LG Optimus 4X HD P880 rated fairly on our benchmarks with some serious specs that range from a high resolution display screen to a snappier Quad-core processor and a more recent version of Android operating system. It’s clearly set to become the best handset in its category, however, with such top-class hardware and a more recent OS, a pricy tag is inevitable. It’s very unlikely to find consumers who still treasure phone apps such as games and the likes at the expense of hardware and operating system versions; tastes have evolved to only include screen sizes, processor clock speed and the type of operating system. LG Optimus 4X HD P880 may not be the best device we’ve seen so far, but, it has enough guts to shutdown most of its peers, its shipped with the latest Android Ice Cream Sandwich right from the box, eliminating un-guaranteed schedules of an upgrade. It’s therefore very considerate for LG to launch with (ICS) onboard.

Nokia Asha 302 is a premium feature phone adding up to Nokia’s Asha portfolio, the handset joins its older siblings Asha 303, Asha 300, Asha 200 and Asha 201 though with a unique taste of Microsoft’s mail for exchange feature that’s best known to allow users access mails, contacts and calendar on an exchange server. It has detailed professional oriented features such as Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and a decent QWERTY keypad that best suits young geeks out there intending to venture into the business sector. This handset falls under the entry-level genre with an affordable price tag (about EUR 95). Symbian 40 OS feels awkwardly ancient, however, spicing up Nokia Asha 302 with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync makes it likeable and one of its kind in this arena. There’s not much to excite smart phone users on this device; but at its price range, we’ll forgive a lot and cut short on our expectations. If you’re looking for a smart device, you’ll be better-off with an Android smart phone costing same amount or less.

• Operating System: Symbian 40 software
• Processor: 1GHz
• Display : 2.4inch (240x320p) (167ppi) TFT screen, 256k colors
• Primary Camera: 3.15Megapixel (2048x1536p)
• Storage: Up to 32GB MicroSD, 100MB storage, 128MB RAM, 256MB ROM
• Connectivity:  USB, MicroUSB v2.0, Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP, EDR
• Internet: 14.4Mbps HSDPA, 5.76Mbps HSUPA, 802.11b/g/n WiFi
• Other features: FM Radio with RDS
• Battery: Standard Lithium ion 1110mAh

Nokia 808 PureView stunned us with its powerful 41.0Megapixel camera though with an ancient Symbian operating system delivered via the latest Belle version. The phone surpassed our benchmarks with insanely decent pictures but failed miserably in other areas, it sounds unrealistic to overpower a phone in one element while maintaining an affordable price tag at the expense of other important features. Nokia 808 PureView will for sure grab several awards in photography as it showcases Nokia’s sophisticated camera technology; it will do wonders for photographers out there, but if you’re looking for an all round smart phone, look elsewhere. A 41.0Migapixels camera may not be something most phone manufactures are considering at this point-in-time; however, we expect it to trigger camera improvements for upcoming devices by a reasonable margin with a few extra bucks, but don’t expect miracles.

LG Optimus L7 P700 houses serious specs and hardware compared to the rest of L-series siblings such as Optimus L3 and Optimus L5; besides its decent screen, it comes loaded with the latest Android OS right from the box. The phone is likeable considering everything and its sleek design is forth-coming. For a device in its category, a 4.3inch screen is more than enough; most phones have less than 3.5inch screens with close to bad pixel resolutions. LG Optimus L7 P700 is undoubtedly made for Android lovers unable to afford a high-end device with enough horse-power to plough just any application from the Android galore; however, a 1.0 GHz processor housed underneath can handle most essential apps without compromising performance. Swiping through operations should be seamless for a 1.0GHz processor, though handling 3D games may not be as smooth.

After the huge success of Galaxy Mini S5570, it makes sense for Samsung to introduce yet another version that addresses major concerns witnessed on the older sibling. Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 S6500 follows up as a beefed up successor to the earlier version, but with a snappier 800MHz processor instead of 600MHz and a decent screen resolution 480×320 pixels rather than 320×240 found on the original Mini. Most apps found on Android galore are developed to support HVGA screen resolutions (320×480 pixels to be specific) upwards, unfortunately, Samsung did a messy job with the earlier version, but here is Galaxy Mini 2 S6500 incase you missed the earlier sibling. The phone also comes with a more recent v2.3 Gingerbread OS as opposed to v2.2 Froyo shipped underneath the first Mini, there’s an upgrade though to Gingerbread. Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 S6500’s hardware isn’t the best we’ve seen, but at the same price range, it’s a killer deal.

Samsung I589 Galaxy Ace Duos will get every favor it can squeeze from an ordained Android follower torn between GSM and CDMA networks, a cheapskate hunting for an affordable device that support both CDMA and GSM radios will also find it ideal. However, its design and hardware won’t get any awards, at least from our benchmarks, but the affordable price tag coupled with support for two radios gives it an edge over other mid-range devices. Something to note though, Duos in this case doesn’t mean an extra SIM slot as the rest of Samsung’s phones such as Chat322/C3222 Duosand S5222 Star3 Duos, but support for both CDMA and GSM, making it truly a global handset. Samsung I589 Galaxy Ace Duos follows up as an enhanced version of its older sibling Galaxy Ace S5830that supports a single GSM radio, though with a larger 1650mAh battery instead of 1350mAh to make up for the second radio.