Why all Androids?

If you have read our May 2011 smartphone buyers guide, it is almost impossible to notice that all the current phones in our list are Androids. Little by little, the Symbian, Bada, Windows Phone 7, BlackBerry and iOS phones have disappeared from out list. Here is why?

Wait for the iPhone 5.

Apple iPhone. The good thing about Apple products is they hold their value. The pricing of their product stays pretty much fixed for one year until a new product is released. On the grey market you can expect discounted prices over time, but not by much. You can expect to pay about Php31K for a iPhone (16GB) on the grey market. About the same price we expect to see for the new dual core phone like the LG Optimus 2X, later this month, and Samsung Galaxy S II, by June.

When the iPhone was competing with 30K Android's it was already the most expensive option. Now with its 2010 rivals at 19K to 23K, the iPhone 4 really feels expensive.

The other issue is screen size. In 2007 the iPhone had a large screen by 2007 standards. Even into 2009 it was still at the top of the class. But by second half of 2010, the 3.5-inch screen was starting to look a bit on the small side. Now, 3.5-inches is the province of manufacturers second level phones, with their flagships having 4-inch or larger screens. While a 4-inch or larger screened phone is not for everyone, it would be nice if Apple provided that option. We would be happy if they up the screen size to even just 3.7 to 3.8 inches. But these days, a 3.5-inch screen just does not excite us anymore.

We would wait for the BlackBerry OS 7 phones.

BlackBerry. BlackBerry OS 7 launched with the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and Bold 9930 devices. The BlackBerry's that came before those two won’t be updated to v7 of the OS, not even the ones running version 6. Pretty much, we recommend holding off buying a BlackBerry until we can find out if RIM plans to continue updating for version 6.

Still a risk, and there are plenty of options at 20K, but now might not be a bad time to give this OS a spin.

Windows Phone 7. Buying a Windows Phone 7 smartphone right now is cheaper than ever. The HTC Mozart 7 is now priced at just Php20,500. If you feel like trying a Windows Phone 7 phone, this may be a good time. But we think the future of Windows Phone 7 is still iffy. With two established operating systems, iOS and Android, we would recommend going with one of the two leaders for 20K.
  

That being said, I really like Windows Phone 7, but could not get myself invest in one myself. If you are looking at a Windows Phone 7 unit, now is not a bad time to get one.

The best feature phone in the world.

Bada. The Samsung Galaxy Wave 8530 is now available for less than 15K which might make one feel like jumping on the Bada bandwagon. The problem is there is no bandwagon and we do not see a future for this OS as a smarthpone OS. Still nothing at 15K has better specifications than the Samsung Galaxy Wave 8530, but I really would consider it more of a high end feature phone than a smartphone. The lower price Bada phones have equally low priced Android to compete with.

If you own one, it will still get the job done. If you are looking at buying, there are many better options these days.

Symbian. Symbian = Nokia. If you like Nokia phones, we recommend you wait for 2012 for the new Nokia Windows Phone 7 devices. No matter how much sugar coating Nokia does, Symbian as a smarthpone OS is near end of life. With Androids available for as low a 8K, we would recommend a Android instead.   

May 2011 budget smartphone buyers guide

Because of some price adjustments, we have an updated guide here.

Two of my friends on a tight budget pick-up low cost smartphones. One got a Mini the other a Ace. Neither one is dissapointed. If you are on a budget below 15K, it is pretty amazing what you can get these days.

Samsung Galaxy Mini - Just enough. Nothing great here. The 3.14-inch 240 x 320 screen looks a bit pixelized. The 600MHz ARM 11 processor and Adreno 200 GPU it will run all but the most demanding apps. Internal storage is a scant 160MB, but you do get a 2GB MicroSD card with the package and with running Froyo (Android 2.2) as the OS, the small internal storage is not the big deal it used to be. The camera is a 3.15MP fixed focus unit.  But priced at Php8,790 you really cannot complain.

There are several 2.8-inch offerings in the market at a slightly lower price, but we we really recommend going for the larger 3.14-inch screen. The additional 0.34-inches makes a big difference in when typing, and you do a lot of that with a smartphone.

LG Optimus One P500 - Still a very solid choice. For Php11,000 you get a phone running Android 2.2 (Froyo), with a 3.2 inch capacitive touchscreen display with 320 x 480 pixel resolution, a 600MHz ARM 11 processor, 419MB of RAM and 170MB of internal storage. For the camera, it has a 3.2MP autofocus camera. 

The higher resolution 320 x 480 is worth the additional Php2,210 premium over the Samsung Galaxy Mini.
 

The Samsung S5830 Galaxy Ace - Just right. The Galaxy Ace combines a 3.5 inch 320 x 480 screen with a low Php13,000 asking price. Inside is an 800MHz ARM 11 processor and Adreno 200 GPU. The ARM 11 processor means no flash support in the browser. Internal storage is a scant 158MB but you do get a 2GB MicroSD card with the package, and Froyo (Android 2.2)  You get all the usual wireless connections. At the back, you get a good 5MP auto focus camera with a LED flash.  It runs Android 2.2, Froyo, so the small internal storage is not as big a deal as it used to be.

This phone you buy for the screen it has a 3.5 inch screen. That is the same size as many of the higher end phones in the market like the iPhone 4 and Nokia N8. The 320 x 480 resolution is just high enough so you do not notice any pixelation. It is the most expensive budget phone in our comparison but it is worth it.

HTC Wildfire - This old soldier is still a good choice. At the the price of Php12,000 the HTC Wildfire offers a lot.  The spoiler in the package is 3.2 inch 240 x 320 screen. Both the Samsung Galaxy Ace and LG Optimus One having crisper displays.

Inside it still does have the best processor if the budget class. The Wildfire is powered by a 528 MHz Qualcomm processor, which is slower than the ones found in the Galaxy Ace and Optimus One, but this is actually a higher class processor. Clock speed is not everything. The 528 MHz Qualcomm supports flash in the browser, and this is the only budget phone which has any kind of browser flash support.  It has a good amount of RAM at  384 MB. Internal storage is also the highest at 512MB. It has a decent camera, a 5 MP auto focus unit with a LED flash. The led flash plus the nicely built case and building quality makes it look and feel more like a high end phone. 

This one will be replaced by the newer Wildfire S soon. Still it is a solid choice.

Need a physical QWERTY keyboard?

Samsung Galaxy 551 - So so at the price, but it does have a slide out keyboard. One good option at less than 15K is the Samsung Galaxy 551. Priced at Php12,000 it is equipped with a 3.2 inch 400 x 240 resolution screen.  It runs Android 2.2 and is powered by a 667MHz processor and 256MB of RAM. For the money, it is not as good a choice as a Wildfire or Optimus One, but if you want the slide out physical keyboard, than it is not all that bad a choice either.