When you’re in the market for a high end smartphone, whether it costs $600, $650, or even $700 doesn’t really matter. For people in emerging economies who go for devices in Nokia’s low to mid rang portfolio however, every dollar, some might say even every cent, counts. When Nokia launched the 600 at the end of August we said that for 180 Euros it offered an extremely attractive set of features. We’re talking 1 GHz processor, NFC, 5 megapixel camera, and your typical WiFi/GPS/Bluetooth stack that every smartphone on the market has. Less than 2 months later Nokia announced the 603 (pictured above), virtually the exact same phone as the 600, and priced it at 200 Euros. What was so special about it compared to the model that came before it? The screen size of the 603 comes in at 3.5 inches while the 600 does only 3.2 inches. That’s it. It shouldn’t come to that much of a surprise then to read the following statement that was given to All About Symbian:
“After careful consideration we have decided not to ship the Nokia 600 to markets, we are constantly continuing to refine our portfolio to bring consumers the best possible range of devices to meet their diverse needs.”
Now if you’re in the market for a 200 Euro smartphone, we highly recommend you check out what devices are available second hand. Over on Amazon’s American site you can pick up a used HTC Google Nexus One for $230 shipped. That’s less than 170 Euros and for that amount of dough you get a device that’s much more capable. It has a faster processor (same 1 GHz clock speed, but more modern architecture), higher resolution screen, and it’s a Google phone so you’ll be able to seamlessly connect your online life to a device that never leaves your pocket.
Do your research and ask around if you’re looking to save some money. If you don’t have a friend who constantly updates their smartphone, then you’re sure to have a friend of a friend.