I’ve been using my Samsung Note 2 for almost 5yrs and it started to show its age. Frequent hanging and’memory not available’ messages were troubling me for sometime. Finally 2 months ago while using google maps in an unknown location, suddenly the phone turned off and while turning on, locked the handset(all by itself). That was the last piece of sandalwood on its pyre!
The next day morning I went to the poorvika mobile outlet near my residence looking for a good handset. My requirements were clear
Good hardware(Reasonably fast processor - one that would not hang; at least 4 GB RAM - to run all the resource heavy apps that I need)
Good Battery back up(one of the reason for choosing Note2 was its 3200MAh battery)
4G ready
at least 32GB internal memory
Good speaker quality(for frequent conf. calls where the loud speaker volume is critical)
Expandable memory(min 64 GB)
Reasonably priced(Do not have to shell out half a lakh for a phone which’ll have near zero value after 4yrs of its life)
Non-Chinese(if possible - Made in India!):)
Easy availability of accessories such as protective case, screen guard etc.
Note: I was not ready to pay premium for
Camera quality
QHD screens etc.
Looks \ ergo
Now, why Poorvika?
Store proximity to home
Good exchange offers(Though Sangeetha offered similar price, the exchange price estimated for Note2 was low)
lower prices than Reliance Digital, Sangeetha Mobile & Samsung store(which are other stores close to my home)
And the two models that met my expectations were C9 Pro and A9 Pro.
Competing products considered:
S7(Expensive and not big battery)
LG G Pro 2(expensive, hardware better)
Sony Xperia XZs(Expensive, Poor battery(2900MAh), better processor)
Due to the premium that I had to pay for a C9(+ it had a smaller battery), I’ve picked up an A9 Pro
MRP: INR 25, 000
Best Price: INR 18, 500
Exchange value for Note2: INR 3, 500
Effective cost of ownership: INR 14, 500
Features which caught my attention
Octa-core processor
4GB RAM(turned out to be just okay in performance. No hanging\conking off yet even with 8 non-standard apps running in background. No phenomenal performance either)
5000 MAh battery(lasts 1.5 to 2 days with reasonable usage thru the day with 2hrs of calls+ 6hrs of Internet with wifi\4G on all thru and occasional use of google maps)
Price:D
Cons:
Conclusion:
I am reasonably happy with the performance of A9 Pro. No major complaints as my VFM brain keep suggesting that for the price I paid, this is better than what the competition has to offer.