The mid-range smartphones targeted at Indian millennials

The Indian mobile phone market is a very wide spectrum from a two thousand rupee feature phone to an in-your-face statement that can set you back close to Rs 1 lakh. The exciting offerings in recent months have been in the mid-range, what analyst Prabhu Ram of CyberMedia Research calls a 'bespoke niche' catering to an 'Aspirational India', of millennials. This is a market of the upwardly mobile (pun intended!) whose pockets help them populate both sides of a Lakshman Rekha set at around Rs 10,000. Some of the best value in smartphones is to be had in this mid-range. We look at three handsets that have been especially compelling in this price range.

Getting to know you.

Panasonic Eluga Ray 550 is fuelled by an AI assistant that quickly learns your habits.

Panasonic has been one of the agiler among the global brands, to target, quite early, the sub Rs 10,000 smartphone market in India. The Eluga Ray 550 offers a high definition 5.7-inch display in the new 18:9 aspect ratio and decent cameras:  13MP front and 8MP rear, both with LED flash. The 3GB RAM is complemented by 32GB storage which you can expand to 128GB.  Not too many phones at this asking price — Rs 8999 (cheaper at online sites) offer both fingerprint and face unlock security. The 550 goes a step further — you can define a few "trusted places" which you can unlock even without a password which is very useful for a quick look.

Another Panasonic bonus is its AI assistant, Arbo, a quick learner which will pretty soon learn your routine and jog you with reminders.

This is a 4G LTE phone, but I would have liked to see a later version than the default Android 7. The bezel-less screen and the metallic body gives the 550 a classy look and feel.

For the Young and Restless.
Comio X1 Note delivers what youth demands — superior cameras.

The up-and-coming Chinese brand Comio has scooped up a lot of users in India largely because of its value proposition. Canny Indians know a good deal when they see one.

The newest Comio handset, the X1Note, maintains the tradition with a compelling combo of specs a 6-inch full HD ( 2160 x 1080 pixel) screen, an 8MP selfie camera recording 720p video and a dual lens 13MP + 5MP rear camera that can shoot full 1080p video. The 3GB RAM comes with built-in 32 GB storage (effective 24 GB) that can be expanded with up to 128 GB of SD card.

This is a 4G VoLTE in its latest avatar, ie it is also ViLTE or Video over LTE-ready. A full day's use is promised by the 2900mAh battery and the OS is the latest Android 8.0 Oreo. Little touches will appeal such as separate slots for two SIMs and a micro SD Card, font choices in 22 Indian languages and a built-in WPS office suite.  At Rs 9,999, the X1 Note is a compelling proposition.

Full Metal Jacket.
Tecno Camon i Click's metal body can take some bashing.

Hong Kong-based Tecno has been launching handsets, thick and fast since it entered India, each an improvement over the earlier model.

The Camon i Click takes the buyer across the Rs 10,000 divide but beefs up the specs in the process.  The front camera is now 20MP with twin flashguns that are made for heavy duty selfie lovers, while the rear clicker is no slouch at 16 MP with quad flash.

A generous 4 GB RAM memory with 64 GB (expandable) storage is something few phones in this mid-range offer. The battery too seems to be have been fed steroids as it packs a 3750 mAh battery. Other specs are respectable too such as Android 8.1 Oreo, face and fingerprint unlock, and 4G VoLTE on both SIMs. As the name suggests this is for click-happy users and they won't mind spending Rs 13,999 for the superior cameras.

-IndiaTechOnline

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