subject: Top 5 Best Selling Pay As You Go Phones This Christmas [print this page] Top 5 Best Selling Pay As You Go Phones This Christmas
The holiday season is drawing very near and soon Santa Clause will be coming to town. If you're writing your list and checking it twice for the friends and family that have been nice to you this year, you might find someone who deserves a new mobile phone.
This list outlines the pay as you go phones available this December from the basic brick to the savviest smartphone. Of course, you could also look at the pay monthly deals around but bear in mind that with a pay monthly contract you'll be Santa every month for the next two years as you pay the phone bills for your grateful recipient.
iPhone
Perhaps the best feature of the iPhone 4 this Christmas is that it's a fail-safe gift. Even the least-informed have heard of the high-profile handset and couldn't help be impressed. On the other hand, if you're buying for a well-informed gadget fiend you certainly won't embarrass yourself. The iPhone is an excellent top-end handset with an expansive app store, strong specs and connectivity. If you get this as a pay as you go mobile phone remind your recipient to pick up a SIM-only contract with a data allowance.
Key specs:
3.5-inch multitouch capacitive touchscreen with 640 x 960 resolution, iOS4, 5 megapixel camera with flash, 1 GHz processor, 7 hours talk time (3G), WiFi and 3G
HTC Wildfire
The Wildfire is great if you'd like to get an impressive Android mobile phone without breaking the bank. It's based on the more sophisticated HTC Desire but stays on budget by compromising on the screen quality and processing power. You'll still get a strong handset with HTC's fluid Sense user interface but do expect power intensive applications like games to run more slowly.
Key specs:
3.2-inch multitouch capacitive touchscreen with 240320 resolution, Android 2.1, 5 megapixel camera with flash, 7.3 hours talk time, WiFi and 3G
BlackBerry Bold 9870
With a reputation for their QWERTY keyboards, a BlackBerry is a good option for a texter or chatty Messenger user too impatient for a touchscreen. The BlackBerry Bold 9870 is certainly a premium handset but it's also widely recognised as RIM's best offering on the market. Its QWERTY build is robust and easy to use, its optical trackpad barely stutters and its strong resolution does well out of doors. With software the Bold 9870 has the BlackBerry 6 OS under the hood and is more integrated with your social feeds than previous RIM handsets.
Key specs:
2.44-inch screen with 480 x 360 resolution, Blackberry 6, 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, 6 hours talk time, WiFi and 3G
Samsung Monte
The Samsung Monte is Samsung's idea of a budget phone. I wish that other manufacturers had the same idea too for it's a great phone that over-delivers on expectations. The capacitive touchscreen gives one-touch access to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the BBC iPlayer which will make it popular for a young recipient expecting a full suite of social connectivity. Beyond this there are even more features to enjoy Google Maps GPS, WiFi and 3G connectivity, healthy memory and even healthier battery life. That's a lot for your money. This makes it a strong competitor for those other entry-level touchscreens like the LG Cookie and the Samsung Tocco Lite the Monte outpaces them by far.
Key specs:
3-inch capacitative touchscreen with 240x400 resolution, 3.2 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom, 290-580 minutes talk time, WiFi and 3G
Nokia 6303 Classic
The Nokia 6303 truly is a classic phone. It's a no-nonsense, easy to use handset perfect for basic texting and calling. These days though there are some features expected of even the most basic handsets and the 6303 Classic doesn't disappoint with a functional camera, MP3 player, FM radio, Nokia maps and a good battery life. It's got a smooth build as well with an attractive stainless steel finish and a good feel in the hand.
Key specs:
2.2-inch TFT display with 240x320 resolution, Symbian, 3.2 megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom, flash & autofocus, 7 hours talk time, triband GPRS
