Mobile Phone Recommendations

[Temple Meads]

Hi all, my current rather basic phone has decided to lose it's keypad illumination, plus the case and screen are scratched and dented, so I'm after a new one for christmas, it's gotta be PAYG, and I want something with decent internet ability, I'm not at all bothered about the brand, a reasonable camera/video would be a bonus.

Budget is £45, I'd like a recommendation for a network provider too, I don't do that much texting or calling, so internet data charges are more important, particularly as I might not top up every month if I can help it.

Thanks in advance..

Tim

 

[Manchester77]

iPhone 4/4s/5
samsung galxy ace plus/2

they all seem to be decent but VERY pricey unless you go contract but well worth the money imo

 

[Nym]

Not an iPhone!!!

Brand new on PAYG it's not likely you can get a decent smart phone, but you could consider going for a 2nd hand phone and just keeping the same network...?

 

[Vicpaul]

£45 a month or £45 to buy

 

[Manchester77]

Not an iPhone!!!

whyy? iPhones are great in my expirence they're like an iPod with phone and text caipabilities as well as other apple perks such as iMessage, FaceTime, music, good apple earphones etc etc

 

[Temple Meads]

it's gotta be PAYG

£45 a month or £45 to buy

Hmmm.. To buy

Not an iPhone!!!

Brand new on PAYG it's not likely you can get a decent smart phone, but you could consider going for a 2nd hand phone and just keeping the same network...?

Would perhaps consider it, but it might be cutting it fine for christmas, and I do like unboxing a brand new product.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

good apple earphones etc etc

You cannot be serious. If I was the MD I'd be ashamed to put my company name to those, they are useless.

 

[Nym]

good apple earphones etc etc

I'm sorry what???

Apple have the worst earphones that I've ever seen!!!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
To buy for £45 you won't get a true smart phone...

The cheapest PAYG/Sim Free I can source is around £55 and running Symbian and is the Nokia Asha 200 QWERTY that can be nice as it has proper keys.

Cheapest Android phone is the Acer Z110 that comes in at £90

Cheapest half decent droid is about £110 for a Samsung Galaxy Y or a Sony Experia at £126...

 

[Manchester77]

You cannot be serious. If I was the MD I'd be ashamed to put my company name to those, they are useless.

I'm sorry what???

Apple have the worst earphones that I've ever seen!!!

i don't see why everyone hates them. apple earpods are actually really comfortable, you don't have to have volume high because they go in your ear in stead of balance on the ear lobe like the older models. theyre far better thean any other models i've tried

 

[MidnightFlyer]

... And they leak sound like there's no tomorrow. As for comfort, I find the JVC ones I bought in HMV for a fiver about 10 times as comfortable, louder, and don't leak any sound whatsoever.

 

[richw]

My mrs has one of these things
http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/pay-as-you-go/t-mobile-energy-black-payg/ overall it is an ok phone, internet browser is as good as it gets for anything sub £100.
Pretty sure Tmobile does a PAYG thing where you can buy a unlimited internet booster for £5 a month (or at least they used to)

Edit Tmobile do various internet boosters.

Booster

Cost

What you get

How to get it



5 day Internet Booster

£2.50

5 days of internet on your phone

Text WEB to 441



30 day Internet Booster

£5

30 days rolling of internet on your phone
£5 automatically taken

Text MONTHWEB2 to 441



30 day Internet Booster

£5

30 days of internet on your phone

Text MONTHWEB to 441



6 month Internet Booster

£20

6 months of internet on your phone

Text 6MONTHWEB to 441

 

[sonic2009]

http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/mobiles/mobile-phones/NOKIA_300/PPAY

If you have been with your network over 6 months just pay the upgrade price, keep the same number and don't pay a top up at the store.

You have to go a Carphone Warehouse store to do this.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

good apple earphones etc etc

Apple headphones are the worst for staying in your ears, the best ones are the ones that go over your head or the ones with mouldable buds.

sent from IE8 from my xbox via xbox live

 

[D2022]

I'd recommend anything from HTC, they offer great value for money and second hand models can be picked up cheap as chips, avoid the High end phones though, they are pricey.

Other than that. Sendo, if they are still going do some awesome phones, lookswise, for pennies.

 

[jon0844]

You cannot be serious. If I was the MD I'd be ashamed to put my company name to those, they are useless.

To be fair, the new EarPods are pretty good (which come with the new iPod range, including the 5G iPod touch, and the iPhone 5). Really! Not great, but they don't leak sound as much - which is good for people standing nearby.

But before that, anyone using the standard Apple earphones might have been better off buying a cheap MP3 player for £15 as any benefit from a more advanced device with better audio proecessing would be lost.

 

[Manchester77]

The new earpods are fine as are the older ones
They're all decent with the earpods fine
Just because they leak sound doesn't really effect you (user)....

 

[tony_mac]

Orange have 20% off today. The San Francisco II is £50; with cashback that should bring it into the budget.
Alternatively, they have the Samsung Galaxy Ace for £66, with free headphones.

Virgin include 12 months internet with a smartphone - there is an alcatel one available from carphonewarehouse for £40, and a ZTE from Virgin for £60.

(I've included the required £10 topup in the prices)

 

[jon0844]

The new earpods are fine as are the older ones
They're all decent with the earpods fine
Just because they leak sound doesn't really effect you (user)....

I can't agree about the old ones. Otherwise, why did Apple redesign them and build an entire ad campaign around them?

Leaking sound almost certainly leads to you increasing the volume, thus causing more potential damage, as well as clearly lacking any decent level of bass - thus making the audio sound pretty terrible.

I've used in-ear headphones for years, with virtually no leakage and excellent quality - and the ability to keep the volume down very low too. Win win.

Anyone with an iPhone or iPod that is really into music (or watching film) would have binned the stock Apple headphones straight away, or just left them in the box - which I believe mine still are for both my iPod nano and touch.

 

[Manchester77]

I can't agree about the old ones. Otherwise, why did Apple redesign them and build an entire ad campaign around them?


Anyone with an iPhone or iPod that is really into music (or watching film) would have binned the stock Apple headphones straight away, or just left them in the box - which I believe mine still are for both my iPod nano and touch.

1) so when apple do huge advert campaigns such as the ones for whenever a new iPhone comes out or for the new iPod it's because the other, older ones become rubbish because a more modern version is in existence?

2) by that you're implying I'm not into music...

 

[SS4]

1) so when apple do huge advert campaigns such as the ones for whenever a new iPhone comes out or for the new iPod it's because the other, older ones become rubbish because a more modern version is in existence?

2) by that you're implying I'm not into music...

Except if you compare Apple products to their non branded equivalents it is very rare that the Apple product comes out better.

(mods: any chance we could split this discussion?)

 

[jon0844]

1) so when apple do huge advert campaigns such as the ones for whenever a new iPhone comes out or for the new iPod it's because the other, older ones become rubbish because a more modern version is in existence?

But they were/are rubbish. Clearly all ads are to make the older product seem crap so you buy the new one, but in the case of the old earphones they really were terrible. I am actually surprised to hear (sic) anyone defend them!

 

[Manchester77]

But they were/are rubbish. Clearly all ads are to make the older product seem crap so you buy the new one, but in the case of the old earphones they really were terrible. I am actually surprised to hear (sic) anyone defend them!

they really aren't that bad. my son has had his for two years i think and he chews the wire, drops and steps on them, lets the dog attack them and they still both work. they're very durable and they are a decent quality

 

[Darandio]

Not bothered about the brand? What about this?

http://shop.orange.co.uk/mobile-phones/san-francisco-II-from-orange-in-black

With the £10 top up, it puts you over your price range slightly but then you will have, well, a £10 top up.

 

[richw]

Except if you compare Apple products to their non branded equivalents it is very rare that the Apple product comes out better.

(mods: any chance we could split this discussion?)

I've been saying this for years, You pay double for the i. Why do you think Apple need to take all their rivals to court, simply cos the punters are realising the other manufacturer products are generall better and cheaper

 

[jon0844]

The technology is all very similar. It's not as if Apple has anything truly unique, or any of the others. It's about who puts things together well and markets the best - something Apple does very well.

Or, should I say, DID do very well.

Steve Jobs has gone and Android has also overtaken iOS by some fair margin. Samsung, whether it got there from copying Apple or not, has now become the dominant player and is selling more than anyone else. Not that it will have the same profit margins as Apple, ever.

I prefer Android but use a Mac. iOS is too restrictive, and in the last year or so has become rather dull and dated. iOS 6 didn't bring anything that amazing to the platform, and many features on iOS are now copied from Android anyway - except for the facility to totally customise the phone and replace all the system apps with whatever you'd like to use instead.

But, while you get the fanboys arguing all day long about one being better than the other, there's still nothing wrong with an iPhone and if you're the type of person that wants things kept simple, and tightly controlled to be more reliable, why should I say you shouldn't buy one?

Anyway, the thread was about a phone costing about £50 so there aren't many Android smartphones on offer for this price (save for some from companies like Alcatel) and there's NO iPhone for £50 anywhere!!

The Nokia 300 seems to get a good rep, and I know a few people from my former What Mobile forum that have them (as spare phones, or phones for other family members) and say good things. It certainly looks good to me.

 

[D2022]

Personally I chose Android after years of suffering the restrictions of iOS.

My old HTC Sensation XE came with a pair of Beats Audio (By Dre) headphones those off the shelf would be around a hundred quid. My new HTC One S has a pair of Marley (as in Bob Marley) headphones at around the same price, both phones are just under the price of the iPhone equivalent, the Sensation I think was 3gs and possible the 4's rival, the One S is the iPhone 5 rival. Out of all of them, and I've had all the mentioned phones (in my post) the One S is the only phone I would recommend for value for money.

 

[Temple Meads]

Popped into Carphone Warehouse today and bought one of these: http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/mobiles/mobile-phones/ALCATEL-OT_903?colourCode=WHITE

Seems like a decent phone..

 

[SS4]

Popped into Carphone Warehouse today and bought one of these: http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/mobiles/mobile-phones/ALCATEL-OT_903?colourCode=WHITE

Seems like a decent phone..

Agreed. Just remember to turn mobile data off if you don't have a plan at any given time. Smartphones can use a fair bit even in the background

 

[Temple Meads]

Agreed. Just remember to turn mobile data off if you don't have a plan at any given time. Smartphones can use a fair bit even in the background

Cheers, will bear that in mind

 

[jon0844]

Popped into Carphone Warehouse today and bought one of these: http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/mobiles/mobile-phones/ALCATEL-OT_903?colourCode=WHITE

Seems like a decent phone..

£30 on prepay? Wow! I've not reviewed that model, but have seen other Alcatel devices and they're pretty good - well built and dependable.

It won't be the fastest phone in the world, but let's get some context - that's an amazing price. About 20 times cheaper than an iPhone!