2017 turned out to be another great year for smartphone enthusiasts with pretty great devices turning up this year. The hottest trend, of course, was the bezel-less display smartphones with major brands like Samsung, OnePlus and even Apple adopting the trendy design. With just a few days left for the year to end, we have selected some of the most recent devices that you should consider in case you are willing to buy a smartphone this December.
Entry Level & Budget Smartphones
Xiaomi Redmi 5A
Xiaomi’s Redmi 5A is the successor to the popular Redmi 4A and is one of the best options for those looking at entry-level smartphones. Despite its cheap price, Redmi 5A comes with a slim profile with a metallic design and 5-inch HD IPS display. Under the hood, a 1.4GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor coupled with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage powers the device.
The Redmi 5A packs a 13MP rear sensor with f/2.2 aperture, PDAF and LED flash while there is a 5MP selfie shooter in front. A 3,000mAh battery gives juice to the phone, which company claims will offer “8-day standby time”. The dual-SIM runs Android Nougat based MIUI 9 out-of-the-box. The Redmi 5A is currently available at Rs 4999 for 2GB+16GB version and Rs 5999 for 3GB+32GB version.
Huawei Honor 7X
Huawei sub-brand Honor launched their all-new “bezel-less” Honor 7X last week. Available for Rs 12999, this budget phone is an affordable dual camera smartphone with modern looks and pretty decent specs.
The Honor 7X comes with a 5.93-inch bezel-less display with an FHD+ resolution. It is powered by an octa-core 2.36GHz HiSilicon Kirin 659 processor along with 4GB of RAM. As for optics, there is a 16MP primary sensor and a 2MP in-depth sensor on the rear, and there’s an 8MP selfie shooter. The device runs Android Nougat 7.0 and is powered by a 3340mAh non-removable battery.
There's the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 smartphone, which is the best budget smartphone of 2017. However, we're not including it on the list because the Redmi Note 5 launch is right around the corner.
Xiaomi Mi A1
Xiaomi has built a legacy of being best in the budget category. The Mi A1, which received a permanent price cut of Rs 1,000 and is now retailing for Rs 13,999 is probably the best smartphone who can get today. The Mi A1 sports a 5.5-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 625 SoC, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, dual 12MP rear cameras, 5MP front-facing camera, Android 7.0 Nougat, and 3080mAh battery.
Best Smartphone Under Rs 30,000
Oppo F5
I know, I know, this might sound crazy, but I have to go with this. The Oppo F5 is possibly the best smartphone you can get around Rs 25,000. That said, there are other phones such as the Moto Z2 Play, but they aren't best at some things.
The Oppo F5 is a great mid-range option, especially for selfie enthusiasts. The highlight features of the F5 include AI infused selfie camera, edge to edge display and facial recognition. Despite packing flagship like features Oppo F5 comes at an affordable price of Rs 19990.
The Oppo F5 is powered an octa-core MediaTek Helio P23 processor paired with either 4 or 6GB of RAM and a 3,200mAh battery. The front camera is a huge 20MP sensor which packs in a variety of features to make you look good, and there is a 16MP rear camera. The F5 is available in two variants - 4GB RAM and 32GB model going for Rs 19990 and 6GB and 64GB model going for Rs 24990.
Flagship Smartphones
Affordable Flagship Smartphone
OnePlus 5T
The next-in-line smartphone from OnePlus, the 5T comes with 2017’s trendy bezel-less design and updated features. At a mid-range level price, OnePlus 5T packs top of line Snapdragon 835 processor and flagship features such as Face Unlock.
The 5T sports a 6-inch QHD AMOLED display with 1080 x 2160 pixel resolution and 401ppi. The device is powered by a 2.45GHz octa-core Snapdragon 835 processor with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Coming to cameras, it has dual 20MP+16MP rear sensors with dual-LED flash and a 16MP front camera. OnePlus 5T starts at Rs 32999 for 6GB RAM variant while the top line 8GB variant goes for Rs 37999.
If you enough money to splurge on a top range smartphone, you can get premium features and excellent hardware. The top range includes many options, and almost every phone is as good it comes. Choosing a smartphone in this range comes down to your needs because every device offers unique standout features.
Flagship Smartphones
Google Pixel 2 XL
Google Pixel 2 XL comes with flagship hardware, but the USP of this device is its camera capabilities. The Pixel 2 XL camera configuration includes a 12.2MP rear sensor with wider f/1.8 aperture, optical stabilization, auto HDR+ and 8MP fixed-focus sensor in front. The biggest new addition is the Portrait mode which works with both cameras.
The Pixel 2 XL cameras get a score of 98 from DxOMark, which is the highest overall score for a smartphone. So if the camera is your thing, get Pixel 2. Other features include 6-inch pOLED display with 18:9 aspect ratio, Snapdragon 835 SoC, 4GB RAM, IP67 dust and water resistance. Pricing of Pixel 2 XL starts at a steep Rs. 73,000 for 64GB version.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 phablet is first dual camera phone from Samsung and standouts with its exceptional features like iris scanner and stylus support. The device sports a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED Infinity display with QHD+ resolution (1440 x 2960 pixels). Inside, users get 1.7GHz octa-core Samsung Exynos 8895 processor and 6GB RAM.
The Note 8 also packs Samsung’s first dual-lens cameras. There are the 12MP f/1.7 wide angle and 12MP f/2.4 aperture telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom. Up front, the device packs an 8MP sensor with f1.7 aperture. Powering all above is a 3300mAh battery. The Galaxy Note 8 starts at Rs 67000 for 64GB storage version.
Apple iPhone X
Apple’s iPhone X signals dramatic shift in smartphone design. Apple brought in edge to edge OLED display, facial recognition and wireless charging to its iPhone X. It is one of the most expensive iPhones yet and starts for Rs 89000 onwards for the 64GB version.
The iPhone X comes with 5.8-inch OLED display with 2436 X 1125 pixels resolution and is powered by Apple’s all-new A11 Bionic chipset. The dual cameras hold a 12MP wide-angle lens and 12MP telephoto lens. A 7MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture adorns the front. While this may be Apple’s most expensive phone, hardcore fans wouldn’t want to miss this.
