2014 is the year we saw quite a lot of innovations in terms of hardware on Android smartphones. Along with these new hardware another major change with respect to phones was that many mobile OEMs were interested in bringing the flagship devices to “affordable” pricing. Here affordable does not really mean the budget category, but unlike flagshps like Samsung Galaxy S5 or the HTC One M8, these affordable flagships costs less, but have almost similar specs and hardware.
So here is the list of affordable flagships released this year.
OnePlus One
The phone comes with a 5.5 inch Full HD display at 1080p and runs on a 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 8974AC quad-core processor with 3GB of RAM and a massive 3100 mAh battery. The phone also comes with 16/ 64GB of internal storage, 5MP front camera and 13MP rear camera with Sony Exmor IMX 214 sensor and dual-LED flash.The device runs on optimized version of CyanogenMod based on Android 4.4 KitKat, so expect more features than the core Android. The phone is just 8.9mm thin and has extremely thin bezels on the sides. The 64GB variant is available in India via invite system and is priced Rs 21999.
Lenovo Vibe X2
Lenovo Vibe X2 which was announced at t IFA back in September,got launched in India. The device comes with a 5-inch 1080p display and has tri-layer finish with gradient three layer design. It is powered by a 2 GHz Octa-Core MediaTek MT6595 processor and runs on Android 4.4 (Kitkat) with Vibe UI 2.0 on top.On the imaging front, it features a 13-megapixel auto-focus rear camera with LED Flash and a 5-megapixel wide-angle front-facing camera. It supports Dual SIM and has 4G LTE connectivity with TD- LTE Band 40. It has 2GB RAM, 32GB internal memory and packs 2300mAh battery. It has optional innovative click-on accessories, known as VIBE Xtensions. The device is priced Rs 19999 and can be bought from Flipkart.
Huawei Honor 6
The device sports a 5-inch 1080p display, powered by a Octa-Core HiSilicon Kirin 920 SoC and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat) with Emotion UI 2.3 on top. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with Sony sensor, LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The phone also comes with 3GB RAM, 16GB of internal storage and a 3100mAh battery with Huawei’s Patented Power Saving Technology that promises 30% more battery life compared to other smartphones. The device is priced Rs 19999 and can be picked up from Flipkart.
Xiaomi Mi4
Mi4 sports a 5-inch Full HD display and is powered by a 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor paired with 3GB of RAM.On the imaging front, it has a 13-megapixel rear camera and 8-megapixel front-facing camera.It runs Android KitKat with the MIUI 5. The device also features 3080 mAh battery and comes in two variants –16 GB variant and 64 GB variant, both of the fastest eMMC 5.0 kind. The device is yet to launch in India, but we expect the pricing to be around Rs 20000.
Gionee Elife E7
The phone comes with a5.5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD IPS touch screen OGS display.The device is powered by a 2.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB RAM for 16GB variant and 3GB RAM for 32GB variant. The phone also has a 16MP camera with LED flash and also a 8MP front facing camera for video calls. The device runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) with Amigo 2.0 UI. It packs a 2500 mAh built-in battery. The device is selling close to Rs 23000 in India. You can read our review of Gionee Elife E7.
Nokia Lumia 830:
Nokia announced their affordable flagship device, the Lumia 830 at the IFA 2014 event. It is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor with 1GB RAM and Windows Phone 8.1. The device has a 5-inch screen, it’s 8.5mm thin, weighs 150 grams, and has a 2,220mAh battery. The most important spec is the 10-megapixel PureView sensor with Zeiss optics and what Nokia calls its thinnest optical stabilization module yet. The phone also has 16GB internal storage which is expandable via micro SD card. The device is priced Rs 26100 presently.
ZTE Grand SII
ZTE Grand S II was released recently in India and it sports a 5.5-inch HD (1080x1920p) IPS display. Powered by a 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, the phone has 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage along with a microSD card slot that supports cards of up to 32GB. The phone runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean with ZTE’s Mifavor UI running on top and motion control gestures. It also features a 13MP rear camera with auto-focus and LED flash. It also comes with a 5MP front-facing camera for enhanced selfies. There is a 2500mAh battery and the device is priced Rs 13999 and available on Amazon.
