[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Options for small screen are limited. Maybe, Nokia 4.2? Still 5.6/7 inches.

[civic-sense]

Originally Posted by Sheel

What could be the reason of one phone not getting Wi-Fi signal unless it is in close proximity to the modem / router?

Other devices [mobiles / desktop / tabs] work fine, but that particular device acts up. A network reset did not help, a factory reset helped initially. Phone is a Mi A2.

My wife's iPhone has this issue. It has to be brought very close to the router to connect. Once connected, it holds on to the connection even if you move away, but not for long.

Apparantly this is due to a faulty wifi module and has to be changed.

Most probably it is a similar issue in your MIA2 as well.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by civic-sense

Apparantly this is due to a faulty wifi module and has to be changed.

I have 2 fiber connections, one is BSNL and the other is a Jio, happens in both. So, in this case, I think, it maybe otherwise, unless, both connections turn out to faulty, which can not be ruled out.

[civic-sense]

Originally Posted by Sheel

I have 2 fiber connections, one is BSNL and the other is a Jio, happens in both. So, in this case, I think, it maybe otherwise, unless, both connections turn out to faulty, which can not be ruled out.

Looks like I confused you. What they said was that the wifi module (chip) inside the phone could be faulty and needs to be replaced.

[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by Mortis

Any suggestions on a decent 5-5.5 inch Android phone. My uncle is finally ready to get one and wants a small size phone. The iPhone SE is out of budget

Only compact phone other than the SE that I have been recommending is Pixel 4a. Stock android experience, great camera & guaranteed updates for 3 years.

Since it has no bezels 5.8” would feel compact enough in your palm.

@Folks who picked it up can you please share some usage reviews regarding the processor performance (730G) & battery backup?

[ashvek3141]

Originally Posted by Mortis

Any suggestions on a decent 5-5.5 inch Android phone. My uncle is finally ready to get one and wants a small size phone. The iPhone SE is out of budget

Originally Posted by SoumenD

@Folks who picked it up can you please share some usage reviews regarding the processor performance (730G) & battery backup?

Pixel 4a should be the one you should pick.
I got one for my Dad who’s primary requirement was a compact phone.
The phone is brilliant for the price for which it is offered. My dad’s earlier phone was a Redmi 4 & trust me the Pixel feels way more compact than that. It’s slimmer, lighter & only slightly taller coupled with a full screen makes it a joy to use.

With regards to performance, the SD 730 coupled with the Pure Android feels extremely fluid. Not once do you feel that it’s a mid-ranger.

Battery too easily lasts over a day with moderate usage.

Apart from the trade offs such as no IP resistance, no wireless charging, single camera module; this phone pretty feels complete in all other aspects.

A definite recommendation.

[Kris_risk]

Picked up a 4a recently and sharing my thoughts... I dont generally buy phones often and my last phone was a Redmi Note 3 which lasted for 5 years and still works without a glitch even after multiple drops, mild water splash and even being through out of my pocket from a moving two wheeler (the glass cracked but it still refused to die). Yes it had really bad problem of unwanted ads but otherwise MIUI was doing its job well (the updates stopped though). The one I had before Redmi Note 3 was a Samsung Galaxy S2 so that is how bad I am with phone purchases.

Anyway coming back to the Pixel 4a:

* It is ridiculously small. What I mean is that after having lived with the Redmi Note 3 for around half a decade, Pixel 4a feels so compact and handy. Something like moving from a driving around a Tempo Traveler to a Mini Cooper. Uncanny compactness catches you off guard for the first few days.

* The phone is NOT premium looking but feels built well enough. You hear vibrations through the back panel when music is played. It feels like the unnerving road noise you hear in some (even modern) cars. Nothing that a Spigen Rugged Armour case couldn't fix. The screen is OLED so it is nice and vivid.

* The stock android is fluid. That feeling of not having any bloatware is like driving a non-turbo larger displacement petrol car. No gimmicks, no turbo boost, nothing but a very pleasant yet consistent performance every time.

* The camera! Well it is a single lens 12 mp camera and a flash but the beautify of it is that it simply prevents you from taking a bad picture. The software processing is that good that every time it somehow manages to get a good picture irrespective of the conditions and the composition. The HDR is great and the nightscape is phenomenal. Tried the Astrophotography and was stunned by what it produced. But a wideangle and/or a telephoto is glaring omission. The simple old-school (pun intended) single lens camera is quite good but if you want that color pop and melodramatic scenes, look at other options. Google Pixel 4a gives you images that are closer to real life (though you can do the usual enhancement via software adjustments). Getting the RAW images also helps in some cases. It is like a well remapped turbo 1.2 TSI with a lot of work being done by the software or rather the combination of software and hardware?

* Performance: I am a casual user and for my day-to-day use, it has been sufficiently powerful enough. I think it would be unfair to put Google Pixel 4a on a quarter mile against say One Plus 7t or even the Nord but it will still come out with a decent second place. Till now the phone has not shown any lag and software installs are super quick and file transfers as well. It is backed up by a 6 GB LPDDR4 RAM and the RAM management is done quite well. So it is not track car but no slouch either, a good all rounder, probably like a Duster?

* Battery: Too early to say but I have been comfortably getting a day worth of work done with calls, browsing, media consumption, some navigation but not much of games though. Switch on the battery saver mode and looks like it helps save around 20-25% more. The always on screen probably drains some battery which you can switch off if you dont need. The batter is tiny at 3140 mAh (Note 3 had more battery, launched 5 years back) but does it job for a day. Not for a power user or gamer but for others, it should just be fine. the 18 W charger gets it work done quickly, around 1.5 hours. So it is no Tesla by automotive standards but not a Logan EV. Feels more like a Tata Nexon EV then?

At 30k, this phone will be criticized by many because for a couple of thousands more, you could get a Oneplus 7t which is still relevant in 2020 with far better specs and supposedly equally good Oxygen OS but I went for Pixel 4a since:

* The under appreciated Titan M security module that comes with Pixel 4a (Samsung offers Knox security even on mid rangers like m51 but not the complete version).

* The software updates. The phone came with factory installed Android 11 and has got the October security update already. Hopefully Google will continue to provide updates for at least 2-3 years.

* No bloatware/ no ads/ no skins: For anyone who has used the MIUI or similar other iterations, you will attest how annoying are the bloatware and the cleaners and the totally irresponsible ads being pushed onto your phone. Do note that there is nothing wrong with MIUI or OneUI or Oxygen OS but I wanted a break.

* The camera. Enough is said about it already.

* The compactness. I had briefly romanced the idea of getting the Oneplus 7t or a cheaper Samsung m51 but these phones are huge. I wanted something similar to my older Samsung S2, the compactness which these days comes at a premium.

* It has a 3.5mm jack so that I can still use my usual headsets for meetings and for listening to music.

* It is made in Vietnam.

Now for some cons:

* It is a single SIM phone though you can add the second network via an e-SIM.
* Only one screen size/ one processor/ one RAM/ on storage variant. No choices.
* Stock Android has its own set of issues. Try running a secondary Whatsapp app and you will start realizing the issues.
* Google service centers/ after sales network is wafer thin..

In any case, your aunt/ uncle/ cousin/ neighbor and everyone in office will all make fun of you for spending 30k for buying such a tiny phone with just a single camera. Just grin and move on and occasionally tease them with a picture of the Milkyway from your phone

Thanks!

[ani_meher]

Originally Posted by Kris_risk

* Stock Android has its own set of issues. Try running a secondary Whatsapp app and you will start realizing the issues.
*

Hope you use WhatsApp for business as secondary app. If you use any other cloning app, it is unsafe and slow.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Baffled by LG's errr.... "strategy". The one year old G8X dual screen has the SnapDragon 855 and is selling at steep discounts while the just launched Velvet Velvet @ ₹ 50K has a SD 845 processor.

After seeing convenience of wireless charging on sister's G8X got at ₹ 20K on FK sale, I'm very much inclined towards the wireless charging devices. Which means pixel 4a will not be considered - though it has massive advantages.

[IndigoXLGrandDi]

I am facing problem while using Wifi Hotspot of my Lenovo K6 Power over other devices.

The laptop as well as other phone refused to connect to the Wifi Hotspot of Lenovo.

When deeply dug, I found out this Error-

Please help.

[naveenvenkatesh]

Originally Posted by Kris_risk

Picked up a 4a recently and sharing my thoughts...
Thanks!

Thanks for update. My Pixel 2XL will complete 2 years next week. I used it only for about a year before moving to OP7 (gave it to dad after 4 months once OP7T came out) and then finally to OP7T about a year back. OP7T has been a solid phone. It had some issues with speaker. Took it to OP store in Bangalore. They tested it, kept it for a day, then gave me a new one. So overall, nice experience.

Pixel 2XL is used by my daughter. She was using it earlier for games, photos etc but now its her 'School' also. Teaching, HW etc are all shared over WhatsApp.

Now with 4A, i am tempted to upgrade. 2XL just got Android 11 last week. Feel really nice and clean (Oxygen is not bad either, but Pixel OS has its own charm). I am tempted to get 4A 5G or even 5 from the US. Lets see.
The screen on the 2XL is not very good. The difference is obvious since i have OP7 and OP 7T to compare. But the camera blows both of them. 4A 5G and 5 also have a wideangle camera. Plus bigger battery. That should be interesting.

[DCEite]

Originally Posted by cogWheel

I picked up a Samsung M51 which is listed at 25K but usually has offers amounting to to 4 to 5K. With exchange I paid 17.5K for it.
Its snappy, display is good and the battery lasts 2+ days for a moderate user like me. 6GB RAM, 128GB storage.
The other phone considered was the Redmi K20.

Thanks.

I need to finalize on the M51 variant. Is it worth going for 8 GB version ?

Note: I am not into mobile gaming.

[cogWheel]

Originally Posted by DCEite

Thanks.

I need to finalize on the M51 variant. Is it worth going for 8 GB version ?

Note: I am not into mobile gaming.

I have about 50 Apps installed, of which I probably use 6 to 8 on a daily basis. No games whatsoever. About 2.5 to 3 GB of 6GB shows up as memory used. For my use case 6GB is easily sufficient. Hope this helps.

[bigron]

Originally Posted by DCEite

Thanks.

I need to finalize on the M51 variant. Is it worth going for 8 GB version ?

Note: I am not into mobile gaming.

If the budget permits go with the 8GB varient. If for nothing else, it future proofs the handset plus generally speaking more the RAM the merrier.

[Shreyas_H]

I also was able to get the Pixel 4a on Flipkart when it launched.
Including the exchange for my phone and the SBI discount, effectively got it for 20,000 Rs

Still early days right now, but few observations noted below -

• Compact - I love the form factor - it is great for one handed use. Even with a nice case on it, it's very comfortable to use.
• Good performance - I don't use games or very CPU intensive applications on my phone. Just basic social media applications, some photo/video editing and YouTube. Not facing any issues at all. Battery life has also been great so far
• Camera - don't really need to say much about this - amazing camera that can put some 1 lakh Rupee phones to shame in certain situations. Night Sight is actual magic. Comes with OIS.
• Stock android - great fluid interface - comes with Android 11 out of the box. Not faced any trouble yet.

It's a great utilitarian phone that shines is a few areas (form factor, camera, battery) and is ok with others. Love the fact that there are stereo speakers and a headphones jack on offer here. Build quality, while average does not appear cheap. The phone does buzz a bit when playing audio at full volume.

If you are an avid gamer on mobile, this is probably not for you. Otherwise this is a great, clean, no-nonsense device that I would highly recommend at this price point.