Vodafone

Mobile networks in the UK have made a habit of offering their customers affordable smartphones as alternatives to the Samsungs and iPhones of the world. Vodafone is no different, and today it introduced the Smart Platinum 7, along with a VR headset.

The Smart Platinum 7 is designed to bring you the best data speeds Vodafone can offer. It comes with built-in 4G and a responsive antenna tuned to Vodafone's network.

The 5.5-inch Android phone comes with all the bells and whistles that you would expect of a phone that's attempting to divert your attention from pricier models at the top of the market. It's got a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, expandable storage and an octa-core processor with 3GB of RAM.

A front-mounted 8-megapixel camera plays second fiddle only to the 16-megapixel snapper on the Smart Platinum 7's rear. You can use a dedicated key to activate the camera from the lock screen, and a zero-second shutter lag ensures you'll capture anything you point the camera at.

Vodafone is practically the only British mobile network that hasn't undergone some kind of metamorphosis since the days of protruding antennas, numerical keypads and Snake. It's been making own-brand phones for 10 years and is now branching into VR, suggesting it sees the hot tech of the moment as a natural next step in what its customers will want to use their phones for.

A dedicated VR headset will be available as an accessory to its latest mobile, although Vodafone has provided scant details so far on what to expect from this standalone device. At 260 grams, it promises to be fairly lightweight, and presumably the Smart Platinum 7 will slot inside it.

To grab a Smart Platinum 7 for yourself, you'll have to shell out £300 pay as you go or £28 per month -- which includes unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, 1GB of UK data and 500MB of inclusive roaming allowance.