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Is there a single GSM cellphone under $200 that meets the bareminimum specs?

E

Eddie Powalski

Jan 1, 1970
0
In another thread, we established bare-minimum specs for a starter
Android phone (for a kid) to be the following:

BARE MINIMUM SPECS:
0. Carrier = (your personal choice)
1. OS = Android 4.0 or better (for app compatibility)
3. CPU = 1GHz single core
4. Internal memory = 1 GB (is this the same thing as ROM?)
5. RAM = 512 MB
6. Screen = 800x480 pixels
7. Connectivity = WiFi, Bluetooth, & microUSB
8. Price < $200 (your personal choice)

My personal choices on #0 and #8 above are that I'm on a T-Mobile
family "Value Plan"; and, I don't want data for my kid (so WiFi is
important since she will only be using the Internet at home).

I had bought a T-Mobile Android phone for my grade-school kid, but it
turned out to be woefully inadequate for some of the first things we
tried to do with it:
a. We couldn't install Talkatone (Google Play refused to upload it)
b. We couldn't install Temple Run 2 (Google Play wouldn't do it)
c. We couldn't upgrade the Android OS (no upgrades are available)

So, we definitely *know* these specs are inadequate:
(http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=3875)
0. Carrier = T-Mobile (this is, of course, your personal choice)
1. OS = Android 2.3
3. CPU = 823 MHz Broadcom BCM21553
4. Internal memory = 512 MB (why don't people just call this ROM?)
5. RAM = 512 MB
6. Screen = 480x320 pixels
7. Connectivity = WiFi, Bluetooth, & microUSB
8. Price = $80 (this is, of course, your personal choice)

I created a T-Mobile account, and looked at EVERY phone they sell
for those on the family "Value Plan", and NONE (so far) seem to meet
these minimum specs above!

I originally had a price point of $100, but, I've had to double that,
just to have 3 phones to consider.

Here are the dozen Android phones T-Mobile will sell me as of today:
(priced low-to-high, with only "Android" checked as a filter):
a. Samsung Dart id $72 + ~$7 CA tax & fees ~= $80
b. T-Mobile Prism II is $116 + ~$12 CA tax & fees = ~$130
c. Samsung Gravity Q is $154 + ~$15 CA tax & fees ~= ~$170
d. LG Optimus L9 is $240.00 + ~$24 CA tax & fees ~= $265
e. Samsung Galaxy Exhibit is $236 + ~$23 CA tax & fees ~= $260
f. T-Mobile myTouch Q is $260 +~$26 CA tax & fees ~= $285
g. Samsung Galaxy SII is $336.00 + ~$33 CA tax & fees ~= $370
h. Nexus 4 is $428 + ~$42 CA tax ~= $470
i. Samsung Galaxy SIII LTE is $530 +~$53 CA tax & fees ~= $580
j. Samsung Galaxy S4 is $580 +~$58 CA tax & fees ~= $630
k. HTC One is $580 +~$58 CA tax & fees ~= $630
l. Samsung Galaxy Note II is $650 +~$65 CA tax & fees ~= $715

Unfortunately, NONE of them meet the bare minimum specs until you get
way past the $200 price point!

Samsung Dart (http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=3177)
0. Carrier = T-Mobile
1. OS = Android 2.2 <== fails minimum spec of 4.0
3. CPU = 0.6 GHz <== fails minimum spec of 1GHz
4. Internal memory = 0 (2GB card included) <== is this the same as ROM?
5. RAM = unknown <== why does phonescoop not list any RAM?
6. Screen = 240x320 <== fails minimum spec of 800x480 pixels
7. WiFi (no data plan), Bluetooth, & microUSB <== meets minimum connectivity
8. Price = ~$80 <== meets minimum spec of no greater than $200

T-Mobile Prism II (Huawei Prism II Specs, Features (Phone Scoop))
0. Carrier = T-Mobile (is this T-Mobile Prism the same as the Huawei?)
1. OS = Android 4.1 <== meets minimum spec of 4.0
3. CPU = 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 MSM7225 <== meets minimum spec of 1GHz
4. Internal memory = 4 GB <== meets minimum spec of 1GB
5. RAM = 512 MB <== meets minimum spec of 512MB
6. Screen = 320x480 <== fails minimum spec of 800x480 pixels
7. WiFi (no data plan), Bluetooth, & microUSB <== meets minimum connectivity
8. Price = ~$130 <== meets minimum spec of no greater than $200

Samsung Gravity Q (Samsung Gravity Q specs)
0. Carrier = T-Mobile
1. OS = Android 4.1 <== meets minimum spec of 4.0
3. CPU = Single core, 416 MHz, STE U6805-Core <== fails minimum spec of 1GHz
4. Internal memory = 256 MB ROM <== fails minimum spec of 1GB
5. RAM = 128 MB <== fails minimum spec of 512MB
6. Screen = 240x320 <== fails minimum spec of 800x480 pixels
7. WiFi (no data plan), Bluetooth, & microUSB <== fails connectivity (no wifi)
8. Price = ~$80 <== meets minimum spec of no more than $200

Given I can't find a cellphone *at* T-Mobile that meets the minimum
specs independently created, may I ask whether there is a cellphone
*outside* of T-Mobile which *does* meet the minimum specs?

Or must we revise the minimum specs?
 
E

Eddie Powalski

Jan 1, 1970
0
In another thread, we established bare-minimum specs for a starter
Android phone (for a kid) ...

Here's how the next three of the dozen phones from T-Mobile stack up
against the bare-minimum specs we've established in a prior thread:

Samsung Galaxy Exhibit (http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=3979)
0. Carrier = T-Mobile (my choice)
1. OS = Android 4.1.2 <== meets minimum spec of 4.0
3. CPU = 1 GHz STE U8420 dual-core <== meets minimum spec of 1GHz
4. Internal memory = 4 GB <== meets minimum spec of 1GB (isn't this just ROM?)
5. RAM = 1 GB <== meets minimum spec of 512 MB
6. Screen = 800x480 <== meets minimum spec of 800x480 pixels
7. Connectivity = WiFi, Bluetooth, & microUSB <== meets minimum connectivity specs
8. Price = $236 + ~$23 CA tax & fees ~= $260

LG Optimus L9 (http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=3830)
0. Carrier = T-Mobile (my choice)
1. OS = Android 4.0.4 <== meets minimum spec of 4.0
3. CPU = Dual core, 1 GHz, ARM Cortex-A9 <== meets minimum spec of 1GHz
4. Internal memory = 4 GB <== meets minimum spec of 1GB (isn't this just ROM?)
5. RAM = 1 GB <== meets minimum spec of 512 MB
6. Screen = 950x540 <== meets minimum spec of 800x480 pixels
7. Connectivity = WiFi, Bluetooth, & microUSB <== meets minimum connectivity specs
8. Price = ~$240.00 + ~$24 CA tax & fees ~= $265

NOTE: Since the LG myTouchQ is apparently discontinued,
(http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=3375)
I'll assume T-Mobile is currently selling the Huawei myTouchQ.

T-Mobile myTouch Q (http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=3795)
0. Carrier = T-Mobile (my choice)
1. OS = Android 2.3.6 <== fails minimum spec of 4.0
3. CPU = 1.4 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S2 MSM8255 <== meets minimum spec of 1GHz
4. Internal memory = 4 GB <== meets minimum spec of 1GB (isn't this just ROM?)
5. RAM = 1 GB <== meets minimum spec of 512 MB
6. Screen = 800x480 <== meets minimum spec of 800x480 pixels
7. Connectivity = WiFi, Bluetooth, & microUSB <== meets minimum connectivity specs
8. Price = $260 +~$26 CA tax & fees ~= $285

In summary, of those next 3 (much higher priced) phones, only one fails
to meet the bare-minimum specs. So, the current list of phones that meet
the bare-minimum specs are:

a. Samsung Galaxy Exhibit ($260) ==> pass
b. LG Optimus L9 ($265) ==> pass
c. T-Mobile myTouch Q (presumably Huawei) ==> fail
 
C

Cary

Jan 1, 1970
0
a. Samsung Galaxy Exhibit ($260) ==> pass
b. LG Optimus L9 ($265) ==> pass
c. T-Mobile myTouch Q (presumably Huawei) ==> fail

I like the Samsung Galaxy Exhibit better than the LG Optimus L9
mainly because it has a much better screen and better Wi-Fi
and usability is better with the later Android phone os.
 
I like the Samsung Galaxy Exhibit better than the LG Optimus L9
mainly because it has a much better screen and better Wi-Fi
and usability is better with the later Android phone os.

The L9 screen is larger and has higher resolution. How is the Wi-Fi
better?

And the L9 is available with a hefty discount. I don't see the Exhibit
at anything but list price. The reviews I find rate the L9 higher than
the Exhibit.
 
C

Cary

Jan 1, 1970
0
The L9 screen is larger and has higher resolution. How is the Wi-Fi
better?

And the L9 is available with a hefty discount. I don't see the Exhibit
at anything but list price. The reviews I find rate the L9 higher than
the Exhibit.

The Exhibit is newer. So it must be better since the L9 is old by now.
 
The Exhibit is newer. So it must be better since the L9 is old by now.


Great logic. Is a new Is a new Kia better than a year old Mercedes?
Must be. It's newer.

Or maybe you ought o consider what you are getting interms of
function.

And again, how is the Wi-Fi better?
 
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