2. Who Would Benefit Most From These Phones?
Who wants a cheapo Android phone? The answer: some people would love to have one. We check out the LG Optimus S, the Motorola Defy, and the T-Mobile Comet.
None of the models we’ll cover in this roundup are obscure, but they’re definitely not flagship handsets by any measure. Even so, one question we had was who exactly would purchase a smartphone that isn’t a high-end or one of the top sellers? Certainly someone who would love smartphone features but doesn’t want to spend a lot of money, but who exactly is that person and why would they only want to drop a hundred bucks on a smartphone? We took to the streets to find out.
The general smartphone demographic is widening quickly, and while the standard image of a high-end smartphone owner is still usually someone young and professional, falling prices and increased attention on smartphone production has widened the market out to people both young and old. For example, the older crowd might want a device to make calls in case of an emergency or when on the go, while caring little for the technological bells and whistles. These older buyers are quickly finding themselves with few flip-phone or featureless options on the market from which to choose.
We asked a local Verizon Wireless sales associate whether there were more mobile phone buyers in the 50 and over age bracket now than in the past and he wholeheartedly agreed that sales to this demographic group have grown. He also noted that there are fewer feature phones and simple flip-models available as well as impartial reviews online and in print. This means that many older, and less tech-savvy buyers who are more interested in battery life, call quality, and longevity than they are in HD video and high-megapixel cameras have to consider smartphones if they want read expert opinions in the press.
Older, less tech-savvy buyers looking for a solid device aren’t the only ones getting budget smartphones, though. Younger children looking for their first cell phone are finding that instead of a shiny new iPhone or Droid X, they’re getting more affordable handsets that are a bit more disposable and won’t hurt their parents wallets when their child inevitably loses it or drops it in the school toilet. The Verizon Wireless rep we talked to noted this point and said many families walk into wireless stores with their kids looking for the latest and greatest, but the child inevitably walks out with something a little more wallet-friendly.
We put the same questions to an AT&T sales rep to see if maybe it’s the iPhone that’s been causing some of this shift, and she disagreed that the iPhone is the cause, but said it’s definitely a contributing factor. She noted that the iPhone definitely is the smartphone of record and is the hallmark of conversation whenever someone goes smartphone shopping. Everyone wants something like the iPhone, but they may not want to pay the amount the iPhone will cost, even with a two-year contract or a renewal discount. Instead, older and younger users with money on their minds start asking which handsets give them some of the features, like apps, e-mail, texting, and music, without spending $200 on the device and then having to worry about hefty fees for unlimited data plans.
Now that we’ve established that older users often care more about finding an affordable and solid device and that younger users' parents or guardians aren’t ready to break the bank to buy a high-end gadget for them, the only people left to ask are the consumers themselves in this demographic group. We asked a few middle-schoolers we know whether they had a cell phone, and nearly all of them said yes. When asked what type of phone they had, they almost all had a smartphone or a feature phone of some type, while none of them had so-called “kids phones” or cell phones with strict parental controls.
When asked if they wanted an upgrade and if they knew what they wanted, most of them mentioned wanting the same phones their parents have: whether it’s an iPhone or an Android device. They all knew the iPhone by name, and when asked if they wanted one, they said yes, but when asked if they had ever used one, only the children whose parents have an iPhone said yes.
We turned to their parents and asked them if they were willing to buy an iPhone 4 for each of their children, even at upgrade pricing, and most of them cited carrier limitations at first, but when the pot was broadened to the flagship device on any carrier, like the Samsung Galaxy S, Motorola Droid X, or iPhone 4; predictably they shied away from giving a young and active child an expensive phone. When asked how much they’d be willing to pay for a handset for their child, most came in willing to spend around $100, perhaps a little more, but noted that it could get pricey once you factor in a case, screen protector, and the inevitable data and texting plan required to use the device.
It’s easy to say that not everyone needs the latest and greatest high-end smartphones to do what they want to do with their smartphones. Sadly, the only iPhone for less than $100 is the 8 GB iPhone 3GS ($99 on AT&T,) but for the same amount of money, you can get some strong Android contenders on multiple carriers that sport solid battery life, modest hardware features, good call quality, and most importantly, won’t break the bank.
- 1. New Year. Finally Time for a Smartphone?
- 2. Who Would Benefit Most From These Phones?
- 3. A Note About Google Android
- 4. LG Optimus S (Sprint): Hardware and Design
- 5. LG Optimus S (Sprint): Software and Apps
- 6. Motorola Defy (T-Mobile): Hardware and Design
- 7. Motorola Defy (T-Mobile): Software and Apps
- 8. Huawei Comet (T-Mobile): Hardware and Design
- 9. Huawei Comet (T-Mobile): Software and Apps
- 10. Conclusion: The Optimus Takes the Pennant
What did I get out of this article? Mostly insulted. So the over 50 crowd who want good call quality, long battery life and realize that the optical quality of built in cameras is really not so great are the "less tech savvy" but the under 50 set who don't care about call quality or battery life and who are satisfied watching a HD movie on a 4 inch screen are tech savvy. Hilarious.
Yeah this is a bit weird.
Title is wrong = Contract Android phones with default junk for under $100
should be the title.
For $100 for a contract I can get a iphone for free, yes we are not all limited to some small town called USA but limited to USA CA UK Australia HongKong for a contract phone or a unlocked phone.
I know some people that does not travel are limited to some clown with a mobile tower in their small town backwaters USA.
No person in their freaking right mind would be stupid enough to get a contract even in UK only 30% now are still stupid enough to get a contract phone as opposed to 1.5 years ago's data. Contracts are a thing of the past for many years already.
As for value for money, if there is no slide out keyboard then you don't want a on screen keyboard as it is a major pain with a stylus or using your fingers on a 400x800 screen so why go for the slow pathetic less than 400x800 screen ?
Why take the most pathetic specs on a phone if you can have 5mp camera and all the other functionality + stock exchange apps and weather apps as used by my 94 year old grandpa.
The bigger screen for him is great as he can now see the text big and big numbers instead of crappy old phones + small buttons and difficult to read.
Heck he skype's us over wifi at the airport on his phone instead of international calls and this by a 94year old grandpa with zero tech savvy skills. He used to work for the post office hello.
The complaint about the motorola "not a fanboy here" have you heard about the 200 android modded versions for this phone / any phone / iPhoneDroid and unlock then replace the junk that comes in the box with your version of Android ??
We do it with pc's, laptops, Apple products when you get it you format and only install what you need to get rid of the spyware / malware / bloatware or remove the junk from the manufacturer and place another OS on the hardware / dual boot on your phone junk in the box or what you want that works on your phone. (Touchwiz + android dual boot here)
If you do not know about this then you have been living under a rock. Good effort with this article, next time just get serious and research and give alternatives as very few people will use this cheap phone with the junk it has on but end up modding it within 5 days of frustration.
Hi guys!
Thanks for your comments!
@dhvd79a - I think we went to fairly strong lengths to chat with people for whom a smartphone would be a good option - people who are interested in the ability to manage appointments and a calendar but don't care about HD video, for example, or parents looking for a phone that will give their kids some of the features they want without breaking the bank. Both of those groups aren't limited by age, although some of the demographics point to the ages we gravitated towards in the piece. Still - it's clear you're not in that target group! Don't be insulted, you're just looking for something more powerful!
@WarraWarra - You raise some great points, but I think that getting into the nitty gritty of rooting a phone and modding it yourself (even if it's something that you can grab a one-click app to do) is something that the vast majority of smartphone owners - and even Android owners - simply don't want to do. Add to the fact that if you ever need your wireless carrier's help or support in any way and you give them a modded or rooted phone, they'll tell you to go away, and you have a real issue - at least in the US - where people who are tech savvy enough to root their devices are people who are generally aware of the fact that they'll have to support themselves. Again, not the folks we're looking at here, and not the folks you would buy a phone like these for, right?
I'm with you though - if I personally were looking for a smartphone, none of these would be an option. I need a much more powerful device for my own use! That said, I talked to a number of people in the research for this post that wanted to give their kids a phone they could text with that was "enough like an iPhone to make them happy," but didn't want to shell out for one. When presented with a $50 option that's a strong device with solid bang-for-the-buck, they loved the idea!
To each their own!
I have the Comet. The screen is not multitouch. At all. Though Froyo supports flash, you are barred from even installing adobe flash on this phone because of the processor. I was disappointed in this at first, but now I realize that even if you could install flash, the phone would simply choke on it. That said, videos that I've transcoded for the phone, and low-def videos on youtube (through the youtube app) don't stutter, but still are only merely passable in visual quality.
Not a bad phone for me, a person who wanted an android device and the app-y goodness that comes with it, while not being tied into a contract. For $100, t-mobile will sell you 1000 minutes/texts that don't expire for a year, which is perfect for my meager usage. I don't need to be fleeced by a data plan because I'm generally blanketed in wifi connections.
For the on-contract type of person, I'm not sure why you'd get this over an Android phone that was more full featured (processor, screen, etc.). The cost of the better phone is minuscule compared to the price of the plan (especially with data). Off-contract,however, this thing is a home run for me, as it will help me save $1000+ over the next year or two, when compared to what I was paying previously to use a crappy feature phone on-contract.
Nothing like more technically inclined people coming onto TomsGuide and getting angry about how the articles are geared at the average user. I would guess that 95% of the computers Dell ships out never get reformatted by the customer, ever. I'm guessing that over 99% of Android devices have never been rooted (including the 4 in my household). And talking about prices in Europe (when the prices quoted were obviously for U.S. carriers) is silly. Although Maybe Toms really should start labeling articles like this with some sort of tag for applicable region. After all, these are phones provided by U.S. carriers that may not be available everywhere. I've seen other reviews for things like Wireless routers and external harddrives that aren't available in the U.S., so its obviously not simply American bias.
As for the article, how much memory does the Motorolla Defy come with? With 2GB usable storage, an 800MHz processor, and 840x480 resolution, its practically a G2 without the keyboard and tethering, imagine paying $200 on contract when a similar phone is available for $100.
@Hellwig - the Defy comes with 2GB internal and T-Mobile ships it with a 2GB MicroSD card. The phone will accept an up to 32GB MicroSD card, so there's plenty of room to upgrade. Good point on the similarities to the G2 - it's a little trimmer since the G2 comes with 4GB internal I believe, but that (aside from the keyboard and the stock version of Android as opposed to MotoBlur on the Defy) might be where the differences end!
Great points on everything else too - I think you're right - a lot of people, especially the tech-savvy, evangelize rooting any Android phone they see, but for most people it's just not necessary. And for some people - especially some of the target buyers we discussed in this piece - rooting and tweaking isn't up their alley. Simplicity, affordability, and - perhaps most importantly - carrier support are paramount.
The SPAM on Tom's is rediculous now. Get some decent CAPTCHA and account verification controls on your login. Then start banning accounts. This is 2011 now, Why are your running a tech site like 2001?
I agree with SPAM123, personally id like the FACEBOOK CONNECT login option as its quick and painless and im 10 times more likely to post/participate where this is available
NewEgg has the MyTouch 4G for $80, a Droid 2 or X at $50, a Droid Incredible for free!
It has the phones you list for much less than you state. Why do you limit your options to buying from carriers? Don't you believe in capitalism?
"Sadly, the device doesn’t have mobile hotspot or tethering options."
I am doing both mobile hotspot and tethering options on my unrooted Tmobile comet. Its under wireless and network settings... Tehetering and portable Hotspot.
Additionally, the phone does support the same 4G bands that the Mytouch does.....