Review: INQ Mini 3G

We put the INQ Mini 3G through its paces to see what the budget social networking specialist can do…

INQ might not be the biggest name in the mobile world right now, but this isn’t the first “sociable” phone to come out of the Hutchinson-Whampoa owned company, so we’ve got a feeling that it should know what it’s doing.

Given the parentage, it’s unsurprising that the Mini 3G is currently only available on the 3 mobile network in the UK, but with a SIM-free price-tag of £59.99 *(since originally publishing this article the price has dropped to £49.99)* we were intrigued enough by the spec list to want a little hands-on time. Even better, each handset comes with £10 of airtime, making it equivalent to just £49.99.

Anyway, enough about the cost, even £49.99 is too much if the phone’s as much use as a bike for a fish.

Opening up the box we found a mains charger, and a USB data cable that functions as a charging cable and PC connection. Instead of a traditional operating manual, 3 have opted instead for a series of cards that highlight how to set up the phone and get started with using the inbuilt social messaging features.

The phone takes the traditional candybar form factor and totes dimensions of 12.8×102.9×45.8 millimetres, weighing in at 128g.

INQ’s Mini 3G obviously picks up where its predecessor, the INQ1, AKA the ‘Facebook’ phone, left off. Social networking is at the forefront of the device, offering quick access to Facebook, Twitter, Windows Live Messenger, Skype and the internet directly from the “Switcher” at the bottom of the home screen.

The Switcher also has its own dedicated hardware button meaning that you can access and scroll through the list of widgets from anywhere in the phone’s menus; it’s also customisable, meaning you can place links to any website of your choosing directly on the quick-launch. It worked well most of the time, although trying to use it whilst another app is trying to open is out of the question.

As well as the Switcher, you can also modify the home screen, allowing you to put a Yahoo (or Google) Search widget, Weather widget, Clock or RSS feeds in pride of place.

The QVGA screen itself isn’t bad, being largely crisp on the whole – although at times we did struggle to read some of the smaller text.

Camera performance is respectable from the on-board 2-megapixel snapper, but obviously it won’t be a replacement for any kind of decent point-and-shoot. The fact that there is no flash doesn’t really help things, so naturally it performs best in well-lit conditions.

The Mini also comes with multimedia capabilities for both music and video files; the internal storage is on the light side with 100MB, but this can be expanded by using a microSD card. Incidentally, the microSD slot is tucked away under the SIM slot behind the rear cover – just in case you were having trouble finding it.

The impressive array of social networking features is obviously where the key appeal of the Mini 3G lies, with Facebook, Twitter, Skype and Windows Live Messenger all well represented.
The main message inbox integrates all your Facebook messages, pokes and requests, as well as your Skype chats into one easy-to-access place – a feature that comes in particularly handy when trying to keep up with your hectic social life. The Mini’s contact list will also perform similarly, integrating your Facebook contacts straight into the phonebook.

We tried out all these features and are happy to report that they all performed well on the INQ’s 3G connection, particularly the Skype-to-Skype calls, which sounded clear.

An added bonus of this handset being tied to 3 are the free Windows Live Messenger and Skype-to-Skype calls that are currently being promoted by the operator, so if you have a lot of Skype or MSN contacts, this could work out well in saving you some cash on top-ups.

Impressively, the Mini 3G can also be tethered, providing you with a mobile 3G connection for your laptop whenever the need strikes.

In fact, that’s pretty much the Mini 3G summed-up; it packs an amazing amount of features into such a small SIM-free price tag that it’s difficult to really find fault. There’s even a range of different coloured interchangeable rear covers (sold seperately) in case you get bored with the standard red.

We do have a couple of little niggles with the INQ, but perhaps the most infuriating aspect of the phone is the response time. Several times we clicked through a menu too many times due to a frustrating lack of response and opening apps generally took a few seconds.

It’s also probably not the phone for you if you have difficulty with small buttons, we hit the wrong key a fair few times, but that’s pretty much down to individual preference. And how big your hands are.

Overall, this is one of the best PAYG handsets on the market if keeping abreast of your social network activity is important to you; further than that, the call quality was decent, the menu’s intuitive, and whilst the UI isn’t to our particular taste, the feature list is unparalleled for the price range.

To check it out for yourself you can find it on 3’s official PAYG online shop. *(since originally publishing this article the price has dropped to £49.99)*

If you’re more of a contract kind of person then it’s available for free on 3 with several different packages ranging from £15 per month.

Score:
Design – 7/10
Usability – 7/10
Features – 8/10
Value – 9/10

SUMMARY
Pros: Strong social networking credentials, 3G connectivity, excellent value for money
Cons: Possibly a little fiddly for large hands, unresponsive menus at times

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