Vodafone 150 and Vodafone 250

Discontinued
15th February 2010

The Vodafone 150 is claimed to be the cheapest mobile phone on earth, and at an unsubsidised price of less than US$15, it's hard to disagree with that claim.

This is a basic but useful handset, with a 1.0" 96 x 64 pixel monochrome display, dual-band GSM, polyphonic ringtones, an alarm clock, currency converter, 2 embedded games and a built-in torch.

The overall layout looks neat, but the very small screen does look a little odd. But this isn't a fashion accessory, the Vodafone 150 is designed to be practical and affordable more than anything else.

The 500 mAh battery gives up to 5 hours talktime and 16 days standby time. Of course, it makes phone calls and sends and receives text messages too.. overall, the Vodafone 150 does seem to have all the basic functions you might need at a price that is very affordable.

One step up from the 150 is the Vodafone 250, slated to retail at less than $20. The 250 adds a lot of features, such as a 1.45" 128 x 128 pixel CSTN colour screen, FM radio and wallpapers plus all the features from the 150. The simple, unfussy design actually makes the 250 a very nice looking device in our view, and probably well worth the increase in price over the 150.

We love cheap phones, but sadly for us Vodafone are aiming these at "emerging markets". In the first instance, the Vodafone 150 and 250 will be sold in India, Turkey, Qatar, South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana and Congo. That's good news for Vodafone and Vodacom customers in those countries though.

We're not entirely sure when the Vodafone 150 and 250 will hit the market, but from what we can see we assume that it will be very soon indeed.

Vodafone 150 Promo Video

Patrick Chomet of Vodafone gives a brief demonstration of the Vodafone 150 in this promotional video.

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