How to use the Mobile Affordability Calculator

A simple, step-by-step guide that maps to the calculator fields and rules (10-2-6-20).

Open the calculator

Open the Mobile Affordability Calculator: Mobile Affordability Calculator.

Fields you will fill

  • Annual Salary (₹) — your yearly income before tax. Used to compute the 10% rule.
  • Mobile Price (₹) — total price of the phone.
  • Upfront Payment (₹) — amount you pay upfront; used to compute the upfront percentage.
  • EMI Tenure (months) — number of months for EMI (ideally ≤ 6 for this rule).
  • Planned Usage Duration (years) — how long you plan to keep the phone (≥2 recommended).

What the calculator shows

  • Price as % of Salary — phone price divided by annual salary (used for the 10% rule).
  • Upfront Payment % — upfront payment as a percent of price (used for the 20% rule).
  • Rules — pass/fail indicators for the 10% check (price), 20% upfront check, 6-month EMI check and 2-year usage check.
  • Final verdict — a plain-language recommendation summarising the rules.
  • Chart — a doughnut visual showing price% vs remaining budget.

Step-by-step

  1. Enter Annual Salary, Mobile Price and Upfront Payment in the clearly labeled fields.
  2. Set EMI Tenure (months) — keep it ≤ 6 to satisfy the short-tenure guideline for gadgets.
  3. Set Planned Usage Duration (years) — aim for ≥ 2 years to get reasonable value from the purchase.
  4. Click the Check Affordability button or watch the live updates — the results panel will refresh with pass/fail checks and a short verdict.

How to interpret results

  • If the price ≤ 10% of your annual salary, the price check passes and the phone is affordable by that rule.
  • If your upfront payment ≥ 20% of the price, the upfront-check passes and your loan burden is lower.
  • If EMI tenure ≤ 6 months, the short-tenure check passes — preferred for fast-depreciating gadgets.
  • If planned usage ≥ 2 years, the usage check passes — you get better value per rupee.
  • All pass: a green verdict suggests a reasonable purchase; any failing check suggests you should lower price, increase upfront or shorten tenure.

Quick examples

Example 1 — conservative buy: salary=₹600,000; price=₹50,000 (price% = 8.3% → passes 10%); upfront=₹15,000 (30% upfront → passes 20%); tenure=6; usage=2 → all pass.

Example 2 — risky buy: salary=₹300,000; price=₹50,000 (16.7% → fails 10%); upfront=₹5,000 (10% upfront → fails 20%); tenure=12 (fails 6-month rule) → not recommended.

Common mistakes

  • Using gross salary without considering other financial obligations — be conservative if you have loans.
  • Choosing long EMIs to lower monthly payment — remember total interest and longer commitment for a fast-depreciating item.
  • Not planning to use the phone for at least 2 years — frequent upgrades lower value per rupee.

Published: 19 August 2025 • Author: HeroZero