Buying guide: The best phones to buy in India this February

Before you read further, here is something very important: January this year is actually a bad month to buy a smartphone. So if you can, postpone your purchase. The newer (and possibly better) phones are just around the corner. We saw some of these phones at the Consumer Electronics Show in the first week of January. Some like theHuawei Honor 5X which is likely to launch in India on January 28, are impressive. And some like the Xiaomi Mi 5 would be possibly seen in February

These are the kind of phones that are worth the wait.

But in case you can't wait, what are your options? Once again, we take a look at the smartphones available in the Indian phone market and tell you the ones that are absolute value for money at their respective price points. These are the phones currently worth buying.

Best phone under Rs.5,000: Motorola Moto E(2nd gen)

This month we are again seeing that the Moto E (2nd generation) is on the sale with a discount. This means, now you can buy the 3G version of the Moto E (2nd generation) at a price of Rs.4,999. And if you have a budget of Rs.5,000 for your next phone, we suggest that you go with this. Yes, it lacks the 4G (that version is selling for Rs.5,999) but in actual use it hardly matters. It is going to take a while before the 4G in India turns into the kind of service that will be worth its high-price. For now, there is barely any difference between the 4G and the 3G.

The Moto has decent hardware -- although the 8GB internal ROM may be a limitations for many -- and in its price offers the best performance, complete with clean and easy-to-use pure version of Android Lollipop.

Best phone under Rs.10,000: Lenovo K3 Note

Last month we gave the nod to the Lenovo K3 Note. And while the K4 Note is now out -- albeit at a slightly higher price -- we continue to put our faith in the K3 Note in this price bracket. It is fast enough with good screen and decent camera. And it runs Android Lollipop, albeit one that has been customised by Lenovo with its own user interface. The phone has a 5.5-inch screen and also a few extra sound-related features, which people who watch lots of videos would appreciate.

Also consider: In this price range, with a price tag of Rs.9,999, there is another phone worth considering. The Asus Zenfone Maxis a phone with a huge battery, which obviously makes the phone chug along for two days even if you forget to charge it in night. If you are among people who want great battery life from their phones, we recommend the Zenfone Max to you.

Best phone under Rs.15,000: Moto X (2nd Gen)

This price band amply shows why we suggested that you should wait and not buy the smartphone in January. The older phones that have got a price cut represent incredible value in this price band but at the same time they lack a thing or two. But then, as the saying goes, there is no perfect phone. Considering that you need to buy a phone under Rs.15,000, we suggest the Motorola Moto X(2nd gen). This is an old phone now but it is still a gem of a phone due to its incredibly powerful processor (Snapdragon 801) and a very good AMOLED screen. What you don't get with the Moto X, however, is the 4G. Though as we explained earlier, the 4G is more of a hype right now instead of something that is truly useful.

Also consider: There are three more phones in this price band that deserve a mention. Just like the Moto X (2nd Gen), the Xiaomi Mi 4is an old phone. But by the virtue of its good hardware and now a price of Rs.14,999, this is an impressive phone. In particular, go for it if you want the phone with the best camera at a price of less thanRs.15,000. The second phone that deserves mention is the Moto G Turbo This is the phone to buy in this price bracket if you must need the 4G. Now with a reduced price of Rs.12,499, the Moto G Turbo makes a lot of sense. Finally, if you are after the "sexy phone" go for the Lenovo Vibe S1a smooth phone in design and in performance.

Best phone under Rs.20,000: LG Nexus 5

Once sold for a price of around Rs.30,000, the Nexus 5X is now available for less than Rs.20,000. Though to find it at this price, you have to look a little hard on the e-retail websites. It is an old phone that was released in the late 2013 but in 2014 and 2015, the growth in core Android hardware has been so slow that the Nexus 5 is still a very compete ant phone. In fact, now powered by Android Marshmallow, this is still one of the fastest and smoothest phones you can buy. The battery life, however, is ordinary and camera, although very good, requires some attention when you are using it if you want the best results. It also lacks support for 4G.

Also consider: In case you don't want the Nexus 5, next in line on our recommendation in this price bracket is Motorola Moto X Play It is fairly well-balanced and sort of all-rounder phone. Apart from the Moto X Play, we recommend two more phones: If you are after the style and design, go for the Lenovo S1 that sells for around Rs.15,000 and if you want a lot of internal storage consider the OnePlus One(64GB) that sells for around Rs.19,000.

Best phone under Rs.25,000: LG Nexus 5X

Introduced at a price of above Rs.30,000, the Nexus 5X now sells for a price of around Rs.23,000. This is a fantastic phone for its price. It has updated hardware and feels as fast as the Nexus 5. It also has a killer camera and a much better battery life. But as it is the case with the Nexus phones, the best feature of the Nexus 5X is its clean and unmodified version of Android Marshmallow.

Best phone under Rs.30,000: LG Nexus 5X (32GB)

What is good for people spending around Rs.23,000 is also good for those who want to spend Rs.30,000. So if you are planning to buy a phone for Rs.30,000, go for the 32GB version of the Nexus 5X. It is now slightly overpriced relative to its 16GB sibling but compared to others in the market it still makes more sense to get the Nexus 5X.

Also consider: In case you don't want something more stylish and premium feeling than the Nexus 5X, we recommend the HTC One A9 It is one of those rare phones that are allrounders. Everything about the One A9 is good and the whole experience that it offers is more polished than what its mid-range hardware would indicate.

Best phone under Rs.35,000

None. Buy the Nexus 5X or the HTC One A9.

Best phone around Rs.40,000: Huawei Nexus 6p

Huawei-made and Google-certified nexus 6P is the one of the best phones you can buy right now. And it is definitely the best phone to buy in this particular price bracket. The design is good and so is the hardware. The only reason not to pick the Nexus 6P is if you don't like the Android (more on this later) or if you find it too big. Other than these two potential issues, the Nexus 6P is almost the perfect phone that you can get.

Also consider: You don't like Android? Okay, we hear you. Thankful if you are spending around Rs.40,000 on your phone, you have a viable alternative to the Android phones and that phone is the iPhone 6. Now selling for little less than Rs.40,000 the iPhone 6 is a fantastic device for its price. It's fast, very functional and has a great camera. The iOS is not as flexible and free-wheeling as the Android but it surely gets the job done, in fact some would say it does its job in a better way.

The other phone to consider in this price bracket is the Galaxy S6. Now selling for little over Rs.36,000 the S6 is a top class phone. In fact, it is the Android world's iPhone with beautiful design and supremely impressive hardware. If you don't mind Samsung's TouchWiz user interface, go for it. You will love it.

Best phone around Rs.50,000: Galaxy Note 5

Samsung's Galaxy Note 5 is an engineering marvel. It is also one of the best phones ever released. It is smaller than the Apple iPhone 6Plus but has a bigger screen. It has probably the best screen ever put in a smartphone and a camera that is among the best shooters we have ever seen in a phone. Even the design, with an aluminium and glass body, is fantastic. It is fast, offers unique features with its bundled stylus, and has everything that you can ask for in a smartphone. With a price of aroundRs.48,000 this is totally worth the money.

Also consider: The iPhone 6S. Sold at a price of around Rs.48,000 this is the latest and greatest iPhone you can buy right now. And while we don't find it a great value for money, it does offer enough to buyers to satisfy them.