Best budget Android phone

Izak · 03-03-2013, 22:52

My Mum is currently looking at getting a cheapish mobile phone contract, roughly about £10 a month. We've seen a few that offer 250 mins, 5000 texts and 250 MB data for around the £10 per month mark which would be perfect for my Mum, so at the same time, I suggested she might as well get a better phone than her current one and quite a few of these contracts offer a budget Android phone for either free or for a small one off fee. The trouble is, which phone is the best.

Some of the phones that are on offer include the Samsung Galaxy Ace, Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 and the HTC Desire C amongst others. But being a iPhone user myself, I'm not sure which is the best one to go with.

It would be nice to have a fairly decent camera with flash if possible too.

Can anyone advise? Thanks

grumpyoldbat · 03-03-2013, 22:55

Not the original Ace. It's old, underpowered and doesn't have much memory.

The Huawei G300 gets mentioned a lot on here.

alan1302 · 04-03-2013, 12:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by grumpyoldbat

Not the original Ace. It's old, underpowered and doesn't have much memory.

The Huawei G300 gets mentioned a lot on here.

I've used that but found it un-responsive unless it's been made better with later updates on it.

Does the phone have to be an Android phone? If not then I'd recommend a Windows based phone as they OS is a lot quicker and smoother than Android is on low spec phones.

Echo1 · 04-03-2013, 15:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by grumpyoldbat

The Huawei G300 gets mentioned a lot on here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by alan1302

I've used that but found it un-responsive unless it's been made better with later updates on it.

That's the phone I've been using for the past five months. It's good enough for the price, it's only £120 (has gone up from £100 a few months back) on Pay As You Go and has ICS which works pretty well.

The G300 can do most things one would ask from a smartphone like any Android device, it can be customised, without rooting, by changing the launcher or/and keyboard etc to personalise it. Iplayer, Netflix, 4oD, FilmOn TV, TVCatchup, YouTube, Winamp, Tunein Radio, Kindle App, Facebook, and Twitter (obviously) all work fine as does Google Maps. You get the picture. Video playback, via MX Player for example, is great but doesn't do MKV (hi-def) very well, at least in my experience. Avi, xvid etc does look stunning on there, mind thanks to the great quality 4" (Gorilla Glass) screen which is very responsive.

Game compatibility is also pretty good here as well. Games like Alien Breed, Angry Birds Star Wars, Ant Raid, Contre Jour, Minecreaft Pocket, Temple Run 2 and even the brand new Real Racing 3 works (mostly) good as well as Ark of Ages. Storage space is acceptable with 2gb internal and there is an SD card slot for expanded space; I have a 32gb SD card in mine which works fine for Apps, music, photos and video.

It's not as smooth an experience as a more expensive phone but that's to be expected. Mine has frozen a few times here and there and the lack of RAM does make operation a little more sluggish but overall, I love the thing. You can't go wrong for the price (imo), at least for an Android phone.

Matt35 · 04-03-2013, 15:28

I have the Sony Xperia U and for £10 a month its fantastic.

wildhollie · 04-03-2013, 15:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Izak

My Mum is currently looking at getting a cheapish mobile phone contract, roughly about £10 a month. We've seen a few that offer 250 mins, 5000 texts and 250 MB data for around the £10 per month mark which would be perfect for my Mum, so at the same time, I suggested she might as well get a better phone than her current one and quite a few of these contracts offer a budget Android phone for either free or for a small one off fee. The trouble is, which phone is the best.

Some of the phones that are on offer include the Samsung Galaxy Ace, Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 and the HTC Desire C amongst others. But being a iPhone user myself, I'm not sure which is the best one to go with.

It would be nice to have a fairly decent camera with flash if possible too.

Can anyone advise? Thanks

I wouldn't bother with the HTC Desire....i'm on my 3rd one in a year. The first two crashed and not able to be fixed so had to replace them......i'm not holding my breath on my 3rd one lasting until my contract runs out either !

AxeVictim · 04-03-2013, 18:09

You can get the Huawei G300 nearly new from Vodafone for £80.

alan1302 · 04-03-2013, 18:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wash

It's not as smooth an experience as a more expensive phone but that's to be expected. Mine has frozen a few times here and there and the lack of RAM does make operation a little more sluggish but overall, I love the thing. You can't go wrong for the price (imo), at least for an Android phone.

That's why I didn't like it - for similar money you can get a phone that isn't sluggish or freeze up and the screen I found unresponsive.

Echo1 · 04-03-2013, 18:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by alan1302

That's why I didn't like it - for similar money you can get a phone that isn't sluggish or freeze up and the screen I found unresponsive.

The screen IS responsive. Sluggish compared to a £200 plus phone I meant. Show me a better phone for the same price... Seriously, I am interested in better spec at a £100 price point.

konebyvax · 04-03-2013, 18:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by AxeVictim

You can get the Huawei G300 nearly new from Vodafone for £80.

You can get it for approx £70 brand new from Isme but there's a bit of work needed to get it for that. Like opening a credit account (you can still pay by card), using a code (3933J) and going through Quidco/topcashback for 7% cash back. The G300 screen was unresponsive when first launched but a timely update sorted that out sharpish. There isn't a (new!) Android mobile at the £100 price point that gets near to the G300 imo.

alan1302 · 04-03-2013, 18:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wash

The screen IS responsive. Sluggish compared to a £200 plus phone I meant. Show me a better phone for the same price... Seriously, I am interested in better spec at a £100 price point.

This one:

http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/pay-a...umia-610-payg/

Any Windows Phone is very responsive and the two different Huawei G300 were nowhere near as responsive as they should be on a tochscreen phone. Even the cheaper T-Mobile Vivacity I found better and that was a £50 Android phone. Recently I had a slightly more expensive Xperia U that had a responsive screen but still lagged here and there but not too badly under Gingerbread but it was worse on ICS.

konebyvax · 04-03-2013, 18:55

The OP was asking for an Android phone though....

Echo1 · 04-03-2013, 19:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by alan1302

This one:

http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/pay-a...umia-610-payg/

Any Windows Phone is very responsive and the two different Huawei G300 were nowhere near as responsive as they should be on a tochscreen phone. Even the cheaper T-Mobile Vivacity I found better and that was a £50 Android phone. Recently I had a slightly more expensive Xperia U that had a responsive screen but still lagged here and there but not too badly under Gingerbread but it was worse on ICS.

You obviously had a bad experience with the G300. In the five months I've owned mine, I have to say it's fast enough and reliable enough for me to recommend it to anyone that wants a budget Android smartphone.

alan1302 · 04-03-2013, 19:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by konebyvax

The OP was asking for an Android phone though....

They were - but as they were asking for advice I was asking if they would be interested in something that was not Android. Always good to keep your options open when you don't know what you want.

doom&gloom · 04-03-2013, 19:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by AxeVictim

You can get the Huawei G300 nearly new from Vodafone for £80.

Whatever happened to the updated version the G330, was supposed to be out last November?

When I was looking for a budget Android late last year I was looking at the Ace 2 and the Xperia U.

konebyvax · 04-03-2013, 19:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by doom&gloom

Whatever happened to the updated version the G330, was supposed to be out last November?

It's available exclusively from talktalk mobile on contracts starting at £10/mth but Huawei have hinted it will eventually be available for £99 sim free once this exclusive period ends. No idea when that will be though. If they can sell it for £99 i think it will prove as popular as the G300.

alanwarwic · 04-03-2013, 20:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by doom&gloom

When I was looking for a budget Android late last year I was looking at the Ace 2 and the Xperia U.

In today's world the G330 still has a budget class CPU whilst those above are middling.

doom&gloom · 04-03-2013, 21:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanwarwic

In today's world the G330 still has a budget class CPU whilst those above are middling.

If I were looking to get a budget phone today though I would probably get the Nokia 620, not an Android though but available recently for only £120, don't know what the monthly deals are though.

Like I said, I was looking last year and it's March now, what budget Android would you recommend now?

alanwarwic · 04-03-2013, 22:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by doom&gloom

what budget Android would you recommend now?

Hard to choose.

Unless you really want something specific feature, there is a lot similar around.
Any branded(including ZTE and Huawei) 4" plus size screen near the £100 mark is fine.

Here, you have to well research the camera for real specs, so just maybe that Nokia is decent.
The Xperia U will have an Exmor camera cmos so that should be OK too.

doom&gloom · 04-03-2013, 22:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanwarwic

Hard to choose.

Unless you really want something specific feature, there is a lot similar around.
Any branded(including ZTE and Huawei) 4" plus size screen near the £100 mark is fine.

Here, you have to well research the camera for real specs, so just maybe that Nokia is decent.
The Xperia U will have an Exmor camera cmos so that should be OK too.

Camera-wise the Nokia 800 is better than the 620 (or should be 8MP v 5MP) but there's no front camera and it's on Windows 7.5 (or 7.8) instead of 8 and only single core compared to the 620's dual core.

alanwarwic · 04-03-2013, 23:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by doom&gloom

... but there's no front camera and it's on Windows 7.5 (or 7.8) instead of 8 and only single core compared to the 620's dual core.

I would not buy a Windows phone. It would feel like Microsoft owns the phone, not me.

AxeVictim · 04-03-2013, 23:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by konebyvax

You can get it for approx £70 brand new from Isme but there's a bit of work needed to get it for that. Like opening a credit account (you can still pay by card), using a code (3933J) and going through Quidco/topcashback for 7% cash back. The G300 screen was unresponsive when first launched but a timely update sorted that out sharpish. There isn't a (new!) Android mobile at the £100 price point that gets near to the G300 imo.

That's where I got mine think it was £65 after cashback.

doom&gloom · 04-03-2013, 23:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanwarwic

I would not buy a Windows phone. It would feel like Microsoft owns the phone, not me.

I think they're pretty good actually it's just the lack of apps and the fact that the Windows Phone versions of Android and iphone apps are usually inferior.

doom&gloom · 04-03-2013, 23:25

The Orange San Diego is only £100 as well now, one of the few phones with an Intel chipset, supposed to be pretty fast.

Izak · 05-03-2013, 00:07

Thanks for all your replies so far. I've had a look at some of the suggestions including the G300 and Nokia. The problem with the G300 is I can't seem to find it on a decent contract plan, it only seems to be available on pay as you go or SIM free

I'm not sure about Windows if I'm honest. I personally have never liked the "metro" interface of the new Windows systems. It is my Mum's decision in the end but she is relying on me for advice as she doesn't know much about phones, she likes playing about on my iPad and is quite familiar with iOS now, that's why I thought about Android as the navigation and interfaces are quite similar.

I don't think my Mum wants to spend a lot on a phone on top of a contract, maybe a maximum of £50 or £60 tops.

03-03-2013, 22:52	#1
Izak Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Stockport, Cheshire Posts: 3,416	Best budget Android phone My Mum is currently looking at getting a cheapish mobile phone contract, roughly about £10 a month. We've seen a few that offer 250 mins, 5000 texts and 250 MB data for around the £10 per month mark which would be perfect for my Mum, so at the same time, I suggested she might as well get a better phone than her current one and quite a few of these contracts offer a budget Android phone for either free or for a small one off fee. The trouble is, which phone is the best. Some of the phones that are on offer include the Samsung Galaxy Ace, Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 and the HTC Desire C amongst others. But being a iPhone user myself, I'm not sure which is the best one to go with. It would be nice to have a fairly decent camera with flash if possible too. Can anyone advise? Thanks

03-03-2013, 22:55	#2
grumpyoldbat Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 3,636	Not the original Ace. It's old, underpowered and doesn't have much memory. The Huawei G300 gets mentioned a lot on here.

04-03-2013, 12:45	#3
alan1302 Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: West Yorks Posts: 6,180	Quote: Originally Posted by grumpyoldbat Not the original Ace. It's old, underpowered and doesn't have much memory. The Huawei G300 gets mentioned a lot on here. I've used that but found it un-responsive unless it's been made better with later updates on it. Does the phone have to be an Android phone? If not then I'd recommend a Windows based phone as they OS is a lot quicker and smoother than Android is on low spec phones.

04-03-2013, 15:19	#4
Echo1 Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Home Posts: 5,864	Quote: Originally Posted by grumpyoldbat The Huawei G300 gets mentioned a lot on here. Quote: Originally Posted by alan1302 I've used that but found it un-responsive unless it's been made better with later updates on it. That's the phone I've been using for the past five months. It's good enough for the price, it's only £120 (has gone up from £100 a few months back) on Pay As You Go and has ICS which works pretty well. The G300 can do most things one would ask from a smartphone like any Android device, it can be customised, without rooting, by changing the launcher or/and keyboard etc to personalise it. Iplayer, Netflix, 4oD, FilmOn TV, TVCatchup, YouTube, Winamp, Tunein Radio, Kindle App, Facebook, and Twitter (obviously) all work fine as does Google Maps. You get the picture. Video playback, via MX Player for example, is great but doesn't do MKV (hi-def) very well, at least in my experience. Avi, xvid etc does look stunning on there, mind thanks to the great quality 4" (Gorilla Glass) screen which is very responsive. Game compatibility is also pretty good here as well. Games like Alien Breed, Angry Birds Star Wars, Ant Raid, Contre Jour, Minecreaft Pocket, Temple Run 2 and even the brand new Real Racing 3 works (mostly) good as well as Ark of Ages. Storage space is acceptable with 2gb internal and there is an SD card slot for expanded space; I have a 32gb SD card in mine which works fine for Apps, music, photos and video. It's not as smooth an experience as a more expensive phone but that's to be expected. Mine has frozen a few times here and there and the lack of RAM does make operation a little more sluggish but overall, I love the thing. You can't go wrong for the price (imo), at least for an Android phone.

04-03-2013, 15:28	#5
Matt35 Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 9,552	I have the Sony Xperia U and for £10 a month its fantastic.

04-03-2013, 15:29	#6
wildhollie Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: U.K. Posts: 2,634	Quote: Originally Posted by Izak My Mum is currently looking at getting a cheapish mobile phone contract, roughly about £10 a month. We've seen a few that offer 250 mins, 5000 texts and 250 MB data for around the £10 per month mark which would be perfect for my Mum, so at the same time, I suggested she might as well get a better phone than her current one and quite a few of these contracts offer a budget Android phone for either free or for a small one off fee. The trouble is, which phone is the best. Some of the phones that are on offer include the Samsung Galaxy Ace, Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 and the HTC Desire C amongst others. But being a iPhone user myself, I'm not sure which is the best one to go with. It would be nice to have a fairly decent camera with flash if possible too. Can anyone advise? Thanks I wouldn't bother with the HTC Desire....i'm on my 3rd one in a year. The first two crashed and not able to be fixed so had to replace them......i'm not holding my breath on my 3rd one lasting until my contract runs out either !

04-03-2013, 18:09	#7
AxeVictim Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Posts: 2,644	You can get the Huawei G300 nearly new from Vodafone for £80.

04-03-2013, 18:32	#8
alan1302 Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: West Yorks Posts: 6,180	Quote: Originally Posted by Wash It's not as smooth an experience as a more expensive phone but that's to be expected. Mine has frozen a few times here and there and the lack of RAM does make operation a little more sluggish but overall, I love the thing. You can't go wrong for the price (imo), at least for an Android phone. That's why I didn't like it - for similar money you can get a phone that isn't sluggish or freeze up and the screen I found unresponsive.

04-03-2013, 18:44	#9
Echo1 Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Home Posts: 5,864	Quote: Originally Posted by alan1302 That's why I didn't like it - for similar money you can get a phone that isn't sluggish or freeze up and the screen I found unresponsive. The screen IS responsive. Sluggish compared to a £200 plus phone I meant. Show me a better phone for the same price... Seriously, I am interested in better spec at a £100 price point.

04-03-2013, 18:48	#10
konebyvax Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Ignoringtrollsville Posts: 7,875	Quote: Originally Posted by AxeVictim You can get the Huawei G300 nearly new from Vodafone for £80. You can get it for approx £70 brand new from Isme but there's a bit of work needed to get it for that. Like opening a credit account (you can still pay by card), using a code (3933J) and going through Quidco/topcashback for 7% cash back. The G300 screen was unresponsive when first launched but a timely update sorted that out sharpish. There isn't a (new!) Android mobile at the £100 price point that gets near to the G300 imo.

04-03-2013, 18:53	#11
alan1302 Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: West Yorks Posts: 6,180	Quote: Originally Posted by Wash The screen IS responsive. Sluggish compared to a £200 plus phone I meant. Show me a better phone for the same price... Seriously, I am interested in better spec at a £100 price point. This one: http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/pay-a...umia-610-payg/ Any Windows Phone is very responsive and the two different Huawei G300 were nowhere near as responsive as they should be on a tochscreen phone. Even the cheaper T-Mobile Vivacity I found better and that was a £50 Android phone. Recently I had a slightly more expensive Xperia U that had a responsive screen but still lagged here and there but not too badly under Gingerbread but it was worse on ICS.

04-03-2013, 18:55	#12
konebyvax Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Ignoringtrollsville Posts: 7,875	The OP was asking for an Android phone though....

04-03-2013, 19:06	#13
Echo1 Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Home Posts: 5,864	Quote: Originally Posted by alan1302 This one: http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/pay-a...umia-610-payg/ Any Windows Phone is very responsive and the two different Huawei G300 were nowhere near as responsive as they should be on a tochscreen phone. Even the cheaper T-Mobile Vivacity I found better and that was a £50 Android phone. Recently I had a slightly more expensive Xperia U that had a responsive screen but still lagged here and there but not too badly under Gingerbread but it was worse on ICS. You obviously had a bad experience with the G300. In the five months I've owned mine, I have to say it's fast enough and reliable enough for me to recommend it to anyone that wants a budget Android smartphone.

04-03-2013, 19:12	#14
alan1302 Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: West Yorks Posts: 6,180	Quote: Originally Posted by konebyvax The OP was asking for an Android phone though.... They were - but as they were asking for advice I was asking if they would be interested in something that was not Android. Always good to keep your options open when you don't know what you want.

04-03-2013, 19:37	#15
doom&gloom Inactive Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 8,791	Quote: Originally Posted by AxeVictim You can get the Huawei G300 nearly new from Vodafone for £80. Whatever happened to the updated version the G330, was supposed to be out last November? When I was looking for a budget Android late last year I was looking at the Ace 2 and the Xperia U.

04-03-2013, 19:40	#16
konebyvax Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Ignoringtrollsville Posts: 7,875	Quote: Originally Posted by doom&gloom Whatever happened to the updated version the G330, was supposed to be out last November? It's available exclusively from talktalk mobile on contracts starting at £10/mth but Huawei have hinted it will eventually be available for £99 sim free once this exclusive period ends. No idea when that will be though. If they can sell it for £99 i think it will prove as popular as the G300.

04-03-2013, 20:31	#17
alanwarwic Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: the wild world web Posts: 28,132	Quote: Originally Posted by doom&gloom When I was looking for a budget Android late last year I was looking at the Ace 2 and the Xperia U. In today's world the G330 still has a budget class CPU whilst those above are middling.

04-03-2013, 21:14	#18
doom&gloom Inactive Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 8,791	Quote: Originally Posted by alanwarwic In today's world the G330 still has a budget class CPU whilst those above are middling. If I were looking to get a budget phone today though I would probably get the Nokia 620, not an Android though but available recently for only £120, don't know what the monthly deals are though. Like I said, I was looking last year and it's March now, what budget Android would you recommend now?

04-03-2013, 22:04	#19
alanwarwic Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: the wild world web Posts: 28,132	Quote: Originally Posted by doom&gloom what budget Android would you recommend now? Hard to choose. Unless you really want something specific feature, there is a lot similar around. Any branded(including ZTE and Huawei) 4" plus size screen near the £100 mark is fine. Here, you have to well research the camera for real specs, so just maybe that Nokia is decent. The Xperia U will have an Exmor camera cmos so that should be OK too.

04-03-2013, 22:54	#20
doom&gloom Inactive Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 8,791	Quote: Originally Posted by alanwarwic Hard to choose. Unless you really want something specific feature, there is a lot similar around. Any branded(including ZTE and Huawei) 4" plus size screen near the £100 mark is fine. Here, you have to well research the camera for real specs, so just maybe that Nokia is decent. The Xperia U will have an Exmor camera cmos so that should be OK too. Camera-wise the Nokia 800 is better than the 620 (or should be 8MP v 5MP) but there's no front camera and it's on Windows 7.5 (or 7.8) instead of 8 and only single core compared to the 620's dual core.

04-03-2013, 23:04	#21
alanwarwic Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: the wild world web Posts: 28,132	Quote: Originally Posted by doom&gloom ... but there's no front camera and it's on Windows 7.5 (or 7.8) instead of 8 and only single core compared to the 620's dual core. I would not buy a Windows phone. It would feel like Microsoft owns the phone, not me.

DS Forums

Best budget Android phone

04-03-2013, 23:11	#22
AxeVictim Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Posts: 2,644	Quote: Originally Posted by konebyvax You can get it for approx £70 brand new from Isme but there's a bit of work needed to get it for that. Like opening a credit account (you can still pay by card), using a code (3933J) and going through Quidco/topcashback for 7% cash back. The G300 screen was unresponsive when first launched but a timely update sorted that out sharpish. There isn't a (new!) Android mobile at the £100 price point that gets near to the G300 imo. That's where I got mine think it was £65 after cashback.

04-03-2013, 23:20	#23
doom&gloom Inactive Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 8,791	Quote: Originally Posted by alanwarwic I would not buy a Windows phone. It would feel like Microsoft owns the phone, not me. I think they're pretty good actually it's just the lack of apps and the fact that the Windows Phone versions of Android and iphone apps are usually inferior.

04-03-2013, 23:25	#24
doom&gloom Inactive Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 8,791	The Orange San Diego is only £100 as well now, one of the few phones with an Intel chipset, supposed to be pretty fast.

05-03-2013, 00:07	#25
Izak Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Stockport, Cheshire Posts: 3,416	Thanks for all your replies so far. I've had a look at some of the suggestions including the G300 and Nokia. The problem with the G300 is I can't seem to find it on a decent contract plan, it only seems to be available on pay as you go or SIM free I'm not sure about Windows if I'm honest. I personally have never liked the "metro" interface of the new Windows systems. It is my Mum's decision in the end but she is relying on me for advice as she doesn't know much about phones, she likes playing about on my iPad and is quite familiar with iOS now, that's why I thought about Android as the navigation and interfaces are quite similar. I don't think my Mum wants to spend a lot on a phone on top of a contract, maybe a maximum of £50 or £60 tops.