Is Nokia Lumia 800 a good buy at Rs 23,790?

Criticised for being over-priced at launch, Nokia Lumia 800 recently saw a price-cut and is now available for Rs 23,790 in the country. But even after this price reduction, is Lumia 800 a good buy and better than competing Androids? We will find out in this article.

Announced back in December last year, Nokia's Lumia 800 comes with a great design, and is by no-doubt the best Windows Phone device in the market, but at the same price, we have many alternatives in the form of Android phones like Samsung Galaxy S Plus (Rs 20,650), Motorola Atrix 2 (Rs 22,990) and HTC Sensation (Rs 24,000).  We would have included Galaxy R in this list, but it is out of stock everywhere.

If we compare Lumia 800 with these Android smartphones, Lumia 800 is at par in user experience with any other Android smartphone at this price, be it the dual core sporting Atrix 2 or HTC Sensation, but it falls short in terms of apps. While Google Play store provides lakhs of applications, Windows Phone Marketplace is waiting to reach even the one lakh milestone.

In other features like camera, Lumia trumps Galaxy S Plus, but is at-par with Atrix 2 and Sensation in terms of image quality. However, you can only record 720p videos with Lumia, while both Sensation and Atrix 2 have 1080p video recording capability. Lumia also misses out on front shooter, so if you are planning to have video chats with your family and friends, it is not for you.

Coming to the display, Nokia Lumia 800 comes with an AMOLED display with ClearBlack technology, which is similar to the Super AMOLED display in Galaxy S Plus. The only positive for Sensation and Atrix 2 is qHD resolution, while you will get WVGA on Lumia.

Overall, this price-cut might be a good thing for Lumia 800, but the competition is very hard even at this pricing. For a consumer, Lumia scores with its stunning looks, great display and fluid UI, but is let down by the apps, missing VGA camera and lack of 1080p recording.  So, if looks aren't your thing and you are not a Nokia guy, go for Motorola Atrix 2 or HTC Sensation for raw dual core power and Samsung Galaxy S Plus for a great display.