6 Entry-level Eclair/Froyo Phones, New and Upcoming

If an Android phone at iPhone prices is not your cup of tea, fret not, because the best things come to those who wait! The past week has seen a couple of announcements for smartphones phones that hit sweet spot in terms of entry level prices, with features and specs seen at the 25,000 bracket a year before.
We're setting the bar pretty high for this round-up: our wishlist would include a HVGA screen, 512MB of RAM, Android 2.1 Eclair or preferably FroYo. Android v.2.2 aka Froyo lets you create your own portable Wi-Fi hotspot, install apps on SD cards, improves speed and battery life, and brings Flash 10.1 support. Some of these features are so prized by some that they're worth jailbreaking for; but if you're not willing to tread that path, these are the contenders:

Xperia X8
The X8 still runs on Android Donut, and was expected to get a 2.1 update by October - the one deficiency with this phone - as pointed out by reviewers - is its limited internal storage (168 MB RAM) - further exacerbated by no plans to go no further than Eclair.
Specs, Review

 

Samsung Galaxy 3
The Galaxy 3 has a slightly smaller than an HVGA resolution screen (240 x 400 pixels, 3.2 inches), but we're willing to overlook that, given that it runs Android v2.1 (Eclair), and claims to be upgradable to v2.2. That should help remedy its limited 130MB of internal memory, as you can install applications to the expandable memory on Froyo.
Specs, Review

Motorola Quench XT3
Announced last week, the Quench XT3 has a street price of Rs 12,990, runs Android 2.1, and has a 3.2-inch HVGA screen. Internal memory is specced at 512 MB flash, 256MB RAM, it has a 3-megapixel camera with LED flash, but there are no indications as to whether the Quench, which got an upgrade from Android 1.5 to 2.1 will go any further than that.
Specs, Review

Huawei Ideos
We don't know exactly when this Android phone will hit India, but you can expect it to shake up the market - this cheap Froyo phone has a 2.8-inch QVGA screen, 528 MHz processor, a 3-megapixel camera, support for 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0,and 32GB MicroSD cards.
Specs, Review

HTC Aria/Gratia
Announced last month, we're hoping that the Gratia hits the sweet spot in terms of pricing. Judging by the specs, this Froyo phone with a 3.2-inch screen, 512 MB ROM, 384 MB RAM, and a Qualcomm MSM 7227 600 MHz processor would be ideal for anyone who wants a higher resolution screen than the Wildfire.
Specs, Review

 

 

LG Optimus One
The Optimus One, (not to be confused with the GT 540 Optimus) has a 3.2-inch capactive HVGA screen, 600 MHz processor, Froyo, 3G support, and the unlocked version is available for around USD 320. This could prove to be a very compelling mid-range offering from LG. Rumours are that the Optimus One may launch this month.
Specs, Review