[HTC One V] bluevolt:
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For the last one month I was busy reading/watching reviews of almost every android smartphone available in 20K category. There are many phones in this segment ranging from Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus, Samsung S Advance, ‘N’ number of Sony Xperia models like GO, P, U, Sola etc and the HTC One V. I did not considered Nokia/Motorola phones for the reason everyone must be aware of.

I shortlisted Sony Xperia Sola, Xperia U, Samsung Galaxy S Advance and the HTC One V. Xperia U was ruled out as soon as I got to know that it doesn’t have expandable memory slot. Galaxy S Advance too was out of my list as it is not getting ICS and subsequent updates for unknown reasons, don’t know why Samsung is ruining such a good phone. I hardly can see any craze for this phone at XDA forums too. How I wish Samsung provided ICS with this device, Sigh!

Now I was left only with two possible choices – Sony Xperia Sola and HTC One V. Buying a phone in 20K category is very complicated task. Plonking 20,000 Rupees on a mobile is not easy.

No phone in 20K category is perfect – all manufacturers deliberately left out one or other features to create confusion in customer’s mind. Consider Sony here, there are ‘N’ number of Xperia models, no one can remember complete Xperia lineup at one time. In Xperia U they have deliberately removed expandable storage facility and added front camera & removable battery, In Xperia Sola, Sony has added expandable storage facility but removed front camera and removable battery option + Sola is around 3-4K dearer than Xperia U. Why just they can’t make a XPERIA ‘Complete’?

These days companies have promised themselves that they will not sell a complete package to customers, they just want to puzzle them and rob them of their hard earned money. In such conditions customers have no choice but to fall prey to companies. However they can get the one they want by clearly writing their requirements like I did in this case. Just take a pen/paper, write all your requirements and then select a device, tick all requirements fulfilled by it, repeat this process with other devices as well and see which device fulfills maximum user requirements.

In my case I neither could increase my budget and grab the biggies like S III, Iphone4s or One X nor decrease it. So it has to be between Xperia Sola and HTC One V.

My usage includes –

-> Basic phone usage i.e. incoming/outgoing calls and SMSes.

->Photography

-> Internet browsing/Email

-> Music listening

-> Watching movies/YouTube videos

-> Good screen/looks

I wanted the new phone to have excellent battery life/reliability/snob value.

Sony Xperia Sola vs. HTC One V

Pros of Sony Xperia Sola

è Dual core processor

è More internal memory

è NFC enabled

è Good camera

Cons of Sony Xperia Sola

è Ships with Android 2.3

è Poor battery life

Pros of HTC One V

è Looks

è SLCD2 Screen

è Best in class camera

è Ships with latest android + HTC UI.

è Snob Value

è Beats audio

Cons of HTC One V

è Single core processor

è Low internal memory for user data.

I finally zeroed in for HTC One V for its best in class camera which comes with dedicated image chip which provides features like burst mode etc, great screen and good audio quality. It has authentic camera & amazing sound. It lacks the horsepower of Xperia Sola but it will not bother me as I hardly play any games on mobile phones. For serious gamers Xperia Sola will be the right smartphone. And don’t take me wrong – One V does not lag/hangs while playing games/browsing internet and various other activities. So don’t worry it’s just the right mid-range smartphone for you. The interface is super smooth, switching between applications is responsive and easy. Camera is just excellent for my photography needs.

One V comes with poor internal memory so you need the 8GBcard that comes free with it immediately to store your music/photos collection & other documents. However it still comes with 4GB internal memory(user available is very less) and 25 GB dropbox storage free for two years.

I got this device for 18.5K from DASS STUDIOS, Connaught place. I know price is higher than what I could have got through online stores but I am not open to online purchases when it comes to electronic items- the courier guys handles the device very badly(past experiences). With this an 8GB Card, Philips Bluetooth Headset and Airtel internet pack comes as freebies.

At the end of the day I am very happy with the purchase I have made -> do what your heart calls for!

So I got my essential smartphone – Got the One ‘V’ I’ve been waiting for J

PS – The views/opinions in this review are my own based on personal experience in the purchase process and this may vary from person to person.

Thanks for reading folks.