Vodafone 555 Blue review

So, what do we have here? We have a feature phone. A cheap, cheerful, enjoys-dabbling-in-Facebook-without-commitment phone.

Considering the price range and low-tech market it's aimed at, the core Facebook integration of the Vodafone 555 Blue and ease of use without commitment to contracts are big pluses in its favour.

It's lightweight and easy on the eye, with quick and simple access to the minimum of features that a low-tech Facebook lover is likely to need.

We liked

It has deep integration and some pretty sweet contacts and messaging features for such an otherwise poorly specced piece of equipment. For young people who want to keep in touch without getting too deep into the tech, or having the commitment of a contract, this will be perfect.

For them, you imagine, always being just a small step away from their entire Facebook contacts list might be a pretty enticing thing. To be able to snap a quick pic and upload to Facebook on the go can just about be done with this phone.

We disliked

However, we're talking about a generation who are used to getting what they want and getting it now – and here the slow connection speeds and dire horsepower of the Vodafone 555 Blue are likely to be a turn-off. You can't even get too deep into the Facebook experience itself, because watching videos and viewing photo albums are a total faff.

Those looking for a smartphone with added Facebook integration will probably plump for the HTC ChaCha (the white phone in the picture above) instead.

Verdict

Perfect for those who want a nice-looking handset and minimal networking capabilities without any contract commitment - plus love to spend as much time as possible on Facebook. For those looking for a more media-based experience, however, you won't find it with the Vodafone 555 Blue.

In today's smartphone-enlightened times, we're expecting more even for the price. Unless your three favourite things are Facebook, phoning and texting, you'll want more from your handset.