Nokia Asha 501 vs Samsung Galaxy Star Duos, low-cost smartphone comparison

This is a comparison between two budget phones that are in the market. I feel that for phones of this cost price, the features they are packing are pleasantly surprising. As you go further down in this article you’ll understand what I’m talking about. It is a tough call to decide between the two phones from the price point of view as they are more or less in the same range. A closer look at the specifications will help you decide which one suits best. Today the battle is on between two tough contenders. In one corner of the boxing ring we have Nokia Asha 501 (specifications) and on the other side we have Samsung Galaxy Star duos (specifications). Let the battle begin and may the best phone win.

Display:

All the pictures that you take would look much deeper and clearer in the Asha 501 than on the Star Duos.

Both of them sport a 3″ display. If the screen size is your only criteria, you might be wondering which one to choose here. A closer look might help you decide. Although both devices have the same pixel density of 133 ppi, Nokia Asha 501′s screen has 256k colours as opposed to the Galaxy Star Duos’ mere 65k. So all the pictures that you take would look much deeper and clearer in the Asha 501 than on the Star Duos and this is a very tangible difference. If you are very particular about the screen quality, go for Nokia Asha 501.

Nokia Asha 501=4\10

Samsung Galaxy Star=3.4\10 (Sadly lost because of colors)

Sound and Memory:

The Asha 501 is no match to the Galaxy Star in terms of memory.

Sound wise, both the phones sport a loud speaker and a 3.5mm universal jack for listening to music. Going by my personal experience with Nokia and Samsung, the former is a clear winner. After all, it was Nokia who pioneered the Express Music technology. Though Samsung’s music app flashes a warning when you turn up the volume more than a certain level, it does nothing to enhance sound quality.

The Asha 501 is no match to the Galaxy Star in terms of memory. The Nokia Asha 501 has a 64MB RAM, an internal memory of 128MB ( the numbers are quite appalling). These figures may have been revolutionary in a smartphone a decade ago. Sadly, they don’t cut it right now. Offering a free 4 GB microSD card hardly sweetens the deal. Thankfully, memory can be expanded externally upto 32 GB. On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy Star duos has a 512MB RAM and a 4GB internal storage. Plus it also has a micro SD which can be expanded up to 32GB.

Nokia Asha 501=2\10 (even though you have high quality music, you need space to store it which the Asha lacks)

Samsung Galaxy Star duos=4.2\10 (For RAM and internal storage)

OS and Processor:

Samsung’s 1 GHz Cortex A5 that gives the Galaxy Star a head start in this segment until further details are confirmed.

Coming to the OS, if you are a regular Nokia Asha user and are comfortable with the software platform 1.0, then you can go ahead and pick up the Nokia Asha 501. The platform is pretty basic and needs to pack some punch to come anywhere close to current competition. The OS on the Samsung Galaxy Star Duos is Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean – the tried, tested and much loved platform out there. Topped off with some customization, Samsung’s Touchwiz UI is quite catchy.

The Nokia Asha 501 is rumored to use a processor clocked somewhere in between 800 MHz to 1 GHz. This comes almost neck-to-neck with Samsung’s 1 GHz Cortex A5 that gives the Galaxy Star a head start in this segment until further details are confirmed.

Nokia Asha 501=4\10 (only for its OS cause they made an effort)

Samsung Galaxy Star duos=4.6\10 (overall performance)

Build and Camera:

Nokia trumps Samsung in the camera segment.

In this round the Nokia Asha 501 has thrown a curve ball at Samsung. Over the years, there has not been much activity over at Samsung’s design camp. Compared to the efforts that go into software and internal innovation, the outer look has remained strangely unchanged. Nokia, however, racks up the score here. Known for vibrant and wacky hues on its phones, this one is no different. Coming in a wide range of bright pastels, the Asha 501 cluster is pure eye-candy for the fashion forward. The design is innovative, ergonomical and compelling. A few likenesses to the Lumia range lends a premium air.

Nokia trumps Samsung in the camera segment also. At face value, 3.15 MP scores over a 2 MP on the Galaxy Star. Adding to the Finnish brand’s score is a 2048×1536 pixels resolution pitted well against 1600×1200.

Nokia Asha 501=5.8\10 (for the build quality and amazing inventiveness)

Samsung Galaxy Star duos=4\10 (for the poor camera)

Connectivity and Battery:

Although both are pretty much on the same level on connectivity options, there are a few ups and downs.

Although both are pretty much on the same level on connectivity options, there are a few ups and downs. Nokia doesn’t offer a facility to create portable hotspot and also, the Bluetooth version is 3.0 as opposed to Samsung’s 4.0. Being able to share WiFi and have the power of quick file transfers does make all the difference.

The battery of both the phones is rated at 1200 mAh but Nokia has a legacy of having a longer run as compared to other brands. It is reportedly the same here as Samsung is a good 4 hours short on talktime in this comparison. This may be attributed the power-hungry processor and OS that the Galaxy Star runs.

Nokia Asha 501=2.5\10 (for feature’s cut down)

Samsung Galaxy Star duos=2.7\10 (for good connectivity)

Conclusion:

Both phones score well, albeit on different fronts. It is indeed prudent not to judge a book by it’s cover as the Nokia Asha 501′s vibrant aesthetics aren’t reflected in its insides. A rather unassuming yet sophisticated Samsung Galaxy Star Duos takes the cake with its long list of good specifications and added features, courtesy the popular UI. Utility wise, the Galaxy Star would be a good choice.

Total score:

Nokia Asha 501=18.3\50

Samsung Galaxy Star duos=18.9\50

On the whole, Samsung has beaten Nokia, though by a very small margin but that makes a difference. Personally I feel that Samsung needs to pick up a few design tweaks from its counterparts. I would be really glad to see a device with the performance of  Samsung and looks of  Nokia. How many of you think that this is a good idea? Let me know.

Nokia Asha 501 price in India and online availability:

Nokia Asha 501 is arriving in India next week, the device is available for pre-order on Flipkart for Rs.5,299.

Samsung Galaxy Star Duos price in India and online availablity:

Samsung Galaxy Star Duos is available on online retailer Tradus for lowest online price of Rs.4,973.

Phone Showdown : Nokia Lumia 520 vs HTC Desire 200

Well, it is a showdown between the two budget bestsellers of the market. They are the Nokia Lumia 520 and the HTC Desire 200. With these two phones placed at such a close price range (Rs 8500-9100)  it’ll definitely create a doubt among people to whether choose a budget HTC device or go for a Lumia. This comparison will help you pick your way ahead. Let’s get started.

Display:

The HTC Desire 200 sports a 3.5″ display which is small and completely navigable without stretching your thumb to its limits. On the other hand, the Nokia Lumia 520 has a flashy 4″ display. The latter might hold more attraction in the age of phablets as bigger is better seems to be mantra. So I’d opt for the 4″ because it means a big enough screen size for videos, pictures and graphic-rich games.

Nokia Lumia 520=7/10 (For sheer size and clarity)

HTC Desire 200=6/10 (Only because of the slightly lesser screen size. Clarity wise, this display is head-on)

Sound and Memory:

As far as sound is concerned, Beats Audio™ beats anything you pit against it. Not only is the sound loud but the whole range of low, medium and high sounds are crisper and clearer and easily differentiable. Nokia doesn’t stand a chance in this regard. If you are a music lover, don’t hesitate to choose HTC over Nokia on this. Though the inbuilt Nokia music player boasts of a capability to play any music format you throw at it, this is not a feature that would bring down the HTC Desire as there are many music players on Android that can be downloaded to solve this issue.

Memory wise, both of them sport a 512 MB RAM which as it states should do it’s job so it’s a tie here but storage wise, the HTC Desire 200 gives only 4GB of internal storage as opposed to Nokia Lumia 520′s internal 8GB and free cloud storage of 7GB. You are carrying around 15GB of your favorite movies without even popping in a SD card. So this point goes to the Nokia Lumia 520.

Nokia Lumia 520=7.2\10 (Scores on the storage front)

HTC Desire 200=9.0\10 ( Beats Audio is the deal clincher)

OS and Processor:

To be making a direct comparison between these two is tough because they run on totally different operating systems. The HTC Desire 200 runs on the good old Android 4.0 which I personally feel is very user friendly and easy to use. On the other hand the Nokia Lumia 520 is a Windows Phone operating system which has not clicked as much as the former but now has captured a minor part of the market. The choice here would be purely based on individual opinions and comfort levels with the respective UIs. But if it is your first time with a smartphone, Android is something worth exploring and experiencing.

The HTC Desire 200 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 processor and the Nokia Lumia 520 on the contrary, is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chipset. Both of them run at 1GHz so the main difference is going to be in the architecture of the processor.  Clearly, Lumia 520 emerges the winner here.

Nokia Lumia 520=7.2\10 (for the processor)

HTC Desire 200=7.5\10 (only for the Android OS or it would have a lost a point)

Build and camera:

The Nokia Lumia 520 with its bold colors makes quite the fashion statement. But on the whole, the Nokia Lumia 520 is a very clean and simple slate design. The HTC Desire 200 on the other hand is a very subtle looking and keeps the color palette simple with basic black and simple white. The body has been designed very well – the front speaker grill and the back side of the phone with the dotted pattern makes it look really very elegant. The camera is also supported by a small steel ring separating it from the rest of the body.

Coming to the camera, this showdown has another tie because both of them sport a 5MP camera on the back and no secondary camera. Subsequently both of them lack a flash also so this makes them both equally same in this aspect.

Nokia Lumia 520=6\10 (For the flashy colors )

HTC Desire 200=7.2\10 (For the excellent build quality and practicality )

Connectivity and Battery:

Both the phones rest at the same level in the connectivity sector as both of them are 3G enabled, WiFi and Bluetooth equipped. But the Nokia Lumia 520 has Bluetooth 3.0 where the HTC Desire 200 has Bluetooth 4.0.

On the grounds of battery the Nokia Lumia 520 uses a BL-5J ( all of those who have the curiosity of opening up a phone as soon as you get it in your would know what this is) which is a pretty old model of a Nokia Battery. I remember seeing it last in a Nokia 5800 which was ages ago. Although the specification seems a little outdated, it measured up very well against its rival with a battery life of 9.6 hours of 3G talk time as compared the HTC Desire 200′s 7 hours and 30 minutes.

Nokia Lumia 520=4.5\10 (that low just not to change their battery)

HTC Desire 200=4.7\10 (for the Bluetooth 4.0)

Overall Conclusion:

I strongly feel that the HTC Desire 200 has got a better shot at the market than the Nokia Lumia 520 because of a bunch of different features like audio, OS etc. But finally let us see what the final score verdict comes to.

Total score:

Nokia Lumia 520=31.9\50

HTC Desire 200=34.4\50

This indicates that the HTC Desire has measured out to be the better of the two. It is indeed a well-rounded smartphone at the price point in question, but those who are looking for a specific feature to be excellent when compared to the rest might want to fine tune their search some more.