Until a year or so ago, QWERTY keypads were pretty much the exclusive preserve of enterprise phones (generally BlackBerries, as seen in the picture), which generally came with a stiff price tag. However, the past few months have seen a number of cellphone manufacturers come out with mainstream devices that sport full QWERTY keypads. The reason for this popularity of QWERTY is simple - the increasing number of people who use social networks, IM and e-mail on the move, thus necessitating lots of text entries.The result of this QWERTY explosion has meant that today one can get a handset with a full QWERTY keypad for a very reasonable price. In fact, for even less than Rs 5,000!
Sounds difficult to believe? Then check out these five handsets. They may not be from the biggest brands in town and may not come with top-end specs but they sure offer a lot of QWERTY bang for less than five grand. ( Note: The prices are not MRPs but those that we have noted from different stores, so there might be a slight fluctuation from seller to seller).
The recent wave of phones with QWERTY keypads from the likes of Micromax, Samsung and LG, have made us wonder if one really needs a smartphone. If that sounds ridiculous, just consider the facts. The Micromax Facebook phone comes with a good QWERTY keypad and a decent screen, ability to access mail and social networks, browse the Internet, chat away merrily, and a reasonable, if not exceptional camera, topped off with storage of up to 8 GB. And all for less than Rs. 5,000! Similarly, the relatively more expensive high-end Corby throws in a touchscreen and a QWERTY, with Wi-Fi and GPS and a decent camera for around Rs 11,000. 
