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Sony Xperia Sola Android Phone $179 & Huawei Ascend G300 $134 from Vodafone Prepaid

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Sony Xperia Sola Android Phone $179 & Huawei Ascend G300 $134 from Vodafone PrepaidAffiliate
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scotty on 03/12/2012 - 17:24 shop.vodafone.com.au (2658 clicks)
Last edited 03/12/2012 - 19:11
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Via @wharlie from this deal, Vodafone is currently having 10% off prepaid mobile. Here is their list of phones however some phones were excluded there. To get Sony Xperia sola for $179 you'll need to got to its plan page and then click on "Prepaid" tab (next to 12/24 months). If you choose 365 days you don't need to buy any recharge.

See full specification on GSMArena:

  • 3.7" 480x854
  • Quad band 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
  • NovaThor U8500 (dual core 1GHz + Mali-400 MP GPU)
  • 512MB RAM + 8GB internal storage

Other cheap phones that are on 10% off:

  • Huawei Ascend G300 (4" Android 2.3 upgradable to 4.0) — $134
  • Samsung Galaxy W (3.7" Android 2.3) — $179

Note that these are locked to Vodafone network and it's $25 getting them unlocked from Vodafone (unless you found some other ways). Edit: According to Whirlpool that you can get unlock code for free.

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closed Comments

  • wharlie on 03/12/2012 - 17:47
    +2

    According to this thread, about half way down, you can unlock through Vodafone for free.
    http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1998188, comments from unity1 and zelda707.
    I have not tried it myself.

  • Kendrite13 on 03/12/2012 - 18:18

    Think I might get this, I understand certain bands work better for certain carriers. From my understanding this should be OK with Optus, can someone please confirm this before I buy it?

    Also, just to draw a comparison I'm thinking this over the Huawei Honor(http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/86622) even though the Honor has a slightly larger screen which I'd like (though is slightly more expensive ($199)). Would most agree this is the better phone or is it more like 50/50?

    Thanks in advance for any advice.

    • Balls on 03/12/2012 - 19:26
      -3

      for optus, you'd want to stick to 900/850mhz as much as possible, everyone and their dog is on 2100mhz and its rediculously crowded

      • Commonwealth Pig on 03/12/2012 - 19:29

        Well isn't this a balls up… Optus don't have 850Mhz

        • Balls on 03/12/2012 - 21:21

          ah yeh voda it was

    • netsurfer on 04/12/2012 - 00:41

      Sola - Quad band 3G (850/900/1900/2100) vs Honor - Tri band 3G (900/1700/2100)
      (Sola should work on all AUS 3G networks; Honor not suitable for Tel$tra)
      Sola - Dual core CPU + Mali 400MP vs Honor - Single Core Qualcomm + Adreno 205
      (if you want mkv playback, then you will probably prefer Mali 400MP, that said, I still cannot find a decent player for Sola though)
      Sola - 8GB ROM (2GB internal + 3GB "internal SD"); Honor 4GB ROM (1GB internal + 1-2GB internal SD perhaps???)
      Sola - Vodafone batch already has ICS … Honor - Probably ICS?

      Honor does have a higher res camera and a front camera. Sola has NFC.

      Sony Sola is better overall. Honor (single core phone) for $199 isn't a bargain.

      • cannedhams on 04/12/2012 - 10:47

        honor has better battery life. Sola's battery life is by all indications a dog. This is the only thing keeping me from buying one.

  • netsurfer on 03/12/2012 - 18:22

    Sola is probably the cheapest branded dual core phone. However, in terms of performance, at times, it does feel sluggish. The phone has NFC so this could be the cheapest phone with NFC. It comes with 2 NFC tags. No front camera though (but not a big deal).

    OS: ICS (Sony keyboards supports swype, hand writing). ICS screen capture shortcut button press combo implemented (though I actually don't mind the way Sony did it for GB build - not a big fan of the ICS screenshot capture shotcut combo).

  • Kendrite13 on 03/12/2012 - 18:26

    Excuse my ignorance, what are NFC tags and why would you want two?

    I know what NFC is.

    • Commonwealth Pig on 03/12/2012 - 18:30

      I think you are supposed to stick them in places (such as a bedroom door) and swipe the phone over them to trigger a predefined action (such as putting the phone on silent).

    • netsurfer on 03/12/2012 - 18:57

      When you place your phone close to an NFC tag, the NFC tag can instruct the phone to do some things. For example: turn on/off wifi, turn on/off bluetooth, open a Web page etc…

      Sony give you 2 tags so you can use one at home (wifi-on) and another one at work (wifi-off). If you have more tags, you could have another one in the car (wifi-off, bluetooth-on). The tags are there to get you started. Some of the higher end Sony phones come with 4. You can get more NFC stickers for $1 or less each.

      • robotdad on 03/12/2012 - 21:10

        I like the idea but I find Llama Llama more capable and not too hard to set up.

      • cornbeef on 03/12/2012 - 23:53

        so you can set up "stairs - mother in law - and scrumped carpet" in one command and let the phone do the rest?

      • netsurfer on 04/12/2012 - 00:22

        Like scrimshaw pointed out, NFC labels/tags can also be used as digital business cards (tab on a card, you can set it up to dial a number, open up a Web page).

        Other uses: digital ticketing, loyalty cards etc…

        Llama Llama is pretty good.

    • scrimshaw on 03/12/2012 - 18:58

      Coming soon are NFC business cards:

      http://us.moo.com/nfc/

  • shawn_low on 03/12/2012 - 18:32

    Will physical stores do 10% off too? I know it says online only but would like to get one before heading overseas!

    • Feepitee on 03/12/2012 - 18:45

      They won't, but you can try haggling.

      • get-innocuous on 04/12/2012 - 00:26
        +2

        The tills at VF stores can't actually even manually override handset price, unfortunately. The price it scans through at is the fixed sell price.

        • Feepitee on 04/12/2012 - 06:17

          I managed to get $9 off a HTC Explorer from a retail store by saying it was $116 online.

    • zelda707 on 03/12/2012 - 19:20

      Its online only

    • TCoys on 04/12/2012 - 11:54

      Not sure when you're going but pre-paid purchase deliveries are much quicker than for post-paid. Assume it's because they don't have the standard credit checks to do.

  • samehada on 03/12/2012 - 18:37

    How can I buy this without the add-on recharge voucher?

    • Commonwealth Pig on 03/12/2012 - 18:38

      If you choose 365 days you don't need to buy any recharge.

      • samehada on 03/12/2012 - 19:09

        Thanks, I overlooked it :) Also guys, don't forget 10% cashback with Buckscoop
        http://www.buckscoop.com.au/deals/vodafone-10-off-all-prepai…

        • salehiam on 03/12/2012 - 22:38
          +1

          How can I claim the extra 10% cashback for Sony Xperia Sola ?

        • scotty on 03/12/2012 - 23:04
          +1

          http://www.qwibble.com.au/vodafone-pre-paid-handsets-total-v…

          Qwibble is currently running 10.5% cashback on Vodafone prepaid phones over the value of $100.

        • scarletshoes on 04/12/2012 - 05:20

          Buckscoop no longer has cashback as all cashback has moved to Qwibble. See Scotty's link above.

        • Skinnerr on 04/12/2012 - 07:19

          I went to the link, created an account and went to the link on the qwibble site and it takes you to the standard vodafone site. Added the sola to the cart, chose the 365 day option and it says $179, so im guessing the qwibble site is not taking an extra %10 off 179? or am i wrong, i have no idea how qwibble works.

          If this is true, the price is still 179 without qwibble, so whats the point? what am i missing.

        • gimme on 04/12/2012 - 07:58

          Pls check how quibble works for details. It won't give you an instant discount. You'll get your 10% (in addition to the voda discount) in your account as cashback within a few months.

        • Qwibble admin on 04/12/2012 - 08:17

          Qwibble get paid a referral fee by the merchants. When we get paid, we then give you back a chunk of that commission in the form of "cashback". It's not an instant discount off the $179 but cash that is either paid into your bank account or paypal when we get paid by Vodafone etc.
          You can find more info here http://qwibble.com.au/help/2/

        • dealman on 04/12/2012 - 09:12

          I got my cashback last time no problems,
          it was buckscoop then..

        • scotty on 04/12/2012 - 09:19
          +1

          @dealman — I have written about the recent change to Buckscoop. Basically the cashback part of Buckscoop is now Qwibble.

        • dealman on 04/12/2012 - 10:32

          Yes Scotty,
          I just wanted to couch for the fact that I did receive my cash back last time.

        • serapax on 05/12/2012 - 11:16

          Okay, I took the leap of faith and bought two of these using Qwibble. This means they'll end up being just over $160 each - great price!

          Anyone have any thoughts on how long they might take to arrive?

  • Ryk on 03/12/2012 - 18:59
    +3

    I'm really liking the Sony range, I prefer it over the Samsung, me too-ish designs.

  • costas60 on 03/12/2012 - 19:40

    is there any postage from vodaphone

    • shawn_low on 03/12/2012 - 20:28

      Free postage.

  • andyken on 03/12/2012 - 21:57

    Thanks Scott, bought sola

  • shawn_low on 04/12/2012 - 00:41
    +1

    Don't mean to derail the thread but I picked up a Huawei Y201 from Woolies for $79 per this deal: http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/86106

    It's locked to Telstra but there's an unlock for GBP4.50 (about AUD7 or so) making it $86 unlocked.

    While it's single core 800mhz, it has ICS and is very smooth. Google some videos on Youtube and you'll see how snappy it is.

    Pretty impressed for the budget hardware. Specs similar to the G300 except it has a smaller screen, 3.2mb rear camera (compared to 5mp). 4GB internal memory of which 2.5GB is available.

    That deal expires tomorrow.

    It's about half the price of the Sola for with half the cores, half the internal storage and half the GPU power (Adreno 203 vs Mali 400). Lol.

    • syswong on 04/12/2012 - 12:27

      The problem with Huawei handsets as many has pointed out above is that it is not designed to last. I have plenty of friends brough Huawei phone and in general they start having problems after a year.

      I have not use a sony handset myself but play with a few demos and the build quality seems to be much better, it feels even better build than most Samsung handset. This phone also has some interesting photo features. You can read further on in the review on GSMARENA.

      Has anyone use this phone for everyday photos and how is the quality, say compare to the camera on Iphone 4s/5 ??

      • zelda707 on 04/12/2012 - 14:16

        I've used my sola to take photos on a holiday. The picture quality and colours are great. The only problem is that it takes a long time to focus especially at night

  • alwayslooking on 04/12/2012 - 01:00
    +2

    I bought this phone from DSE in Perth CBD today and they price matched it to $179. I got home and put in a non Vodafone / Three SIM card and then went to www.vodafone.com.au/unlock. Got the IMEI number and then keying in the Network unlock code. It was free and worked perfectly!

    • serapax on 04/12/2012 - 10:15

      Hey there! I don't suppose you could post a receipt so I can try my luck with DSE in Melbourne?

    • dealman on 04/12/2012 - 10:32

      @ Alwayslooking

      A receipt would certainly help please post receipt if you can,

      Can you also confirm if it does or does not have a front camera, I am hearing conflicting reports everywhere online ?

      • lovbargain on 04/12/2012 - 12:32
        +1

        according to Sony site, no front camera

      • alwayslooking on 04/12/2012 - 13:03

        Hey guys, not sure how to post a pic of the receipt online. I would gladly do it, but not sure how.

        No front camera on this phone.

        Been using it so far, and its good as a second phone :)

  • CVonC on 04/12/2012 - 05:56
    +1

    sif no front cam

    • Arcticfox on 04/12/2012 - 12:32
      +2

      Never used front cam on previous phones, can't see myself needing it anytime soon either…

      • dealman on 04/12/2012 - 16:52

        useful for Skype video and other apps like Tango(Video Chatting)

  • corbz on 04/12/2012 - 14:49
    +1

    Receipt from DSE: http://i.imgur.com/CsE1I.jpg

    I walked in and told them Vodafone were doing it for $179, he took my word and sold it to me for that price. Hope that helps someone.

    After I unboxed I walked to the Vodafone store and they unlocked it within 20 seconds for me!

    • dealman on 04/12/2012 - 16:52

      Wow Very Good,
      Thanks for the receipt

  • jacknthebeanstalk on 04/12/2012 - 14:49

    How's the battery life on the Sony Xperia Sola?

    • zelda707 on 05/12/2012 - 09:45

      Battery life is not that great especuay when you use it for gaming and internet

      • shawn_low on 05/12/2012 - 11:12
        +2

        That's the case with any modern smartphone. LOL.

      • [Deactivated] on 05/12/2012 - 11:13
        +1

        So, how bad is battery life if you just using as standard phone to make calls? Does it last atleast 1.5 days?

      • [Deactivated] on 05/12/2012 - 11:14

        Does it last atleast 1.5 days if you just using it to make standard calls (no gaming and internet)?

  • [Deactivated] on 05/12/2012 - 07:26

    Yeah, I'm concerned with battery life. Was planing to get Xperia sola for my grandfather as christmas gift but don't think 75 year old would like charging it everyday.
    I think I'll get galaxy w from the site. That might be good enough for him as first smartphone.

    • dealman on 06/12/2012 - 14:02

      Battery life is not much better on the Galaxy W
      I bought two of those from vodafone for my parents but they wouldn't unlock them for free.

    • judgeg on 10/12/2012 - 11:20

      I've had Galaxy W from Vodafone for quite a while now and can advise that the battery life is very bad. Particularly after the first couple of months - I experienced the same with my old Galaxy Mini so maybe it is Samsung batteries generally. But I definitely would not buy the Galaxy W if you're looking for battery life.

  • [Deactivated] on 06/12/2012 - 13:17

    Just got the phone. Couldn't unlock it. It says that it could not find the IMEI and asked to put in contact details.
    Do I first need to register it or something with vodafone? Someone had same issue?

    • zelda707 on 06/12/2012 - 22:17

      I didn't have that issue. Maybe return it and get replacement?

    • ozscharfschutze on 06/12/2012 - 23:54

      I had the same problem, other people also had the same problem. See the whirlpool thread here - http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1883064
      Anyway, I filled in my details last night, haven't had any contact from Vodafone but decided to try again tonight and it worked and it's free.

  • jtb on 06/12/2012 - 15:16

    anyone know if this phone is good gps navigation and running apps (eg:runkeeper)?

  • jacknthebeanstalk on 07/12/2012 - 17:33

    I went to two different dicksmith's and asked for a price match. They instantly said "no".

    • BartholemewH on 07/12/2012 - 18:06

      Same here. Best i could get is 190.

      • dealman on 07/12/2012 - 19:20
        +1

        Yes Even when I mentioned the Dicksmith receipt they said No,

        They said "we do things by the book" can't match an online price, this is Melbourne Western suburbs

        Best luck is now to buy online Through Sqwible > Vodafone > and then get the unlock code before opening the phone box. IMIE numbers are on the box sticker outside.

        If it can't be unlocked for free send the box back under their guarantee.

  • judgeg on 10/12/2012 - 11:23

    I tried the Xperia Sola at HN on the weekend. It took forever for the home screen to show up when you navigated back to it from somewhere. Is this likely to be just the demo model from HN or do you think it would be indicative of the Sola generally?

    • zelda707 on 10/12/2012 - 17:11

      its probably just the demo model. My Sola is quite smooth

  • RubenM on 10/12/2012 - 19:45

    Mine is still sitting in "Order being processed" and I ordered it on the 4th. Anyone else have that issue?

    • Skinnerr on 12/12/2012 - 00:05

      Its just you. I placed my order on Saturday and it shipped out on monday, ot its gotta be a payment problem. Ring them and find out, if you dare…

  • Skinnerr on 13/12/2012 - 02:06
    +1

    Just got it today, unlocked it no sweat and am updating it now. First impressions are that its a pretty sweet phone too. Also the qwibble site shows 18 bucks owing that's waiting to clear? So yeh it all worked out. Thanks scotty, owe ya one.

    • invnamit on 13/12/2012 - 02:25

      How you got it unlocked? Did you pay any fee to voafone?

  • dealman on 15/12/2012 - 14:44

    I've tried in three different Dicksmith stores so far and they wouldn't honour this deal,

    Saying prepaid prices cannot be reduced.

  • andy19363 on 16/12/2012 - 07:37

    got mine yesterday from vodaphone
    easily unlocked using above method :)

  • ycon on 02/01/2013 - 20:54

    Just ordered the G300 this evening, hoping it won't take too long

  • ycon on 04/01/2013 - 16:40

    Mine arrived already- it only took like 15 hours! I will try to unlock in soon, I'll post back if I have any troubles

    Cheers about Qwibble.com.au- I've never used it before, but it recorded my order and now I'm getting $14.07 back on the G300.

  • ycon on 04/01/2013 - 18:09
    +1

    Hmmm not happy… When I go to unlock my Huawei G300 it says I have to pay $75! Why?

  • ktl on 10/01/2013 - 21:11

    Thanks OP, got the sola from vodafone and unlocked easily as others have done above via the website. Great phone for the price. Qwibble worked for me.

  • andyman1908 on 18/01/2013 - 12:58

    Deal still on till 31st of this month. Purchased one late afternoon Wednesday and received first thing today! Well done Vodafone! Lucky I know there coverage sucks and will use my Telstra sim. Unlocked via vodafone website with no dramas. Phone on charger as I type so will play with it tonight on way home from work.

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