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Gadget Wishlist: Sim-Free Smartphones & Mobiles Under £200

If you’re in need of a new phone, there’s no better time to do it.

Posted 22nd February 2012, 10:19am in Extra by Amy Rich
Gadget Wishlist: Sim-Free Smartphones & Mobiles Under £200 Spring is all about new life, but we’re not about to go into some deep soul-searching ‘meaning of life’ lecture. We’re just saying if you’re in need of a new phone, there’s no better time to do it.

1. sWaP NOVA Mini Keychain Sim-Free Mobile PhoneAside from the decidedly different looks of the swap NOVA Mini Keychain mobile, it’s the tech spec that makes this bit of kit lustworthy. You can send and receive texts using letter recognition with the supplied stylus or on-screen QWERTY board, watch videos and play music with the built-in MP4 video and MP3 music players. And if you’re worried this phone will weigh a ton, worry not – it’s The Guinness World Record holder for the lightest touchscreen mobile phone. Available in black from Amazon for £189.97.

2. Samsung S5830 Galaxy Ace Sim-Free SmartphoneThis sim-free smartphone might look completely and utterly sophisticated but that doesn’t mean it sacrifices anything on the fun front. It has access to over 100,000 apps from Android Market and its fully integrated single page layout means it’s easy to keep up with all your contacts. What’s more, text fanatics will adore the intelligent texting with SWYPE. Samsung S5830 Galaxy Ace £199 from Very. 

3. Sony Ericsson Mix Walkman Sim-Free Mobile PhoneSony Ericsson certainly know how to cater to music lovers and their Mix Walkman Sim-Free mobile phone is testimony to that. It can take microSD cards up to 32GB so you can keep all your favourite tracks within reach, and because it only weighs 88g it’s hardly going to stop you from busting a few moves at the bus stop either. Wi-Fi connectivity, a 3.2MP camera and a 3-inch touchscreen make up the rest of the reasons why we love this little gem. Available in black for £99.95 from Carphone Warehouse. 

4. BlackBerry 9300 Curve 3G Sim-Free Mobile PhoneIf you’re unaware of what a BlackBerry mobile phone can offer, you’ve probably been sat in a cave for the past ten years listening to Britney Spears on loop. Ignorance isn’t always bliss, but a BlackBerry is (unless their server goes down. Ahem). Text, email and networking are all simple and instantaneous , and the BlackBerry maps and GPS mean you’ll have to try really hard to get lost. BlackBerry 9300 Curve 3G sim-free mobile in graphite £194.95 from John Lewis. 

5. ZTE Tureis Sim-Free Android SmartphoneIt might look a little on the chunky side, but sometimes it’s good to have a bit of kit with some weight behind it. And the ZTE Tureis sim-free android smartphone is certainly sturdy enough to make us think we won’t break it just on the off chance that we accidentally sit on it. Sturdiness aside, we like buttons so the QWERTY keyboard gets the thumbs up from us, but we also like a change of scene occasionally – and that’s when the 2.6” touchscreen comes in handy. £139.99 from Amazon 

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