Mobile Affordability Calculator Guide

Use this guide alongside the calculator to quickly test a phone purchase against four simple affordability checks: 10% of salary, 20% upfront, ≤ 6 months EMI and ≥ 2 years usage.

Open the calculator #

Launch the Mobile Affordability Calculator. The results area updates live as you change inputs.

Fields you will fill #

1. Annual Salary (₹): gross yearly income (basis for 10% cap).
2. Mobile Price (₹): total device price (MRP or negotiated).
3. Upfront Payment (₹): cash you pay now; higher lowers EMI strain.
4. EMI Tenure (months): planned instalment length (keep ≤ 6).
5. Planned Usage Duration (years): how long you intend to keep the phone (target ≥ 2).

What the calculator shows #

1. Price % of Salary: price ÷ annual salary (10% guideline).
2. Upfront %: upfront ÷ price (aim ≥ 20%).
3. Rules panel: pass / fail badges for each check.
4. Final verdict: concise recommendation summarising gaps.
5. Chart: visual slice of price% vs remaining salary.

Step-by-step #

1. Enter Salary, Price and Upfront amount.
2. Pick EMI Tenure (≤ 6 to satisfy rapid payoff).
3. Set Usage Duration (≥ 2 for value retention).
4. Review the live rule statuses and verdict; iterate inputs if needed.

How to interpret results #

1. Price ≤ 10%: cost proportion is healthy.
2. Upfront ≥ 20%: reduces financing exposure.
3. EMI ≤ 6 months: quick payoff on depreciating asset.
4. Usage ≥ 2 years: better value per rupee.
5. All pass: green verdict; any fail suggests adjust price, upfront, or tenure.

Quick examples #

Common mistakes #

1. Ignoring other EMIs / obligations when applying the 10% rule.
2. Extending EMI purely to shrink monthly outflow; interest + commitment risk.
3. Upgrading annually — erodes value per rupee rapidly.