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-   -   The Mobile Phone Thread - Queries, decisions, discussions all here (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadgets-computers-software/63048-mobile-phone-thread-queries-decisions-discussions-all-here-787.html)

No clue about these two, but it is probably safer to go with the crowd and choose one of the REDMI phones. Xiaomi sells them by the truckload. Go for a sub-10k phone with the largest number of reviews (means it is a best-seller). A typical Redmi phone has 250,000 reviews while competition has 2,500 to 25,000 reviews.

List of sub-10k phones:
https://www.amazon.in/s?i=electronic...JsbmwtvSodxbwM

We have a few realme's in the family and they all work well and last long. Not used Moto much so can't comment on them.

Do you or anyone else here know how is Redmi's Android? Is it very different from stock Android?

Really long back, I have seen Mi phones had tried to duplicate the iOS interface on Android. Is that still there in Redmi phones?

Also, it seems that Realme also sells a lot in India. They have around 15% marketshare in newphones which seems like a decent number. Xaomi & Samsung are around 20%, I think.

How close is Realme's Android to Stock Android?

Another thing is Sound volume. I have seen that many phones don't have enough volumes to to listen to music etc. Do Realme & Redmi phones have decent sound volume?

I would suggest going with Realme. It looks more close to stock Android and is less buggy. Xiaomi's MIUI is the issue, not the hardware of the phone. You can also take Motorola for complete stock Android experience. The only downside of Motorola is that usually the competition offers better camera performance, but for cheap phones I don't think there might be huge difference.

So, either go for Realme or Motorola.

List of smartphones with Android Go (Lite version of Android):
https://www.91mobiles.com/list-of-ph...roid-go-phones

Since sub-10k phones are not that powerful and you prefer stock Android, I think Go is the way to go.

I am still using Redmi Note 7 which I guess is at least 4 years old. I just use it for Gmail, WhatsApp, browsing, Uber, wallets etc. No gaming or music or movies. Sometimes few videos are watched. Battery still comes for a day. No issue with the phone till date. Previous to that there was a Redmi Note 5 now I guess 5 years atleast which is still running good with my father for his social media. Never have to take it to service centre. They were all bought under 15k budget and are fuss free. MIUI updates can sometimes be buggy and push unwanted apps I stopped auto updates. Regarding sound volume, yes I feel they have poor sound volume in calls. I don't know how stock Android is like in a pixel and hence couldn't compare. Hope this helps.

@carboy I'd suggest going for the Narzo range around 12k ish if you can wait for the upcoming winter sales. With zero cost EMIs from Amazon or Flipkart a 1.5k or 2k difference won't be significant.

It will support 5G, have a better camera which is generally useful for social media users, and has a polished feel compared to Mi. It will be future proof for at least 2 years.

If you have to buy now, Take a look at this POCO M4 Pro 5G (Cool Blue, 64 GB) on Flipkart
https://dl.flipkart.com/s/b7KbnHNNNN

Thank you for the recos.

Cousin ended up ordering the Narzo 50i & received it. But a small problem is that the local stores neither have the glass sticker for any of the Realme's nor do they have a backcover. So he probably has to order that also online. Any idea if there are any reliable brands which sell a good quality glass sticker on Amazon/Flipkart & also for Backcovers?

Can you ask your cousin to check the phone screen properly? In recent times, we bought Realme and Samsung and both had screen guards already fitted to the screen.



Not sure if this is tempered glass or just a plastic screen guard.

It does have a screenguard. But he also isn't sure if it's plastic or tempered glass. I am not also sure how to differentiate.

Plenty of options available online.

Just a sample here.

It is a plain plastic screen guard.

Better to use decent edge to edge tempered glasses.

Some of the Edge To Edge tempered glasses say "Black" - what exactly does it mean?

Could you please post the exact link or screenshot with that description.

That it has black borders. I generally stay away from those.

Guys, need to buy the cheapest WhatsApp-enabled phone for our domestic help. Would prefer a 'brand'.

What are the recommendations?