Phone4me

[Ignis Fatuus]

Thinking of getting an unlocked phone for use with a local PAYG SIM while abroad. Anyone recommend one that does voice, text, and email? Social networking and video not required. But USB charger highly desired (i.e. no older Nokia, which otherwise Ilike)

[The Spartan]

How much are you looking to spend?

[Ignis Fatuus]

How much are you looking to spend?

0 - what it takes. But the point is a cheap phone for a particular use, so it's not a case of value-for-money, it's a case of least-money-that-does-the-job. I suppose I'm thinking of sub-£50 and ideally sub-£30. In fact ideally £10 from Tesco but those models seem to fall down on either proprietary charger connection (Samsung) or lack of real email (Sony Ericsson).

[The Spartan]

Anything running Android 2.1 should do the trick I have a Samsung Apollo I bought for 50 quid and it does everything I need it to, possibly a Europa will do the same

[northernladuk]

There must be a raft of stuff surely? The first HTC Desire Z's went like wildfire when they came out and they are quite capable of what you say and more and must be cheap as chips now it is 3 versions old?

Have you tried asking around? There seems to be a lot of people in this office that have something like this in a drawer they can't even give to the kids so are keeping for a spare due as it just isn't worth selling?

If you are looking for a new one why not enquire about the Galaxy Ace. Now Ace 2 is out they can't rid of them fast enough. Free with a 10 quid a month contract at moment so must be cheap to buy.

[Ignis Fatuus]

Thanks for the suggestions, but unlocked Galaxy Ace > £100, unlocked Apollo > £90 (or cheaper but "out of stock"). For me that's the price of a main phone, I suppose I am cheap in that regard. But I'm not excited by mobile phones, I just want the same thing as worked 5 years ago (or do I mean 10?)


I'm refining the requirements as I go, it occurs to me that I was implicitly thinking of a very non-smart phone, so I was taking it for granted that I'd get long battery life. But actually that's a wish too.

I might just give up on the USB charger port, and then I'd get small, light, very cheap, and 5-day charge life.