Best budget mobile phones
- — 24 August, 2010 14:00
Paying less for a mobile phone doesn't mean you should be forced to skimp on features, and the good news is, many budget phones now have capabilities well beyond what you would expect given their price tags.
Whether it's accessing your social network profiles, downloading apps, or sending and receiving e-mails, many mobile phones with entry-level price points offer great features — even some prepaid handsets. Keep in mind that the main trade offs when it comes to cheaper, entry-level phones come in the form of a smaller screen with a low resolution, or a plastic body rather than metal.
If you're buying your mobile phone outright, we've limited our selection to phones that retail for $500 or under. And if you're purchasing it on a plan, we've opted for phones that are available for $0 upfront on $29 plans and under. Note that some phones in our list may list an RRP higher than $500 — in this case, these are definitely available on $29 plans and under through one or more Australian telcos: Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, 3 or Virgin Mobile.
6 / 11
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HTC Wildfire
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Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Mini Pro
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RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520
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LG GW620
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Nokia N97 mini
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Garmin-Asus A10
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LG Optimus
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Motorola Quench
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Nokia C5
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Samsung GenoA (C3510)
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Motorola DEXT
The Garmin-Asus A10 is far from the best Android smartphone available in Australia, but its excellent navigation software and low price make it great value for money. If you're on a strict budget, there aren't many phones at this price point that can match it.
- Review Date:
- Reviewer:
- Manufacturer:
- 5th July, 2010
- Ross Catanzariti
- Garmin-Asus
- Rating:
- Price:
- $ 459.00
- Pros:
- Excellent navigation capabilities, included accessories, 4GB internal memory, multitouch, great value for money
- Cons:
- Screen isn't always completely responsive, sluggish at times, interface lacks polish, widget home screens not immediately accessible, battery life
