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It’s pretty hard to get excited about budget ‘droids. Value for money is all too often a euphemism for ‘sluggish, small and shonky‘. But, every so often, a cheap-as-chips Android phone comes along that knocks our socks off.
This year we’ve been singing the praises of an exceptionally good value blower made by Chinese mobile maker Huawei: the Ascend G300.
This phone costs £100 on pay as you go with Vodafone and for that you get a 1GHz chip and a clear and colourful 4-inch screen. It’s not going to impress owners of the quad-core-packin’ Samsung Galaxy S3 — but for about the fifth of the price you get a stylish, capable droid that will handle web browsing, apps, videos and more.
As with many budget blowers, the G300 runs the Gingerbread iteration of Android. Huawei originally told me it would be getting an Ice Cream Sandwich update this summer — but that timeframe looks to have been pushed on a little.
According to a tweet sent from a Huawei Twitter account yesterday a “customised version of ICS” will be released to people who bought the phone via Vodafone “later this year”.
The G300 was launched as a Vodafone exclusive — slated to run for three months. That period has now elapsed but a SIM-free version of the device also remains elusive. Another tweet from Huawei’s account notes only that it will keep followers updated on “news of a SIM-free version” of the phone.
Huawei is already lining up an Ice Cream Sandwich-flavoured sequel to the G300 — the G330, announced at IFA yesterday. This will have a dual-core 1GHz chip and a slightly more premium price tag. It’s due to hit UK shops by the end of the year.
Do you own the Huawei Ascend G300? Let us know what you think of it in the comments below or over on our Facebook page.
