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They look good. Have very good software and hardware. And don’t cost the earth. We compare three new breed of affordable smartphones – the Nokia Lumia 525, the Micromax Canvas Turbo Mini and the Moto G. Nimish Dubey
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few years ago, investing in a smartphone that delivered a decent level of performance without any major compromises on the hardware and software front would set you back by anything in excess of Rs 20,000. However, it is a tribute to just how fast mobile technology has progressed that today one can get a smartphone that performs very well indeed for just a tad over five figures. And three devices that best reflect this change in the price-performance ratio are the Moto G, the Micromax Canvas Turbo Mini and the Nokia Lumia 525. But which of this trio is the best? Well, that is what we tried to find out.
Round 1: Appearance In terms of sheer appearance, the metalaccented and sleek Canvas Turbo Mini is the thinnest at 7.9mm and lightest at 110 grammes, of the three devices here. Its metal accents also look more classy than the Lumia 525 and the Moto G, although those two worthies score with their colourful plastic back covers. The Moto G’s glass front is also very easy on the eye, but all said and done, the Canvas Turbo Mini wins the “eyes.” Result: 1. Micromax Canvas Turbo
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Mini, 2. Moto G, 3. Nokia Lumia 525
Round 2: Hardware
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Budget Smartphones The Awesome Threesome
The battle for hardware honours is basically a slugfest between the Micromax Canvas Turbo Mini and the Moto G. Both sport quad core processors, although the Moto G’s Qualcomm processor delivered better results than the MediaTek one. Both boast of 1GB RAM, and also have displays of 1280 x 720, although once again the Moto G’s display delivered richer colour and was noticeably brighter. Where, however, the Canvas Turbo Mini pulled away from the Moto G was in its superior camera (8.0-megapixel on the rear, and 5.0-megapixel one on the front to the 5.0-megapixel one on the Moto G) and the fact that while it has lesser onboard storage, it supports a memory card, whereas the Moto G’s storage options end at 8GB or 16GB. All of which does not mean that the Lumia 525 is poorly specced – its dual core Qualcomm processor backed up by 1GB RAM is good enough to run just about anything Windows Phone throws at it, it too comes with support for memory cards and its
5.0-megapixel camera is decent without being stunning. That it comes third in this face-off shows just how much the other two offer. Result: 1. Micromax Canvas Turbo Mini, 2. Moto G, 3. Nokia Lumia 525
Round 3: Software Both the Lumia 525 and the Moto G come with the latest versions of their operating systems, Windows Phone 8 and Android, while the Canvas Turbo Mini runs Android 4.2. While the battle is a close one, we decided to award it to the Lumia 525 simply because the device comes loaded with more free software and services than the relatively Spartan Moto G – the Lumia 525 comes with Nokia’s free music service, Nokia MixRadio and free lifetime navigation and maps. All of which tilts the balance in its favour at this price point. Result: 1. Nokia Lumia 525, 2. Moto G, 3. Micromax Canvas Turbo Mini
Round 4: Multimedia The Canvas Turbo Mini not only had the biggest display of the three devices, but its 8.0-