Best Mobile Offer

Many mobile users are dazzled by the technological prowess of expensive handsets like the iPhone 4S and HTC Sensation XL, but you do not need to fork out large amounts of money to get a comprehensive smartphone experience thanks to the growing number of adept, budget-conscious handsets which are available.

The Orange San Francisco 2 has been released in recent weeks and it sets out to continue the good work started by its predecessor, combining affordability and high end functionality in one neat, sleek package.

At the centre of the San Francisco 2`s updates is its snazzy new design, which is reminiscent of a number of more expensive models thanks to its slim chassis and tapering rear. There is still plenty of plastic used throughout, but it never feels like it is cheap or tacky, so you will not be ashamed to pull this out of your pocket at a bar.

The 3.5 inch touchscreen display found here is almost exactly the same as that of the first San Francisco, using capacitive technology to deliver a tactile, swift and responsive user experience. The high resolution of 480×800 is another boon that is brought over from the previous iteration, so compared to most budget-centric smartphones things will look crisp and colourful, which is very useful when watching videos or browsing the internet.

Hidden in the bowels of the San Francisco 2 is an 800MHz processor, faster than the 600MHz CPU used in the original. You also get 512MB of storage space which can be expanded via microSD memory card. In all the phone will not feel quite in the same league as the most expensive models when it comes to the smoothness of its multitasking or menu transitions, but for this money you should be quite impressed.

The full Android 2.3 experience is available to owners of the Orange San Francisco 2. While it is not likely to get Android 4.0 due to its limited hardware, there is more than enough oomph about Google`s last major mobile operating system to keep the phone in contention. The hundreds of thousands of applications available on the Android Market are reason enough to make it a worthy investment.

A smartphone is only as good as its connectivity options and the San Francisco 2 has all you could expect. Wi-Fi, 3G and GPS are ready to be used for browsing and location-based services, while Bluetooth is also on hand if you want to connect your peripherals or share media with other nearby users.

A camera upgrade gives the San Francisco 2 five megapixels to play with, as well as a flash to help capture better shots during darker periods of the day. With a secondary camera slapped discretely onto the front of the phone you can chat via video with friends and family.

The Orange San Francisco 2 is one of many affordable Android mobile phones that are vying for your attention at the moment and in some ways it is the best of the bunch.