Holiday Buyer's Guide: 5 Budget Celfones

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

With all the competing wireless service providers in Canada, there's a huge selection of basic yet functional celfone models available. While the selection can be daunting, there are a lot of good deals available for the holidays. Some models even offer data capability, QWERTY keyboards and cameras as well as MP3 Playback capability. Here are our picks for budget celfones. Prices are for the phones, plans will vary depending on the carrier.

Nokia 5230 (Wind Mobile - $140.00), (Mobilicity - $149.99)

We were impressed when we reviewed the Nokia 5230 running on Mobilicity's network in Toronto. As a touch-enabled phone the Nokia 5230 is a well-rounded midrange feature phone that's sized just right. It is lightweight and has a decent sized 3'2 inch screen with a 640 by 360 resolution and above average battery life.

You get a 2 Megapixel camera and an FM radio (which requires the headset to be connected since this is where the antenna is).  

Music and video are also readily accessible and the 5230 handles these well. Wind  and Mobilicity also include a free Nokia Bluetooth headset with each Nokia 5230 purchased which is a nice added plus.

Despite the entry-level price, the Nokia 5230 offers some outstanding features including a built-in GPS and Nokia's Ovi Maps (free, for life).

INQ Chat 3G from Telus - $149.00

Here's a budget phone that's totally connected with 3G connectivity and the ability to access popular social media services like Facebook, Twitter and Gmail as well as RSS feeds.  

At just the right size with a 2.8", 320 x 240 QVGA screen a QWERTY keyboard, the INQ Chat 3G  is ideal for text-happy users as well as people who need to manage a lot of mobile email.

You also get a  3.2 Megapixel camera, a music player and a music player which can play back directly from a microSD card.

These are specs and features we would have seen on more expensive models just two years ago. 

Doro PhonEasy from Rogers - $100.00

Rogers offers the Doro PhonEasy, a basic clamshell model, with large buttons and characters for simpler dialing and messaging.

It doesn't have a camera or multimedia features but can manage a 4-hour talktime and hearing aid compatibility.

Features include vibrating ringer, Bluetooth wireless technology and SMS so you can also receive text messages.

Pair the PhoneEasy with the Essential Connect for seniors or customers looking for a simple and affordable wireless solution for making calls and text messaging.

Kyocera G2GO from Public Mobile - $50.00

A basic phone with a slide out QWERTY keyboard, the Kyocera G2GO from Public Mobile comes with a 500 name  address book, an MP3 player function with the ability to expand the built-in memory. 

Stereo Bluetooth connectivity, a  1.3 Megapixel camera with zoom functionality. You also get e-mail capability, vertical/horizontal display options. 

The benefit of a slide-out keyboards are usually in the realm of higher end phones and smartphones so it is nice to see this option on the Kyocera G2GO.

Sony Ericsson TM506 from Mobilicity -$50.00

The Sony Ericsson TM506 flip phone has all the features you want at a surprisingly affordable price of $49.99 (down from $99.99!)

It has fun built-in features like a 2 mega pixel camera with video capture to catch all those spontaneous moments and music player, to always have the music you want while on the go. Choose from three colours to suit your personal style.

This is a quad band phone that should work in most GSM countries and offers web browsing, a 3.5 hour talktime plus a 2 megapixel camera that also shoots video.

Sony Ericsson's TM506 is a traditional flip phone that may be basic and affordable but still manages to pack a lot of useful features.