Take your pick: Premium smartphones launched in India in 2016

The average millennial in India spends close to 2.2 hours a day on mobile devices and almost 85 per cent are hooked to them, says a Connected Life survey of 2015. The numbers explain the spurt in smartphones and apps in recent years. When there's plenty to choose from, how does one get the right pick of smartphones? We help you cut to the chase and introduce you to the latest additions from the premium smartphone segments.

SMARTPHONES UNDER RS 60,000

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge:
Aimed at the premium segment, Samsung launched its flagship smartphone Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in the Indian market for Rs 48,900 and Rs 56,900, respectively. Consumers who pre-ordered the Galaxy S7 or S7 edge till March 18 got a free Gear, the virtual reality headset, worth Rs 8,200. The Gear VR is only compatible with Galaxy S6 series smartphones, Note 5, S7 and S7 edge. Design & Display: Both phones feature a familiar metal and glass design, sporting super Amoled display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. Galaxy S7 comes with a 5.1-inch size screen and Galaxy S7 edge has a 5.5-inch screen.
Hardware & storage: The flagship smartphones are powered by Exynos 8890 64-bit octa-core (2.3GHz quad-core + 1.6GHz quad-core) processor with 4GB and 32GB internal storage.
Camera: Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge feature a dual pixel 12MP sensor with F1.7apertures and 100% phase detection focus.
Other features: Liquid cooling technology supports hybrid nano sim and microSD card slot, capless waterproofing technology.
Battery: Galaxy S7 is powered by a 3,000mAh battery and weighs 152 gram, while Galaxy S7 edge is backed by a 3,600mAh battery and weighs 5 gram. Both support wireless charging with fast-charging capabilities.
Availability: The phones can be purchased from local stores, Samsung’s official online store and Flipkart.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S7 edge review: Ticks all the right boxes




Moto X Force: Boasting of a shatterproof screen, Motorola has finally launched its much awaited smartphone Moto X Force in India at Rs 49,999.
Display: It comes with 5.4-inch Amoled display with a resolution of 1,440x2,560 pixels.
Hardware: Powered by Moto ShatterShield technology and Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor along with 3GB of RAM.
Battery: It houses 3,760 mAh battery.
Software: It runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop OS and is upgradeable to Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
Camera: The smarphone is equipped with 21MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera.
Availability: The device is available at 400 offline via retail stores. The 400 stores are spread across 15 cities where one can purchase the phone with EMI option on select bank cards. Until now the phone was only available to buy online from Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal.

Also Read: Moto X Force review: Won’t crack under pressure






Blackberry Priv: Blackberry has launched its first ever Android OS-powered smartphone, Priv, in India. The device comes with an extremely high price tag of Rs 62,990 packed with high-end security features, says the TOI Tech report.
Display: It flaunts 5.4-inch QHD display.
Hardware: It is powered by a hexa-crore (1.8GHz quad core) Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 SoC alongside 3GB of RAM.
Battery: It houses 3410 mAh battery.
Software: It runs on Android 5.1.1 OS
Storage: The device features 32GH internal storage, which is expandable upto 3TB via a microSD card.
Camera: Priv comes with 18MP rear camera and 2 MP front shooter.
Connectivity: Connectivity options include WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, NFC, 4G
Availability: The phone is available on Amazon and other retail outlets.

Also Read: BlackBerry Priv review: High on price, low on performance



Asus Zenfone Zoom:
Asus launched its camera focused Zenfone Zoom smartphone in India at Rs 37,999.
Display: Zenfone Zoom features a 5.5 inch(1920x1080 pixels) display with Coming Gorilla glass.
Hardware: It is powered by 2.3GHz quad core Intel atom process coupled with 4GB Ram.
Storage: It comes in two variat- one with 64GB and the other with 128GB of internal storage. Both the variants can hold microSD cards of upto 128 GB.
Battery: Asus Zenfone Zoom packs 3,000mAh battery.
Camera: According to Techradar, it comes with DSLR-like features and boasts of a 13MP camera with Panasonoc FSI sensor and 3x optical zoom at 28-48mm focal length. It also sports 5MP selfie camera.
Software: The smartphone runs Android 5.1 Lollipop OS
Connectivity: 4G LTE, 3G, Wifi, Bluettoth, GPS and NFC.
Availability: It is available on Flipkart and Asus Exclusive stores.

Also Read: ET Review: Asus Zenfone Zoom



SMARTPHONES UNDER RS 30,000

Xiaomi Mi5: Xiaomi has finally launched its 2016 flagship Mi5 at Rs 24,999.
Display: Mi5 features a 5.15-inch full HD display with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4.
Design: The smartphone comes in black, gold and white color variants with a metal and glass design with 3D glass and features a fingerprint sensor on the home button.
Hardware: The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 processor with 3GB RAM.
Storage: Xiaomi Mi5 comes in 3 variants- 3GB+32GB, 3GB+64GB and 4GB+128GB storage options. However, Xiaomi have only launched the 3GB+32GB version in India. And there is no microSD card for storage expansion.
Camera: The device has 16MP rear camera with 4-axis OIS, and the front camera is 4 megapixel with a wide angle lens.
Software: It runs MIUI 7 based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
Battery: The smartphone has a 3000mAh battery.
Connectivity: The connectivity options include infrared, NFC, 4G+, VoLTE, WiFi, Bluetooth and is the first device from Xioami in India to use USB Type-C port.
Availability: It will be exclusively available on MI.com, It will first go on sale on April 6.

Also Read: Xioami Mi5: First Impression





Samsung Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A7:
Display: Samsung Galaxy A7 sports 5.5-inch FHD Amoled display, while Galaxy A5 comes with a 5.2-inch FHD Amoled display. Both the models come with fingerprint reader.
Hardware: A7 is Powered by Snapdragon 615 SoC and is paired with 3GB RAM. On the other hand A5 runs on 1.6GHz octa-core processor paired with 2GB RAM.
Storage: A7 packs 16GB of storage expandable up to 128GB via SD card.
Camera: A7 comes with a 13MP primary camera and 5MP selfie camera. Other specifications of Galaxy A5 are same except for processor and RAM.
Price: Galaxy A5 is priced at Rs 17,990 and Galaxy A7 is available at Rs 22,990.
Availability: The devices will be available via Snapdeal.


LYF Earth 1:
Reliance Retail launched its flagship model Earth 1 in India at Rs 23,990.
Display: Earth 1 features 5.5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) full HD amoled display with Gorilla Glass
Design: The phone weighs 163 grams and has a 7.7mm slim unibody design
Hardware: The phone has a 1.5Ghz octa core Snapdragon 615 processor with 3GB RAM
Storage: The phone comes with 32GB internal storage which is expandable up to 32GB.
Battery: The device comes with 3,500mAh battery.
Software: Lollipop 5.1.1 OS
Camera: Earth 1 features 3MP primary and 2MP secondary sensor.
Connectivity: Nano-SIM Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, FM, 3G, 4G
Availability: The phone is available on Grofers and on company's online store Reliance Digital.

Also Read: LYF Earth 1: Good feature set, but at a steep price