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?

The Nokia E71 and E63 are both business-centric smartphones from the stables of Nokia. They are both candy-bar, QWERTY-keyboard devices. They are both powered by Symbian OS 3rd Edition. At the core, they are one and the same device. I had already laid a basic foundation in my article on my first impressions of the E63. Simply put, the E63 is a cut-down version of the E71.

Here is a concise comparative review of the two devices.

Areas where the E71 trumps the E63

1. Camera: the E71 is equipped with a 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera, while the E63 comes with a meagre 2.0 megapixel fixed-focus camera. Naturally, the E71 takes better photos than its younger cousin. As if to spoil things further for the E63, the highly intuitive N-series-like camera interface implemented on the E71 was dropped in the E63, and in its place Nokia decided to take us back to the days of the Nokia E61i.

2. Connectivity: the E71 has full connectivity options: Bluetooth, Infrared, USB, GPS, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS (3G), HSDPA (3.5G). On the E63, infrared, GPS and HSDPA are both missing.

3. Audio Quality: the E71 beats the E63 hands down in this department. While both devices have their speaker grill in the same position at the top, the E71′s speaker is physically bigger and produces louder and better sound than the E63.

Areas where the E63 trumps the E71

1. Price: this is a very important win for the E63 as the price difference between the two phones is between N15, 000 and N20, 000. Honestly, this difference is much considering that the E63 is an E71 with a few compromises.

2. Typing: both devices have full QWERTY keyboard, but the letter buttons of the E63 are slightly bigger than on the E71 and I find them more comfortable to use. Also, some characters like ( ) can now be typed directly from the keypad, while you will have to open a character menu to type them on the E71.

3. Flash Light: this is a first for Nokia smartphones and a very welcomed one at that, especially for those of us in this part of the world. The LED flash which works in camera mode only on the E71, works both as a camera flash and also as flash light (outside the camera mode) on the E63.

So is there a clear winner between the two devices? I think each device will win depending on what individuals are looking for.

If you’re not one of those who care about owning a good looking mobile phone, you don’t care much about taking stunning photos with your phone, and certainly don’t need top-end entertainment features on your mobile device, the E63 is your baby.

If what you’re looking for is a robust, stable, functional and inexpensive device that gets the job done, then the E63 fits that bill perfectly.