On the hardware front, cheap 'droids sport a range of chips, starting at a lowly 600MHz (or less) and rising to a respectable 1GHz. Ideally, you should bag the most powerful processor you can afford -- unless it's bogged down by a really awful Android wrapper.
An 800MHz chip should provide enough power for Web browsing and social networking. If your needs are limited, you don't need to stretch your budget too far. Best Cheap Android Phones
For sub-£100, don't expect to find multi-core chips -- at least not yet. If you can eke a few more quid out of your wallet, there are some nippy dual-core handsets in the £100-150 range. Multi-core devices are typically better at multi-tasking. So if you want a smart phone for rich Web browsing or gaming, try to save up for a dual-core pocket rocket.
Like the processor, screen size will also vary considerably depending on how much you spend. The largest pane you should expect to trouser for around £100 is likely to measure around 4 inches on the diagonal. Most of the phones in this price range won't be so generous -- 3, or 3.5-inch displays are pretty common. Smaller screens will mean hitting the wrong letters on the keyboard and prodding small links in web pages will be much more challenging. Those of you with chunky fingers should think hard about screens below 3.5 inches.
Screen resolution will range a lot. Simply put, the more pixels, the better, as low-res screens are tiresome to look at for long periods, with on-screen content appearing fuzzy. Really low-res screens (sub-150 pixels per inch) are seriously unpleasant on the eyeballs -- and may even give you a headache. Avoid if at all possible.
Regardless of how cheap the phone is, you should still expect a capacitive -- rather than the old-fashioned resistive -- touchscreen display. You might still encounter the odd resistive screen, at the bottom end of the price range, but they're best avoided as they're much more clunky to use. Cheap capacitive screens can feel rubbery to the touch but at least they don't require a stylus/fingernail to poke and prod them.
Another smart phone essential -- even for budget shoppers -- is a camera. Your budget blower should certainly come with a snapper slapped on its rear. At the lowest prices, you might only get a 2-megapixel camera -- good for nothing but really basic pics. But spend a few pounds more and you might be rewarded with 5 megapixels. The photo quality of budget Androids won't be anything to write home about but some 5-megapixel handsets can produce decent, colourful snaps -- fine for uploading to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
An 800MHz chip should provide enough power for Web browsing and social networking. If your needs are limited, you don't need to stretch your budget too far. Best Cheap Android Phones
For sub-£100, don't expect to find multi-core chips -- at least not yet. If you can eke a few more quid out of your wallet, there are some nippy dual-core handsets in the £100-150 range. Multi-core devices are typically better at multi-tasking. So if you want a smart phone for rich Web browsing or gaming, try to save up for a dual-core pocket rocket.
Like the processor, screen size will also vary considerably depending on how much you spend. The largest pane you should expect to trouser for around £100 is likely to measure around 4 inches on the diagonal. Most of the phones in this price range won't be so generous -- 3, or 3.5-inch displays are pretty common. Smaller screens will mean hitting the wrong letters on the keyboard and prodding small links in web pages will be much more challenging. Those of you with chunky fingers should think hard about screens below 3.5 inches.
Screen resolution will range a lot. Simply put, the more pixels, the better, as low-res screens are tiresome to look at for long periods, with on-screen content appearing fuzzy. Really low-res screens (sub-150 pixels per inch) are seriously unpleasant on the eyeballs -- and may even give you a headache. Avoid if at all possible.
Regardless of how cheap the phone is, you should still expect a capacitive -- rather than the old-fashioned resistive -- touchscreen display. You might still encounter the odd resistive screen, at the bottom end of the price range, but they're best avoided as they're much more clunky to use. Cheap capacitive screens can feel rubbery to the touch but at least they don't require a stylus/fingernail to poke and prod them.
Another smart phone essential -- even for budget shoppers -- is a camera. Your budget blower should certainly come with a snapper slapped on its rear. At the lowest prices, you might only get a 2-megapixel camera -- good for nothing but really basic pics. But spend a few pounds more and you might be rewarded with 5 megapixels. The photo quality of budget Androids won't be anything to write home about but some 5-megapixel handsets can produce decent, colourful snaps -- fine for uploading to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.