Samsung Galaxy Ace review

At the time of writing, the Ace still runs Android 2.2, but an update to Android 2.3 is in the works. Sadly, the phone’s internal memory – space available for apps – is limited to just over 150MB, so you’ll soon run out of space, especially as you can’t uninstall Samsung’s pre-installed apps. Its battery life in our light usage test was acceptable at just over 23 hours – as with most smartphones, you’ll need to top up the battery every night if you regularly use Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or GPS along with 3G data.

The Ace’s iPhone-like design is smart, it has a decent screen and camera and the operating system feels snappy. We found it for £20 per month with an unlimited data plan, and you can buy it SIM-free for just over £200, making it great value, as long as you don’t plan on installing a lot of apps. However the Motorola DEFY has a larger screen and costs the same on contract, so remains our choice for a Budget Buy.