Which cheap(ish) Android is best?

Chrisfers · 25-11-2011, 19:26

Wonder if anyone can help. I'm looking at changing my Blackberry for an Android phone on PAYG, but budget is £200 max. Which is the best? Must be able to run flash well as I need to watch football via www.wiziwig,tv (bad man me). Thanks

captainkremmen · 27-11-2011, 00:42

Flash Player for mobile is quite resource hungry, so most budget Android phones don't support it or struggle to at least.

This is Adobe's list of tested and supported phones:
http://www.adobe.com/flashplatform/c...artphones.html
But as you can see, no budget phones on that list.

However, one not on the list that does support flash (although it is not pre-installed) is the Monte Carlo from Orange, which is currently available for around £120 with a £10 top up. The Monte Carlo has an active modding community too and can be rooted and other Android roms installed to get rid of all the Orange bloat, plus you can apparently install Flash from the Android Market.

Another contender might be the Orange San Francisco 2 at £99, as it has similar specs to the Monte Carlo (and is also from ZTE who make the Monte Carlo), but it's only just been released so there isn't much info about it yet.

If you are prepared to buy from Hong Kong, the Korean manufacturer Ezze Mobile Tech make phones under the Ezio name such as this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-EZIO-T...item1c214d5706
The specs look superb for that money, including a 1.2Ghz processor, 3D accelerated graphics, GPS, 3G, Wifi b/g/n, 4.3inch capacitive multi touch screen, 8Mp camera with flash, HD video recording, supports Adobe Flash straight out of the box, Dolby Music Player, etc. etc. It seems more like a phone that if sold by Samsung or HTC, would cost 4 or 5 hundred pounds.

Some Ezio phones are available in the US, although other than via Ebay they don't have any sales or support in the UK. So while it seems like a pretty high spec phone for the money, bear in mind you may not get much after sales support in the event of problems other than sending the phone back to Hong Kong. To be honest, I'm tempted myself as I could do with a new phone and am getting some cash for Christmas, but as it's a manufacturer unknown in the UK and has no UK support, I'm wary as I can't afford to lose £180 if it turns out to be a dog.

Note: You might recognise the Ezio brand from LCD monitors available in the UK, but they aren't the same company.

skimminstones · 27-11-2011, 10:24

the ad for that ezio phone is strange. Why dont they have a pic of the actual phone? All the pics there are using either samsungs, htc or sony ericssons launchers on them.

ShaunIOW · 27-11-2011, 11:21

The Motorola Defy+ looks pretty decent at £220 sim free.

call100 · 27-11-2011, 12:03

The new Samsung Galaxy W would fit your requirements.....Galaxy W a bargain here at the moment...

cavemanjames · 27-11-2011, 14:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chrisfers

Wonder if anyone can help. I'm looking at changing my Blackberry for an Android phone on PAYG, but budget is £200 max. Which is the best? Must be able to run flash well as I need to watch football via www.wiziwig,tv (bad man me). Thanks

If you're technically savvy, may I suggest going with the Orange Monte Carlo?

The only difference between the Orange Monte Carlo and the Orange San Francisco 2 (Or so I've heard) is the screen size, they're near enough identical in every other aspect.

The Orange Monte Carlo has been out for a few months and can now be unlocked to work with any network. Also, with a little searching around (I suggest using the ZTE Skate Modaco forums) you can find Flash player for it. Since the unlock, the community behind it has started growing quite a bit and there are currently 4 ROM's available from MoDaCo built specifically for the Orange Monte Carlo, including the all too famous Cyanogenmod ROM.

Then again... This is all if you think you're technically savvy/confident enough to flash important parts of the phone itself. There are easy to follow guides up now though.

It is around £119.99 + £10 top up from any Orange shop and online.

http://shop.orange.co.uk/mobile-phon...ge-monte-carlo

eypon · 27-11-2011, 14:59

Samsung Galaxy Apollo £80
HTC Wildfire S £150
Samsung Galaxy Ace £160
Samsung Galaxy W £230

wilt · 27-11-2011, 15:00

Buying an Android phone for <£200 is only going to end in tears...

cavemanjames · 27-11-2011, 15:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by wilt

Buying an Android phone for <£200 is only going to end in tears...

Why do you think that?

wilt · 27-11-2011, 15:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by cavemanjames

Why do you think that?

They're simply not that good.

Unless you start flashing custom ROMs and kernels, which may improve things to some extent...but it isn't advisable to suggest a phone to buy on the assumption that somebody is able to do these things.

skimminstones · 27-11-2011, 16:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by wilt

Buying an Android phone for <£200 is only going to end in tears...

bit of a generalisation there. There are some perfectly good phones under £200.

captainkremmen · 27-11-2011, 16:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by skimminstones

the ad for that ezio phone is strange. Why dont they have a pic of the actual phone? All the pics there are using either samsungs, htc or sony ericssons launchers on them.

Apparently it is a pic of the actual phone. It's either because the same company makes phones for those manufacturers, or more likely they have copied the design which isn't unusual for the far Eastern manufacturers. But until somebody buys one a reports on it we wont actually know. Like I said, it looks like a cracking deal but there's no way of knowing what the build quality is like and I'm wary of possibly buying a pig in a poke for £180 and having no real comeback. I suppose the only saving grace is that the Tech Plus store has excellent and consistent feedback, but that doesn't mean an awful lot these days thanks to Ebays restrictions on feedback now.

captainkremmen · 27-11-2011, 16:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by wilt

They're simply not that good.

Unless you start flashing custom ROMs and kernels, which may improve things to some extent...but it isn't advisable to suggest a phone to buy on the assumption that somebody is able to do these things.

Why not?.

If all anybody wants is a basic smartphone that can do most, but not all the things a top end phone can do, then something like the Samsung Galaxy Ace or the HTC Wildfire S is perfectly reasonable. As long as you don't expect the performance of a £400 smartphone they might well be a good buy, and not everyone wants a contract or can afford £400 for a phone.

wilt · 27-11-2011, 16:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by skimminstones

bit of a generalisation there. There are some perfectly good phones under £200.

I suppose it depends on what your definition of good is. In my opinion, buying a smartphone for under £200 is the same as buying a laptop for under £400. It simply isn't a good idea.

Yes, it's going to work. But is it going to work well? Nope.

Quote:

Originally Posted by captainkremmen

As long as you don't expect the performance of a £400 smartphone

Ah, you're assuming that people are reasonable and expect to get what they pay for. This rarely happens in my experience.

skimminstones · 27-11-2011, 16:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by wilt

I suppose it depends on what your definition of good is. In my opinion, buying a smartphone for under £200 is the same as buying a laptop for under £400. It simply isn't a good idea.

Yes, it's going to work. But is it going to work well? Nope.

my laptop was under 400 pound and works perfectly well and has done for 2 years now

the wildfire s, xperia x8, galaxy ace etc...are all perfectly good phones under 200 quid too.

In my opinion

captainkremmen · 27-11-2011, 17:25

Another budget Android handset that might be worth of consideration is the newly launched T-Mobile Vivacity, which according to some reviewers is just the Orange San Francisco 2 in a very Iphone looking case. It's also made by ZTE and the feature list is identical to the SF2.:
https://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/pay-...ty-black-payg/

At only £99 (plus a mandatory £10 topup) it of course, wont have the performance of an Iphone, the Galasy S2 or even the Galaxy W mentioned above, but as a basic smartphone it seems to tick all the boxes and it's almost a quarter of the price of the likes of the big, expensive boys. The processor is only 800mhz though, so it may struggle to run Flash smoothly if at all (Flash isn't natively included so will have to be downloaded from the Android market).

25-11-2011, 19:26	#1
Chrisfers Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: West Midlands Posts: 22	Which cheap(ish) Android is best? Wonder if anyone can help. I'm looking at changing my Blackberry for an Android phone on PAYG, but budget is £200 max. Which is the best? Must be able to run flash well as I need to watch football via www.wiziwig,tv (bad man me). Thanks

27-11-2011, 00:42	#2
captainkremmen Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: DAVEVILLE, Daveshire DA1 1VE Posts: 33,621	Flash Player for mobile is quite resource hungry, so most budget Android phones don't support it or struggle to at least. This is Adobe's list of tested and supported phones: http://www.adobe.com/flashplatform/c...artphones.html But as you can see, no budget phones on that list. However, one not on the list that does support flash (although it is not pre-installed) is the Monte Carlo from Orange, which is currently available for around £120 with a £10 top up. The Monte Carlo has an active modding community too and can be rooted and other Android roms installed to get rid of all the Orange bloat, plus you can apparently install Flash from the Android Market. Another contender might be the Orange San Francisco 2 at £99, as it has similar specs to the Monte Carlo (and is also from ZTE who make the Monte Carlo), but it's only just been released so there isn't much info about it yet. If you are prepared to buy from Hong Kong, the Korean manufacturer Ezze Mobile Tech make phones under the Ezio name such as this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-EZIO-T...item1c214d5706 The specs look superb for that money, including a 1.2Ghz processor, 3D accelerated graphics, GPS, 3G, Wifi b/g/n, 4.3inch capacitive multi touch screen, 8Mp camera with flash, HD video recording, supports Adobe Flash straight out of the box, Dolby Music Player, etc. etc. It seems more like a phone that if sold by Samsung or HTC, would cost 4 or 5 hundred pounds. Some Ezio phones are available in the US, although other than via Ebay they don't have any sales or support in the UK. So while it seems like a pretty high spec phone for the money, bear in mind you may not get much after sales support in the event of problems other than sending the phone back to Hong Kong. To be honest, I'm tempted myself as I could do with a new phone and am getting some cash for Christmas, but as it's a manufacturer unknown in the UK and has no UK support, I'm wary as I can't afford to lose £180 if it turns out to be a dog. Note: You might recognise the Ezio brand from LCD monitors available in the UK, but they aren't the same company.

27-11-2011, 10:24	#3
skimminstones Inactive Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 8,186	the ad for that ezio phone is strange. Why dont they have a pic of the actual phone? All the pics there are using either samsungs, htc or sony ericssons launchers on them.

27-11-2011, 11:21	#4
ShaunIOW Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Isle of Wight Posts: 7,828	The Motorola Defy+ looks pretty decent at £220 sim free.

27-11-2011, 12:03	#5
call100 Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 6,572	The new Samsung Galaxy W would fit your requirements.....Galaxy W a bargain here at the moment...

27-11-2011, 14:43	#6
cavemanjames Guest Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 617	Quote: Originally Posted by Chrisfers Wonder if anyone can help. I'm looking at changing my Blackberry for an Android phone on PAYG, but budget is £200 max. Which is the best? Must be able to run flash well as I need to watch football via www.wiziwig,tv (bad man me). Thanks If you're technically savvy, may I suggest going with the Orange Monte Carlo? The only difference between the Orange Monte Carlo and the Orange San Francisco 2 (Or so I've heard) is the screen size, they're near enough identical in every other aspect. The Orange Monte Carlo has been out for a few months and can now be unlocked to work with any network. Also, with a little searching around (I suggest using the ZTE Skate Modaco forums) you can find Flash player for it. Since the unlock, the community behind it has started growing quite a bit and there are currently 4 ROM's available from MoDaCo built specifically for the Orange Monte Carlo, including the all too famous Cyanogenmod ROM. Then again... This is all if you think you're technically savvy/confident enough to flash important parts of the phone itself. There are easy to follow guides up now though. It is around £119.99 + £10 top up from any Orange shop and online. http://shop.orange.co.uk/mobile-phon...ge-monte-carlo

27-11-2011, 14:59	#7
eypon Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Aberdeen Posts: 326	Samsung Galaxy Apollo £80 HTC Wildfire S £150 Samsung Galaxy Ace £160 Samsung Galaxy W £230

27-11-2011, 15:00	#8
wilt Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Potterspury Posts: 930	Buying an Android phone for <£200 is only going to end in tears...

27-11-2011, 15:16	#9
cavemanjames Guest Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 617	Quote: Originally Posted by wilt Buying an Android phone for <£200 is only going to end in tears... Why do you think that?

27-11-2011, 15:33	#10
wilt Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Potterspury Posts: 930	Quote: Originally Posted by cavemanjames Why do you think that? They're simply not that good. Unless you start flashing custom ROMs and kernels, which may improve things to some extent...but it isn't advisable to suggest a phone to buy on the assumption that somebody is able to do these things.

27-11-2011, 16:37	#11
skimminstones Inactive Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 8,186	Quote: Originally Posted by wilt Buying an Android phone for <£200 is only going to end in tears... bit of a generalisation there. There are some perfectly good phones under £200.

27-11-2011, 16:38	#12
captainkremmen Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: DAVEVILLE, Daveshire DA1 1VE Posts: 33,621	Quote: Originally Posted by skimminstones the ad for that ezio phone is strange. Why dont they have a pic of the actual phone? All the pics there are using either samsungs, htc or sony ericssons launchers on them. Apparently it is a pic of the actual phone. It's either because the same company makes phones for those manufacturers, or more likely they have copied the design which isn't unusual for the far Eastern manufacturers. But until somebody buys one a reports on it we wont actually know. Like I said, it looks like a cracking deal but there's no way of knowing what the build quality is like and I'm wary of possibly buying a pig in a poke for £180 and having no real comeback. I suppose the only saving grace is that the Tech Plus store has excellent and consistent feedback, but that doesn't mean an awful lot these days thanks to Ebays restrictions on feedback now.

27-11-2011, 16:40	#13
captainkremmen Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: DAVEVILLE, Daveshire DA1 1VE Posts: 33,621	Quote: Originally Posted by wilt They're simply not that good. Unless you start flashing custom ROMs and kernels, which may improve things to some extent...but it isn't advisable to suggest a phone to buy on the assumption that somebody is able to do these things. Why not?. If all anybody wants is a basic smartphone that can do most, but not all the things a top end phone can do, then something like the Samsung Galaxy Ace or the HTC Wildfire S is perfectly reasonable. As long as you don't expect the performance of a £400 smartphone they might well be a good buy, and not everyone wants a contract or can afford £400 for a phone.

27-11-2011, 16:43	#14
wilt Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Potterspury Posts: 930	Quote: Originally Posted by skimminstones bit of a generalisation there. There are some perfectly good phones under £200. I suppose it depends on what your definition of good is. In my opinion, buying a smartphone for under £200 is the same as buying a laptop for under £400. It simply isn't a good idea. Yes, it's going to work. But is it going to work well? Nope. Quote: Originally Posted by captainkremmen As long as you don't expect the performance of a £400 smartphone Ah, you're assuming that people are reasonable and expect to get what they pay for. This rarely happens in my experience.

27-11-2011, 16:55	#15
skimminstones Inactive Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 8,186	Quote: Originally Posted by wilt I suppose it depends on what your definition of good is. In my opinion, buying a smartphone for under £200 is the same as buying a laptop for under £400. It simply isn't a good idea. Yes, it's going to work. But is it going to work well? Nope. my laptop was under 400 pound and works perfectly well and has done for 2 years now the wildfire s, xperia x8, galaxy ace etc...are all perfectly good phones under 200 quid too. In my opinion

27-11-2011, 17:25	#16
captainkremmen Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: DAVEVILLE, Daveshire DA1 1VE Posts: 33,621	Another budget Android handset that might be worth of consideration is the newly launched T-Mobile Vivacity, which according to some reviewers is just the Orange San Francisco 2 in a very Iphone looking case. It's also made by ZTE and the feature list is identical to the SF2.: https://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/pay-...ty-black-payg/ At only £99 (plus a mandatory £10 topup) it of course, wont have the performance of an Iphone, the Galasy S2 or even the Galaxy W mentioned above, but as a basic smartphone it seems to tick all the boxes and it's almost a quarter of the price of the likes of the big, expensive boys. The processor is only 800mhz though, so it may struggle to run Flash smoothly if at all (Flash isn't natively included so will have to be downloaded from the Android market).

DS Forums

Which cheap(ish) Android is best?