Fly Mobile’s raison d’etre is to cram a phone with features and mods then charge peanuts. It’s not a bad philosophy and its latest entry-level budgeteer, the SX200, follows this golden rule to the letter.
This squat 2.5G noir slider vaunts a price tag of around £30. But if you look at the mobile trimmings it brings to the table – recordable FM radio, MP3 player, hotswappable microSD card slot and Stereo Bluetooth - it amounts to ridiculously good value.
Its glossy finish is probably designed to give it a classy expensive shine but really it just heightens it plastic fantastic nature. It’s not until you handle the SX200 that you realise the integrated battery cover gives it some needed heft. It’s actually pretty solid for a member of the early bird prepay posse.
Its slider action has a surprisingly good spring as well while the flat but mechanised keypad, despite being overly cheap, is geared for speed texting. You would also expect nothing but a brain dead easy UI and the SX200 obliges in spades.
The VGA camera is pretty crude but it amazingly hides some neat photo features. A phone of this lowly ranking wouldn’t be expected to harbour white balance and exposure value settings, multi-shots and effects modes. We’re not sure if any of it will actually improve the VGA-quality snaps but it’s still a handy boon. The camera is also prepped for video recording and while the quality is consumed by the dreaded judder it’s a top feature to have.
The FM radio is also curious beast, with a whopping 30 presets and the ability to record shows. If you want to abuse this feature and stockpiling some tunes in the music player you will need to invest in a MicroSD card.
Again, the music player keeps the little surprises coming, packing an eight band equaliser and support for A2DP wireless stereo Bluetooth streaming. Once again the quality is dubious but fine for snacking but really for 30 smackers any complaints will deserve a slap.
For a 30 quid phone you would probably be happy with an FM radio for entertainment but the SX200 weighs in with some beyond the call of duty treats to make it a prepay steal.
Best features
Easy to use
Cool line in photos and music player mods
Built-in FM radio with recording function
Not so good
Over glossy finish
Plasticky keypad
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