Own-brand handsets tend to be the black sheep of the mobile-phone world -- no-one wants to take the credit for producing them, while potential users might be put off by their mysterious parentage. The Vodafone 830 does have some quirks, but its combination of a good range of features and a low price tag could convince you to dip your toes into the own-brand waters.
The 830 is free with Vodafone on a £15 monthly contract, and around £70 on a pay-as-you-go deal.
The light and the dark
The 830 is a bargain phone, and it feels like one. The plastic case feels flimsy, especially on the back, and the slider on our sample wobbled slightly when it was open. A
substantially sized handset, the 830 also has the unexpected lightness of a cheap DVD player, at only 90g. But, with sober dark-grey looks and a
pseudo-brushed-metal finish on the buttons, its appearance is nothing to be ashamed
of, and it wouldn't look out of place in the presence of Nokia
slider phones like the N81.
The 3.2-megapixel camera is covered when the phone is closed, which is good for protecting the lens, but it means that you have to take photos with the phone open. We found that takes some getting used to. Worse is that the volume button, which also zooms the camera, is opposite the shutter button, so we sometimes activated the zoom by accident with our thumb while gripping the phone to press the shutter.
The results from the camera are acceptable for quick
snapshots, with bright colours and good white balance. Typical hand-held shots
in indoor lighting are good enough for emailing or posting on Facebook.
But we found our photos tended to be blurry around the edges unless we
held the handset stock-still, and, without a flash or an LED photo light, our
snaps in low light were blurry and noisy. The 830 also takes video, but the resolution is so low that it's hardly worth it, unless you run into the Loch Ness Monster and you're desperate to record it.
Surfing safari
The 830's 61mm (2.4-inch) screen is bright and benefits from clear anti-aliased
text. Text looks especially good in the Web browser.
The 830 has HSDPA for faster surfing, and we found downloading to be snappy. The browser is functional but basic. For example, it can only zoom to a handful of preset levels, and you have to navigate through a couple of menu options to get them. We also occasionally found the browser unresponsive while a page was loading, even when we tried to stop the process.
Smooth use
The browser, and the rest of the user interface, will be familiar if you're
moving from a Sony Ericsson or Samsung phone, with the 830's menus and predictive text similar to the offerings of both brands. Along with a five-way navigation key and six function
keys, the innocuous user interface makes the 830 feel easy to use right out of
the box.
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User reviews3
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Tracie Russell 10 November 2010
Good: Camera, Style, Easy to operate
Bad: Crashes. Problem with internal memory.
Comment: This is actually my FOURTH phone in a year! Not the one phone being repaired, but 4 of the same model. I'v always liked this phone as its easy to operate, it looks good, it takes good pictures and good videos and the music sounds clear. BUT it doesn't feel as sturdy as some and it keeps developing faults. The one before my present one was working fine, I plugged it in to recharge overnight and the next morning it refused to load up! It showed the Vodafone title screen but then crashed to the start and repeated the process. They do tend to crash often which is infuriating, especially if you've just written a several page text as it does NOT save to drafts as it states in the review. Bit my biggest problem that Iv found with all of these phones is the ever depleting internal memory!!! For some unknown reason, the memory is used up without actually using it! Everytime I connected to the internet it used up the memory until there was 0mb. I had to delete texts, pics, all music, all application INCLUDING those pre-installed or else a message came up, insufficient memory and I couldn't send any texts. Now, although its been working fine for a couple of months, yesterday it once again crashed, restarted but when I tried to send a text I had the same insufficient memory message, although I have nothing on my phone! I can't delete anything else, there are no texts, pics, music etc so I am left with a phone I cant text with, which is what I primarily use it for. Very disappointed with it as I can't keep forking out for a new phone every few months. If it wasn't for these faults I would be really pleased with the phone on the whole. The memory issue has happened with each phone so its not a one off. I would not buy again and am now looking to switch to a better mobile on contract.
Birstel 15 July 2010
Good: Looks like it should do the job
Bad: Battery life poor.
Comment: Had phone replaced within 6 months after 1st had 3 visits back to factory to correct thick dust on inside face of slider and the battery would no longer take a charge. Had replacement now 8 months and has now got the exact same problems. This phone in my experience is not fit for purpose and is again on its way back to the Vodafone retailer as we speak.Should have took it back weeks ago but I was hoping to accidently drop it and damage it beyond repair (No, it's not insured)
ronaldpoleson 30 July 2009
Good: easy to use
Bad: unreliable
Comment: i got my first one on saterday morning and had to return it on monday because some of the buttons would not work, by thursday the battery on the replacement was'nt takeing a charge. 2 phones in less than a week is not a good product.
It is a simple phone to use quite idiot proof really unfortunately only an idiot would buy 1.
See all 3 user reviews