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Motorola Moto E
The ZTE Open C is only two-thirds of the price of the Moto E, which comes in at £89, but that extra cash buys you a lot. The Moto E has 1GB of RAM and it runs Android 4.4.3 KitKat, which makes for a much smoother experience.
It also has a bigger 4.3-inch screen with a better 540 x 960 pixel resolution, working out at a superior 256ppi. I'm not going to argue that the 5MP shooter in the Moto E is great, but it's certainly a lot better than the Open C's camera and the app is comparably packed with features.
The Moto E is significantly better in terms of hardware and software, so if you can dig up the extra money then the choice is clear.
- Read our in depth Moto E review.
Nokia Lumia 520
Price wise the Lumia 520 is in the same bracket as the ZTE Open C. It runs Windows Phone 8 (soon to be 8.1), which lags behind Android and iOS, but looks positively mature and overflowing with apps and features next to Firefox OS right now.
There isn't a great deal between them in the specs stakes. The Lumia 520 has the same 4-inch display with a 480 x 800 resolution. Inside there's only a 1GHz dual-core processor with 512MB of RAM.
The camera is rated at 5MP and options are limited, but it beats the shooter in the Open C hands down. The Lumia 520 also boasts 8GB of internal storage, so there's a lot more space.
- Read our full Nokia Lumia 520 review.
Vodafone Smart 4 Mini
We're really into budget territory with this one in the UK. At £50 it's actually a tenner cheaper than the Open C and it's also a bit smaller and lighter. Android 4.2 is a major draw and you'll find Google apps and full Play Store access.
The screen is 4 inches and 480 x 800 pixels. There's a 1.3GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, and 4GB of storage. Even the camera is similarly bad at 3.2MP, although the app does offer some options and modes to play with.
This is almost exactly the same phone as the ZTE Open C, but cheaper and running Android. We can't honestly see any reason to buy the Open C instead of this.
- Read our in depth Vodafone Smart 4 Mini review.