2. Samsung Galaxy S2 (T-Mobile)
Where you can get it: Wal-Mart and T-Mobile, online and in stores
You pay: Wal-Mart price is $329 plus tax. Price includes a Bonus Start Kit of a $30 refill card and iSound 11-in-1 Universal Mobile Bundle.
T-Mobile online price is $399 after a $100 web-only discount, plus tax. Price includes a $50 Prepaid Refill card.
Prepaid deal: $30 unlimited web and text with 100 minutes of talk; $50 unlimited talk, text and web for first 100MB at up to 4G (not available at Wal-Mart).
The predecessor to the Galaxy S3, the Galaxy S2 might not have all the punch of the newer phone, but it's definitely no slouch.
Packing Ice Cream Sandwich, a prepaid S2 offers all the perks of a high-end smartphone (hey, it really is one) for a low-end price.
Yes, $329 up front is two-weeks worth of groceries for some but after that, it's an easy payment a month to take advantage of the phones Super AMOLED Plus display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 42Mbps download speeds.
Users can access media through Samsung's Media Hub, Netflix, T-Mobile TV and YouTube, and watch it on the phone's 4.52-inch display.
If all that doesn't sound good enough, TechRadar's reviewer summed up the phone in one tell-all term: awesome.
3. LG Motion 4G (MetroPCS)
Where you can get it: MetroPCS website and retail stores
You pay: $149 plus tax
Prepaid deal: $40/month 4G LTE up to 250MB, unlimited talk and text; $55/month 4G LTE up to 2.5GB, unlimited talk and text (limited time offer); $60/month 4G LTE up to 5GB with Rhapsody Unlimited Music, unlimited talk and text; $70/month 4GLTE with MetroSTUDIO Video on Demand, unlimited talk and text.
The killer combo of the LG Motion 4G is its price, 4G capacity and almost up-to-date operating system.
Ice Cream Sandwich is a rare find in the pre-paid world, with most no-contract handsets running Gingerbread and not even breaching the ICS sphere.
Motion is an exception to the rule for a really good price. Its hardware isn't perfect and it's been known to suffer some Metro service glitches, yet it's still zippy thanks its 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon.
A 5MP camera isn't in the league of a lot of phone snappers, but it does capture 1080p HD video.
The Motion also comes with a microSD slot for expandable storage, an option many top-tier handsets lack.
There are definite trade-offs with the device - the 480 x 320 screen can be fuzzy and pixely - though it only seems to truly lack in video, not texts, icons or web pages.
Many of the phones deficiencies – like unnecessary bloatware and odd Optimus 3.0 UI – can be uninstalled and/or readjusted.
4. HTC Evo Design 4G (Boost Mobile)
Where you can get it: Boost Mobile website and retail locations
You pay: $249.99 plus tax
Prepaid deal: $55 Android Monthly Unlimited $55/month for talk, text, web (up to 2.5GB), email and 411 calling, including Shrinking Payment incentive that drops bill by $5 after six on-time payments. Payments can fall to $40.
A perk of Boost is that it runs on Sprint's network, so phones carried by the prepaid company have all the coverage enjoyed by standard Sprinters.
Aesthetically, the Evo Design 4G is a bit of eye candy with a two-tone back and elongated camera setting. It's light, relatively thin and dimensionally comes close to the iPhone 4S, though the Evo is more stretched out.
As for the insides, we're looking at Ice Cream Sandwich (leaving us to wonder why more pre-paid phones don't have it) with a 1.2GHz processor.
Boost boasts that its talk time is around 5.1 hours on its 1,520mAh Lithium Ion battery, though TechRadar's reviewer found it could go up to six hours of talk time and achieved all day battery life - a pleasant surprise considering HTC's notorious drainage issues.
GPS/Navigation is a big selling point for this phone, plus users can take advantage of its Wi-Fi hotspot functionality when they need a quick connect.
5. Samsung T679 Exhibit II 4G (T-Mobile)
Where you can get it: Wal-Mart website and stores
You pay: $169.88 plus tax, shipping and fees online; $199.88 plus tax in stores
Prepaid deal: $30 unlimited web and text with 100 minutes of talk
The Exhibit II 4G is a niche phone – though it only runs Android 2.3: Gingerbread, the fact that its speed times on T-Mobile's 4G network are quick as can be is a feather in the phone's cap.
Add in a decent 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 512MB of RAM, up to 32GB internal storage and a luminous 3.7-inch screen, and you've got something to show off with the Exhibit II.
Be warned, though: storage as is only hits 1GB.
Though some of the pre-loaded apps would be better off gone, ones like file manager Kies Air, two GPS navigation apps that provide voice turn-by-turn directions and Social Hub are welcome additions.
Its front-facing VGA camera gives the option of video chatting, a sweet little perk that's hard to come by on budget handsets.
If you're looking for a dutiful phone that won't break your back in payments, the Exhibit II has got the goods.
