Price: $270
As the UK’s first Intel-powered smartphone,
the Orange San Diego arrived with heavy expectations. And it delivered well,
thanks to its strong performance, great screen and decent battery life. Only
the poor implementation of its customized Android UI lets it down slightly,
making the interface more awkward to use than it needs to be. Regardless, the
San Diego still offers plenty of power and features for your money.
Specifications
·
OS: Android 2.3 Gingerbread
·
Screen: 4-inch LCD
·
Resolution: 600 x 1024 pixels
·
Input Capacitive: touch screen
·
Processor: 1 .6GHz Intel Atom Z2460
·
Memory: 1GB
·
Storage: 16GB
·
Camera: 8MP rear-facing
·
Flash: Yes
·
Video: 1080p HD
·
Wireless: 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1
·
Ports: 3.5mm audio jack, Micro USB 2.0
·
Standby time: 336 hours
·
Talk time: 8 hours
·
Size: 123 x 63 x 10mm
·
Weight: 117g
Verdict: A
punchy, competitively-priced device but not without a few small flaws.
Price: $150
You could argue that this phone is too late
to market and that the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS has left the
Gingerbread iteration feeling a bit stale. But if you’re an Android virgin and
can trim the embedded Orange apps, this phone is amazing value. If you’re on
Orange and offered this as a free upgrade, it’s a smart choice just make sure
you install your own apps and Android skin over the Orange one.
Specifications
·
OS: Android 2.3 Gingerbread
·
Screen: 3.5-inch TFT
·
Resolution: 480 x 800 pixels
·
Input Capacitive: touchscreen
·
Processor: 800MHz
·
Memory: 512MB
·
Storage: MicroSD
·
Camera: 5MP rear-facing
·
Flash: Yes
·
Video: Yes
·
Wireless: 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1
·
Ports: 3.5mm audio jack, Micro USB 2.0
·
Standby time: 240 hours
·
Talk time: 4 hours
·
Size: 117 x59x 11mm
·
Weight: 120g
Verdict: You
rarely get more for your money - a fantastic budget smartphone.
Price: $360
Website: samsung.com
In a year where Samsung crafted one of the
world’s best smartphones with the Galaxy S III, it has also created a fantastic
mid-level device with its affordably-priced Galaxy Ace 2. Offering a stunning
screen, great usability and a strong set of features it packs all that the
average smartphone buyer will need. And while it’s a shame that the latest
version of Android isn’t installed, you still get unbeatable value or money.
Specifications
·
OS: Android 2.3 Gingerbread
·
Screen: 3.8-inch TFT
·
Resolution: 480 x 800 pixels
·
Input Capacitive: touchscreen
·
Processor: 800MHz dual-core
·
Memory: 768MB
·
Storage: 4GB internal, MicroSD up to 32GB
·
Camera: 5MP rear-facing, 0.3MP front-facing
·
Flash: LED
·
Video: 720p HD at 30fps
·
Wireless: 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0
·
Ports: 3.5mm audio jack, Micro USB 2.0
·
Standby time: 670 hours
·
Talk time: 16 hours
·
Size: 118x 62 x 11mm
·
Weight: 119g
Verdict: In
terms of sheer bang for your buck, this great phone is one of the best.
Price: $600
Website: samsung.com
While Samsung’s Galaxy Beam can’t quite
compete with the best rivals at this price, it is surprisingly capable and
exceeded our expectations. With its decent performance, stunning screen and
strong build quality, it ticks many boxes. And the built-in projector is far
more useful than we expected, letting you beam photos, videos, work files and
more at up to 50-inches in size. For big- screen images on the move, it’s
unbeatable.
Specifications
·
OS: Android 2.3 Gingerbread
·
Screen: 4-inch TFT
·
Resolution: 480 x 800 pixels
·
Input Capacitive: touchscreen
·
Processor: 1 GHz dual-core
·
Memory: 768MB
·
Storage: 8GB internal, MicroSD up to 32GB
·
Camera: 5MP rear-facing, 1.3MP front-facing
·
Flash: LED
·
Video: 720p HD at 30fps
·
Wireless 802.llb/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0
·
Ports: 3.5mm audio jack, Micro USB 2.0
·
Standby time: 760 hours
·
Talk time: 9 hours
·
Size: 124x64x13mm
·
Weight: 145g
Verdict: A
unique and very well-equipped smartphone with a handy built-in projector.
Price: $225
Website: samsung.com
With its eye-catching design, decent
performance and comfortable usability, the Galaxy Mini 2 is well worth a look
for first time smartphone buyers on a budget. There are some incredibly
high-quality rivals on the market, though, from brands such as HTC and Huawei,
among others. So you might want to shop around and check out the competition
before handing over your cash, as there are great deals to be had.
Specifications
·
OS: Android 2.3 Gingerbread
·
Screen: 3.27-inch TFT
·
Resolution: 320 x 480 pixels
·
Input Capacitive: touchscreen
·
Processor: 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7227
·
Memory: 512MB
·
Storage: 4GB, MicroSD
·
Camera: 3.15MP rear-facing
·
Flash: No
·
Video: 640 x 480 pixels
·
Wireless: 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0
·
Ports: 3.5mm audio jack, Micro USB 2.0
·
Standby time: 540 hours
·
Talk time :11 hours
·
Size: 109x59x12mm
·
Weight: 105g
Verdict: A
good entry-level handset, but there are plenty of better deals to be found.
Price: $614
Website: samsung.com
The size of Samsung’s Galaxy Note range is
a hate it or love it prospect is it too big to be a phone, or too small to be a
tablet? Does a stylus have any place on a smartphone? Either way, it is a
brilliant piece of technology, with a whopping great 16 hours of talk time. Its
only main flaws are a dull screen and a poor camera - otherwise it comes down
to personal preference. Definitely one to try out in store.
Specifications
·
OS: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
·
Screen: 5.5-inch SAMOLED
·
Resolution: 720 x 1280 pixels
·
Input Capacitive: screen, stylus
·
Processor: 1.6GHz quad-core
·
Memory: 2GB
·
Storage: 16,32,4GB internal, MicroSD up to 64GB
·
Camera: 8MP rear-facing, 1.9MP front-facing
·
Flash: LED
·
Video: 1080 HD at 30fps
·
Wireless: 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
·
Ports: 3.5mm audio jack, Micro USB 2.0
·
Battery: 16 hours talk time
·
890 hours standby
·
Dimensions: 151 x81 x9mm
·
Weight: 183g
Verdict: The
king of the big screen phone/tablets, you’ll either love it or hate it.
Price: $345
Website: samsung.com
While the Samsung Galaxy S Advance doesn’t
do much to stake a claim as the best mid-range handset you can buy, it’s still
a suitably capable effort, which will suit newcomers to the smartphone market.
With that said, though, there are many better options that you can find at this
price, so you might want to shop around and see what its rivals have to offer,
before choosing this as your main handset.
Specifications
·
OS: Android 2.3 Gingerbread
·
Screen: 4-inch SAMOLED
·
Resolution: 480 x 800 pixels
·
Input Capacitive: touchscreen
·
Processor: 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A9
·
Memory: 168MB
·
Storage: 8/16GB, MicroSD
·
Camera: 5MP rear-facing, 1.3MP front-facing
·
Flash: Yes
·
Video: 720p HD
·
Wireless: 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0
·
Ports: 3.5mm audio jack, Micro USB 2.0
·
Standby time: 570 hours
·
Talk time: 15 hours
·
Size: 123 x 63 x 10mm
·
Weight: 120g
Verdict: A
decent mid-range device but it offers little to set itself apart from its
rivals.
Price: $728
Website: samsung.com
Matching up to the mighty Galaxy S II was
always going to be a tall order, but with the release of the Galaxy S III
Samsung has clearly surpassed expectations. With its stunning design, amazing
usability, high powered performance and cutting-edge features, it measures up
to the best of the competition and sets a new benchmark for its rivals. If
you’re looking for one of the best smartphones you can buy, this is it.
Specifications
·
OS: Android 4.0 CS
·
Screen: 4.8-inch SAMOLED
·
Resolution: 720 x 1280 pixels
·
Input Capacitive: touchscreen
·
Processor: 1.4GHz Cortex-A9
·
Memory: 1GB
·
Storage: 16/32/64GB, MicroSD
·
Camera: 8MP rear-facing, 1.9MP front-facing
·
Flash: Yes
·
Video: 1080p HD
·
Wireless: 802.1 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
·
Ports: 3.5mm audio jack, Micro USB 2.0
·
Standby time: 790 hours
·
Talk time: 2l hours
·
Size: 137x71 x9mm
·
Weight: 133g
Verdict: A
masterpiece of design and usability. This is the benchmark to beat.
