About a year ago, my office Admin had begun restricting access to many entertainment, social networking and email websites. To overcome the browsing issue and to enable faster texting, personal emailing while at office, I bought a Nokia E63 querty type smart phone. I slowly realized that viewing websites let along browsing them still required a lot of effort since the screen was a small one.
After looking at my Cousin’s phone which was a Samsung galaxy ace and its capabilities, I heard the word ANDROID which was new to my ears since all I had heard was apple, Symbian, Blackberry and Windows. When I googled regarding Android and smart phones, the net just exploded in my face revealing several startling facts including the fact that there were millions out there ahead of me enjoying the ANDROID experience.
That’s when I decided that I needed an updated Android phone, but one within an affordable budget which would fetch me maximum value and serve my requirements. To make the browsing experience ideal with the ability to access / expand any part of the screen, I needed a touch screen phone. Nothing less would do.
Google and GSM research on the net brought me to the conclusion that there were a few tough contenders in the Rs. 13000 - 16000 range that were worth it.
There were android phones well until Rs. 32000/- and ahead but my budget was fixed at Rs. 13K - 16K.
The first and ultimate choice recommended by a high number of users was the Samsung galaxy ace. Though released earlier, Samsung had released a newer version in 2011. Other contenders worth looking at in this range were the HTC WILDFIRE S and the MOTOROLA DEFY.
HTC Wildfire S: This was a good phone well within budget and known for its user experience. However, it had a 600 Mhz processor as opposed to SGA and Motorola Defy which had 800 Mhz. This did make application access slower as per some review websites.
Motorola Defy: The Defy is a tough competitor to the Samsung galaxy ace. In fact, I almost fell for the Defy.
Defy has gorilla glass.
It is water proof and dust proof. I actually saw the reviewer dipping the entire phone into a bowl of water while playing a song and pouring water on the speaker and screen. NOTHING happened to it... now that’s really a rugged phone. Samsung isn’t dust proof or water proof.
Also, it has 512 MB of ram as opposed ot SGA which has a paltry 158 MB.
It has a superior battery of 1540 mAh as compared to the SGA which has a 1350 mAh battery. This may convert into more standby and operating time.
It has a 3.7 inch touchscreen whereas the SGA has a 3.5 inch touchscreen.
What made me go for the SGA?
Motorola Defy though seemingly feature packed and an awesome package at 15.4K approx is still running on Android 2.1 (Eclair) upgradable to Android 2.2 (Froyo).
I have seen a review where the Samsung galaxy ace is being run on 2.3.4 though Samsung has officially announced an Android 2.3.3. gingerbread update for the SGA.
Sadly, there seem to be no plans to introduce the gingerbread upgrade for the Motorola Defy.
However, I have heard of Motorola releasing a newer model called Motorola Defy + which will have a 1GHz processor and the required OS. It might however shoot out of my budget range. Didn’t want to wait that long as well.
Why is the 2.3.3 update important?
to cut it short, it is important because Froyo consumes more battery. As per user comments and reviews, most defects and issues of the Froyo version have been corrected on the Gingerbread software upgrade.
So SGA ruled and I went for it.
Pros:
3.5 inch gorilla glass screen (not mentioned in features)
Gingerbread upgrade available (2.3.3)
Samsung brand value and warranty with service backing
Usability for 1st time users is good
Accelerometer and proximility sensor
syncs contacts from facebook and gmail, joins them
Comes with a 2 GB SD card, black and white (matte finished) back covers, leather cover
I bought it at THE MOBILE STORE for Rs.14180/- with a Samsung car charger and 2 movie tickets thrown in.
Browsing experience is excellent
With even a 2G avg speed connection, Google instant messaging is real time and very convenient using the QUERTY touch screen keypad.
Google maps gives an almost accurate location of where the person is currently. Wi Fi can further increase the accuracy. We can get addresses and directions to nearby Retaurants, ATMS, Hospitals, etc if we are in a new place.
With 3G, You tube ran without any issues and with good quality. I haven’t used 3G extensively yet.
And many more...
Cons:
Froyo eats a lot of battery. After using a 2G internet network for a couple of hours, I am still charging my phone everyday. 3G is supposed to eat the battery even more. Need the Gingerbread update quickly to see whether the battery charge will sustain longer as claimed.
There is only 158 MB of internal memory which is too little to install many applications. Not all applications will install to the SD card. So, you might have a 8 or 16 GB card on the phone but the space might not be used. Also, not all applications move from the internal memory to SD card. This needs more research from my end. I need to check after the Gbread update.
Call quality is average. I wouldn’t say it’s exceptional or excellent.
Flash player not available for Froyo but available on Gbread.
Conclusion:
You will not get a better Android phone at the said price of Rs.13900/-. Looking at the price range, I will say one can live with the cons. Some of the cons might not remain after the Gbread upgrade.
This review will be updated after I get the upgrade done on my phone. Please rate my review until then.