Top 3 FM Phones Under 3K

There are a lot of phones out there that come equipped with FM radio. But the thing with FM is that not every phone manages to do justice to it. Many of the good phones that I have come across seem to have FM for the sake of it. By this I mean the reception quality and other factors that determine a good FM phone. In the past, we have done features listing plenty of good FM phones in the market. Also recently, we saw a couple of phones launched tagged as FM phones. Here, we’ll give you the cheapest FM phones in the market.

Sagem Bleu my214x
When it comes to phones under 3k, you know you can’t really complain about its shortcomings. Then of course, there are a couple of phones that are launched every now and then that manage to give you much more than you bargained for. The my214x is one of them. It’s not much to look at, but seriously, don’t judge this book by its cover.

The my214x is a slim and lightweight phone to say the least. At 103 x 44.5 x 15.4mm and 69g, you won’t even feel it in your pocket. With slim phones, there is a pretty good chance that you will find the small keys cumbersome. The my214x, however, is a good example of a well designed keypad.

Talking about why I really chose this phone over the others — the FM. The my214x is being marketed exclusively as an FM phone. The company decided to pack the phone with 2.5mm earphone jack, and for good measure also bundled a 3.5mm converter jack too. This is really appreciated, since replacing headphones become that much more convenient.

If you are wondering about other features, you can read my review of the my214x . This alone should be enough to justify the cost of Rs. 2,799. But Sagem went one step ahead with bundling a pair of iball speakers free.

Specs

| Sagem bleu my214x

| | Physical | 103 x 44.5 x 15.4mm, 69g
| | Display | 265 k, 128 x 128 CSTN
| | Memory | 240 Kb
| | Camera | No
| | Connectivity | USB | | Battery | Up to 300 hours stand by, 3 hours talk time (according to product manual) | | Street Price | Rs. 2,799 |

__PAGEBREAK__
Motorola RADIOMOTO W209
This baby here made it to the list purely due to the FM. You might not agree with some of what it can offer, but the W209 can’t be out of the league if FM phones are what we are talking about.

In essence, the two phones (my214x and W209) are quite similar (Heck! They even look pretty similar to me). The W209 too comes with a 2.5mm jack, and if you are willing; the 3.5mm converter can be bought in any audio hardware shop for about Rs. 100.

Great care has been taken in designing the phone, which is good, considering the price. By this I mean that the finish is quite robust and sturdy. Now the FM quality of the phone is brilliant, as Shayne (who reviewed it) will tell you.

The phone has good FM reception, and picks up pretty well even while you are traveling. The W209 has dimensions of 108 x 44 x 14.9 mm and weighs 78g. Technically, this makes the W209 a bit heavier than the my214x, but trust me it’s negligible.

Specs

| Motorola RADIOMOTP W209

__PAGEBREAK__
Sony Ericsson J230i
One of the major complaints I have always had with Sony Ericsson phones is that the battery life really sucks! And I daresay, I have indeed used a lot of SE phones. The J230i, however, is not one to disappoint you. The fact that SE phones manage to let me down on so many occasions warrants a mention that the battery life of the J230i is good. It will surely give you 7 hours of talk time.

Talking about its FM playing capabilities, I’m sure a lot of J230i users will agree with me when I say that this phone is indeed one of the best FM phones available. The phone really doesn’t have too much meat on it, and it’s a basic phone with a few tricks up its sleeves. It picks up all the stations and stores it for you. And you are ready to go.

At 102 x 44 x 18 mm and 84 g, the phone is an ideal companion to meddle with some radio waves. The phone has a 65k color STN screen, which might get a bit tedious to work with in broad daylight. However, the phone supports GPRS. And the price? Only Rs. 2650.

Specs

| Sony Ericsson J230i