Top 5 Wi-Fi plus 3G phones under Rs.10,000

With 3G penetrating all major parts of the country and Wi-Fi slowly becoming a common household sight, these days, having a Wi-Fi and 3G capable handset can finally be put to some good use, although we still have to find some use for that front facing camera. Till a couple years ago, you’d have to shell out quite a bit of money if you wanted both these features. Today, however, you can grab a 3G plus Wi-Fi enabled phone for well under Rs.10,000. While there are a whole bunch of them in this price bracket, we’ve picked the top 5 that we’ve tested and know for a fact are worth a look.

Micromax Q80 - Rs.4,900 (View Stores)

The Q80 might not be a smartphone, but it’s a marked improvement over the Q75 and with added 3G and Wi-Fi support for almost the same price, offers really good value. The Java-based phone comes with a host of built-in apps like Nimbuzz, Newshunt, Ngpay and Bloomberg.

Feature rich budget phone

Micromax A70 - Rs,6,200 (View Stores)

Next up is another offering from Micromax, but this one’s a proper smartphone, and a rather good one, too. On paper, the A70 might seem a little weak with just a 600MHz processor, but don’t let that put you off, since the phone is actually pretty quick and fluid to use. The handset is comfortable to use, doesn’t heat up too much and sports a decent 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen that responds well to touch. We also found the battery life to be really good, despite the phone still running on Froyo.

Good bang for buck

Lava S12 - Rs.9,999 (View Stores)

Lava may not be a brand on the top of your shopping list, but the S12 is certainly worth a look. The phone sports a unique design and texture, not often seen on Android phones. Despite only having a 600MHz processor and running a fancy 3D UI, the interface is pretty slick and not sluggish. Jumping between homescreens engages cool 3D transition effects that add to the visual appeal. The phone also comes pre-loaded with India specific apps like SAAVN and Times of India news app, among many others. It even has a decent camera, even though it lacks auto-focus.

A good option under 10K

Samsung Galaxy Fit S5670 - Rs.9,100 (View Stores)

The Galaxy Fit from Samsung is another good contender with a slightly larger screen and Android 2.2. The bundled music player features DNSe sound enhancements along with SWYPE pre-installed. The phone also features a 5MP auto-focus camera with plenty of settings to choose from like Shot Mode, Photo Effects Smile Detection, etc.

Fit enough to make the list

Nokia E5 - Rs.8,700 (View Stores)

The Nokia E5 may have launched about a year back, but it’s still one of the best phones under 10K and fits our needs perfectly. With both 3G and Wi-Fi support onboard, the Symbian v9.3 running smartphone sports a very comfortable QWERTY keypad and a simple, yet functional design.

Still going strong

You may notice that some of the newer phones did not make it to our list, like the Samsung Galaxy Y for instance and that’s only because we haven’t had a chance to review it yet. Many times, a phone may look like a winner on paper, but in reality, it doesn’t really come together always. The Motorola Fire and Fire XT is one such example. So, let us know what you think and feel free to discuss this further in our forums.