Sony Ericsson W200i (Price $0 - $199)
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It’s a rare treat to discover a phone under $200 that offers the same outstanding quality governed by the Sony Ericsson W200i. Masked as a budget phone, the W200i may be the most humble handset on the Walkman Phone range but certainly has plenty to leave the financial conscious audience impressed. Beneath its simple candy bar design, keypad layout and user interface is a wealth of features that one would only expect to find in more expensive models.
The W200i holds a convenient Walkman media player, a versatile VGA camera that can also record videos, a web browser, organiser, phone book, alarm clock, stopwatch, calculator, calendar, speakerphone, USB and infra red connectivity, and to compliment its media, some internal memory and external memory (in the form of a Memory Stick Micro). The phone is solid built all-round, and has a light, petite structure which allows it to be carried and used by anyone.
As far as budget phones are concerned, very few will match the Sony Ericsson’s W200i. The fact is, its numerous abilities, practical design and affordable price tag not only make it a rare find and an exceptional phone but places it on a class of its own.
Other options: Nokia 1110i, Sony Ericsson Z310i.
Motorola RAZR V3 (black) Price $200 - $399
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Although the RAZR is not a very new handset, for this price range it's about the highest specifications you're going to get _ plus you get the thin clam shell styling that made the handset so famous in the beginning! The RAZR V3 from Motorola has a 262k colour display, 5.5MB shared internal memory, VGA camera, and quad-band GSM network compatibility.
The internal display of the RAZR V3 is a 240 x 320 pixel TFT LCD which can display up to 262,144 colours. The external display is a 4,096 colour LCD measuring 96 x 80 pixels. The front LCD can be used as a viewfinder for the camera, perfect for self portraits!
The frequent traveller looking for a semi-budget phone will be happy to know that the RAZR V3 supports every 2G GSM network around the globe: GSM 850, 900, 1800, and 1900MHz.
One of the major down sides to the V3 is that it does not come with any support for external memory cards, so you're limited to the 5.5MB. You can transfer your files from the handset to a larger storage space like your computer using Bluetooth or USB.
The Motorola RAZR V3 retails for about $300.
Other options: Nokia 6230i. Nokia 6300 (Price $400 - $599)
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The Nokia 6300 has a high-end 16.7 million colour TFT LCD, 2mpx digital camera, fast Series 40 user interface, microSD memory card support, and Bluetooth and USB connectivity. All this and more is enclosed in an attractive stainless steel case.
I recently reviewed the 6300 and absolutely loved it. Although it is a mid-range handset, it has several features that set it out from the crowd – the major one being the 16.7 million colour TFT LCD @ 240 x 320 pixels. The 6300 is only handset in our top 5 phones that does have a display of this quality!
The Series 40 user interface definitely deserves a mention, as it is fast, responsive, and not to mention easy to use. Additional features include an FM stereo radio, tri-band GSM network compatibility, and SMS/EMS, MMS, and e-mail messaging.
At just over the $400 price tag, the Nokia 6300 is an affordable handset with top-notch functionality.
Other options: Nokia 6233, LG U890. Sony Ericsson K800i (Price $600 - $799)
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This price range is quite a serious one, and that calls for a phone packing a lot of punch. I've picked the K800i this week because of its large QVGA display, 3.2mpx Cyber-Shot camera with Xenon flash, large internal memory and external support, and all the extras we expect from Sony Ericsson.
The K800i's camera functionality is second to none, and shoots amazing still images and motion video. The Xenon flash is spectacular for low light situations, putting LED lights to shame. At the 3.2mpx resolution the images are just asking to be printed and framed.
Supporting both 3G and 2G networks the K800i also includes full PIM applications, 64MB of internal memory and Memory Stick Micro memory cards, a NetFront browser with RSS support, and an amazing 262,144 colour TFT LCD at 320 x 240 pixels.
Although the K800i only just comes into this price range, it does offer amazing value for money. You won't find another handset at the same price with the same features as the K800i.
Other options: Nokia 6288, Samsung D900. Dopod 838Pro (Price $800 or Above)
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The Dopod 838 Pro is one of, if not the best PDA phone available on the Australian market to date. The handset supports almost every 3G and 2G network, has a 400MHz Samsung CPU, 64MB of RAM and 128MB of flash memory, microSD support, QVGA touch screen display, full QWERTY keyboard and a host of other features.
The network support on the 838 Pro is astounding: GSM 900, 1800, and 1900MHz, and WCDMA 850, 900, and 2100MHz. It also supports HSDPA on 3G networks, and GPRS and EDGE on the 2G networks. The handset also supports WiFi 802.11b/g so you can connect to a wireless hotspot for fast data transfer over the internet. The high speed 400MHz processor runs the Windows Mobile operating system with ease.
A 2mpx digital camera is included on the 838 Pro, along with Windows Media player for local and streaming video, Java MIDP 2.0 for games and applications, Office Mobile productivity applications, and full support for IMAP4/POP3 e-mail messaging. With the full QWERTY keyboard predictive text input is a thing of the past (although T9 predictive text is installed on the 838 Pro!).
The 320 x 240 pixel TFT LCD is only capable of displaying up to 65,536 colours. The display is a touch screen so you'll need the stylus for almost every operation except messaging, which you can use the keyboard if desired.
For just over $1000 the Dopod 838 Pro is definitely worth the money.
Other options: Sony Ericsson W900i, Nokia N90.