Smartphone Buyer’s Guide For Budget-Minded Customers: The Best Devices For $99.99 Or Under

It may be the start of the holiday season, but there are always great deals available for prospective smartphone shoppers looking to grab a sweet phone that won’t break the bank. In fact, there used to be the notion that in order to grab a phone under $100 on-contract, you’d have to settle for an outdated or budget-level device. However that notion is no longer the case as customers across all carriers can easily find a decent (if not great) device for a reasonable price. Of course figuring out which device may be a bit difficult, but don’t fret— Talk Android has you covered as we’ve come up with a solid guide with our recommendations of the best devices for under $100 on-contract for your respective wireless carrier. So without further ado, head on past the break to see our picks of the best devices that won’t break the bank.

Samsung Galaxy S II 4G now available from Boost Mobile in Titanium for $369.99

Leaked earlier this month, the Samsung Galaxy S II 4G in Titanium is Boost Mobile’s newest prepaid handset. The device is essentially a re-purposed Galaxy S II, sporting the same specifications of Samsung’s 2011 flagship smartphone. The “4G” branding stems from the included WiiMax radios, which Boost Mobile is now borrowing from its parent network, Sprint.

The revamped Galaxy S II is available today from Boost Mobile for $369.99 off contract which, in all fairness, seems a bit outrageous for what you’re getting. If you don’t have your heart set on Boost, there are plenty of other options at more appealing price points. In fact, you could purchase the Nexus 4 off-contract and take it to T-Mobile for as low as $30 per month, so long as you can wait three weeks for Google to restock the pure Android smartphone.

Boost Mobile makes the LG Venice official, Available October 10 for $219

Last week the LG Venice was outed for Boost Mobile, and today they made it official. It’s essentially the LG Optimus L7 and the specs include:

• 4.3-inch (800 x 480) display
• 1GHz processor
• 5MP camera
• 720p video recording
• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

It will be available starting October 10 at a no contract price of $219.99. If you’re not familiar with Boost Mobile, they offer a no contract Android Monthly Unlimited plan for $55 with Shrinking Payments. For every six on-time payments, your monthly cost will drop by $5.00. The lowest you can go is $40 per month, which would take 18 consecutive on-time payments. The plan includes unlimited nationwide talk, text and picture messaging.

LG Venice (aka Optimus L7) gets outed for Boost Mobile

@evleaks is at it again. This time it isn’t so high profile, but nevertheless Boost Mobile fans might be happy to know about the LG Venice. It’s essentially the Optimus L7, which is a mid-level phone boasting a 4.3-inch (800 x 480) display, 1 GHz CPU, 5MP rear camera, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. We recently saw a leak of another version of the Optimus L7 for U.S. Cellular called the LG Splendor.