Help with a phone for a teenager £200 budget

splashproof

She's thinking HTC Cha Cha or HTC Wildfire.

She currently has a Blackberry curve, so likes the keyboard ( and bbm ).

Ideas, things to look our for etc.


Thanks in advance

T_T_2

I'd say that your £200 budget for a teenager is a good £100 above where it needs to be but that's your call.

Anyway, back to the question. £200 is a pretty nice budget to work with. The HTC Wildfire can be bought for the £150.00 and under mark, but it has aged a little and doesn't necessarily represent good value for money these days. With a 530MHz processor it is one of the slower android handsets on the market, it also has a fairly dated screen with pretty low pixel density. The orange san francisco comes in at around the £100.00 mark and despite being £50.00 cheaper it out performs the Wildfire in almost every aspect except perhaps style appeal

Another phone to consider is the Samsung Galaxy Ace. Three are currently running a promotion ( http://threestore.three.co.uk/payg/dealsummary.aspx?offercode=DSL15PP302) on this handset where you can buy it for £149.99 (plus a £15 top up), as a much newer handset it out performs the Wildfire with ease, it can also be easily unlocked for any network.

Iain_L

T_T wrote: »

I'd say that your £200 budget for a teenager is a good £100 above where it needs to be but that's your call.

Anyway, back to the question. £200 is a pretty nice budget to work with. The HTC Wildfire can be bought for the £150.00 and under mark, but it has aged a little and doesn't necessarily represent good value for money these days. With a 530MHz processor it is one of the slower android handsets on the market, it also has a fairly dated screen with pretty low pixel density. The orange san francisco comes in at around the £100.00 mark and despite being £50.00 cheaper it out performs the Wildfire in almost every aspect except perhaps style appeal

Another phone to consider is the Samsung Galaxy Ace. Three are currently running a promotion ( http://threestore.three.co.uk/payg/dealsummary.aspx?offercode=DSL15PP302) on this handset where you can buy it for £149.99 (plus a £15 top up), as a much newer handset it out performs the Wildfire with ease, it can also be easily unlocked for any network.

I think that is the old Wildfire you're talking about here. The Wildfire S is an updated version with a faster processor, although to be fair still not as fast as the Galaxy (but I've not seen a Galaxy in use). The Wildfire S is a pretty neat little phone, and I think it is running the latest version of Android (2.3).

If you're prepared to buy from a well know internet auction site the Wildfire S can be had for around £150, otherwise is closer to your budget limit, but still under it.

Iain

splashproof

Any comments on the HTC Cha Cha ? Seeing as that is the only one with a qwerty keyboard, I think that will be the deciding factor ( providing it performs somewhere near to the others )

T_T_2

Iain_L wrote: »

I think that is the old Wildfire you're talking about here. The Wildfire S is an updated version with a faster processor

I can only comment on what I'm presented with and the OP said Wildfire, not Wildfire S.

HappyMJ

What's wrong with the Blackberry Curve. If she likes BBM so much she'll want another Blackberry. It's only available on them.

Iain_L

T_T wrote: »

I can only comment on what I'm presented with and the OP said Wildfire, not Wildfire S.

And I was only answering the OPs question, not criticising your answer so don't take it personally.

As the OP didn't mention the Galaxy Ace or Orange San Francisco why did you mention them at all if it wasn't to help?

splashproof

HappyMJ wrote: »

What's wrong with the Blackberry Curve. If she likes BBM so much she'll want another Blackberry. It's only available on them.

It's faulty, plus it's a bit dated and I would prefer she has something a little more up to date.

She's getting a £200 phone because she's a fantastic kid who works hard at school, pulls her weight at home and (like all of us) deserves a little thank you once in a while

HappyMJ

splashproof wrote: »

It's faulty, plus it's a bit dated and I would prefer she has something a little more up to date.

She's getting a £200 phone because she's a fantastic kid who works hard at school, pulls her weight at home and (like all of us) deserves a little thank you once in a while

Fix it....Blackberry Curve is still a very good phone. Wi-Fi, 3G, BBM, Facebook, Twitter...and so on you know the specs.

http://uk.blackberry.com/devices/blackberrycurve3G/#!specifications

dmliverpool

Blackberry will give fulfull many needs todays teenagers need from a phone such as facebook and instant messaging etc. £200 for a phone for a teenager? You do know that in 6 months that phone will be broken or lost?

splashproof

HappyMJ wrote: »

Fix it....

Why? She's had the phone a long time, which was second hand when she got it. I dont want the phone fixed. ( see below for a more relevant rant )

dmliverpool wrote: »

£200 for a phone for a teenager?

Perhaps teenagers are not worthy. I didn't realise £200 phones were for the preserve of the adult class.

dmliverpool wrote: »

You do know that in 6 months that phone will be broken or lost?

That's news to me ? I've only lived with her for 15 years and to date she's not lost or broken her existing phone or ipod. However, I know plenty of 'responsible' adults who have lost and broken phones, cars, ipods, TV's . Perhaps it's acceptable in your eyes for adults to lose and break items, and teenagers are condemned to being !!!!less irresponsible people?


Perhaps we can stick to my original question without comments regarding my childs worth. ( I thank those who have given direct advice ).