While geeks may hype the top-end devices all they like, the battle is often fought and won in the budget sector. I decided to do a brief examination of the available budget smartphones at this time.

I ran into an advert in which Samsung touts the i5500 as the most affordable smartphone in Africa. But at N37,000, the i5500 is far much more expensive than a number of competing products that I can almost rattle off my head. Nokia’s 5230 XM at N26,000 is an example.

There are also the following cheaper alternatives –

1. Nokia C5 at N25,000
2. Nokia 5530 at N35,000
3. Nokia E63 at N35,000
4. Sony Ericsson X10 Mini at N34,000
5. Samsung Galaxy Mini at N33,000

Price competitors to the Samsung i5500 include –

1. LG GW525
2. Nokia E5
3. Nokia 5800 XM

Here is a table of the cheapest smartphones from each OS/platform:

• Symbian: Nokia 5250 – N20,000
• BlackBerry: BlackBerry Curve 8520 – N30,000
• Android: Samsung i5503 (a variant of the i5500) – N30,000

Top Budget Smartphone: Nokia 5250

The undisputed budget smartphone of the moment is the Nokia 5250, and won’t cost you more than N20,000 depending on where you go shopping.

Top Budget QWERTY Smartphone: BlackBerry Curve 8520

I’m giving the top budget QWERTY smartphone spot to the Blackberry Curve 8520. This will set you back N30,000. Also in the range is the Nokia E63, if a BlackBerry is not your thing.

If you are looking for a budget smartphone to get your mobile groove on, the above are the range of devices to look at.
As a rule, Symbian gives you the most options at the bedget level, followed by Android devices from Samung. Still, you have options, depending on how much you have available to splash.

There was a recent discussion in which I pointed out that while some phones are value for money – highly capable while being affordable – such devices still feature compromises here and there. I was reminded of that discussion today when I handled the Windows Mobile Samsung i780, a phone I once used.

The i780 is one of the best value for money devices I have ever used (take a look at the review here, and a head-to-head with the legendary Sony Ericsson P1i here).

The i780 cost far less than its fellow WinMo-powered smartphones and packed a wallop. The major compromise on the phone, however, was its camera. Sporting a 2 mega-pixel camera without a flash, the camera was more of a bonus.

That notwithstanding, the i780 is an excellent device. I played with it again today and found that over a year after I sold my unit this device is still very much in the game.

I have been looking around for smartphones that pack that kind of wallop and don’t cost an arm and a leg. Here is my list:

1. Nokia 5800 XpressMusic
2. Nokia E63
3. Samsung B7320

All the above are smartphones that feature pretty much what most users will need. Of course, the compromises are there, but these phones are almost faultless. Anyone will be hard-pressed to find phones with all their capabilities and at their costs. They are all sub-fifty thousand in cost.

Of course, with a lot of people (myself inclusive) running more and more on a tight budget, such devices are bound to get noticed more than ever. Personally, I am currently eyeing the Samsung B7320. Could it be because of nostalgia for its older brother, the i780, or could it be because I am really not inspired by Symbian at the moment? Who knows? Who cares?

Feel free to make your nominations in the comment box below. If you are planning on changing your smartphone this season, what budget feature-packed smartphone are you ogling?