Pocket friendly Android

Budget smartphones hunters will be thrilled by recent announcement of several value for money Android handsets for the local market, all below the price of RM1000.

Top of the list will be the Samsung Galaxy W, which feature a phenomenal upgrade from its predecessor the Galaxy Ace. Screen resolution sees an increase from HVGA resolution to . Even more impressive is the processor speed which has been bumped up from a modest 800MHz to a speedy 1.4GHz, along with higher RAM and ROM. Cameara resolution is maintained at 5MP but then again, the Ace has one of the best 5MP snapper around. It was even better than then flagship Galaxy S and many of the 8MP units presently available. The good news however is that video recording has also been upgraded to 720p HD resolution. Its exterior design is a fresh departure from the conventional design commonly used by Samsung and it somehow reminded me of a Blackberry. However, it's not as good at creating a slim illusion, looking a little thicker even though both the W and the Ace share the same 11.5mm thickness. The Galaxy W has been announced for a price of RM999.

Even more affordable will be the Galaxy Y, which many cited to be the replacement for Galaxy Mini. I doubt that though as spec wise, there is hardly any upgrade. In fact, the screen shrunk slightly to 3" of low res display and the camera been downgraded from 3.15MP to a mere 2MP. And even though it now has a faster 832MHz processor, it isn't bundled with a graphic accelerator like the 600MHz processor in Mini. The Galaxy Y is a budget phone at RM499 and it looks like a budget phone with a screen that is too small for its body.

Right between the two is HTC Explorer, priced at RM759, with a spec slightly lower than The Wildfire S. HTC tends to be pricey due to their preference for premium material for the housing and to my best knowledge, this is the first HTC phone to be launched at a price tag below RM1000 so compromises is to be expected. This unit seems encased in a soft plastic material that will probably be great to hold but I can't say I appreciate its aesthetic. We also get 3.2" display, 3MP camera running on a 600MHz processor. The HTC unit has the advantage of being skinned with the very popular Sense UI.

The Galaxy W seems to be the best choice here, being more able than last year flagship. It's also the most expensive among these few but we could argue that the rest are simply too far behind. Finally, the still unannounced Sony Ericsson Neo V deserve some attention with specs very similar to the Galaxy W. If the price matches, it would give the W a good fight with its sheer good look alone.