Christmas is fast approaching and phone companies are pulling out all the stops to offer some affordable mobile goodness to everyone. If you’re after inexpensive stocking fillers this holiday season, check out these five phones which should offer plenty of functionality, for less.
Nokia 301
The Nokia 301 blurs the lines between feature phone and smartphone. Sure it has a physical keypad and forgoes a touchscreen, but it totes a premium polycarbonate design, 3-day battery life and it’s capable of 3G data speeds with access to email services like Microsoft Exchange and Gmail out-the box. What’s more the camera UI features levels of functionality you’d expect from a far more expensive handset and on PAYG it’s available for around £50.
Nokia Lumia 520
It’s undeniable that Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS offers a slick, premium user experience no matter what device it’s running on, but to offer it on a phone that’s available for around £70 is incredible. The Nokia Lumia 520 runs the latest version of Windows Phone, complete with a suite of Nokia’s own exclusive apps, such as Nokia Music with MixRadio, which bring free music streaming to your phone.
There’s also a solid 5-megapixel camera, dual-core performance from its Snapdragon processor and the outer shell can be swapped out for any one of five different punchy colour options.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini
The Galaxy S3 Mini distills the company’s 2012 flagship into a smaller, more affordable package and it’s a great choice for anyone looking for a taste of premium Android this Christmas. Available in white or metallic blue and with either 8GB or 16GB of internal storage (an expandable via microSD), the S3 Mini runs one of the latest versions of Android, 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and offers powerful features 720p HD video recording and features Samsung’s highly customizable TouchWiz interface.
Nokia Lumia 625
We’ve already sung the praises of the affordable Lumia 520, but what if you want a future-proofed phone that’s ready for 4G when it’s available on your network of choice? We’d recommend the Nokia Lumia 625, which not only promises 4G speeds where available, but also a big-screen viewing experience with its expansive 4.7-inch WVGA IPS display and a great photography experience thanks to its 5-megapixel snapper and LED flash.
BlackBerry 9720
For some, the convenience of a hardware keyboard can’t be beat and that’s why the 9720 is our affordable BlackBerry of choice. The hardware QWERTY keyboard, optical trackpad and colourful touchscreen work together well to offer a fluid experience around the user interface. Of course there’s also BBM, accessible from a dedicated hardware key and the Social Feeds app keeps things like Twitter and Facebook posts all in one place too, all for under £100.
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