Huawei Ascend G300
Huawei's first major do-it-yourself smartphone release is a surprising gem of a blower, particularly in terms of display. While some rivals also feature resolutions of 480 x 800, none of them boast the G300's 16m colour palette, a trait that brings real vibrancy to its 4in screen.
The handset also dominates the budget blower category in terms of processing power, thanks to its current-gen 1GHz S1 chip, usually reserved for more mid-range priced devices. Running Android 2.3 Gingerbread it's extremely responsive, without a twitch. Even though there's no front-facing camera for video calls, the G300 raises the bar with what to expect when spending less than £100 on your blower. It's a little weight at 140g but it doesn't get much better than this for the money.
Reg Rating 90%
Price £100
More info Huawei
Huawei Ascend Y100
This O2 exclusive fails to match up to its companion caller above, which costs just £20 more. The 2.8in capacitive display lacks sharpness at 320 x 240 pixels and remains too small, making text messaging fiddly and media consumption hard to chew. Don't even get me started on gaming with displays like this.
With its current S1 800MHz processor, it's responsive and fairly streamlined in operation, in all but with its lead-footed Internet browsing, due to the handset's sub-par HSPA 3G speeds. With a 2Mp camera to boot, the Y100 oozes budget at every corner. Yet the Y100's saving grace is that those who buy the device before the end of August 2012 can order a free back cover, customised with the photo of their choice. Tacky awesomeness.
Reg Rating 65%
Price £70
More info O2
Next page: LG Optimus L3
COMMENTS
Re: T-mobile Vivacity
Crap? Only if you're taking the same standpoint as someone who drives a high end car and looks down on those in hatchbacks. Given the difference in price versus the difference in performance/features a budget smartphone is an eminently sensible choice for those with a slimmer discretionary wad.
This may come as a bit of a shock, but, well, not everyone wants a bloody iPhone.
Re: Spend a little more.
And I would agree with you 100% if it weren't for the lack of MicroSD card suppport in the U. That just kills it for me. How can you really use it as a smartphone with only around 6GB? Most of the uses that define a smartphone require large amounts of storage.
Thought
Most of them seem to have been based on a rounded rectangle shape. Are they really iPhones in disguise ?
Erm... the 'going rate' for a two year old 3GS is still in the region of £150.
