Diwali Dhamaka: Top 5 smartphones over Rs 35,000

India’s pre-Diwali shopping for electronic items creates a huge demand and so this festive season even Apple and Samsung rescheduled the launch of the iPhone 6 and Galaxy Note 4.

However, there are worthy challengers to these two flagships from Apple and Samsung.

We tell you why you should consider buying one of these top 5 smartphones this Diwali!

LG G3

Photograph: lg.com

This product has been a dark horse. LG has impressed us with G3’s stylish looks and the Korean smartphone maker has been raising the bar every time with the G range of devices.

The G3 gets a 2.5-GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, which is extremely efficient. Then there are the options of 16 and 32 GB of internal memory and 2 GB and 3 GB RAM. The device also supports an external memory card with a maximum space of 128 GB.

The G3’s camera is excellent and this 13-megapixel camera never fails to impress us. It has 4K video recording but no slow-motion recording. The front camera is 2.1-megapixel. The LG G3 has a True HD -- LCD display with a resolution of 1440x 2560 pixels. The Adreno 330 GPU enhances your gaming experience.

In terms of OS, it has Android 4.4.2.

Just one thing that has disappointed us is that the OS experience hasn’t changed and the default design layout is a bit dull now. The LG G3 gets protective recommendations like Smart Notice, new ways of unlocking the phone through KNOCK code and wireless charging amongst others. This is the best value for money device.

Price: 36,500

Thumbs Up: Features, price, processor, battery

Thumbs Down: No slow-mo videos, OS layout

Sony Xperia Z3

Photograph: sonymobile.com

This is our new favourite Android smartphone amongst the new launches. There is a sea changes in the Z3 compared to the Z2. Physically it looks the same from a distance, until you hold it. This is where you understand the difference in weight, build quality and design of the Xperia Z3.

The Z3 is a faster and efficient sporting the 2.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor. Sony has been improving the Xperia line and every time it outclasses the previous phone. It also gets 3 GB RAM, 16/32GB of in-built memory and supports 128 GB of external memory.

The new Android Kitkat 4.4.4 is a lot lighter and is faster than the older Android versions. The camera is still the same at 20.7 megapixel; however it now shows off lot more features like 4K video recording and slow motion video recording. The front camera is a 2.2-megapixel camera with a wide-lens for better group selfies.

One of the other strongest points of the Xperia Z3, apart from the camera and water-resistant feature is its battery life. The Xperia has a long battery life and with calls and lots of Internet browsing our device battery lasted for more than 24 hours.

The size of the device isn’t very large making it light weight. We wonder how Sony has managed to reduce the weight without even changing the phone’s performance or even battery-life. The build quality of the device is top notch and the Xperia Z3 has shatter proof glass. The display is still Full HD.

Price: Rs 49,500

Thumbs Up: Built, styling, weight, speed, camera

Thumbs Down: Short-life as Z4 should come in the next 6-8 months; speaker isn’t very good

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Photograph: samsung.com

This is the latest entrant in the market. Samsung has once again delivered the best with two quad-core processors: one is a 1.9-GHz Cortex A57 and the other is the 1.3 GHz Cortex A53.

The Galaxy Note 4 has a 3 GB RAM with an internal storage of 32 GB and supports external SD of 128 GB. This is a 5.7-inch device with new features like Fingerprint Scanner, a new heart-rate scanner that is located below the camera lens; the front camera is now 3.7 megapixel and the rear camera is 16-megapixel. The Note 4 gets slo-mo and 4K video recording.

Despite the same size, Samsung has managed to trim a few centimetres making it easier to hold with one hand. A lot of changes have been made on the software front with Android 4.4.4: the S Pen can now switch between apps faster and keeps several active windows floating. The S Pen is one of the biggest USPs of the Note and the South Korean electronics giant has been adding more and more in this segment.

Samsung has now moved from USB 3.0 to USB 2.0 -- a downgrade from Note 3. This isn’t water-resistant like the Galaxy S5. There is not much of a difference in the display quality of the Note 4 and 3. Even though effective pixels have increased on the Note 4, the difference cannot be noticed.

Price: Rs 58,300

Thumbs Up: New features, S Pen, new heart rate sensor

Thumbs Down: Downgrade to USB 2.0 and not water-resistant

Blackberry Passport

Photograph: global.blackberry.com

Finally! This is a phone for all those who need a QWERTY keypad. Blackberry has listened to all the feedback it received from its customers and the Canadian company, with the new Passport, has finally delivered a product that will bring a smile on the face of all QWERTY buyers.

What is special about the Passport?

It gets a large 4.5-inch screen, QWERTY keypad, a 2.26GHz Krait quad-core processor, Snapdragon 801 chipset and Adreno 330 GPU and 3 GB of RAM. The device has an internal storage of 32 GB, expandable to 128 GB. The rear camera is 13-megapixel with HDR and the front facing camera is 2 megapixel. The battery too is 3450mAh, which is sufficient to last for a day.

Price: Rs 49,990

Thumbs Up: Processor, QWERTY keypad

Thumbs Down: Needs more apps

Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus

Photograph: apple.com

Android might be the widely sold smartphone OS, but iOS remains an equal favourite too. So, Apple fanboys, don’t get disappointed this Diwali.

Apple has introduced the new iPhone, a couple of months earlier than it had generally scheduled iPhone 6 launch in India. So, what is so special about the new iPhone 6?

To begin with, it is the largest iPhone ever, a 4.7-inch device, compared to the 4-inch iPhone 5S. Apple had been stubborn on smaller sized devices and the company has finally busted its own bubble.

The iPhone 6 has a better display with a resolution of 1334x750 pixels and calls it Retina HD display. Today, most of the competition ships with Full HD resolution and Apple has to give the same display to the iPhone 6 too. The chipset used is the new A8, which has 25 per cent better performance than the iPhone 5S. This isn’t very impressive in terms of improvement. Though the camera is still 8 megapixels, it has undergone major upgrades. The autofocus is much faster compared to its predecessor and it also has digital image stabilisation.

It misses out on 4k recording that competition offer. With a bigger device, Apple has increased the battery life of the smartphones too, especially with the iPhone 6 Plus.

Another section, where Apple scores, is the styling of the device.

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are the thinnest smartphones from Apple. They still look different from most of the Android phones and are available in three colours: grey, white and champagne gold.

Price: iPhone 6, 16 GB: Rs 53,500/ iPhone 6 Plus, 16 GB: Rs 62,500

Thumbs Up: Styling, OS, brand value, size

Thumbs down: Display, not much improvement in the processor performance