Best Android Phones in India

High-end Android smartphones in India:

Samsung Galaxy S II: There is no second-thought about the fact that there is no other smartphone of this caliber currently in Indian market or will be launched in couple of weeks. So, if you have money and you want a seriously powerful Android smartphone – Galaxy S II is your baby. It will be on sale from June 9/10 in all major stores.

MRP:  INR 32,890 | Street Price: INR 30,500 (expected)

LG Optimus 2X: This is the only dual core Android smartphone available in Indian market right now, although Samsung has announced that Galaxy S2 will reach sometime in May, but till then Optimus 2X is your best bet. With company’s confirmation regarding the Gingerbread update for the device, this dual core beauty is a must have if you are looking for a performance giant.

Optimus 2X features a 4 inch display, 1 GHz dual core nVIDIA Tegra 2 processor,  Android 2.2, 8 MP camera, 512 MB RAM, 8GB internal storage & Expandable external storage of upto 32GB.

MRP: INR 30,000

HTC Desire S: HTC recently started selling Desire S in Indian Market, powered by Gingerbread it is one of the few devices with Android’s latest smartphone OS version in the country. Although it does not possess the rocking specs as Optimus 2X, it does come with some pretty decent internals at its price.

HTC Desire S features HTC Sense, 1GHz Snapdragon MSM8255 processor, dual front and back cameras, and 3.7-inch WVGA display.

MRP: INR 25,490

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc: It is an absolute beauty, by far the best Android smartphone in term of the looks. Don’t worry, it’s not just the looks, it does come with solid internals to give you nice performance.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc features 4.2 inch multi-touch screen, 8.1 MP camera with HD video recording, Android 2.3, 1500mAh battery, and 1 Ghz Qualcomm processor.

MRP: INR 30,000

Nexus S: Manufactured by Samsung in partnership with Google, Nexus S is a great device for anyone who wants to experience true Android. Its software aspects are all as per Google’s instructions, so it will always be the first device to receive Android update until the next Nexus phone launches in the market.

Nexus S features Android 2.3, NFC hardware, 1 GHz processor, 5MP rear camera with front VGA cam, 512 MB RAM, 16GB internal memory

MRP: INR 30,400

Other choices in the segment: HTC Incredible S, Samsung Galaxy S, Dell Venue, LG Optimus Black, Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, HTC Desire HD, HTC Desire Z

Mid-Range Android smartphones in India:

Motorola Defy: This rugged Android smartphone from Motorola is one of best mid-range Android smartphone available in India. There is one small catch here in the form of Android version, Motorola ship it with Android 2.1 with FroYo update scheduled for sometime this quarter. But considering the Motorola’s record with Android updates, I would not suggest this to anyone who wants latest Android version.

Defy features Android 2.1, 3.7-inch touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, flash and OMAP 3610 chip running at 800MHz.

MRP: INR 18,000

Samsung Galaxy SL: A variant of popular Galaxy S, Galaxy SL leaves out Super AMOLED to sport Super Clear LCD. While the specs are pretty much in line with original Galaxy S, SL comes at a much lower price and is a solid device for anyone looking for best Android smartphone below 20K.

Galaxy SL features TI-OMAP 1GHz processor, 4GB internal memory, 4 inch display, Android 2.2 and 5MP camera.

MRP: INR 19000

Acer Liquid Metal: This Android beauty from Acer is a good value for money and a great option for anyone looking to combine style and performance.

It  features 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7230 processor, which is also in HTC Desire Z, 5-megapixel autofocus camera with flash, 720p HD video recording,  3.6-inch display, Dolby Surround sound support, Android  2.2 and DLNA/UPnP media streaming.

MRP: INR 20,000

Samsung Galaxy Ace: Part of recent additions to Samsung’s Galaxy series, Galaxy Ace is a decent mid-range Android smartphone. It features Android 2.2 Froyo, 3.5-inch HVGA TFT display, 800MHz processor, 5-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, and 1350 mAh battery.

MRP: INR 15,000

Other devices in the category include HTC Wildfire, HTC Legend, Motorola Milestone, Motorola Flipout, Motorola Backflip, and Acer Liquid.

Entry-level Android smartphones in India:

Samsung Galaxy Pop: Decent performance in affordable price, comes in both GSM as well as CDMA variants. Galaxy Pop features 600 Mhz processor, Android 2.2, 3.14 inch display and 3MP camera

MRP: INR 9000

Samsung Galaxy Fit: Another budget Android smartphone from Samsung, it comes with Android 2.2, 600 MHz processor, 5MP camera and 1350 mAh battery.

MRP: 10,100

Dell XCD35: This ZTE made Android smartphone, which was launched by Dell in India has seen a huge price-drop from INR 18K to 11K today. With a great dev community, this smartphone will give you more than what you would expect.

It features 3.5 inch touchscreen, 3.2 MP camera, Android 2.1, MapmyIndia Maps pre-installed, FM Radio, HSDPA, Wifi, and Bluetooth 2.1 EDR.

MRP: INR 11,500

Huawei Ideos: Featuring a stock Android 2.2 build, this smartphone was developed with clear instructions from Google to take Android to masses. It features 2.8 inch capacitive display, 3.2 MP camera, 528 processor, and Android 2.2.

MRP: INR 8,000

LG Optimus One is another smartphone which deserves a mention here. Priced around INR 10,000, it comes with Froyo pre-installed and will get Gingerbread update soon.