An Android Marshmallow phone for £75
It’s not quite as cheap as the Smart Speed 6, but the Smart Prime 7 is strikingly affordable for a smartphone with all the features you’d expect, including the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system. One of the best things about Marshmallow is that – unlike earlier versions – it lets you store apps (and their associated files) on a microSD card (available online from around £10). This means the meagre 8GB of internal storage on the Smart Prime 7 is no great problem.
The bottom-of-the-range Snapdragon processor is a more serious limitation. Apps opened quickly enough, but web browsing was frustratingly slow in our tests, and 3D games really struggled. In other respects, though, the Smart Prime 7 doesn’t feel like a budget option. Its plastic case is slim and elegant, and the 5in screen has enough pixels to look crisp, even if it only covers 87 per cent of the full sRGB colour range. With good contrast and brightness, it’s better than you’d expect for the money.
Unlike some phone manufacturers we could mention, Vodafone doesn’t interfere much with the Android software, which is fine by us. It does add a few useful apps to help you manage your Vodafone tariff and handle calls and texts from your PC. The battery lasted just short of 13 hours playing videos, which is better than average, and although we found the 8-megapixel camera was sometimes slow to focus, we got some some decent shots once it did.
Let’s make one thing clear, though: the Smart Prime 7 is not one of the best Android phones you can buy. What makes it worth considering is the price. That being the case, it wouldn’t make sense to get it on a contract, which can hide higher fees. In fact, Vodafone charges you about 25 per cent more for it on Pay Monthly than if you bought a phone on ‘pay as you go’ (PAYG).
Even if you buy the Smart Prime 7 outright, it’s locked to Vodafone, rather than being SIM-free and therefore usable on other networks. We don’t review networks, but Which? magazine does, and in April it placed Vodafone near the bottom of its mobile-provider customer satisfaction table, which might explain why it’s so keen to entice you with a cheap phone.
Of course, Vodafone might be the right choice for your specific circumstances. If not, you have the right to switch networks. After using your Pay as you Go tariff for 30 days, you can ask Vodafone to unlock your device. However, if you’ve had the phone less than a year, Vodafone charges £19.99 for this service – the highest fee of any UK network. That makes the Smart Prime 7 look less of a bargain.
Motorola’s second-generation Moto E, for example, costs only £68 unlocked. True, it has the previous version of Android (5.0, Lollipop) and its display isn’t as sharp, but it’s a decent phone with longer battery life, and a more reliable camera.
In terms of Vodafone’s own phones, the Smart Ultra 6 – now just £99 – is clearly superior and well worth the £24 extra. Even at £119 (which includes the unlock fee), it’s more than a match for similarly priced models such as Motorola’s third-generation Moto G. So although the Smart Prime 7 is a better option than the Smart Speed 6, we’d be inclined to take the next step up.
VERDICT
The Smart Prime 7 is a good deal on ‘pay as you go’, and for the price it represents a good value phone with some decent features.
SPECIFICATIONS
5in 1280x720-pixel screen • 8GB flash storage • 8-megapixel rear camera • 5-megapixel front camera • 802.11n Wi-Fi • Bluetooth 4.0 • 3G/4G • MicroSD card slot • Android 6.0.1 • 144x72x7.9mm (HxWxD) • 128g • One-year warranty