Best Value Phones

Mobile phones have become an essential part of our lives, and getting the right one that suits our work and social lifestyle without breaking the bank is equally important too.

Aaron Gray & Hemananthani  

You might have come across individuals who bought new phones immediately after their launch; these early adopters have the money to spend and wouldn’t mind paying the extra cash to be the first ones using the new device. But if you’re not one to go according to latest trends, you’ll probably end up with another phone with more or less the same features minus the burden of a hefty price tag.

As consumers, we tend to look for the best bargain available. The pricing on mobile phones has to go hand-in-hand with the features and functions offered – and vice versa – if one wants to make a worthwhile purchase. This month’s story will guide you on a budget spending spree, whether you’re going to buy a phone for yourself or for someone during this season of giving.

Basic Phones

The phones in this category focus mainly on making and receiving calls. Users who typically choose this type of phone over the others find the need for additional memory, camera, music or any other multimedia capabilities unnecessary. This, in turn, pulls down the price of these phones between RM200 to RM500, a comfortable range that does not overstrain the consumers’ budget.

Of the many budget phones available in the market, the entry-level handsets that can be kept true to a strict budget would be the Motorola C117 and the Nokia 2300. Both phones do not have colour screens or GPRS capabilities, but they get the primary job done well: make and receive calls as well as text messaging. In addition, they are small, lightweight and pocketable for anyone who’s looking for a simple yet reliable phone to carry around.

Those who feel that even basic mobile phones should have at least a colour screen can go for the Motorola C390, which is a good buy. It even has Bluetooth connectivity, which is a bonus. “At a price of RM499, the C390 is quite a bargain,” says Tony Hiew, assistant supervisor at Novacell.

Cameraphones

This category of mobile phones refers to handsets that are integrated with imaging capabilities, one of the better convergences between two technologies. Like digital cameras, most of these cameraphones allow you to download images you’ve taken to your computer for safe-keeping or printing. A value-for-money cameraphone should be in the range of RM500 to RM1000.

To some users, having a camera integrated into phones is an essential must, but sometimes it can be a hassle to find a good budget cameraphone that takes better-than-average pictures.

“For me, having a built-in camera is a must,” says Sierra Chuan, a 15-year old student. “But I can’t afford anything above RM1000.”

Philips has a couple of megapixel cameraphones that cost less than RM1000. Both the Philips Xenium 9@9e and 9@9i have fantastic 1.3-megapixel integrated cameras. The price tags of these two phones are RM899 and RM799 respectively.

Another brand that seemed to get the camera and price right is I-Mobile with its 603 cameraphone. It comes with a 1.3-megapixel camera for just RM999.

Music Phones

The ability to play music is no longer a niche function but is increasingly viewed as a must-have feature in phones. A good bargain for a music phone that comes with additional frills can be anywhere between RM900 to RM1, 400.

Older phone models are still quite popular with some users due to the reduced price after their initial launch some time ago. Take the Motorola E398. It may be last year’s phone, but it still packs a punch when it came to music playback capability. It’s equipped with dual-surround 3D stereo speakers, Bluetooth connectivity and a microSD card expansion slot for additional music tracks you want to add.

Phones like the Innostream P10 and the Philips 960 are also our choice for best budget music phones, priced attractively at RM1388 and RM1399 respectively. Note, these phones have Bluetooth, megapixel camera and memory card expansion slots as well.

3G Phones

3G service is like the equivalent of Streamyx broadband: it allows users to access high speed Internet access over their phones, so that things like TV shows and video calls are possible. Although 3G is still relatively new in this country, the choices of 3G phones are starting to expand. A good and affordable 3G phone can be obtained at between RM1400 to RM1900, which is the ideal range for phones in this category.

One of the better 3G phones is the Nokia 6680. It features dual cameras (one for imaging and the other for video calls), Bluetooth, memory expansion slot as well as a large colour screen suitable for web-surfing on 3G.

If you prefer brands other than Nokia, you might want to take a look at the Samsung SGH-Z500 or the Sony Ericsson K600i, both which are selling for RM1899 each. The features offered on these handsets are quite similar to the Nokia 6680, give or take the difference in camera resolution, form factor and the type of memory card used by the Samsung SGH-Z500. The SE K600i, on the other hand, has only internal storage memory without any memory card expansion slots.

Second-hand & AP
Second-hand sets should be considered when we talk about budget phones. These are phones that have changed hands from the original owner to handphone shops. Within the transaction from the first owner to shops, these phones would have been tested by the people behind the counter to verify the usability of the phone.

But second-hand phones will always be second-hand phones: It’s a used set with no way for the buyer to know how the phone had been handled by the previous owner.

Phones that come with a status like AP, or Approved Permit, are phones are brought into this country by local retailers – not by manufacturers. These types of phones are new and arendefinitely cheaper than the original handsets, but they do not possess any manufacturer warranty.

Bottom line
With many types of value-for-money phones to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which phones are best for you. However, as wise consumers, we must learn how to best stretch our ringgit. Ask yourself what are the features and functions you need most in a phone and how much you are willing to spend.

The main things you need to look for in a phone first are comfort and reliability. After that comes the issue of selecting a phone with the right price. Stick to your budget and you will be celebrating Christmas in style without worrying about overspending.

Last but not least, MW wishes you all happy bargain hunting and a very Merry Christmas!