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Mid-range Android friendly on the wallet: Enter the Samsung Galaxy Ace

With so many Android phones now on the market, how can you choose the one that is best for your needs? A lot depends on the price bracket you want to find your phone in. Do you plan to spend a little, some or a lot? This will determine where you start looking.

If you want more than the lowest-priced phone but don’t feel like splashing out on the most sophisticated smartphone, a well-respected alternative is the Samsung Galaxy Ace, part of Samsung’s budget Android range.

Pitched at the mid-range market, this phone runs the most popular version of the Android operating system, Android Gingerbread 2.3. It’s good for browsing less content-heavy websites and enjoying some casual applications, although there's no support for Flash video. Connectivity is excellent though, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB and HSDPA offering downloads at up to 7.2 Mbps.

Although a mid-level handset, the Samsung Galaxy Ace has a premium look and feel, with its metallic look giving it an iPhone-like appearance. It has a 3.5 inch display and is available in black, with back covers in a choice of black, white and new La Fleur pattern.

The body is a black rectangle with rounded corners and a physical home button on the front button. Either side are and two controls, following the usual Samsung style of a menu key on the left, and a back button on the right.

The camera sits on the back of the phone, which has an LED flash, and there's the usual video recording capabilities for budding film makers.

Elsewhere on the phone you'll find a power button on the right, a volume rocker on the left, and a headphone socket on the top. Charging is done via USB, which is located on the bottom of the phone. The battery is removable, there's a full-sized SIM card slot too, and micro SD near the volume rocker.

The Samsung Galaxy Ace has a decent 800 MHz processor and a good five megapixel camera with autofocus and an LED flash.

Other highlights include GPS with Google Maps, high-speed internet and Wi-Fi and the 600,000+apps available from the Google Play Store.

For email and messaging the Galaxy Ace is brilliant. The Social Hub integrates contacts with Facebook and Twitter apps really well, and the Swype feature that’s part of the Ace’s virtual QWERTY keyboard lets you create messages and social updates just by sweeping your finger across the keys in one continuous motion.

With a compact, textured design and tons of powerful features, the Galaxy Ace is sure to appeal to app lovers, internet addicts and fashion gurus. It's easy and fun to get to grips with.

This wallet-friendly smartphone is available on pay as you go package Carphone Warehouse from £89.95, plus a £10 required top-up.