When it comes to back-to-school season, smartphones have become this generation’s sneaker kick. In other words, it’s the must-have fashion accessory that serves a bigger purpose and has a longer shelf life. And with everything being done on smartphones nowadays (communication, gaming, social media), it’s imperative to have a high-performance phone at your side. So with Google owning 40 percent of the US mobile market, it’s no shocker that everyone from high school teens to college undergrads are searching high and low for the freshest and latest Android handsets: on a BTS budget. And that’s what we have here. So take a look at the Top 5 Android Phones Under $100 and see which one best suits your personal needs.
T-Mobile Sidekick 4G
T-Mobile’s classic messaging phone gets the Android and 4G treatment, while featuring the best QWERTY keyboard of any handset on the market—offering great tactile feedback and faster typing speeds. Sure, its passé slide-out design screams 2008, but what the Sidekick 4G lacks in chicness, it makes up in modern hardware and software. You’ll find a speedy 1GHz Hummingbird chip under the hood, along with dual cameras and DLNA capability to wirelessly transfer media files onto other compatible devices. Software-wise, messaging mongers can indulge in apps like Group and Cloud texting, which lets subscribers send group texts or send and receive messages from their computer.
Pre-Order Now At T-Mobile, $99.99 (w/two-year contract)
LG Thrill 4G
A 3D phone with LTE service and a powerful dual-core CPU for under a Benjamin? Believe it. LG’s monster utilizes the same 3D parrallax technology used in the Nintendo 3DS to generate impressive, glasses-free 3D visuals on its vivid 4.3-inch WVGA screen. Watch YouTube videos in 3D, play 3D-compatible games, and shoot 3D photos/videos using the stereoscopic dual-lens camera mounted on the rear. AT&T’s been pushing the Thrill as part of the network’s revamped 4G network, and the improved data and web-browsing speeds are living proof of Ma Bell’s high-speed upgrade. The phone’s biggest selling point would obviously be its 3D presentation. But if you ask us, its greatest attribute is what LG refers to as its tri-dual architecture: dual-core, dual-channel, and dual-memory. It’s the most powerful phone under $100 at the moment and will be available August 21.
Buy It Now At AT&T, $99.99 (w/two-year contract)
HTC Status
Underneath its BlackBerry-inspired shell and Facebook integration, the HTC Status is a great midlevel, software-ready phone that offers dope communication features and a comfortable QWERTY keyboard. Straight from the jump, you’re given numerous options to access the social media site such as shortcuts, widgets (Facebook Chat and FriendStream), and best of all, the “F” button, which gives users immediate access to post and upload images onto someone’s Facebook wall. In addition, its 800MHz processor holds up well with multitasking and web browsing. The latest versions of Gingerbread and HTC Sense are also present. Hey, the fact that you can own a Gingerbread phone for $50 is a steal itself.
Buy It Now At AT&T, $49.99 (w/two-year contract)
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play
Sony’s PlayStation-certified phone takes the sexy veneer of the Xperia X10 and combines it with an awesome slide-out gamepad that resembles the original PS One control scheme. The D-pad and action buttons are solid and responsive, plus the two touch-sensitive circular controls work great on space shooters like Star Battalion. Verizon owners can also bask in the sweetness of Gingerbread and enjoy Google benchmarks such as Internet calling and copy and paste functionality. Oh yea, lets not forget, the Xperia Play is an actual phone. One that offers good calling and speakerphone quality.
Buy It Now At Verizon, $99.99 (w/two-year contract)
HTC EVO Shift
Many will question why we chose the EVO Shift over the Samsung Nexus 4G. As much as we love Samsung’s Super AMOLED screen and the phone’s Google Voice Integration, truth be told: HTC’s handset offers the better Android experience with refined software (which includes Gingerbread at the moment) and faster WiMax speeds. Its super-solid build is a vast improvement over the highly-sensitive EVO 4G, too. And best of all, the well-built QWERTY keyboard makes the handset the best messaging phone on Sprint. Need we say more?
Buy It Now At Sprint, $99.99 (w/two-year contract)
