The Gadget Helpline’s Smart Alternatives is our irregular feature which aims to highlight some of the lesser known brands that you should be considering when buying a new smartphone. Criteria can vary and can be based on handset affordability, a unique OS or just the fact the phone looks pretty cool!
Today we’ve picked out the Wileyfox Swift – a budget handset with a custom Android OS, modest yet respectable specs for its price tag and the added bonus of free screen replacement cover for the first 12 months.
For just £129, the Wileyfox Swift comes running the Cyanogen OS, an open source version of Android with none of the pre-installed Google apps or ‘bloatware’ which can’t usually be removed and can waste valuable memory space if not required. The OS also allows customisation so you can have it just how you want it. The handset includes a 64-bit quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz and 2GB of RAM is fairly lowly, as is the 16GB of internal storage, but these are acceptable and can be overlooked for a no frills smartphone at the price you’re paying for it.
The 10-point multi-touch touchscreen measures 5-inches and displays a resolution of 1280 x 720 at 294ppi with camera tech offering a decent 13-megapixel at the back and a 5-megapixel front-facing ‘selfie’ cam and the Wileyfox Swift comes with a removable 2500mAh battery. 4G connectivity is also supported and the handset can accept dual SIMS for managing more than one network.
Referring back to the screen, one of the generous additions thrown into the WileyFox Swift package when buying direct from the maker is that they will offer to replace the screen should it get damaged in the first year of ownership – provided you register it with them (don’t forget!) The screen is made of toughened Gorilla Glass 3 so should withstand an ape standing on it, as shown in the illustrative promo imagery online, and Wileyfox must be fairly confident their product will not scratch or crack under some fairly extreme pressure and are willing to foot the bill should that be found untrue.
The handset can be bought now through the Wileyfox website with an additional screen replacement cover for a year for £9.99 and a three year warranty also for £9.99. It comes in choice of White or Sandstone Black casing and we really quite like the stylish Wileyfox logo on the back.
www.wileyfox.com/swift
