Most modern smartphones come with a touchscreen. But if you don't want that - whether it's because you keep hanging up on people accidentally or you need a phone for an older relative who finds touch confusing - there are still plenty of options. Mihir Patkar lists what you can buy with a good old physical keypad and no fancy touchscreen...
Nokia Asha 210
Rs 4,600
If you want a QWERTY keyboard for a low price, the Nokia Asha 210 is the best value for your money right now. There's no 3G connectivity on this one, but you do get WiFi and EDGE. More importantly, it has a regular microUSB port which means you don't have to carry your charger around - most smartphone chargers will work on this. Plus, it's slim, colourful and looks rather striking.
But for the comfort of that large keyboard, you will have to live with a substandard camera, especially when compared to the Primo, which retails at around the same price.
BlackBerry Curve 9360
Rs 15,000
Going non-touch doesn't mean you need to completely exit the smartphone world. Sure, you won't get the fantastic app stores of Android or iOS, but BlackBerry still has some great apps for the Curve 9360. It is still one of the best devices for email, there's the BlackBerry keypad to keep you typing faster than your touchscreen buddies, and a decent camera as well.
On the down-side, the Curve 9360 has atrocious battery life. You'll be charging this phone twice a day, minimum - more if you use a lot of social networks and instant messaging apps. And yeah, you'll need to get yourself a BlackBerry plan to go with it.
Nokia 515 Dual-SIM
Rs 10,500
The Nokia 515 has most of the trappings of a smartphone housed inside a feature phone's body. It's quite a looker with its slim design and aluminium body, complete with a matte finish. Even the screen is protected by Gorilla Glass. The 5-megapixel camera on the back takes decent photos in daylight and the battery will last you for a day easily. And it can even act as a 3G hotspot!
At night, however, the camera struggles to take good images, even with the LED flash. It also lacks a front-facing camera.
Another thing to note is that while the Nokia store now has plenty of apps, most of them are optimized for touch and don't work so well on this handset.
Micromax Blade X55 Rs 3,000
The Blade X55 is for those who want a multimedia phone for a low price. The 5-megapixel camera on the back that takes decent photos in daylight; the LED flash lights up shots in dim environments, but the images are still noisy. There's built-in FM radio and a slot for a memory card. And it's rare to get a 3G device with dual-SIM support at this price. Unfortunately, the X55 does not have a standard 3.5mm headphone jack so you'll have to rely on the low-quality Micromax earphones packaged in the box.
Samsung Primo S5610
Rs 5,100
If you want an old-school candybar phone, you can't go wrong with the Samsung Primo S5610. While there's plenty of plastic, there's also some metal on this phone and the overall brushed-steel design looks attractive. The camera is the best in its class, by far - again, you'll struggle with night shots but this is the best in the Rs 5,000 range. And there's a front-facing camera to boot! Unfortunately, the S5610 does not have WiFi, so you will have to rely on 3G or EDGE data networks. The battery life is good if you're on EDGE, but struggles to cope with 3G connectivity - if you talk a lot on your phone and use instant messaging or social networks, then you'll need to charge it twice on 3G. And yeah, there's no dual-SIM here.
Note: The Nokia Asha 208 is a good alternative to the Primo S5610 if dual-SIM is more important to you than the camera. But be warned that its battery troubles on 3G are worse than the Primo.
Micromax X097 Rs 1,100
At the lowest end, where you want to spend as little as possible for a functional handset, the Micromax X097 is our choice. The battery life will easily get you through a day, maybe even two. There's FM radio to listen to your tunes and an option to put in a memory card of up to 8GB. It's got Bluetooth connectivity. And it's a dual-SIM phone too!
Of course, there's no internet connectivity nor any apps on this, and for all its listening pleasures, Micromax has skipped on a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. Cameras are rare at this price, but let's face it, you aren't going to get usable images with this one either.
BlackBerry Curve 9220 Rs 8,500
At The cheapest way to get a BlackBerry is to buy yourself a Curve 9220, which has the new BlackBerry OS 7.1 and all its apps. Low-end BB devices are notorious for their low battery life, but the Curve 9220 breaks away from that trend and will get you through a day of usage.
The big disappointment here is the lack of 3G, so you are stuck on EDGE connectivity for internet, or WiFi where it's available. It is also lacking in the camera department, with a 2-megapixel snapper on the back that you won't want to use for any photography - it's just bad quality.
Nokia Asha 210
Rs 4,600
If you want a QWERTY keyboard for a low price, the Nokia Asha 210 is the best value for your money right now. There's no 3G connectivity on this one, but you do get WiFi and EDGE. More importantly, it has a regular microUSB port which means you don't have to carry your charger around - most smartphone chargers will work on this. Plus, it's slim, colourful and looks rather striking.
But for the comfort of that large keyboard, you will have to live with a substandard camera, especially when compared to the Primo, which retails at around the same price.
BlackBerry Curve 9360
Rs 15,000
Going non-touch doesn't mean you need to completely exit the smartphone world. Sure, you won't get the fantastic app stores of Android or iOS, but BlackBerry still has some great apps for the Curve 9360. It is still one of the best devices for email, there's the BlackBerry keypad to keep you typing faster than your touchscreen buddies, and a decent camera as well.
On the down-side, the Curve 9360 has atrocious battery life. You'll be charging this phone twice a day, minimum - more if you use a lot of social networks and instant messaging apps. And yeah, you'll need to get yourself a BlackBerry plan to go with it.
Nokia 515 Dual-SIM
Rs 10,500
The Nokia 515 has most of the trappings of a smartphone housed inside a feature phone's body. It's quite a looker with its slim design and aluminium body, complete with a matte finish. Even the screen is protected by Gorilla Glass. The 5-megapixel camera on the back takes decent photos in daylight and the battery will last you for a day easily. And it can even act as a 3G hotspot!
At night, however, the camera struggles to take good images, even with the LED flash. It also lacks a front-facing camera.
Another thing to note is that while the Nokia store now has plenty of apps, most of them are optimized for touch and don't work so well on this handset.
Micromax Blade X55 Rs 3,000
The Blade X55 is for those who want a multimedia phone for a low price. The 5-megapixel camera on the back that takes decent photos in daylight; the LED flash lights up shots in dim environments, but the images are still noisy. There's built-in FM radio and a slot for a memory card. And it's rare to get a 3G device with dual-SIM support at this price. Unfortunately, the X55 does not have a standard 3.5mm headphone jack so you'll have to rely on the low-quality Micromax earphones packaged in the box.
Samsung Primo S5610
Rs 5,100
If you want an old-school candybar phone, you can't go wrong with the Samsung Primo S5610. While there's plenty of plastic, there's also some metal on this phone and the overall brushed-steel design looks attractive. The camera is the best in its class, by far - again, you'll struggle with night shots but this is the best in the Rs 5,000 range. And there's a front-facing camera to boot! Unfortunately, the S5610 does not have WiFi, so you will have to rely on 3G or EDGE data networks. The battery life is good if you're on EDGE, but struggles to cope with 3G connectivity - if you talk a lot on your phone and use instant messaging or social networks, then you'll need to charge it twice on 3G. And yeah, there's no dual-SIM here.
Note: The Nokia Asha 208 is a good alternative to the Primo S5610 if dual-SIM is more important to you than the camera. But be warned that its battery troubles on 3G are worse than the Primo.
Micromax X097 Rs 1,100
At the lowest end, where you want to spend as little as possible for a functional handset, the Micromax X097 is our choice. The battery life will easily get you through a day, maybe even two. There's FM radio to listen to your tunes and an option to put in a memory card of up to 8GB. It's got Bluetooth connectivity. And it's a dual-SIM phone too!
Of course, there's no internet connectivity nor any apps on this, and for all its listening pleasures, Micromax has skipped on a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. Cameras are rare at this price, but let's face it, you aren't going to get usable images with this one either.
BlackBerry Curve 9220 Rs 8,500
At The cheapest way to get a BlackBerry is to buy yourself a Curve 9220, which has the new BlackBerry OS 7.1 and all its apps. Low-end BB devices are notorious for their low battery life, but the Curve 9220 breaks away from that trend and will get you through a day of usage.
The big disappointment here is the lack of 3G, so you are stuck on EDGE connectivity for internet, or WiFi where it's available. It is also lacking in the camera department, with a 2-megapixel snapper on the back that you won't want to use for any photography - it's just bad quality.
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