[Small Bot]

I personally would suggest waiting till the Republic Day to buy the S23. The main reason being that, if you could wait for probably 20 days, the phone might reduce by at least 5-10K more, making it a slightly better value proposition.

Whether the phone is worth the 55-60K in the first place, I'm not really sure. Above 30K, I personally feel that all phones are overpriced to different degrees. Some are laughably overpriced like the Pixel 8.

I've been using the Moto G82 for two years now with almost zero issues, and now I'm just waiting for Motorola to release something new in the G8X series this year with a slightly better chipset. I realised that I badly need the 3.5mm audio jack for taking office calls, and very few phones above 30K offer this.

[poloman]

Originally Posted by ashvek3141

Tell me about it! Actually, this phone is for my wife and after checking out the 15 Pro devices even she's in two minds whether to continue with Samsung or jump the Apple bandwagon.

Either way it will be a significant upgrade for her as the current device is a humble Galaxy A31.

Getting the 15 Pro's will only happen in April, as one of our friends will be coming down from Dubai. So makes sense getting it from UAE market instead of paying a huge some here.

If it's a Samsung, than it can happen in this month itself.

Not quite keen on the Pixel devices as the basic Pixel 8 costs whopping 80K + and is pretty low on specs. vis-a-vis say the S23.

I prefer 15 over Pro. I am super impressed by the frosted looks, color palettes and overall feel of the phone.
I still love Samsung flagships. But very disappointed with them losing value with in months. Also they are not aspirational even as an IQOO phone in India.
S22 is available for 35-40K. How sad is that? Also Samsung is on a downward slope in aesthetics and overall HW quality. The bezel sizes are increasing with every gen. Back glass coming off and power button falling off in both S series phones I owned. But much better than ridiculously priced Pixels as you pointed out.

[dragonfire]

Originally Posted by poloman

I prefer 15 over Pro.

If you are buying from India, the regular 15 makes sense. One should be insane to buy a pro (1.3L) instead of the regular 15 (70k).

But, in the USA the pro is just $200 over the regular 15. The newer chipset, the telephoto camera, the titanium frame and a 120hz display is worth the extra $200.

[ashvek3141]

Originally Posted by dragonfire

If you are buying from India, the regular 15 makes sense. One should be insane to buy a pro (1.3L) instead of the regular 15 (70k).

But, in the USA the pro is just $200 over the regular 15. The newer chipset, the telephoto camera, the titanium frame and a 120hz display is worth the extra $200.

True. There is absolutely no sense in picking up the Pro models in India; their grossly over-priced.

As a matter of fact I managed to get the 12 Pro for 82k from Dubai whereas the Vanilla 12 was 80k here in India. This was in 2021, ofcourse with the depreciating rupee now the difference has widened. However, it still makes sense to get the Pro's from other countries as the prices difference is still significant.

[Samfromindia]

Originally Posted by poloman

I am also in two minds over this. My S20 is doing ok. Whether S23 is an upgrade after spending 60K, not sure. Literally there are no additional benefits other than better battery life and 5G. Also after 10 years in Samsung ecosystem, getting bored. I am super impressed with Iphone 15 looks, but wary of getting in to Apple's walled garden. So planning to continue with S20 till it give some major issues.

I am still holding on to my S20+ Main reasons are:

1: SD Card Slot (Invested on a 512GB Card)
2: MTS swipe payment @Samsung pay. Helps if you forget your card
3: Still getting monthly Android security updates, if not version updates

S23 Ultra is selling for 80K INR in UAE, so no point picking flagships from here
https://www.jumbo.ae/samsung-galaxy-...en-256-gb.html

I still hope Samsung brings back external storage like they have done in the past & I will finally upgrade. Another old piece of technology I am using is Galaxy Watch Active 2 which runs on Tizen with no new apps in its Ecosystem. That needs an upgrade soon.

On 2nd year of ownership, my phone developed green lines on screen, which after much persuasion was replaced for free along with battery by Samsung. The battery life have considerably reduced post 2yrs of replacement though.

[ashvek3141]

Originally Posted by Samfromindia

I am still holding on to my S20+ Main reasons are:

Goes to say a lot on far Samsung Flagship's have come. My last experience with them was the S III with their pathetic TouchWiz OS!!

S23 Ultra is selling for 80K INR in UAE, so no point picking flagships from here
https://www.jumbo.ae/samsung-galaxy-...en-256-gb.html

I think Samsung phones do not have international warranty unlike iPhones and hence getting such an expensive phone would be a risk IMHO.

I was thinking of getting the 'S' from Dubai, but dropped the plan.

One a side note, The 'Republic Day Sale' offers have started to show up on FK and Amazon and seems like it would be worth the wait.

If you go by the last sale , iPhones might end up getting good discounts. Damn! just when you finalize on the S23, you have such tempting offers coming in.

Currently the iPhone 15 128 GB, is retailing at 69k after discounts. A friend of mine had managed to pick the iPhone 14 last year for 64k something.

[Samfromindia]

Originally Posted by ashvek3141

Goes to say a lot on far Samsung Flagship's have come. My last experience with them was the S III with their pathetic TouchWiz OS!!



I think Samsung phones do not have international warranty unlike iPhones and hence getting such an expensive phone would be a risk IMHO.

I was thinking of getting the 'S' from Dubai, but dropped the plan.

One a side note, The 'Republic Day Sale' offers have started to show up on FK and Amazon and seems like it would be worth the wait.

If you go by the last sale , iPhones might end up getting good discounts. Damn! just when you finalize on the S23, you have such tempting offers coming in.

Currently the iPhone 15 128 GB, is retailing at 69k after discounts. A friend of mine had managed to pick the iPhone 14 last year for 64k something.

I too owned the S3. It was good for first couple of years before it got slowed down and became unusable towards 4th year after updates.

I understand your sentiment of not getting mobiles without international warranty. However what will you do in case you purchase drones and expensive cameras that cost lakhs and are more prone to failures? In most of the times nothing happens during the 1st year of warranty and even if something happens they can be sorted in the plethora of aftermarket electronics repair shops.

So far nothing happened in any of my big ticket purchases be it mobiles, dslr or drone, touchwood. The big savings you make buying high end equipment abroad makes up for the risk of losing OEM warranty.

[ashvek3141]

Samsung S23 ULTRA is now retailing at 76k INR after CC discounts!!
That's a crazy price drop since the launch. Ultra has never dropped so low as even last week it was retailing at 1.24 L something. Maybe ~ 1 L after card discounts.

Samsung S23 Ultra at 76k INR on Flipkart

Not sure , whether to consider this against the S23 and take the plunge. S23, 256 GB is currently retailign at 60k INR on FK. But The upcoming Republic Day sale and the launch of S24 devices is making me think otherwise.

[deathwalkr]

Thinking of buying the Redmi Note Pro 13 for my wife. She's been using the mi 11 hypercharge model and it's in pretty rough shape.

Any initial feedback on this model?

[PatienceWins]

Originally Posted by ashvek3141

Samsung S23 ULTRA is now retailing at 76k INR after CC discounts!!
That's a crazy price drop since the launch. Ultra has never dropped so low as even last week it was retailing at 1.24 L something. Maybe ~ 1 L after card discounts.

Samsung S23 Ultra at 76k INR on Flipkart

I just checked the link and it shows 1.24L. 76K is very good and brings it to Bur Dubai pricing.

I am tempted to get it from Dubai for around 80K. I have never faced any phone issue in the initial years, so not having warranty does not seem to be a major issue. Worse case, I can pay and get it repaired in India.

[ashvek3141]

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

I just checked the link and it shows 1.24L. 76K is very good and brings it to Bur Dubai pricing.

I am tempted to get it from Dubai for around 80K. I have never faced any phone issue in the initial years, so not having warranty does not seem to be a major issue. Worse case, I can pay and get it repaired in India.

Yes, it's not showing anymore on the website. Seems like there was some glitch, else 76k is too damn low for the device. Even the S22 Ultra doesn't retail at this price.

[Polo]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Thinking of buying the Redmi Note Pro 13 for my wife. She's been using the mi 11 hypercharge model and it's in pretty rough shape.

Any initial feedback on this model?

I have used several Redmi phones including Redmi 1s, Redmi Note 3 Pro, Redmi Note 5 Pro, Redmi 6 Pro, and Redmi Note 8 Pro. However, based on my experience, I would not recommend purchasing any Redmi phones. Instead, I suggest considering Samsung phones for long-term use. My wife has been using Samsung M21 for the last 4 years and I have been using Samsung M31s for the last 3 years, and we have been satisfied with their performance.

[Hatari]

My wife got the Flip 4 about 10 months ago.
Now it shuts down if its closed shut. Screen's gone.
Have dropped it off to Samsung Service.

[ashvek3141]

Originally Posted by ashvek3141

Samsung S23 ULTRA is now retailing at 76k INR after CC discounts!!

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

I just checked the link and it shows 1.24L. 76K is very good and brings it to Bur Dubai pricing.

Originally Posted by ashvek3141

Yes, it's not showing anymore on the website. Seems like there was some glitch, else 76k is too damn low for the device. Even the S22 Ultra doesn't retail at this price.

So it was indeed true and probably available for a brief period of time. Excellent deal for someone who was on the fence to pick this one. Sadly, now they've reverted to the 99k price.

Link

[AutoNoob]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Thinking of buying the Redmi Note Pro 13 for my wife. She's been using the mi 11 hypercharge model and it's in pretty rough shape.

Any initial feedback on this model?

Originally Posted by Polo

I have used several Redmi phones including Redmi 1s, Redmi Note 3 Pro, Redmi Note 5 Pro, Redmi 6 Pro, and Redmi Note 8 Pro. However, based on my experience, I would not recommend purchasing any Redmi phones. Instead, I suggest considering Samsung phones for long-term use. My wife has been using Samsung M21 for the last 4 years and I have been using Samsung M31s for the last 3 years, and we have been satisfied with their performance.

+1.

I bought my first Redmi in year 2014 (Redmi Note) and with time all my family members were using Redmi phones. They performed good and were value for money. I further upgraded to Redmi Note 4 in 2017. However, with time Redmi introduced too much bloatware (and spyware ??). Also, major updates were also limited and software became slower over the usage. Even after de-bloating (through ADB), the situation remained poor.

Now, for past 3 years, I have moved all away from Redmi, to Samsung, Motorola and OnePlus. My current phone is Samsung A52 LTE, bought in 2021 and now going to get 3rd major update (to Android 14) with another year of security updates.