Off late QWERTY mobile phones have become really popular specifically among students and young professionals because they offer much better messaging capability, social networking access and email access. Also a larger size enables manufactures to bundle in bigger batteries with much higher talk time.

Keeping students and young professionals in mind where cost of the mobile is one of the key considerations, we have created this list of Top 10 Popular Budget Qwerty phones. These are some of the best QWERTY phones available in the market at a price range of Rs. 5000 or less.

Micromax Q7 (and Q5 FB)

Micromax Q5FB and its successor Q7 have been one of the most popular budget Qwerty mobiles in India. These mobiles are popular because, they look really good, have a decent UI and build quality and also offer host of features for a really low price. Q7 has a Wi-Fi over Q5FB. These mobiles have been pitched as Facebook phone which has really attracted lots of students and young professionals who want to remain social 24X7. Both these phones come with Dual SIM and one touch Facebook access. Overall Micromax Q5FB and Q7 are a superb value for money phones. Best Price: Rs. 3,829

Micromax Bling Q55

Micromax Bling Q55 was exclusively designed for girls and young ladies with Swarovski studded chassis. It is one of best looking and sleek phones available in the market. It also features a vanity mirror on its rear and a unique swivel slider design. UI and feature wise it is similar to Micromax Q5FB. It is dual SIM, comes with a 2 MP camera, one touch Facebook access, Audio player powered by YAMAHA, and supports various IMs like Gtalk and Yahoo messenger. Over all with its price, unique design and host of features, it has become really popular among the female users. Best Price: Rs. 3,949

Samsung Ch@t 322 C3222

Samsung Ch@t 322 C3222 is a new phone launched by Samsung to target the huge market for budget social networking enabled qwerty phones targeted towards students and young professional. It comes with a Dual SIM support, Qwerty keypad with a optical trackpad (which is much better than the trackball in other mobiles), 1.3 MP camera and widgets /applications for Facebook, Twitter and Instant Messengers like Gtalk and Yahoo. What it lacks is Wi-Fi which can be deal breaker for some, but otherwise this is a fantastic phone from a reputed handset manufacturer. Overall it’s a great phone for someone looking for a cheap and reliable messaging phone. Best Price: Rs. 4,329

Samsung Ch@t 335 S3353

Samsung Ch@t 335 S3353 is a higher end model of Samsung chat C3222 but still at a very attractive price. It comes with a Qwerty Keypad and an optical trackpad. It features a large 2.4 inch display, GPRS Edge and Wi-Fi. It comes with 2 MP camera, sound alive audio effects, 3.5 mm jack. It is a full featured social networking device with built in access to Facebook, Twitter, Instant messaging clients for Gtalk and Yahoo and support for personal email like Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail. All this is backed by a superb battery with a talk time of up to 12 hours. Overall at its price it’s a steal and the best available handset in its range. Best Price: 5,149

Samsung Corby Plus B3410

Samsung Corby Plus B3410 is a slider qwerty version of the popular Corby series. Corby Series has been really popular among students and young professionals as they offer affordable touch screen phones with great features and in-built social networking access. But touch screen can be quite a pain if you are into lot of messaging. That’s why Samsung Corby Plus B3410 with its slider full qwerty is an awesome phone. It offers a large display with touchscreen and a full qwerty. All these features for its price range mean a super value for money and a really popular phone. Best Price: Rs. 5,365

Nokia X2-01

Nokia X2-01 is a new phone from Nokia targeted towards the huge market for budget Qwerty phones with social networking capabilities. Though Nokia is a late entrant in this segment, I am sure that in few months it will dominate this segment with its solid brand reputation, reliable and solid phone and a great customer service. Nokia X2-01 comes with a 2.4 inch display, Symbian Series 40 UI, 6th edition with support for Facebook, Twitter, Instant Messaging and email. It also comes with a 2GB memory card. Major drawback is that it does not feature 3G or Wi-Fi. But at its price Nokia X2-01 is a super value for money. Best Price: Rs. 3,845

Nokia C3

Nokia C3 is an affordable Qwerty mobile from Nokia. It comes with a 2.4 inch display, full Qwerty keypad, full Social Networking integration on the home screen with dedicated buttons. It runs on Symbian Series 40 UI, 6th edition. It comes with a 2MP camera and 3.5mm audio jack. A 2GB memory card is bundled. Wi-Fi is available but 3G is not present. Overall it’s a nice phone for its price range and caters to users who are looking for a decent phone for social networking, messaging and music. Best Price: Rs. 5,724

Spice QT-58

Spice QT-58 has a unique mini Qwerty form factor. This phone is for those people who need a qwerty phone as they do lots of messaging but don’t want a big and bulky phone. With is smaller size it is primarily targeted towards girls and young ladies. Good part is that it is a Dual SIM phone with a trackpad instead of the trackball. Sound quality is good with dual speakers. Camera is basic 1.3 MP. It comes with widgets for Facebook and Opera Mini browser. If you are comfortable with a smaller qwerty keypad and if 2 inch screen is fine, this is a good phone as the price is also really really cheap. Best Price: Rs. 2,629

Lava B8

Lava B8 is a new Qwerty mobile from Lava. It is a good looking phone with host of great features. It comes with a 2.3 inch display and a 3.2 MP camera with Flash (which can also be used as a flash) and digital zoom. A 2GB microSD card is included with the mobile. It features social networking widgets for Facebook and Twitter. Instant messaging support for is also present via Nimbuzz app. Opera Mini browser is pre-installed. It also supports push mail and java apps. It has useful features like recording for FM radio and support as a webcam. Overall Lava B8 offers a lots of premium features for its price point. Best Price: Rs. 3,979

MVL G81

MVL G81 is another budget qwerty phone with its USP being built in Push Mail via MVL Connect. It comes with a 2.4 inch display and a 3.2 MP camera. Keypad is full qwerty and trackpad is available for navigation. It is a java enabled phone and supports all java applications. Other than this, social networking support is provided via Snaptu app and Instant Messaging via Nimbuzz app. Opera Mini browser comes preloaded. It also comes with a leather pouch. Overall it’s a decent phone and similar to the ones provided by Micromax and Lava but with an added advantage of Push Mail. Best Price: Rs. 3,999

This is a guest post by Sulakshan who is a Co-Founder of MySmartPrice.com. MySmartPrice is the easiest way to get the best price for Mobiles and Books in India. Check out our review about MySmartPrice.