Smart phone with wifi HotSpot ability?

[grasshopper]

Ok,
Since there are several (more than) closet and openly technophyles here... I need some unbiased help deciding upon a new Smart phone that has wifi Hotspot ability.

My budget is limited to about $200 total spend. So the iPhones and Galaxy II or III are out of reach. But what is in reach that will do this and more?
Must have:
Micro SD up to 32 GB
Vgood screen resolution
Unlocked - i am with Amaysim unlimited and very, very happy

Thus far my search has landed upon the Huawei Honor at Dick Smith $199.
http://huaweimobile.com.au/products/detail/honor

Can anyone with more knowledge than myself (easy as this will be my first smartphone or Andriod phone) point to a better phone for the money?

 

[Al]

Looks good for the money, Not much in sub $200 to come close to that.

 

[equipt]

I work at Dick Smith and I would not recommend Huawei, lots of problems with them. You can get a galaxy Ace, galaxy Duos, Alcatel OT-995, HTC Explorer, Motorola Defy, Sony Xperia Tipo and thats just the unlocked ones. If you buy a pre paid that is locked to your network it opens up even further. The Huawei may be well featured for the price, but don't expect tall of the features to last for long. LOL

 

[Al]

HTC One V? 199 from kogan. I'm loving my new RAZR I but its not sub 200. with its unlocked bootloader and massive battery life.

 

[grasshopper]

The HTC One V does not have a replaceable battery.
Will the phone itself outlast the battery?
Given that i look after my phone/s - i have two Nokia 5140i phones that work fine, just are starting to lose their rubber bits to keep the dust and such out...

 

[Krankin]

Your biggest hurdle is the $200 buget...

try looking at some used highend phones.

 

[Krankin]

I work at Dick Smith and I would not recommend Huawei, lots of problems with them.

well, i do hope their RF gear is better, cause Optus and Voda run Huawei base stations now exclusively

 

[Krankin]

The HTC One V does not have a replaceable battery.
Will the phone itself outlast the battery?

everyone I know with a HTC is more than happy, equally iphones and samsungs.

Take your pick

 

[Geoff3DMN]

If your budget is a strict $199 then a Galaxy Ace is what I'd recommend (assuming pre-paid).

http://www.allphones.com.au/prepaid/optus/samsung-galaxy-ace.asp

 

[grasshopper]

Yep, budget is close to $200.
Already have Amaysim Unlimited sim and v happy... so phone must be unlocked.

 

[Krankin]

Yep, budget is close to $200.
Already have Amaysim Unlimited sim and v happy... so phone must be unlocked.

does your sim/plan allow hotspot/tethering???

 

[grasshopper]

Ohh yeah = 4GB per month that is thus far unused for 1.5 months

 

[isiman]

If you can find a Samsung galaxy I then go for it, much faster than the ace.
Maybe find a friend who has an old one they don't need and put in a new battery.

 

[equipt]

well, i do hope their RF gear is better, cause Optus and Voda run Huawei base stations now exclusively

They have been making USB modems and phone tower infrastructure for quite a while and I believe there has been little to no problems but there mobile handsets are s*#t from my experience.

 

[equipt]

If you can find a Samsung galaxy I then go for it, much faster than the ace.
Maybe find a friend who has an old one they don't need and put in a new battery.

Galaxy what? 90% of Samsung's current mobile range has the prefix Galaxy. In fact the Ace is actually the Galaxy Ace.

 

[Krankin]

They have been making USB modems and phone tower infrastructure for quite a while and I believe there has been little to no problems but there mobile handsets are s*#t from my experience.

its still very early days, only staerted rolling out this year..atm heat is a big issue, the Huawei's pump out a lot of heat and now Voda and Optus are having to throw more cash at upgrading the cooling systems....


anyway...back to the handsets...

 

[jjohn]

There's a member on the other forum I belong to that has a 2nd hand galaxy s2 for sale asking $200.

 

[grasshopper]

jjohn,
Not really keen on 2nd hand phones, as the history of them is unknown, their age can be iffy and any damage... then there is the no warranty issue too.
If i personally knew the person, that might be different.

 

[jjohn]

jjohn,
Not really keen on 2nd hand phones, as the history of them is unknown, their age can be iffy and any damage... then there is the no warranty issue too.
If i personally knew the person, that might be different.

True story.

 

[isiman]

Galaxy what? 90% of Samsung's current mobile range has the prefix Galaxy. In fact the Ace is actually the Galaxy Ace.

sorry, Galaxy S I (the original samsung galaxy)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S