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Vodafone 858 Smart review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £75
inc VAT

Although it's well priced, the Smart's screen is cramped, its processor is slow and it lacks storage space for apps. Samsung's Galaxy Fit is better value

Specifications

Android 2.2, 2.8in 240×320 display

http://www.vodafone.co.uk

The 858 Smart is another budget phone in Vodafone’s own-brand range, similar to the Vodafone 845, and it’s actually made by Chinese manufacturer Huawei, one of the world’s largest mobile manufacturers. Despite its low price, it runs Android 2.2 and has all the standard smartphone features such as GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a capacitive touchscreen. Most impressive is the price: it’s only available on PAYG (Pay As You Go) at a bargain-basement £75.

Capacitive screens react to the touch of skin, and so are much more responsive than resistive screens that require pressure, such as that found on the 845. However the 858, like the 845 before it, has a 2.8 screen with a 240×320 resolution, so it feels quite cramped. You’ll notice this most in apps that require typing, because the keyboard instantly takes up two thirds of the screen.

Vodafone 858 Smart

The screen’s low resolution – the same as that of the Samsung Galaxy Fit – also means image quality is poor, with obvious pixellation in photos and ragged text. The 858 doesn’t pretend to be a multimedia powerhouse in any case; its 2-megapixel camera isn’t even as good as the 3.2-megapixel snapper on the older 845. Photos weren’t as bad as we’d expected, but were still noisy with poor focus, and videos were jumpy.

Vodafone 858 Smart Back

Android 2.2 has much needed speed improvements over 2.1, but doesn’t include the easier cut-and-paste mechanic that you’d get with 2.3. Despite this, the 858’s 528MHz processor still struggles to keep up if you’ve got a few apps open. It couldn’t run the Quadrant benchmark as it lacks a powerful enough graphics chip. Browser performance was poor – the handset’s result in the SunSpider JavaScript test was more than ten times slower than the latest dual-core phones.

Another problem is the limited 130MB internal storage space – 30MB less than the Galaxy Fit’s. While some apps support being stored on a memory card, they still use some of the internal memory and you’ll soon find yourself running out of space. This is a shame, as Android’s major benefit is the wealth of apps in the Market. A battery life of just over 19 hours in our light-usage test is only average for a single-core phone.

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Details

Price £75
Rating ***

Hardware

Main display size 2.8in
Native resolution 240×320
Second Display No
CCD effective megapixels 2.0-megapixel
Video recording format 3GP
Connectivity Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB
GPS yes
Internal memory 130MB
Memory card support microSD
Memory card included 0MB
Operating frequencies GSM 850/900/1800/1900, 3G 850/1900/2100
Wireless data EDGE, HSPA
Size 106x56x12mm
Weight 100g

Features

Operating system Android 2.2
Microsoft Office compatibility Word/Excel/PowerPoint/PDF viewers
Email client POP3/IMAP/Exchange
Audio format support AAC+, MP3, WMA
Video playback formats MP4, H.263, H.264
FM Radio yes
Web Browser Webkit
Accessories headset, data cable, charger
Talk time 4.5 hours
Standby time 15.8 days
Tested battery life (MP3 playback) 19h 20m

Buying Information

Price on contract N/A
Prepay price £75
SIM-free supplier N/A
Contract/prepay supplier www.vodafone.co.uk
Details www.vodafone.co.uk

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