comes in two options—3GB/16GB variant along with 4GB RAM and 32GB internal storage model. There is also a microSD card slot through which one can expand storage up to 128GB.

On the camera front, the device sports 12-megapixel rear camera with aperture f/1.7, 1.4-micron pixels, dual AF pixels and LED flash. For the front, there is a 5-megapixel shooter for selfies and video calling. The phone is backed by 3000mAh battery and support connectivity options like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.2, NFC and Micro USB port. The phone measures 150.2 x 74 x 9.7 mm and weighs 155 grams.

Xiaomi’s latest budget offering is widely accepted as new people’s favourite. The brand has sold one million Redmi 4 units in just 30 days, which shows the popularity of the smartphone in the budget segment. The smartphone comes in three different variants: the 2GB RAM with 16GB of internal storage is priced at Rs 6,999, the 3GB of RAM along with 32GB of internal storage cost Rs 8,999, while for 4GB of RAM with 32GB of internal storage one has to pay Rs 10,999.

As far as specifications Redmi 4 are concerned, it has a metal unibody design and comes with a 5-inch HD 2.5D curved display with the resolution of 720×1280 pixels. On the inside, the Redmi 4 comes equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 chipset with the clock speed of 1.4GHz, along with Adreno 505 GPU. It has 2GB/3GB/4GB of RAM and 16GB/32GB/64GB of internal storage, which is further expandable up to 128GB via microSD.

The smartphone comes with a special preview of Android N which is wrapped under MIUI 8 runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow operating system and comes packed with good 4100 mAh non-removable battery, that claims to last for two days under regular usage conditions with up to 18 days of standby time. The device also comes with a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner for enhanced security.

For the camera, Xiaomi Redmi 4 sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, PDAF, f/2.0, a 5 element lens, full HD recording, with real-time filter and on its front, it has a 5-megapixel front camera with f/2.2 for selfies and video chats. Further, the device offers Hybrid Dual SIM (1 Micro+1 Nano) 4G, GPS/AGPS/GLONASS, Bluetooth 4.1, WiFi, a MicroUSB port, App lock feature and Second space feature which let you create separate, private profile within your phone. The handset measures 139.3 x 69.9 x 8.65 mm and weighs 150 grams. The sensor includes an Ambient light sensor, Proximity, E-Compass, Accelerometer, and Gyroscope.