Top five phones from under £15004 February 2011
We've picked out our five favourite handsets that won't break the bank
ZTE Racer
An Android phone for under a £100? ZTE shows it can be done with the bargain fuelled ZTE Racer. Its dinky pebble like design means it fits snuggly in your hand and pocket, while the feature set is not to be sniffed out either. Not only do you get an above average 3.15-megapixel camera complete with auto-focus and video recording abilities, it's also equipped with both Wi-Fi and HSDPA meaning speedy browsing and near flawless video streaming. There's even A-GPS thrown into the mix for all your navigational needs. The 2.8-inch touch-screen display may not be the most vivid or the most tactile, but again we'll repeat, this is an Android 2.1 handset for under £100.
PRICE: £99.99 from Three
Size: 102x55x14.5mm
Weight: 100g
Internet: Wi-Fi, HSDPA
OS: Android 2.1
Camera: 3.15-megapixel camera, auto-focus
Talktime: 210 minutes
Standby: 200 hours
Samsung Galaxy Europa
The Samsung Galaxy S was one of our phones of the year in 2010 but it comes at a cost. A cheaper alternative is the Galaxy Europa which while without the higher end features still offers the Android experience. Samsung has maintained a capacitive touch-screen, when resistive screens are far more commonplace on a handset of this calibre, while the inclusion of Wi-Fi is another feather in the Europa's cap. It may be lacking the 1GHz processor found on its bigger brother, but the 600MHz chip means it's no slouch either and with an impressive battery life and eye-catching design, the Samsung Europa is a great introduction to the Galaxy family.
PRICE: £112.33 from O2
Size: 108x56x12.3mm
Weight: 102g
Internet: Wi-Fi, HSDPA
OS: Android 2.1
Camera: Two-megapixels
Talktime: 390 minutes
Standby: 375 hours
BlackBerry Curve 852
While we're fans of RIM's SureType keyboards found on the Pearl range, you can't beat a good old fashioned QWERTY keyboard. This is exactly why we love the BlackBerry Curve 8520. The keys are expertly spaced apart and are raised enough so that you can easily determine them apart. It makes for a quick fire typing process whether you're composing texts, emails or simply updating your Facebook status. The connectivity speeds rely on an EDGE connection, but the inclusion of Wi-Fi is another welcome addition, and you can of course sync multiple email accounts, receiving your correspondence as push. The 2.64-inch TFT display may be too small for some people's requirements, particularly if you're heavy internet users, but if you're after a QWERTY keyboard toting BlackBerry and don't fancy splashing out on the more expensive Bold 9780, then the BlackBerry Curve 8520 is great value for your buck.
PRICE: £129.95 from Orange
Size: 109x60x13.9mm
Weight: 106g
Internet: Wi-Fi, EDGE
OS: BlackBerry OS 5
Camera: Two megapixels
Talktime: 270 minutes
Standby: 408 hours
HTC Smart
Good looks are at the heart of this smartphone pretender. It's a real head-turner, but manages this feat in a subtle rather than brash manner. For example, the four physical buttons found at the bottom of the handset are framed in the same anodized black as the rest of the front facing fascia. The back of the handset is constructed in such a way that it looks as though it is actually made of aluminum, when in fact it is plastic. Though it runs on Qualcomm's unfamiliar Brew operating system, it's easy to master and you can customize each of the home screens to your liking. It may be lacking on some key features - there's no Wi-Fi or GPS - but for value for money, the HTC Smart is a real winner.
PRICE: £69.99 from Argos
Size: 104x55x12.8mm
Weight: 108g
Internet: HSDPA
OS: Brew
Camera: 3.15-megapixels
Talktime: 370 minutes
Standby: 600 hours
Orange San Francisco
Throw in a 3.5-inch capacitive touch-screen, Android 2.1, Wi-Fi, GPS and HSDPA and it's already sounding like the Orange San Francisco is onto being a winner. Yet add the £99 price tag into the mix and this stands out as a real contender. The matt rubber chassis may account for some of the reason as to how Orange has kept cost to a minimum, but this material fails to deter from the handsets fetching looks. The 3.5-inch display makes for a pleasurable browsing and sat nav experience, and though we weren't enamoured with the unnecessary preloaded Orange apps, you can of course pimp the San Francisco out with any number of applications from the Google Android Market.
PRICE: £99 from Orange
Size: 116x56.5x11.8 mm
Weight: 110g
Internet: Wi-Fi, HSDPA
OS: Android 2.1
Camera: 3.2-megapixels, LED flash, auto-focus
Talktime: 240 minutes
Standby: 192 hours
For up to date PAC Code news
Sign up to our newsletter!
