Smartphone stocking fillers: Five amazing phones for under £100

 

Hard to believe how time flies, isn’t it? Yep, Christmas is on us once again, and to help you find the perfect presents for all your family, we’ll be running regular gadget gift guides – with a twist. Kicking things off, we’ve got the best smartphones that cost £100 or less – check out how much power you can get for under a ton right here.

Huawei Ascend G300

For bang on £100 on Pay As You Go with Vodafone, you can pick up one astonishing bit of kit: the Huawei Ascend G300 squeezes in a 1GHz processor and even a four-inch screen – the same size as the iPhone 5’s, for a quarter of the price. Best of all, it’s been recently updated to the faster, smarter Android 4.0. Best for: your nephew or cousin who’s deep into mobile, but can’t afford a monthly contract just yet.

Sony Xperia Miro

It may pack a slightly smaller 3.5-inch screen than the Huawei Ascend G300, but the Sony Xperia Miro is a polished affair nonetheless, with a more sturdy build quality, and Android 4.0 out of the box, and access to all the hundreds of thousands of apps on the Google Play store. It’s available for £100 on Vodafone Pay As You Go for a limited time so don’t hang about. Best for: your Sony loving, iPhone hating brother.

Nokia Lumia 610

We love Android, but its open ended nature isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Out of the box, Windows Phone is easier to use, and Nokia’s build quality is legendary. That makes the Nokia Lumia 610 for £99.95 at Carphone Warehouse on every network except Three a spectacular deal. Its beautiful live tile homescreen is easy to use, and integrates Facebook and Twitter beautifully. Best for: your child or niece/nephew’s first smartphone.

Huawei Blaze

There are a surprising amount of Android phones with tiny screens and tiny prices knocking about these days, but make no mistake, this one is by far the best. Its 3.2-inch display is responsive, and despite the aging 600MHz processor, it’s surprisingly fast. And though it runs an older version of Android, 2.3, it still provides all the core Google services, including free satellite navigation with turn by turn directions. For under £40, this really is an impulse purchase. Best for: that uncle who’s been asking which is the best satnav/phone/anything to buy.

BlackBerry Curve 9320

A full on BlackBerry, with a solid keyboard, blazing 3G speeds and BlackBerry Messenger for instant chat with all your mates on the go, for under £100? Orange has one, this year’s impressive BlackBerry Curve 9320. Don’t expect stocks to last though, or complain when BlackBerry 10 rolls around in January. Best for: The hopeless BBM addict in your life.

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