An Ericsson mobile phone has been rated best in quality and value for money in a survey of models on sale in Hong Kong.
The survey, which found handsets in general were becoming smaller, lighter and more sophisticated, found the lightest was Ericsson's T66, which weighs just 61g including the battery and SIM card, and costs $1,780. Among other models, both the Toplux VG100 and Alcatel's One Touch 512 both weigh less than 75g.
However, Ericsson's T39mc - at 86g and $1,580 - was rated best in both quality and value for money in the survey by International Consumer Research and Testing.
The body is an association of 23 consumer organisations from 21 countries, of which the Hong Kong Consumer Council is a member.
The association surveyed 44 models, of which 21 were new and had not been tested previously. Ratings included size, weight, sound quality, signal reception, battery efficiency and charging time, memory storage, ease-of-use, adaptability to different networks, special features and language instruction.
The T39mc alone received 4.5 stars in a general score; 29 models were awarded four stars and 14 were given 3.5, the lowest of the three ratings.
'Phone sizes get smaller but that does not seem to affect reception and sound quality,' the Consumer Council said in the latest issue of its Choice magazine. 'A key concern is price as so many quality models are now available on the market.