The INQ Chat 3G is one delicious feature phone - beautiful interface, a full QWERTY keyboard and a slew of integrated social networking goodness. With all of that wrapped inside an affordable price tag, this is an exciting handset to drop your next mobile budget on.
Physically, the QWERTY candybar can be easily confused with a Blackberry. Construction is heavily plastic, but it looks gorgeous for a budget device (especially with swappable cases). Build doesn't feel as sturdy as we'd like, but it didn't exactly crumble to the touch. The 2.4-inch QVGA display is spacious and bright, while the keyboard is comfortable and plush. There's no angled texture to the individual keys, although it makes for fast typing all the same.
As a phone, the INQ Chat 3G makes for average-sounding calls. Conversations go through clearly, with some occasional glitches. Speakerphone feature is about the same. The 1150 mAh battery isn't rated, but it should be good for a day or two of regular use.
It uses a simple and playful interface that looks tailor-made to the target Facebook and Twitter crowd, with colorful images highlighting each of the menu options. Navigation is easy to figure out and it's a rather intuitive design.
On the features end, you get the usual basics - a 1,000 entry phonebook, a complete messaging suite (SMS, MMS, email, IM and push GMail) and a few PIM tools. The highlight, of course, lies in the phone's tight integration with various online services, namely Facebook, Windows Live, Skype and Twitter, where you can get updates pushed to the phone's homescreen, apart from easy access to the built-in apps. It also comes with Brew 4.0 and Java MIDP 2.0 support, which should help you extend your phone's functionality a bit.
As you can tell from the name, this phone supports 3G (no Wi-Fi, though). HSDPA speeds are decent, but the phone can be sluggish at times. Other features include a 3.2 megapixel camera module (average shot quality, few editing options), a basic media player, GPS and 120MB of storage (expandable via microSD up to 8GB).
Overall, the INQ Chat 3G is an excellent feature phone for heavy messaging and social networking users, especially at the affordable price. It's particularly stylish to boot. If there's any downside to the handset, it's the growing proliferation of budget-friendly, entry-level smartphones, any of which could give the Chat 3G a run for its money.
Looking for a budget phone with some excellent social tools? I'm not sure what regions it's available in (except for the ones on the official site - UK, Singapore and a couple of others), but the INQ Mini 3G sounds like a great option.
Physically, the candybar handset looks leagues ahead in terms of appearance, compared to INQ's previous cellphone effort. Heck, it's considerably more attractive than a lot of the mid-range phones with the same form factor that's available right now. Small and light, it fits very comfortably in your pocket. It feels a little fleeting in the hand, however, with a predominantly plastic make.
The Mini 3G comes with a 2.2-inch screen showing a 320x240 resolution. Quality is gorgeous, showing off plenty of brightness and excellent colors. The T9-style keypad facilitates comfortable use, although the navigation array doesn't exactly work seamlessly with the menu interface.
As a phone, it manages excellent calls, with clear and natural-sounding voices. The speakerphone works equally well, although it could have used just a slight more volume. While the interface works decently, overall phone operation feels a little sluggish, sometimes pausing in mid-operation for a split second. The 3G speed also doesn't appear to be that fast. Battery life should be good for 2.5 hours of regular use.
Being a social networking device, the Mini 3G's main strengths lie in its native integration of social-based services, namely Facebook, Twitter, Skype and Windows Live Messenger. Using them is literally a breeze, with performance (for the aforementioned services) that's better than 90% of phones around. The inbox structure - which gathers all messages and conversations in one place - is downright brilliant.
All other features, however, aren't as souped-up, but they work well enough, especially at this handset's price point. The 2.0 megapixel camera, for instance, takes rather lacking shot quality - a shame since the interface from shooting a photo to uploading it to Twitter is very well-done. There's also a decent media player, Bluetooth and compatibility with a variety of streaming services. One feature many will like is the built-in tethering support - yep, simply connect it to your laptop and use your phone's 3G to get online.
Despite a few complaints, the INQ Mini 3G is a serious value for its price. Available for just $100 unlocked and free with a contract from any network, it's an excellent mid-range phone, especially if you're heavy on the social networking.
