Apple, Nokia, HTC, Samsung Offer Sub-$100 Smartphones for Holiday Lists

by Michelle Maisto

T-Mobile has begun calling itself “Americas largest 4G network,” and to complement that distinction it introduced the myTouch 4G. The smartphone runs Android 2.2, has 3.8-inch WVGA touch screen, a 1GHz processor and can video chat with or without WiFi. T-Mobile priced it at $200 after a rebate and with a two-year contract, but days later Target Mobile and Wirefly dropped the price to $80.

Designed for first-time smartphone owners, the LG Electronics Optimus S from Sprint runs Android 2.2 and features a 3.2-inch capacitive touch screen, a 3.2-inch megapixel camera and can act as a WiFi hotspot for five other devices. Sprint has it priced at $50 after rebate and with contract, though T-Mobile offers a nearly identical model, the Optimus T, for $30.

Introduced this summer with much fanfare, the Torch is the first BlackBerry smartphone to include both a touch screen and a QWERTY keypad. Its also the first to run the newly redesigned BlackBerry 6 OS. RIM priced it at $200, but Amazon soon after knocked that to $199. Currently, its offering it for just a penny.

The HTC Droid Incredible—along with the Motorola Droid X and the Samsung Captivate—are also being offered by AmazonWireless.com for a penny, while supplies last. The Droid Incredible pairs a 3.7-inch touch display with Android 2.2, a Snapdragon processor, an 8-megapixel processor, HDMI support and WiFi connectivity.

Whats better than a penny deal? Sprint will be offering the Kyocera-made Sanyo Zio Android for free with a two-year contract. Originally retailing for $249 on Cricket Wireless, it features a 3.5-inch display, a 600MHz processor, Android 2.1 and support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync.

T-Mobiles offering a number of Android phones for under $100, including the Motorola Charm. In addition to the MotoBlur user interface, which syncs messages, e-mails, photos and updates from social-networking sites, the Charm features a 2.8-inch touch screen, a QWERTY keypad and BackTrack—a touchpad on the back of the phone for scrolling without blocking the view. In Bronze or Cabernet, it retails for $49.99.

While more of a New Years deal (Valentines Day, anyone?), on Nov. 22 Nokia introduced its most affordable 3G phone to date, the C2-01, which will begin shipping in early 2011. It runs the Series 40 OS and has a 2-inch display, a 3.2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth connectivity and supports e-mail, IM and SMS and can download apps and songs from the Ovi store. Using current conversion rates, it could be yours for $95.

Finally, in the $100 and under range, its now even possible to get the smartphone that, in its way, started it all—the Apple iPhone. Albeit, not the new iPhone 4, but a black, 8GB version of the iPhone 3G S. With a two-year contract with AT&T, Apple currently offers it for $99.