The beginning of the year saw the launch of many an Android phone, but most of them were heavy on the pocket. The less costly smartphones that were available used to lack the full range of wireless connectivity that was found in the high-end smartphones.
But the end of the year has seen the launch of several Android smartphones with all options for connectivity and definitely a lot cheaper. However, such phones do compensate with a lower-megapixel camera, lower screen resolution and a slower processor.
In case, the lower specifications are not much of a hassle, then you can opt for one of the several phones listed below. Please note that the market price may differ from the launch price, and hence the prices are not listed below.
- Samsung Galaxy Ace: This is one of the best budget smartphones available in the Android market. It looks like the iPhone that gives it a stylish appearance. It has full-fledged connectivity options such as HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and even GPS to enable satellite navigation. It is also a full multimedia device with an FM tuner, a 3.5-inch HVGA screen and a camera with a resolution of 5-megapixels. In addition, the 160 MB of internal memory can be combined with up to 32 GB of external memory, in a microSD card slot, to give the user the option to choose the storage space as per his/her choice. It has an 800MHz processor and the latest version runs on the Gingerbread operating system. This makes it apt for some light gaming and is a wonderful mobile equipment for Web browsing.
- HTC Wildfire S: The phone is a cheap smartphone from the HTC stable. It has several color options, runs on the Android 2.3 operating system and has Sense UI. The downside is that the phone has a weak flash and no front camera for video calls. However, the bottom line is that the phone is one of the better smartphones, falls within the budget and does not compromise a lot on major features of a smartphone.
- Huawei Ideos X3: The Chinese manufacturer of smartphones initially began with budget phones and the trend continues with the Huawei Ideos X3. The phone is one of the better, cheap-smartphones and is sure to capture the market in the coming months. It operates on the Gingerbread or the Android 2.3 operating system and offers all the connectivity options.
- LG Optimus Chic (E720): This phone is a budget smartphone with similar features as the Optimus One (P500) such as a 3.2-inch HVGA screen, a 600MHz processor and a few extra features that make this phone slightly better than the older model.
- Sony Ericsson Xperia X8: This is an affordable smartphone that is stylishly designed and is very compact. The phone has some shortcomings such as a smaller screen size than other smartphones in the market, an interface that does not support consistent zooming, a camera that is very basic and a Web browser that does not support flash. Additionally, the phone has a very short battery life. However, this smartphone is apt for those who are trying out Android phones for the first time and require a great looking phone without having to pay a king’s ransom for the device.
Zune and iPod: Most people coamrpe the Zune to the Touch, but after seeing how slim and surprisingly small and light it is, I consider it to be a rather unique hybrid that combines qualities of both the Touch and the Nano. It’s very colorful and lovely OLED screen is slightly smaller than the touch screen, but the player itself feels quite a bit smaller and lighter. It weighs about 2/3 as much, and is noticeably smaller in width and height, while being just a hair thicker.