Sleek Touch

At last,we have a non-Apple product which is as desirable. It has a 4.7-inch display,and a 8.9 mm sleek body. If you are bored of the standard phone with a brick-shaped body then One X is a good alternative.

HTC One X has Android’s latest version — Ice Cream Sandwich — with HTC’s tweaks,called Sense 4.0. The phone has 32GB of internal storage,of which 26GB is available to users. If that is not enough,registering the phone gives users access to free 25GB of cloud storage on Dropbox too. Packed inside its polycarbonate shell is a powerful Tegra 3 processor that ensures the phone does not crash when running multiple heavy applications. An efficient touchscreen and display make for a great gaming experience. At times,however,the phone lags while switching back to the homescreen. Its large display makes video watching fun.

The volume rocker is well-placed at the top right-hand corner but the power button should have been placed on the sides instead of the top — reaching may be troublesome for people with short fingers. The phone showed a low battery warning after about 11 hours of constant usage. A full charge should last a day. The 8-megapixel camera gives users a wide array of photo modes. The phone’s high-resolution display makes images look much better than they actually are. The same images look pretty dull on a computer or on print. The burst mode in the camera lets users shoot 20 pictures in one click. The phone has Beats Audio (a branded audio enhancer),which makes its speakers better than its rivals. On loudspeaker mode,the phone’s audio is audible even with background noise. The phone’s sound quality is good too. Undoubtedly,HTC’s One X is among the best phones available,but is a tad too expensive at Rs 35,000. It has a micro SIM,so users upgrading from the standard SIM card will need to get the SIM cut. The lack of a camera button on the body is disappointing considering that it makes clicking pictures much easier.

BlackBerry Curve 9320

The new Curve 9320 is an upgrade of the 9220 launched last month in India. This phone,like its predecessor,has integrated FM Radio,WiFi and a dedicated button for BlackBerry Messenger. The addition of 3G connectivity makes it a valuable upgrade. The company claims the phone has a good battery life even on 3G.

Xolo X900

Lava Xolo X900 claims to be the world’s first Intel-powered smart phone. Surprisingly,the phone does not have Lava printed on it. It has Android’s older version — Gingerbread,a 4-inch display and an 8-MP camera.

X900 has four touch buttons on the front. Its back is a smooth rubberised panel,which provides a good grip and prevents accidental slips caused by sweaty palms. The volume-control buttons are placed at the top right-hand side. The power button is at the top,next to the earphone jack. The phone has a micro-USB charging/data transfer port. It comes with a dedicated HDMI port to allow users to connect it to a TV. The X900 does not lag when heavy applications are run. Games,movies,music and browsing are fairly trouble-free.

At Rs 22,000,Intel and Lava should have given users Android’s latest Ice Cream Sandwich platform. Lava has not tweaked the OS apart from adding a swipe keyboard. The phone,however,gets warm under constant use. Average use will keep the phone going for a day on a single charge. If you open the back plate,you will see the battery attached to the phone by a thin wire,so open the case with care. X900’s camera has a burst mode that lets users take 10 photos in one click of a button. The camera comes with a variety of options such as sepia,black and white,and manual mode,among others. The front-facing 1.3-MP camera is better than the VGA camera in most phones. It allows users to record 720-pixel videos,as well. The audio quality in the phone is average though.