Many of us these days are dependent on a mobile phone. A lot of employers require the constant contact of a mobile number, and more and more people are giving up the expense of running a home land line phone that they rarely use. This means that mobiles are no longer luxury items, for the majority of us having a decent, good quality mobile phone is a necessity. Buying a new mobile, however, can be tough.
You’re looking at spending a fair amount of money here. A newly launched, top of the line device is going to cost you close to six hundred pounds, which is a huge investment, and one that these days many of us just can’t afford. Fortunately, there are other options. Many mobile manufacturers are making good, low cost smart phones, and you can get the phone that you need for under a hundred and fifty pounds or so.
You’ll need to be a little careful when you’re shopping for a budget phone, however, since many models do sacrifice too many features and too much performance to get a low price, and therefore won’t be able to do what you need them to do. Still, with hundreds of different models to choose from, knowing which one is the right choice can be pretty tough.
Comparing mobile phones is really the only way that you’re going to know which model is the best and gives the most features for your cash. Doing that comparison can be confusing though, not to mention time consuming, mobile descriptions just contain so much technical terminology that reading them can be difficult for the average shopper. That’s where we come in to help you out.
We’ve looked at some of the best bargains on the mobile market, good phones for good prices, and then matched models up in head to head comparisons so that you can easily see which phone is the best buy. If you want to get a new mobile phone that isn’t going to cost you a fortune, then read on to find out more about the two phones that we’re looking at today…
Introducing the Two Phones
Huawei might not be the most recognisable name on the mobile market, but they’re actually the fourth largest mobile manufacturer in the world. They also have a reputation for producing good phones for even better prices. The Huawei Ascend G510 is a truly budget smart phone, and it has some fantastic specs for a phone in this price range.
HTC are best known for making high end smart phones, but the company does also make some budget models. They are also one of the few manufacturers that produce both Android and Windows phones. The HTC 8S is their budget Windows model, and it’s a nice, good looking phone. Can a budget Windows model really compete against an Android though?
What You’ll be Paying
There’ll be a price difference depending on whether you’re looking for pay as you go or contract phones. Pay as you go phones are generally bought SIM free, and in this case you’ll be paying around a hundred and forty pounds for the Huawei Ascend G510, whilst the HTC 8S is a little more expensive at about a hundred and eighty pounds.
If you’re looking for contract phones, then you’ll need to choose an operator to sign a contract with. The best deal on the Ascend right now is with T-Mobile, where you’ll get the phone for no money down on a £7 a month calling plan. For the HTC the best deal currently is with Vodafone, again you’ll get the phone for no money down, this time on an £11 a month calling plan contract.
The Similarities
Both of these models have the same 5 MP camera built in, which is the standard for the price range, and both also have a 4 GB internal memory, again standard. These are 3.5G devices, which means you won’t have access to the faster mobile internet speeds that are offered by 4G models.
The Huawei Ascend G510
The Huawei Ascend G510 might be the cheaper phone, but it has a couple of pretty important advantages over the HTC 8S, starting with its processor. The Huawei runs a 1200 MHz processor, as opposed to the 1000 MHz model on the HTC, which does make it faster, more powerful and more responsive as well.
The Ascend also has the advantage when it comes to screen size, since it has a four and a half inch screen versus the four inch display on the HTC model. This not only means that you get a better viewing experience for videos, web pages and documents, but also that typing on the on screen pop up keyboard is a lot easier and more comfortable.
Finally, the Huawei is an Android model, and that simply means that you have more choice when it comes to downloading apps and games. The Android App Market has around seven and a half times more apps available than the Windows Phone Marketplace has, which could be a concern if you’re looking to get the latest games for your phone…
The HTC 8S
The HTC is smaller than the Ascend, but it does have a smaller screen as a trade-off. It’s around ten per cent smaller than the Huawei, and lighter, weighing in at 113 grams versus the 150 gram Ascend. This makes the HTC 8S a little more portable and easier to carry around.
The HTC does also get a better battery life. It gets around fifty per cent more talk time per battery charge cycle, averaging around eight hours versus just five and a half hours of active use on the Ascend. This means that you’ll need to charge your phone a lot less often.
Which is Better?
We’re going with the Huawei Ascend G510. It’s got a bigger screen and a faster process, but it’s also around forty pounds cheaper than the HTC 8S, which in our eyes makes it a true bargain.
Phil Turner had decided to look at contract phones to replace his PAYG dumb phone. He started by checking out the comparison sites like uSwitch.
This article is copyright protected.