Expert: DebiN - 7/23/2011

Question
Hi, I'm on a budget for an at&t smartphone. One that's only in the $50 range, and I was looking at both the samsung captivate and htc status. I like the captivate because it's all touchscreen and i heard it was really fast, but I see there's no flash on the camera. And I like the status because I used to love the physical qwerty keypad and I like all htc phones pretty much, and because of the Facebook integration how you don't have to go through numerous menus and apps to post something, but the screen is very small, even smaller than my samsung solstice. Which of these phones would you recommend? Also, are there any other AT&T phones you would recommend? Thanks

Answer
Pricewise, the following phones are under $50.00: LG Phoenix, Motorola Flipside, HTC Status, Samsung Focus and LG Quantum, HTC Surround, iPhone 3GS, BlackBerry Torch, Pantech Crossover and Samsung Captivate.

If you want Android OS, as it appears you do, the best phone in the lot is by far the Captivate. The price being offered now is excellent. This is a very expensive phone being offered for super cheap. The HTC Inspire at $99.99 is a 4G phone as are the other phones over $99.99. The network is going 4G, but 3G phones will still work, of course. In my opinion, the best 4G phone is hte Samung Infuse, it has a flash and a camera with 8MP!!! That's amazing for a phone but it's also $199.99 which is pretty expensive.

If a keyboard is a must, the only choices are a BlackBerry Torch (excellent device, but it's not Android), or HTC Status (not a bad choice if you want a keyboard)or Pantech Crossover (I'm not a fan of Pantech). So, I think that if you can live without the flash, I'd choose the Captivate, otherwise, I would consider paying the additional money and going with the Infuse. It also takes HD video. The screen is also the largest at 4.5 and the resolution is incredible. I might suggest going to the AT&T store and looking at all the devices to be sure what you feel the most comfortable with. For the money, the Captivate and HTC Status are your best bets, by far. Hope this helps.