The best pay as you go phone....???

Gary Brenton · 18-01-2012, 23:09

This question has probably been asked more times than there are threads on the subject...but I am looking to spend between £70 - £120 on a near decent phone, and I know there are some serious phone buffs on here who know exactly whats what...

I am not looking for a pocket PC.... just a phone that will meet my requirements. I have been looking at a few and found good and bad results on several which is just confusing. (please...no Blackberrys

)

My specifications are as follows:

1: The camera must be over 3MP (preferably 5MP or above) and MUST have a flash.

2: Video quality must be 30 FPS (or above)

3: It must be E-Mail compatible and also compatible with Youtube and social networking sites with ease.

4: I prefer the old key pad type as oppose to touch screen...but i am aware I am limited with this so I would opt for touch screen if the remainder of the phone matches my requirements.

I have been looking at two phones so far which did take my interest until I noticed very mixed views. They are the LG Viewty snap and the Samsung Galaxy S5670.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated....

the sandman · 18-01-2012, 23:17

I've got a Samsung Galaxy S2 on pay as you go.

Gary Brenton · 19-01-2012, 00:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by the sandman

I've got a Samsung Galaxy S2 on pay as you go.

I think you misread my price limits... I did mention my maximum limit was £120...not £520...

Axegrinder91 · 19-01-2012, 00:39

Have a look a the Orange San Francisco 2 or T-Mobile vivacity, inside they are the same phone but have different cases.

call100 · 19-01-2012, 00:47

O2 are doing the Samsung Galaxy Ace on pay as you go for £129 if you can stretch the extra tenner. Touch screen phone that should meet your requirements except the Video is not brilliant. At this price though....? Still shots are good on the 5Mp Camera.

Gary Brenton · 19-01-2012, 01:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Axegrinder91

Have a look a the Orange San Francisco 2 or T-Mobile vivacity, inside they are the same phone but have different cases.

I did consider this at one point...but the reviews put me off just a little bit... http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/mobile-pho...view-50001481/

Gary Brenton · 19-01-2012, 01:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by call100

O2 are doing the Samsung Galaxy Ace on pay as you go for £129 if you can stretch the extra tenner. Touch screen phone that should meet your requirements except the Video is not brilliant. At this price though....? Still shots are good on the 5Mp Camera.

I do actually like this phone... and it does tick my preference boxes....(well most of them) - I ain't gonna watch Eastenders whilst shopping in Tesco that's for sure so the BBC i Player is irrelevant anyway...but reading the specs on this, i Am quite impressed by the price and it is worth maybe paying that bit extra...definately...

As long as the video is not like a slow robotics movie, thats good enough for me

I will definately make a note of this one and certainly consider it

http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/mobile-pho...view-50002651/

scooby1970 · 19-01-2012, 08:38

I managed to get the awesome HTC Chacha for £120 unlocked from Carphone Warehouse. Not sure if its gone back up to £190 or so, if it hasn't I think you'll be impressed. It fills all your needs and has the best "real" keys on any phone at the moment.

Mark

grumpyoldbat · 19-01-2012, 11:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by scooby1970

I managed to get the awesome HTC Chacha for £120 unlocked from Carphone Warehouse. Not sure if its gone back up to £190 or so, if it hasn't I think you'll be impressed. It fills all your needs and has the best "real" keys on any phone at the moment.

Mark

This was going to be my suggestion too. Pretty sure I'd seen it for £129 recently on PAYG. Does all the social networks, email, decent camera w. flash and running Android Gingerbread (2.3.5) which is the last Android phone OS before Ice Cream Sandwich. It also has a brilliant keyboard. Reminiscent of the old Treo devices - really useable.

CPW link - it's SIM free, so you can choose your own SIM package:

http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/mob...P&promo=GLSHOP

fmradiotuner1 · 19-01-2012, 12:05

This one looks really good

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pho...1019111/review

Gary Brenton · 19-01-2012, 18:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by grumpyoldbat

This was going to be my suggestion too. Pretty sure I'd seen it for £129 recently on PAYG. Does all the social networks, email, decent camera w. flash and running Android Gingerbread (2.3.5) which is the last Android phone OS before Ice Cream Sandwich. It also has a brilliant keyboard. Reminiscent of the old Treo devices - really useable.

CPW link - it's SIM free, so you can choose your own SIM package:

http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/mob...P&promo=GLSHOP

The thing I adore about this phone is the key pad...and the fact that all the keys are not rammed together, the reviews seem great as well... definately in my top 5 shortlist...thx..

grumpyoldbat · 19-01-2012, 21:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Brenton

The thing I adore about this phone is the key pad...and the fact that all the keys are not rammed together, the reviews seem great as well... definately in my top 5 shortlist...thx..

It's really very useable. I can type pretty quickly on it, which is great for replying to email.

Gary Brenton · 20-01-2012, 00:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by grumpyoldbat

It's really very useable. I can type pretty quickly on it, which is great for replying to email.

I think it's the only phone with a decent key configuration (non touch screen keys/tabs) which makes it easy to type.HTC seem to be the only manufacturers who have seriously taken this into consideration...yet this design should be the top of every manufacturers design list. There are a few phones that boast this similar style (but far less quality build) with the keys so close together that it is impossible to type accurately without conflicting with other keys.

What is the video recording like on this ? I am warming to this phone very much the more I read about it. I know someone who has a HTC Wildfire and I am aware the battery life is quite poor...not saying that this is the case with this specific model though

grumpyoldbat · 20-01-2012, 09:02

The video is 30fps, but it's not HD or anything like that. It's fine for quick FB or YouTube type videos though.

Gary Brenton · 21-01-2012, 00:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by grumpyoldbat

The video is 30fps, but it's not HD or anything like that. It's fine for quick FB or YouTube type videos though.

30FPS is ideal...and far better than the usual 15FPS.... I am hotting to this phone...absolutely....

scooby1970 · 21-01-2012, 12:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Brenton

30FPS is ideal...and far better than the usual 15FPS.... I am hotting to this phone...absolutely....

I've come from a HTC Desire to the Chacha and I'm loving it much more. The keyboard makes a huge difference, and the pixel density of the screen means everything looks better than ever. You really won't regret getting it, its genuinly a tremendous piece of kit... And that Facebook button... Mmmm, so cool if like me you love your updates.

Mark

TheBigM · 21-01-2012, 13:11

I also suggest HTC ChaCha

cabby22 · 21-01-2012, 14:44

Gary, I'm putting a Samsung Galaxy S5670 on eBay tomorrow. Bought it on 12 Jun. Prefer my Samsung S3100

Mr. Cool · 21-01-2012, 14:57

Orange San Francisco II (ZTE Crescent) Is available for £100.

Gary Brenton · 22-01-2012, 00:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by scooby1970

I've come from a HTC Desire to the Chacha and I'm loving it much more. The keyboard makes a huge difference, and the pixel density of the screen means everything looks better than ever. You really won't regret getting it, its genuinly a tremendous piece of kit... And that Facebook button... Mmmm, so cool if like me you love your updates.

Mark

Having checked out the price of the Cha Cha... the price has increased significantly to £199.99 again... of which is above my budget unfortunately. I have checked out the usual phone shops (and my area is full of them) and they now all retail at the same price...

grumpyoldbat · 22-01-2012, 09:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Brenton

Having checked out the price of the Cha Cha... the price has increased significantly to £199.99 again... of which is above my budget unfortunately. I have checked out the usual phone shops (and my area is full of them) and they now all retail at the same price...

Buy from the Carphone Warehouse online using the link I posted above. That's still £119.95!!! It's SIM free, so then you can just get a PAYG SIM or SIM only cheap contract and pop it in. The phone will detect the network and put the settings in itself.

scooby1970 · 22-01-2012, 10:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by grumpyoldbat

Buy from the Carphone Warehouse online using the link I posted above. That's still £119.95!!! It's SIM free, so then you can just get a PAYG SIM or SIM only cheap contract and pop it in. The phone will detect the network and put the settings in itself.

Which is what I did, and it works a treat!

Mark

18-01-2012, 23:09	#1
Gary Brenton Inactive Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Walsall (West Midlands) Posts: 637	The best pay as you go phone....??? This question has probably been asked more times than there are threads on the subject...but I am looking to spend between £70 - £120 on a near decent phone, and I know there are some serious phone buffs on here who know exactly whats what... I am not looking for a pocket PC.... just a phone that will meet my requirements. I have been looking at a few and found good and bad results on several which is just confusing. (please...no Blackberrys ) My specifications are as follows: 1: The camera must be over 3MP (preferably 5MP or above) and MUST have a flash. 2: Video quality must be 30 FPS (or above) 3: It must be E-Mail compatible and also compatible with Youtube and social networking sites with ease. 4: I prefer the old key pad type as oppose to touch screen...but i am aware I am limited with this so I would opt for touch screen if the remainder of the phone matches my requirements. I have been looking at two phones so far which did take my interest until I noticed very mixed views. They are the LG Viewty snap and the Samsung Galaxy S5670. Any advice would be greatly appreciated....

18-01-2012, 23:17	#2
the sandman Forum Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 602	I've got a Samsung Galaxy S2 on pay as you go.

19-01-2012, 00:16	#3
Gary Brenton Inactive Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Walsall (West Midlands) Posts: 637	Quote: Originally Posted by the sandman I've got a Samsung Galaxy S2 on pay as you go. I think you misread my price limits... I did mention my maximum limit was £120...not £520...

19-01-2012, 00:39	#4
Axegrinder91 Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Nottingham Posts: 353	Have a look a the Orange San Francisco 2 or T-Mobile vivacity, inside they are the same phone but have different cases.

19-01-2012, 00:47	#5
call100 Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 6,572	O2 are doing the Samsung Galaxy Ace on pay as you go for £129 if you can stretch the extra tenner. Touch screen phone that should meet your requirements except the Video is not brilliant. At this price though....? Still shots are good on the 5Mp Camera.

19-01-2012, 01:27	#6
Gary Brenton Inactive Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Walsall (West Midlands) Posts: 637	Quote: Originally Posted by Axegrinder91 Have a look a the Orange San Francisco 2 or T-Mobile vivacity, inside they are the same phone but have different cases. I did consider this at one point...but the reviews put me off just a little bit... http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/mobile-pho...view-50001481/

19-01-2012, 01:49	#7
Gary Brenton Inactive Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Walsall (West Midlands) Posts: 637	Quote: Originally Posted by call100 O2 are doing the Samsung Galaxy Ace on pay as you go for £129 if you can stretch the extra tenner. Touch screen phone that should meet your requirements except the Video is not brilliant. At this price though....? Still shots are good on the 5Mp Camera. I do actually like this phone... and it does tick my preference boxes....(well most of them) - I ain't gonna watch Eastenders whilst shopping in Tesco that's for sure so the BBC i Player is irrelevant anyway...but reading the specs on this, i Am quite impressed by the price and it is worth maybe paying that bit extra...definately... As long as the video is not like a slow robotics movie, thats good enough for me I will definately make a note of this one and certainly consider it http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/mobile-pho...view-50002651/

19-01-2012, 08:38	#8
scooby1970 Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Neath Posts: 2,468	I managed to get the awesome HTC Chacha for £120 unlocked from Carphone Warehouse. Not sure if its gone back up to £190 or so, if it hasn't I think you'll be impressed. It fills all your needs and has the best "real" keys on any phone at the moment. Mark

19-01-2012, 11:28	#9
grumpyoldbat Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 3,636	Quote: Originally Posted by scooby1970 I managed to get the awesome HTC Chacha for £120 unlocked from Carphone Warehouse. Not sure if its gone back up to £190 or so, if it hasn't I think you'll be impressed. It fills all your needs and has the best "real" keys on any phone at the moment. Mark This was going to be my suggestion too. Pretty sure I'd seen it for £129 recently on PAYG. Does all the social networks, email, decent camera w. flash and running Android Gingerbread (2.3.5) which is the last Android phone OS before Ice Cream Sandwich. It also has a brilliant keyboard. Reminiscent of the old Treo devices - really useable. CPW link - it's SIM free, so you can choose your own SIM package: http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/mob...P&promo=GLSHOP

19-01-2012, 12:05	#10
fmradiotuner1 Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: TheEssexSunshineCoast Clacton Posts: 15,220	This one looks really good http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pho...1019111/review

19-01-2012, 18:33	#11
Gary Brenton Inactive Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Walsall (West Midlands) Posts: 637	Quote: Originally Posted by grumpyoldbat This was going to be my suggestion too. Pretty sure I'd seen it for £129 recently on PAYG. Does all the social networks, email, decent camera w. flash and running Android Gingerbread (2.3.5) which is the last Android phone OS before Ice Cream Sandwich. It also has a brilliant keyboard. Reminiscent of the old Treo devices - really useable. CPW link - it's SIM free, so you can choose your own SIM package: http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/mob...P&promo=GLSHOP The thing I adore about this phone is the key pad...and the fact that all the keys are not rammed together, the reviews seem great as well... definately in my top 5 shortlist...thx..

19-01-2012, 21:42	#12
grumpyoldbat Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 3,636	Quote: Originally Posted by Gary Brenton The thing I adore about this phone is the key pad...and the fact that all the keys are not rammed together, the reviews seem great as well... definately in my top 5 shortlist...thx.. It's really very useable. I can type pretty quickly on it, which is great for replying to email.

20-01-2012, 00:09	#13
Gary Brenton Inactive Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Walsall (West Midlands) Posts: 637	Quote: Originally Posted by grumpyoldbat It's really very useable. I can type pretty quickly on it, which is great for replying to email. I think it's the only phone with a decent key configuration (non touch screen keys/tabs) which makes it easy to type.HTC seem to be the only manufacturers who have seriously taken this into consideration...yet this design should be the top of every manufacturers design list. There are a few phones that boast this similar style (but far less quality build) with the keys so close together that it is impossible to type accurately without conflicting with other keys. What is the video recording like on this ? I am warming to this phone very much the more I read about it. I know someone who has a HTC Wildfire and I am aware the battery life is quite poor...not saying that this is the case with this specific model though

20-01-2012, 09:02	#14
grumpyoldbat Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 3,636	The video is 30fps, but it's not HD or anything like that. It's fine for quick FB or YouTube type videos though.

21-01-2012, 00:08	#15
Gary Brenton Inactive Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Walsall (West Midlands) Posts: 637	Quote: Originally Posted by grumpyoldbat The video is 30fps, but it's not HD or anything like that. It's fine for quick FB or YouTube type videos though. 30FPS is ideal...and far better than the usual 15FPS.... I am hotting to this phone...absolutely....

21-01-2012, 12:39	#16
scooby1970 Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Neath Posts: 2,468	Quote: Originally Posted by Gary Brenton 30FPS is ideal...and far better than the usual 15FPS.... I am hotting to this phone...absolutely.... I've come from a HTC Desire to the Chacha and I'm loving it much more. The keyboard makes a huge difference, and the pixel density of the screen means everything looks better than ever. You really won't regret getting it, its genuinly a tremendous piece of kit... And that Facebook button... Mmmm, so cool if like me you love your updates. Mark

21-01-2012, 13:11	#17
TheBigM Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: moon Posts: 12,983	I also suggest HTC ChaCha

21-01-2012, 14:44	#18
cabby22 Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Macclesfield, Cheshire Posts: 7	Gary, I'm putting a Samsung Galaxy S5670 on eBay tomorrow. Bought it on 12 Jun. Prefer my Samsung S3100

21-01-2012, 14:57	#19
Mr. Cool Inactive Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 1,482	Orange San Francisco II (ZTE Crescent) Is available for £100.

22-01-2012, 00:59	#20
Gary Brenton Inactive Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Walsall (West Midlands) Posts: 637	Quote: Originally Posted by scooby1970 I've come from a HTC Desire to the Chacha and I'm loving it much more. The keyboard makes a huge difference, and the pixel density of the screen means everything looks better than ever. You really won't regret getting it, its genuinly a tremendous piece of kit... And that Facebook button... Mmmm, so cool if like me you love your updates. Mark Having checked out the price of the Cha Cha... the price has increased significantly to £199.99 again... of which is above my budget unfortunately. I have checked out the usual phone shops (and my area is full of them) and they now all retail at the same price...

22-01-2012, 09:58	#21
grumpyoldbat Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 3,636	Quote: Originally Posted by Gary Brenton Having checked out the price of the Cha Cha... the price has increased significantly to £199.99 again... of which is above my budget unfortunately. I have checked out the usual phone shops (and my area is full of them) and they now all retail at the same price... Buy from the Carphone Warehouse online using the link I posted above. That's still £119.95!!! It's SIM free, so then you can just get a PAYG SIM or SIM only cheap contract and pop it in. The phone will detect the network and put the settings in itself.

DS Forums

The best pay as you go phone....???

22-01-2012, 10:05	#22
scooby1970 Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Neath Posts: 2,468	Quote: Originally Posted by grumpyoldbat Buy from the Carphone Warehouse online using the link I posted above. That's still £119.95!!! It's SIM free, so then you can just get a PAYG SIM or SIM only cheap contract and pop it in. The phone will detect the network and put the settings in itself. Which is what I did, and it works a treat! Mark