Phones make great gifts, but they're expensive, right? Not always. Here are a few of the better-priced smartphones on the market. They won't break the bank and you might be surprised at how well some of them run.
The gift of thrift: Telstra Tempo - $49
At $49, the Tempo is the only phone on this list under $50. Indeed, its low price is its main appeal. For roughly the same cost you could get one month of Telstra pre-paid Freedom access with $1000 credit and 2GB of data. That's a good price for a handset.
Understandably, you can expect certain sacrifices have been made. There’s only 4GB of on-board storage, which can be expanded up to 32GB further via the microSD slot; a 2MP camera and an iPhone 5S-sized 4 inch screen.
Like most low-budget phones it’s also limited to 3G. The good news is that it still works over Telstra’s NextG network, which was the fastest game in town before 4G came along.
Suggested plan: Telstra has some pretty good price points going for its pre-paid plans right now. For $30 a month you’ll get access to $250 credit for calls & text, as well as 800MB of data. Even better value is the $40 pre-paid Freedom offer, boasting $550 credit and almost double the data at 1.5GB.
Big screen, big savings: Boost View 5.0 - $99
The Boost View 5.0 is available exclusively through Boost Mobile – a Telstra network reseller. For $99 it has a 5-inch 854 x 480 display, a quad-core 1.3GHz processor and will work over the Telstra Next G network.
Hard drive space is scarce, with only around 2GB available to the user, but once again there is a microSD slot for expanding it up to a further 32GB.
We found the Boost View had a surprisingly hassle-free user experience when we got our hands on one recently. It's no Samsung Galaxy S5, but it's definitely a good choice if you're working on a budget.
Suggested plan: Boost’s plans are simple. They all offer unlimited talk, text and MMS within Australia. The main difference between them is the recharge periods of 5, 15 and 30 days. Understandably, the smaller the recharge period, the less data you get as well.
The 30-day $40 plan is our pick. It has the best data-to-dollar ratio. 2.5GB on the Telstra Next G network at this price is nothing to snub one’s nose at, especially when it is accompanied by unlimited talk, text and MMS with no lock-in contract.
For music lovers: Vodafone Smart 4 mini 3G - $69
The Smart 4 mini 3G is a seriously wallet-conscious device. It’s not just an affordable piece of hardware, it comes with a complimentary $40 Cap Starter Pack (one month of prepaid) and three months of free Spotify Premium access.
The phone itself has a 4 inch screen, 3.2MP camera and, as the name suggests, is limited to 3G speeds. The Prepaid inclusion gets you 28 days in which to use 2GB of data, infinite standard text and $750 for calls and MMS within Australia.
Spotify Premium means full access to Spotify with no ads and the ability to download songs to your device, so you don’t have to rely on your data connection when you want to listen to music. This subscription is usually $11.99 per month.
All told the inclusion of the Spotify Premium access and $40 starter pack comes to $75.97, which is pretty good considering the phone itself costs less than that. If you get full use out of the deal you actually come out ahead. Really, all the phone needs to do at this point is turn on and it's met its worth.
For the tech-head: Motorola Moto G - $269
So far the phones on this list have been good for their price, but a true lover of tech may find them lacking. Enter the Moto G (2nd Generation). This is about as bang-for-buck as you get.
The 5 inch 720p HD display is crisp, beautiful and far better than you expect to see for under $300. There is 8GB of storage with a microSD slot for expanding up to a further 32GB. The processor is a 1.2GHz quad-core CPU, backed up by 1GB of RAM and an unexpectedly hard-hitting Adreno 305 for graphics processing.
The rear camera is an appreciable 8MP. This is the first phone on our list where you can really take nice photos. There’s even a front-facing shooter for selfies and video calls.
Most of all, the Moto G is renowned for its smooth user experience. Budget phones can be a little laggy at times, but the Moto G is impressively fast and fluid. Even better, it runs the default Android user interface, meaning you’ll get updates much faster than even some top-tier Android devices.
Suggested plan: It’s the season for giving. Why not go with a plan that gives back to the community? Jeenee is a not for profit telco that helps Australians living with disability. You can grab a $25 SIM pack with $500 credit for calls and MMS, unlimited texts, 1.5GB of data and unlimited calls to other Jeenee numbers. The first month will carry an added $20 fee for activation.
For every 25 new $25 connections, Jeenee can donate a $35 Smartphone pack to a person in need. This donated pack includes a basic handset running a custom-made UI, complete with a built-in help button connected to a 24/7 help service and a GPS locator to assist people who become lost or confused when away from home.
For the techno-novice: Nokia Lumia 530 - $149
Android is called a lot of things, but it is rarely held up as a champion of intuitive design. Folks who are new to smartphones may find it intimidating and even frustrating. The Lumia 530 runs on the Windows Phone 8.1 operating system (OS). It's a little more straight-forward than Android and a little friendlier to new users.
On the hardware side of things the phone itself can be a tad slow at times, but considering its low price that's not surprising. Speaking of which, $149 was the original RRP, but if you search around you can probably pick one up for under $100.
Suggested plan: Amaysim is a popular telco thanks to its great value inclusions. When buying for beginners, you probably won't need the unlimited plan, but the Amaysim FLEXI could be right up your alley. For $19.90 a month you get $19.90 of credit for calls and text, where a call is 18c per minute and a text is just 9c. On top of that there's 500MB with excess usage charged at a surprisingly-low 5c per MB. That means you can worry a little less about huge excess bills turning up unexpectedly.
Notable mentions
There are a surprising number of reliable, affordable smartphones on the market these days. Not all of them could make it on to our list, but here are a few worth checking out if you’re after a better match for your needs.
- HTC Desire 510
- Motorola Moto E
- OPPO Neo 5
- Nokia Lumia 635
Original image credit: Flickr user Missteee
Alex Angove-Plumb
Digital Content Editor
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