HOLIDAY ADVANTAGE: DOUBLES AS A CAMERA
LG KC550
£100 (pay as you go on T-Mobile)

Although the budget optics found in a cameraphone mean it can’t compete with the quality and versatility of a range-topping digital camera, the latest mobiles are at least getting better at taking casual snaps. This LG boasts a 5mp sensor — more than adequate for standard 6x4in prints — and takes good shots, especially in the sort of bright sunlight you’d hope for on holiday. Bear in mind that it’s cheap compared with most other 5mp cameraphones because it can’t offer fast 3G speeds, so uploading your shots to a website would be a time-consuming process, and you’ll need to add a memory card to store your shots until you get back from holiday. On the plus side, it has autofocus (most snapper phones have fixed focus) and image stabilisation, and with its brushed metal lens cover and chrome trim it looks pricier than it is.

VERDICT: A great balance of attractive features and low price. www.phones4u.co.uk

HOLIDAY ADVANTAGE: TAKES TWO SIMs
SAMSUNG D880 DUOS
£220 (handset only)

Samsung’s clever D880 is available only on import, but it’s worth tracking down as it’s effectively two phones in one. Slot in a pair of Sim cards — one from your business phone, perhaps, and a second bought on arrival at the airport to take advantage of cheap local rates — and both will receive incoming calls (with different ringtones, if you like). For calls out, simply pick the required Sim with the press of a button. Other features are less impressive, however: the handset is a little chunky, there’s no 3G and the camera is poor.

VERDICT: Much more convenient than carrying a pair of handsets around. www.expansys.com

HOLIDAY ADVANTAGE: CHEAP TO USE ABROAD
NOKIA 6120
£110 (pay as you go on 3)

The 3 network offers a tariff to cut the cost of overseas calls: 3 Like Home lets pay-as-you-go customers use the 3 network in Austria, Hong Kong, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden and Italy to call landlines or mobiles in the UK for 12p per minute. Monthly customers can use their pre-paid minutes to make the same calls and can add Australia to that list. Receiving calls when away is free for all customers. You must be on the local 3 network — check it says “3 Italy”, or whatever, on screen. All 3 phones are 3G; this model features Nokia’s intuitive operating system with an easy-to-use keypad.

VERDICT: A good handset on a cost-effective tariff. www.three.co.uk

HOLIDAY ADVANTAGE: THROWAWAY PRICING
ALCATEL OT-S520
£20 (pay as you go on Virgin)

The camera is low-resolution (0.3mp), the colour screen is small (1.8in), there are few extras and it’s dual rather than tri-band, so it won’t work in the United States. However, if you don’t want to risk your expensive main phone on holiday, the Alcatel is fun to use and so cheap you won’t mind if you drop it in the sea. Its gloss-black front looks swish, and while cheaper phones are usually bulky, this is slim and light enough to be unnoticeable in your pocket. The operating system is unfamiliar but highly usable; the tiny keys, however, are fiddly.

VERDICT: Sparse on features and lacks poke, but cheap, cute and fun. www.woolworths.co.uk

HOLIDAY ADVANTAGE: DOUBLES AS A MUSIC PLAYER
SONY ERICSSON W350i
£60 (pay as you go on T-Mobile)

The music playback on a Sony Ericsson Walkman phone is good enough to leave the iPod at home. This tiny budget phone offers more than decent sound quality, and transferring music from a PC to the handset is straightforward. The headphones are tinny, but you can substitute others. The device includes the enjoyable TrackID function: use it to record a snatch from, say, a radio in a bar, and you will automatically receive a text naming the song. Along with a good FM radio, there’s a basic 1.3mp camera, but no flash for those nightclub memories.

VERDICT: Good sound playback means you can save your iPod from a sandy grave. www.carphonewarehouse.com

HOLIDAY ADVANTAGE: REPLACES A SAT NAV
MOTOROLA U9
£50 (pay as you go on Vodafone)

This clamshell can tell you where you’re going thanks to the free Google Maps for Mobile (download it before you jet off by going to google.co.uk/gmm and choosing the “send yourself a text message” option — a link is then sent to your mobile). This isn’t GPS, so you’ll need to know where you’re starting from, and the graphics update slowly, but it does offer directions, searches for local businesses and maps. It’s data intensive, so use sparingly to avoid large bills.

VERDICT: A cool design, and Google Maps adds basic navigation. www.dialaphone.co.uk

Times recommends

• Point-and-go computers consign mouse to history
• YoYotech Fi7epower: the world's fastest PC
• Bridging the gap between mind and machine