Event Coverage

HWM+HardwareZone.com Tech Awards 2013: Editor's Choice - Part 1

By Team HardwareZone - 11 Mar 2013

Best Value Smartphone

Best Value Smartphone

Finding the right balance between price and performance on a smartphone is no easy task. At times, manufacturers have to cut back on certain hardware features, all in the name of reducing the cost of its smartphones for consumers. Being the cheapest smartphone out there doesn't automatically make it the Best Value Smartphone. To be considered for the award, the nominee has to prove that it is priced under a sufficiently affordable price bracket, and has adequate performance that is expected of smartphones. In short, we are looking at the price to performance ratio. In no order of merit, this year's nominees includes:

Nominees: 

 

  • BlackBerry Curve 9320
  • HTC One V
  • Huawei Ascend G330
  • Nokia Lumia 610
  • Samsung Galaxy Ace 2
  • Sony Xperia U

 

And the Winner Is...

HTC One V

As always, HTC covers its bases well with a wide variety of Android smartphones. From the high performing powerhouse devices, to the basic, yet adequately equipped entry-level smartphones, the Taiwanese company managed to once again do it with the HTC One V for those looking for an affordable, but no less capable smartphone.

The One V is primarily targeted at those who are looking for a fuss-free device without forking out a large sum of money; performance-wise, this single-core processor phone might not come up tops in terms of benchmark scores, but it is still pretty fast for general purpose tasks, like surfing the Internet. To add on, the device is well-stocked with Android 4.0 and Sense 4.0 UI out of the box.

At S$398, the HTC One V is a truly value-for-money smartphone with looks to boot. HTC has had a record of making phones that are fashionable and sleek-looking, and we are pleased to see the line of execution emulated even in their lower-end models.

Scoring Breakdown
Criteria/Model BlackBerry Curve 9320 HTC One V Huawei Ascend G330 Nokia Lumia 610 Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 Sony Xperia U
Design 8.0 9.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0
Features 6.0 8.5 8.5 7.5 8.0 7.5
User-Friendliness 7.5 8.5 8.5 7.5 8.5 8.5
Performance 7.5 8.5 8.0 7.0 8.5 7.5
Value 6.0 9.5 9.0 8.0 8.0 7.5
Overall 6.5 8.5 8.5 7.5 8.0 7.5
Price S$328 S$398 S$239 S$379 S$438 S$488

*Note: Prices listed in this article are accurate at the time of product evaluation.

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

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