The common paradigm of cell phones is that you must purchase an expensive cell phone plan in order to obtain the best cell phones on the market. Although the top cell phone companies, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T; and Sprint offer some outstanding contract phones, there are plenty of excellent contract free phones.
T-Mobile G2 (T-Mobile) Price to be Determined (Link)
T-Mobile has two plan options, contract and no contract. The difference is that if you opt for the no contract plan you will pay the full MSRP price on the phone. The new T-Mobile G2 is the update to the widely popular G1 by Google on the T-Mobile network. The main benefit? The G2 will be the first phone to have access to T-Mobiles new 4G network, which is set for release soon. For more features, check out the link posted above to the T-Mobile G2 webpage.
BlackBerry Curve 8530 (Virgin Mobile) $249 (Link)
The BlackBerry Curve 8530 from Virgin Mobile makes our list because it is excellent for texting, video and picture messages and has an outstanding no contract plan. Virgin Mobile has recently become an industry leader with its low prices, with plans for smartphones starting at $35 for BlackBerry devices and $25 for all others, and its premium variety of smartphones. I use the BlackBerry Bold 9700 and found it reliable, durable and excellent for sending messages and for its call quality. The Curve is no different, except it offers a 2MP camera and video recorder instead of the 3.2 and 5MP cameras found on higher priced models. Overall, the curve 8530 from Virgin Mobile provides a premium smartphone at dirt-cheap, monthly, no contract rates.
BlackBerry Curve 3G (T-Mobile) $330 (Link)
The all new BlackBerry Curve 3G, also known as the BlackBerry Curve 9300, features an all new design that looks sophisticated like the higher end BlackBerry devices, but still shows its roots to the Curve design. The new Curve features fast data speeds on the T-Mobile 3G network, 2MP camera and dedicated media keys located on the top of the device. The Curve beat out the Bold 9700 because of the price point and features for the price. However, if upfront price is of no concern, then we recommend the Bold 9700. T-Mobile offers a variety of no contract plants for this device and offers the same data network as the contract customers’ use.
BlackBerry Bold 9700 (T-Mobile) $450 (Link)
The Bold 9700 is an email, texting and social networking powerhouse. The full QWERTY keyboard makes typing and sending messages efficient and fast. The updated trackpad, which replaced the trackball, is not only an aesthetic improvement, but works much better. The Bold on the T-Mobile Even More Plus plan gives users access to the same network and plans that contract customers receive, however, you must pay the full price of $450 instead of the $100 contract price. Overall, the Bold 9700 is an excellent no contract cell phone, but has an expensive upfront cost.
LG Rumor Touch (Virgin Mobile) $150 (Link)
The LG Rumor Touch made our list of best no contract phones because of its affordable upfront cost and touch screen. The phone comes equipped with social networking tools, text, picture and video messages, GPS and a 2MP digital camera. Of course, no contract plans start at $25 for anytime minutes and unlimited text, internet and messages.
Sources:
www.t-mobile.com
www.virginmobile.com
