Best smartphones that cost less than a weekend getaway

Okay, let us ask you a question - how much does a weekend getaway for two cost? Let’s say you are travelling to a hill station nearby, a decent trip would cost somewhere around Rs.20k - basic lodging, food, and travel included. Now, weekend trips are good for your sanity but these short trips are never really enough, are they? These trips don’t really satiate your vacay goals, do they? So, instead of spending 20K plus on a short getaway that won’t even register as a blip, why not invest in something that’ll last for years to come?

We are talking about the new range of super smart, well-priced range of smartphones by Vivo that won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

There is a notion attached to smartphones at this price range, that they do not provide a premium design and feel.However, Vivo is ready put your misconceptions to bed. Gone are the days when inexpensive smartphones would make you feel like you were holding a plastic toy. Affordable smartphones have carved a niche in the market for themselves and, boy-o-boy, they are a hit amongst us price-sensitive Indians! There are many smartphone makers who want to be kings of this lucrative segment. And thanks to Vivo, there is absolutely no compromise when it comes to the quality of these babies.

The Stellar: Vivo V9Pro

Launched a couple of months back, Vivo V9Pro has been pegged as one of the best smartphones at its price point. As of this moment, the smartphone can be bought from Amazon India for a price of Rs 17,999. And for the price, the device is a pure bang for bucks! Vivo V9Pro has a humongous 6.30-inch screen with 2280x1080 pixels. It rocks a FullView Display, which means it has an edge to edge screen with minimum bezels on the side and a notch at the top. The screen to body ratio is an astounding 90%! The FHD+ display comes with a 19:9 aspect ratio screen which will make your media viewing experience an immersive one. Vivo has definitely managed to optimize it to offer some great screen real-estate for its users.

Under its hood, the Vivo V9Pro gets its juices from an octa-core processor which is paired with a whopping 6GB RAM. As for your media needs - games, photographs and videos, the Vivo V9Pro gets 64GB of internal storage as standard that can further be expanded up to 256 GB using a microSD card.

As far as the cameras are concerned, the Vivo V9Pro is a true pro. It packs a dual rear camera set up with a 13MP (f/2.2) primary camera and a 2MP secondary camera and on the front, it rocks a 16MP front shooter for selfies. The camera works in tandem with built-in Artificial Intelligence to make your selfies look more beautiful. The front camera is also capable of recording 1080p video at 30 frames per second. Even though the front camera is a single lens, the phone still lets you shoot portrait mode selfies (with the background blurred or ‘bokeh’ effects). Other options include the beauty mode and face detection.

Vivo V9Pro packs a mammoth sized battery of 3260mAh. Oh, there is Face Unlock as well and a fingerprint sensor on the rear, so now unlock your Vivo V9Pro as you wish.

The Stunning: Vivo Y95

Another beast at a compelling price point is the latest offering from Vivo. The smartphone in the spotlight is Vivo Y95 and this one is equally amazing. The Y95 has landed on the Indian shores just a few days back and has already started making some ripples. The smartphone has been priced at Rs 16,999 on Vivo’s official website and when we look at the specifications - it appears to be very appealing.

As far as the specifications are concerned, the Vivo Y95 comes with a big 6.22-inch Halo FullView™ Display. The Y95 takes the notch situation very differently. The notch on the top of the screen houses the front-facing camera and is in the shape of a water drop. The smartphone has a maximized screen-to-body ratio of 88.6% allowing an in-depth media experience. Now, when you flip the device over, you are greeted with an amazing gloss paint which is a perfect blend of deep black, shimmering blue, beautiful pale purple. The combination of such colours is surely a head turner and gives you a feeling that the universe is in the palm of your hands.

The cameras on Vivo Y95 makes the most of Artificial Intelligence. The front facing camera has a 20MP sensor which captures more facial details than ever. The AI algorithm can detect your age, gender, skin tone, skin texture, and lighting environment to automatically deliver facial enhancements, without you having to lift a finger. On the rear, there is a super-clear 13MP primary camera paired with a 2MP secondary depth sensing lens.

To keep things running as smooth as possible, the Vivo Y95 comes with 4GB RAM and Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 octa-core processor, the first phone in India with this processor. There are also a ton of features, especially AI related that’ll keep you hooked on to this for years to come. And this Vivo device comes with a battery size of 4030mAh - that means you will reach for the charger less often.

Now, that you have seen and read about both the smartphones in depth, what’s your take? A tiresome weekend trip or a smart looking smartphone that’ll run for years to come?