A friend just announced that she's buying an iPhone 5s. I squealed in alarm and told her no! But that didn't make a difference.

I told her it was a device that was now two generations old and she asked if it still made phone calls. I said yes of course. Does it still let you see your email? I said yes, obviously. Does it let you browse the web? Play a game of Candy Crush? I had to say yes, it does.

And does it take good photographs? Actually it takes outstanding photographs that beats most or all phones at that pricepoint.

The iPhone 5s does all that, and works with Apple's updated system, iOS 9. So what's the problem?

For someone who doesn't care about whether all apps are supported, whether Force Touch will work or not, and whether the newest iPhone is faster -- the iPhone 5s is a pretty good deal. My friend doesn't even want much space and is pretty happy with a 16GB version. It’s Rs 23,370 right now on Flipkart, in silver. Other versions cost differently depending on storage space and color.

Of course, there are newer, faster Android smartphones available for much less, but if you're not going to explore anything on a smartphone beyond the basics, why not opt for a phone still looks beautiful and has a fantastic build?

But wait. If you’re considering plonking down Rs 23k on a phone, the iPhone 5s is a great bet. But what are your other options, for the money?

If you're okay with considering choices from the Android camp, you have a few to compare with in each price bracket. Against the cheapest iPhone 5s, you could get the much sought-after OnePlus 2, a bigger phone from the current generation.

There's also the Qiku Q Terra, which is a large phone, beautiful, and topped up with power. If you don't want a large phone, you swing back to the iPhone 5s.

The iPhone was never about its specs, and most of them have remained hidden and un-trumpeted. The iPhone 5s may have just 1 GB of RAM, but that 1GB has never worked as well as it does in the 5s. The same spec on an Android phone would struggle. An iPhone doesn't age in the same way as an Android phone either, and that's something well-known.

Updating to iOS9 has been reported to slow the device a little, but those who don't stuff the phone with many apps and media say their iPhone 5s works just fine.

So yes, a new iPhone 5s (as opposed to a second-hand one) should stand you in good stead for up to two years. You're even getting a 1-year warranty, beyond which Apple service centers should be able to fix it at least for some problems.

(The author is a corporate consultant who likes her gadgets almost more than her shoes. Write to her at [email protected])

Tags : Apple iPhone 5s, Apple, OnePlus, QIKU Q Terra