Ages and ages ago, I did a post on the top ultra-super-mega-dirt cheap mobile phones on the planet. You remember, the one where the old Sony Ericsson J110 won. Well, that list was of the absolute low-end budget mobile phones, the phones for people who want ‘em simple, cheap and really nice to use. That’s why I only picked phones without a long list of features (or, with most of them on that list, without a feature).
But what about people who want their mobile phone to be cheap, but powerful? What if you want a mobile phone that does have features, but still has a low price?
So, I don my Zorro mask, and whip out my mighty shield of justice… sorry, got carried away there… I don my Technical Markus spectacles, and contemplate the best ‘feature’ mobile phones you can get for a decent price. And yes, as superheroes go, it’s a bit bobbins compared to Superman, who can fire lasers from his eyes, but can he save you cash, eh, eh?
I think not…
Oh, and just like the super-cheap phone challenge, there are two criteria for judging these babies:
1. Must cost less than £100.
2. Must be the best at what they do, in that price bracket.
So, without further ado, here they are:
Camera phones
We’ve all seen super top-end camera phones like the Sony Ericsson C905, but what if you want a camera phone that’s got good performance, takes stonking good pictures, but comes in at under £100? Well, believe it or not, there’s a 5 megapixel phone in that price range: the Samsung G600 which is, let’s be honest, incredibly sexy. And it’s a got a 5 megapixel camera, which I know from experience (one of my mates had one) takes stunningly good photos (which yes, DO look better when it’s cost you less than a hundred quid to be able to take them)!
Music phones
There’s an easy winner in this category, since it won Phone Of The Year at this year’s Mobile World Congress… the best music phone for under £100 has to be the Sony Ericsson W910i. Not only is it a Walkman mobile phone (and you just know that means awesome music playback), but it’s a Walkman phone with Shake Control (or Jiggly Control as I tend to call it) and SensMe (something dreamed up by wizards), and it’s a fabulous all-round phone, too.
Fashion phones
Ah, fashion boutique mobile phones, traditionally the realm of people who want the best looking phone, and money’s no object. That’s why they’re willing to drop 750 notes on a Nokia 8800 Sapphire. Thing is, though, there are fashion phones that come in under £100, and although they’re not going to have diamond-encrusted shells, or premium finish steel bodies, they’re still catwalk-gorgeous mobile phones. The best? well, it’s going to be subjective, since it’s based on looks, but I reckon you can’t top the Samsung U800 Soulb, which is just mouth-watering, has an incredible screen, and actually does have a metallic finish. And isn’t £750. So it beats the Sapphire any day…
Other Mobile Phones
The final category is other, or, in other words, mobile phones that I can’t figure out where else they’ll fit. It was going to be smartphones, but since no-one actually does a smartphone for less than £100, that kinda scuppered that idea… still, adopt, adapt and improve, and that’s why this final section is an outstanding phone that doesn’t really fit in any other category. It’s designed not to be cute or to take magazine quality pictures, or any of that. It’s designed to survive impacts with comets, to shrug off water, to laugh in the face of danger. And no, it’s not the JCB phone, before you say it. It is in fact, the Samsung Solid. It may not be as tough as the JCB phone (but then, the moon isn’t as tough as the JCB phone), but it’s currently £130 cheaper, and since this challenge is about value, that’s why the Samsung Solid is here!
So, there you have it. If you want a top-end mobile phone, with top-end features, but want to pay less than a hundred quid, grab yourself one of these babies today!