Top 15 CDMA Smart Phones in India [2016]!

CDMA phones have been considered the poor cousins of the more popular GSM phones in India for some time. But with the introduction of 3G, CDMA has been seen to provide superior speeds and reliable data handling. Unfortunately, there are hardly any new CDMA phones launched, because majority of users use GSM services.

We had published an article few years back on best CDMA phones –  we thought we will update that list and give you current top and best favourites for CDMA users. Because these phones are very few, we have gone through every CDMA phones and come up with this.

If you are in the market for CDMA phones, you should give this list a serious look.

Let’s take a look at the best 3G CDMA phones available.

1.) HTC Desire 826X – Rs. 21,000

This is probably the most high-end CDMA out there in the market right now. With top-of-the-line features like a massive full HD 5.5 inch screen, 2GB of RAM and 13MP primary camera, the phone justifies the mid-range price tag and HTC has been known to provide quality phones since long. The camera at the front and back both come with 13MP sensors which provide excellent photo and video quality.

If you’re looking for the best CDMA phone, HTC Desire 826x fits the bill.

Specifications:

• 5 inch fHD 1080 x 1920p display with Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen
• 158 x 77.5 x 8 mm dimensions weighing at 183 gms
• Dual SIM GSM+CDMA capability
• Android OS 5.0.1 Lollipop with HTC Sense UI
• Qualcomm MSM8939 Snapdragon 615 processor with Adreno 405 GPU
• 2GB RAM with 16GB internal memory
• 13MP primary camera with autofocus and LED flash
• 13MP front camera
• 2600 mAh Li-ion battery

The phone can be purchased from here.

2.) HTC Desire 728G – Rs. 17,895

Desire 728G is the latest entry in this list, having launched only a week back. The smartphone is actually a Dual SIM GSM + CDMA phone. It provides similar experience as  826X at a slightly lower price and lower specifications. However the phone performs as expected and lag is not seen at all. With HTC Sense UI on top, the user experience is great and smooth.

Specifications:

• 5 inch qHD 720 x 1280p display with Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen
• Android OS 5.0.1 Lollipop with HTC Sense UI
• Dual SIM GSM+CDMA capability
• 3 GHz Octa-Core MediaTek MT6753 64-bit processor with Mali-T720 GPU
• 5GB RAM with 16GB internal memory
• 13MP primary camera with autofocus and LED flash
• 5MP front camera
• 2800 mAh Li-ion battery

The phone can be purchased from here.

3.)HTC Desire 510 – Rs. 9999/-

Available through Reliance directly, it is an extremely cost effective smartphone from HTC which reeks of quality and value for money. Although the phone is imported from foreign countries, it is provided service in India as well. The phone has entry-level features, however the performance does not lag anywhere.

If you’re considering a sub 10K CDMA phone then you needn’t look any further.

Specifications:

• 7 inch 480 x 854p display with IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen
• Android OS 4.4 KitKat with HTC Sense UI
• Dual SIM GSM+CDMA capability
• 2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 64-bit processor with Adreno 306 GPU
• 1GB RAM with 4GB internal memory
• 5MP primary camera with autofocus and LED flash
• VGA front camera
• 2100 mAh Li-ion battery

The smartphone can be purchased from here.

4.) LG Tribute – Rs. 6300

The tribute provides a remarkable value for money considering the specifications. It looks like any of the LG flagships and is easy to use with one hand. The CDMA phone comes with entry level features and performs surprisingly well which is a must for an inexpensive feature rich phone. Camera is of a decent quality, which is why the only USP of the phone is value for money components.

Specifications:

• 5 inch 480 x 800p IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen
• 5 x 67.8 x 10.7 mm dimensions weighing at 139 gms
• Android OS 4.4.2 KitKat
• Qualcomm MSM8926 Snapdragon 400 processor with Adreno 305 GPU
• 1GB RAM with 4GB internal memory
• 5MP primary camera with autofocus and LED flash
• VGA front camera
• 2100 mAh Li-Po battery

Tribute can be purchased from here.

5.) Lava EG932 – Rs. 9290

Lava is known for manufacturing inexpensive phones with decent entry-level features. Lava doesn’t disappoint in this case either, with a CDMA phone having features usually seen in mid-range phones. If you don’t want to spend extra money on irrelevant features, you can definitely look into this phone. The form factor of the phone and thin bezels adds value to it as well.

Specifications:

• 08 inch 540 x 960p IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen
• 4 x 147.5 x 10.2 mm dimensions
• Android OS 4.4.2 KitKat
• 2GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor
• 1GB RAM with 4GB internal memory
• 4MP primary camera with autofocus and LED flash
• VGA front camera
• 2000 mAh Li-ion battery

You can buy it from here

6.) HTC One 802d (GSM+ CDMA) – Rs. 32499

This is probably the best CDMA phone available in Indian market currently. It has a whopping 2GB RAM which will help your multi-task effectively and play even the most demanding games quite well. Even the 4.7 inch screen has an excellent resolution of 1920X1080 pixels packing 471 ppi.

If you want a high end CDMA phone, this is the one you should go for…

Here are the specifications

• Processor- 1.7 GHz quad-core
• GPU- Adreno 320
• RAM- 2 GB
• Camera- Primary: 4MP AF,  LED Flash, OIS; Secondary: 2.1 MP
• Display- 4.68 inch, 1920×1080 pixels, 470.71 ppi
• Android OS- 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
• Storage- 32 GB internal; upto 64 GB via micro SD card
• Battery- 2300 mAh Li-Po
• Sensors- accelerometer, proximity, ambient Light, e-compass & Gyroscope
• Connectivity- Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, EDGE, EvDo, Wi-Fi with Hotspot & Wi-Fi Direct, GPS with A-GPS & GLONASS
• Extra Features- Dual SIM (CDMA + GSM).

7.) Micromax EG111 Duet II – Rs. 9999

If you are looking for a budget CDMA phone the Micromax EG111 should be a good bet. At Rs. 9999, the phone comes with a quad-core CPU coupled with 1GB RAM. It should work great for most users. The best part about this phone is that it has a large 5.3inch screen and has a 2300 mAH battery that should easily last through the day and more!

Here are the specifications

• Processor- 1.2 GHz quad-core,
• GPU- Adreno 203
• RAM- 1 GB
• Camera- Primary: 8MP Auto-focus with LED Flash; Secondary: VGA
• Display-5.3”, IPS LCD, 1280×720 pixels, 277 ppi
• Android OS- 4.1 Jelly Bean
• Storage- 4 GB internal; upto 32GB via micro SD card
• Battery- 2300 mAh Li-Po
• Sensors- Accelerometer, Proximity, and Light
• Connectivity- Bluetooth 3.0, EDGE, HSPA, EvDO Rev. A, Wi-Fi, and A-GPS.
• Extra Features- Dual SIM (GSM + CDMA).

8.) MTS Blaze 5.0 – Rs. 9499

This is yet another phone very similar to Micromax EG111 – the specifications are virtually the same, just that it has a slightly smaller screen at 5 inch. However, has a bigger battery at 2500 mAH, which should be more than suffcient and should last atleast a day and half. This one is priced lower than Micromax, so it is anothe Value for Money CDMA phone that you can look at:

Here are the specifications

• Processor- 1.2 GHz quad-core
• GPU-Unknown
• RAM-1 GB
• Camera-Primary: 8 MP AF with LED Flash; Secondary: 0.3 MP
• Display-5 inch, 480×854 pixels, 187 ppi
• Android OS-1.2 Jelly Bean
• Storage-4 GB internal, up to 32GB via micro SD card
• Battery-2500 mAh
• Sensors-gravity, proximity, light
• Connectivity-Bluetooth 3.0, EDGE, EVDO Rev. A, Wi-Fi, GPS.
• Extra Features-Dual SIM (GSM + CDMA).

11.) Swipe Sonic – Rs. 4829

If you are on a budget and want a phone that is in the sub 5k range, then Swipe Sonic should be your choice. It is a dual SIM (GSM + CDMA) with 4 inch screen with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean loaded on it. For regular use this is a great phone to have!

• Processor- 1. 2 GHz dual-core
• GPU-Adreno 203
• RAM-512 MB
• Camera-Primary: 2 MP with LED Flash; Secondary: 0.3 MP
• Display-4 inch, 480×800 pixels, 233.24 ppi
• Android OS-1 JB
• Storage-4 GB internal, upto 32GB via microSD card
• Battery-1500 mAh
• Sensors-Accelerometer
• Connectivity-Bluetooth, EDGE, EVDO Rev. A, WiFi, A-GPS.
• Extra Features-Dual SIM (GSM + CDMA).

Buy Swipe Sonic from Flipkart.com

12.) ZTE n799d Blade Eg – Rs. 5299

The Swipe Sonic and ZTE phone are near replica of each other with exact same specifications. The only thing is that is slightly expensive than Swipe Sonic. It comes down to your choice.

Here are the specifications:

• Processor- 1.2 GHz Dual-core
• GPU-Unknown
• RAM-512 MB
• Camera-Primary: 3 MP; Secondary: None
• Display-4 inch, 320×480 pixels, 144.22 ppi
• Android OS-1 JB
• Storage-512 MB internal, upto 32GB via micro SD card
• Battery-1400 mAh Li-ion
• Sensors-Accelerometer
• Connectivity-Bluetooth 3.0, EVDO Rev. A, WiFi, A-GPS
• Extra Features-Dual SIM (GSM + CDMA).

Buy ZTE n799d Blade Eg from Flipkart.com

[Earlier, from 2012] The Phones listed below are from the article we wrote in 2012, and so may be outdated. 

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1. HTC Desire VC

HTC Desire VC is probably the best CDMA phone currently in the market. Launched recently, this CDMA phone is the only one currently available on Android 4.0 OS. It has 1 GHz Cortex-A5 processor and 512 MB of RAM which ensure smooth running of any kind of application and games. Boasting a big 4-inch Capacitive Touchscreen along with 5 MP Primary Camera, this CDMA surely rubs shoulders with its more illustrious GSM counter parts.

And yes, it is dual-Sim (GSM+CDMA), so you can enjoy best of both the networks! It is currently available on flipkart for Rs. 20,950/-.

2. HTC Evo 3D CDMA

HTC Evo 3D, although launched sometime back, is still one of the better CDMA smartphones available and currently retails at just over INR 23,000. With a 4.3 inch 3D QHD (960×540) display, the phone comes with dual 5 MP cameras that lets you record in 3D.

The processor is a powerful 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon with 1 GB RAM running on Android 2.3. That powerful combination lets users truly enjoy 3G speed to the best. The battery provides 6 hours of talktime and 200 hours of standby time. HTC Sense provides an enhanced user experience.

3. BlackBerry Bold 9650

A shade less pricey is this qwerty-style solid phone from RIM. With a 480 x 360 pixels, 2.44 inches (~246 ppi pixel density) display, the Bold 9650 comes with a touch-sensitive optical trackpad. The internal memory is 512 MB with storage of 2GB expandable up to 32 GB. The connectivity options are EDGE, GPRS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

The device retails at around INR 22,000. [Buy for Reliance or Tata Indicom]

4. Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos GT-i589

The Ace Duos is generally well-received as a dual-SIM, providing a GSM+CDMA combination options. The device is priced at around INR 13,500 and runs on Qualcomm’s MSM 7627 Turbo 800MHz and ESC6270 processors on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread.) The camera provides a resolution of 3.15-megapixel. As with most Samsung phones, the storage can be expanded up to 32 GB. The Ace Duos is now available for Rs. 13500.

Let us know if we have missed out any better CDMA phones…we would gladly add them to the list!