Updated 24 May, 2012, 11:34 am IST

GOTY 2010 - Mid Range Smartphones

22 Dec, 2010, 9:30 am IST | by Shayne Rana

Here's the next list of smartphones that made our 2010 GOTY list, this time it's the mid range segment.

In the last GOTY (Gadget of the Year) mobile segment we covered High End smartphones with the Samsung Galaxy S taking front and center stage as our High End smartphone of the Year. Now it’s time to take a look at the handsets that made an impression on us in the mid range segment. None of the smartphones mentioned in this list are priced over Rs. 20,000 or less than Rs. 10,000, so without further ado, here are Tech2’s winners in the mid range smartphone category.

Samsung Galaxy 3 – Best in Class
Samsung once again takes top spot in our list with another Android powered device, the Galaxy 3. Although the argument has always been between the Galaxy 3 and Optimus One, however even sans Froyo out-of-the-box, the 2.1 running Galaxy 3 does come out on top due to its overall handling and multimedia prowess. In the last Mobile Grudge Match you, the readers, also helped make this decision a little easier as votes tallied up showed the Galaxy 3 with a miniscule lead over the Optimus.
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Make way for the champ

LG Optimus One – First Runner Up
LG fans might not agree with this particular outcome of events but the truth is as good as the Optimus One is, Froyo and all, it still lacks a few things that the Galaxy 3 manages to do quite well. But the Optimus certainly gave other handsets in this league, including the Galaxy 3 a very serious run for their money, so it’s our number two choice for the best mid range smartphone on the market.

Missed by that much...

Nokia E5 – Second Runner Up
Nokia’s E series if device have enjoyed quite a bit favor from the mobile community in the last couple of years starting with the Nokia E71. The follow up model, the Nokia E72 and lower end contender the E63 also fared extremely well. This new edition in the E5 brings back the comfortable design and full QWERTY keypad with an all new home screen for the S60 platform. The fixed focus 5MP camera might be construed as a downside but there’s absolutely no beating the price it’s offered at and the handset’s overall functionality. Till the next mid-range E-series device with QWERTY keypad is announced, the E5 is going to make sure Nokia fans are not disappointed.

Simplicity and comfort of use

Hon. Mention
In this segment there are a couple of handsets that deserve to be mentioned even thought they fell just a tad short of our main list. Here they are –

Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro
Dubbed as one of the smallest smartphones on the globe, we’ve chosen the X10 Mini Pro instead of Mini simply because of the added comfort of a slide out QWERTY keypad, which is also incidentally very comfortable to use. Since its 2.1 update, the handsets seems to fare a little better as even the minor improvements appear to be appeal to users. It brings a few small but relevant additions to the handset like better Bluetooth control and improved syncing between your Facebook account and phonebook. The small device with Sony Ericsson’s TimeScape UI and neatly arranged slide out QWERTY keypad is definitely worth at least an honorable mention.

It's cute but totally functional as well

Samsung S8500 Wave
The Wave is one sleek looking handset that’s loaded to the hilt with features and functionality. But as versatile as the handset is, the word on the street is that Bada is still a little ways off from catching up to the Android phenomenon that’s taken over the country. From a feature rich 5MP camera, social networking, Samsung’s own App store and a Super clear Super AMOLED display, the Wave made a big impact on the mobile community and we’re anxious to see how it’s upgrade, the Wave II will fare.