In recent times, Google Android OS based phones are growing rapidly and majority of all handset manufacturers are basing their devices on this. Due to this emerging market trend, we have decided to reduce your confusion when it comes to purchasing these smartphones.

In this article, we have included the top android phones in the price band of Rs.10,000 to Rs.15,000. In this budget, you get handsets with at least android 2.2(froyo), a decent processor and standard features such as Wi-Fi and 3G.

Here is a list of what we consider as currently the top android phones in this price range:

• HTC Explorer:

  The HTC Explorer is the latest phone in this category and has just been released in the Indian market. Its features include Android 2.3, 600Mhz processor, 3.2 inches touchscreen, 3MP camera, 90MB internal memory, 512 MB RAM and exchangeable covers.The pros of this phone are that it is priced relatively less, has the latest android version and has the exclusivity of being a HTC. The negative factors include no camera flash and even lack of a secondary camera(for video calling).Also, the internal memory capacity is not great and the processor is very average, but that’s all what you can get at this price.

  Price: Rs.10,800

• HTC ChaCha:

  

 The HTC ChaCha is a Facebook-centric device and comes with a 2.6inch touchscreen and a QWERTY keypad. Other features include Android 2.3, 800MHz processor, 5MP camera with flash, secondary VGA camera and a 512 MB RAM. The reasons to buy this phone include a great camera, good processor speed, gorilla glass display and an exclusive Facebook button. The cons of this device are that its price is not very attractive and is not for users who would prefer only a touchscreen.

Price: Rs.14,700

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini & Pro:

  

The Xperia Mini and Xperia Mini Pro are both very similar android devices from Sony Ericsson. The major differences between them is that the Pro has two additional features, namely a QWERTY keypad and a secondary camera.The common features include Android 2.3, 5MP camera with flash, 3 inch touchscreen, 1Ghz CPU with 320MB storage and 512MB RAM. The major setbacks for these two phones are poor talk time (when compared to the previous HTC phones) and lack of a secondary camera for video calling in the Mini. The plus factors include a powerful CPU and stylish looks for both the devices.

Price: Rs.12,500(Mini) & Rs.15,000(Pro)

• HTC Salsa:

The HTC Salsa is also a Facebook-centric device like the ChaCha. It comes with features such as a 3.4 inch touchscreen, Android 2.3, 5MP camera with flash, secondary front camera, 800Mhz CPU & 512MB RAM. The phone has an enormous talk time of up to 9hrs on 2G and 7hrs 50 min on 3G. It is also nicely integrated with Facebook and has a large touchscreen. The main drawback of this phone is the relatively higher price when compared to the earlier phones, especially when it is comes without a QWERTY keypad.

Price: Rs.14,300

• Spice Mi-410:

In the midst of International handsets, we have included Spice Mi-410 in this article since we were genuinely impressed by the features of this phone. They include a 4.1 inch touchscreen, Android 2.2(Froyo), 1Ghz CPU, Internal memory of 800MB, 512MB RAM, 5MP camera with flash and a secondary camera for video calling. The main drawbacks of this phone are poor talk time, older version of OS, and lack of brand value. The plus points include a fast processor, enormous touchscreen and a low price.

Price: Rs.13,000

• Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830:

The Samsung Galaxy Ace is an iPhone look-alike and is one of the oldest phones in this list. Its main features are Android 2.2(Upgradeable to 2.3), 3.5 inch touchscreen, 5MP camera with flash, 800Mhz processor & Internal memory of 158MB. This device has an excellent talk time of up to 11hrs on 2G network and a reasonable talk time of 6hrs 30min on 3G. Its negatives are a lack of secondary camera and an average display.

Price: Rs.13,000

• HTC Wildfire S:

The HTC Wildfire S is an upgrade over the original successful model, Wildfire. Its main features include Android 2.3, 5MP camera with flash, 3.2inch touchscreen, 600Mhz CPU and 512MB RAM. The Talk time of this device is good in the 2G network, but very average in 3G. Also, it lacks a secondary camera and the processor is just basic. The plus points are that you get a decent camera and an overall good phone for that price.

Price: Rs.13,000

• Motorola Fire XT

The Motorola Fire XT is an Android 2.3 device with a 800Mhz CPU, 3.5 inch touchscreen, 5MP camera with flash, secondary VGA camera and a 512 MB RAM. The phone has average call quality and an average battery. Overall, it is a decent device, but the company has not had any great success in smartphones in this price range yet in India.

Price: Rs.12,500

  (All the above prices are approximate)