The Best $100 or Less (on Contract) Smartphones in Canada

I've had a Samsung Galaxy S for two years this month. It has been a great phone but it is getting a bit long in the tooth. I've abused it, my son has abused it, I've rooted and rommed it multiple times and it just isn't doing too hot anymore. So I've been looking around for a new phone. I'm dreaming, really, because I'm far too cheap to pay the Early Hardware Upgrade Plan (EHUP) fee that Bell charges but it got me to thinking. If I bought a new phone today, on contract, what would I buy?

So I thought I'd share a list of the best cheap smartphones out there. A few caveats:

1. I'm only going to do the big three. Bell, Telus, Rogers. If I start getting into the smaller ones the list will become unwieldy.
2. These are all Android phones. Blackberry can't compete on this level and iPhone is too expensive.
3. All these prices are under a three year contact. There are huge costs involved in a contract so be aware.
4. This is an opinion piece. My opinion might be different than yours.

Phone: Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Specs: 1.2 GHz Dual Core processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, 4.65" screen, 1280x720 display, 135 grams. This is the Google dev phone so it gets updates to the latest OS quicker than any other phone.

Price: $30

Carriers: Bell
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Phone: HTC One S

Specs: Android 4.0, 1.5GHz Dual Core processor, 1GB RAM, 16 GB Memory. 4.3" screen, 960x540 resolution, 126 grams. This phone, as with all HTC phones, has the Sense UI over it.

Price: $50 (Telus), $100 (Bell)

Carriers: Bell, Telus
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Phone: Motorola RAZR V

Specs: Android 4.0 1.2GHz Dual Core Processor, 1 GB RAM, 4 GB Memory, 4.3" screen, 960x540 resolution, 130 grams.

Price: $30

Carriers: Bell
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Phone: HTC One X

Specs: Android 4.0, 1.5GHz Dual Core processor, 1GB RAM, 16 GB Memory. 4.7" screen, 1280x720 resolution, 146 grams. This phone, as with all HTC phones, has the Sense UI over it.

Price: $100

Carriers: Telus, Rogers
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Phone: Samsung Galaxy Note

Specs: Android 2.3 (upgrade to 4.0), 1.5GHz Dual Core processor, 1GB RAM, 16 GB MEmory. 5.3" screen, 1280x800 resolution, 178 grams. The screen on this phone is huge and comes with a stylus.

Price: $100

Carriers: This phone is available at all the carriers but is only available for $100 at Telus.