One of the primary reasons for Android’s huge success is the sheer choice of hardware. If you fancy a slide-out keyboard, it can be yours. A big screen and the fastest internals possible? That can be arranged as well. Even if all you want is a simple, inexpensive smartphone that doesn’t break the bank, there is an Android phone for you. As enticing as a free smartphone might be at first, you’re asking for trouble down the line. Let’s talk about the perils of going cheap on Android.

Take the carrier’s free money

Signing up for a two-year contract can be a two way street, if you let it be. The deal with the devil is this: you stay around, and pay up every month like a good customer, and the carrier will knock a few hundred dollars off the cost of a new phone. When you look at how well your mobile provider is making out, you should take them for all you can.

The cost of a contract over two years could be over $2,000. Compared to that, a few hundred for a phone is just a drop in the bucket. A high-end phone is likely going for $200-300 on-contract, but the unsubsidized SIM-free price is often upwards of $600, and the carrier isn’t paying much less. That $50 bargain phone doesn’t cost the carrier nearly as much, so it’s a lot more cost-effective from its perspective.

Most users with a very inexpensive Android phone are going to be mighty unhappy in less than two years. That extra $100 might have bought you a lot more phone with fewer frustrations. That additional investment might even ensure that the used device retains some resale value when the time comes to trade up.

MIA updates

Android OEMs are notorious for stiffing users on updates, whether explicitly or implicitly promised. On occasion, a phone is denied an update and the internet mobilizes to shame the manufacturer into doing better. This is currently happening with Samsung and the original Galaxy S phones, which they say won’t get Ice Cream Sandwich. After a backlash, they are actively considering some options.

The vast majority of Android handsets are updated by the OEM with only minor input from Google. A company like Samsung or HTC that releases a dozen high-end flagship phones can barely keep those up to date. If anything is going to be left behind due to lack of development resources, it’s the low and slow phone that is not out there to represent the company. Annoying bugs and security holes could go un-patched.

The cheap phones are never going to be as popular at retail. Similarly, people who are the type to get up and complain about missing updates don’t buy these devices as often. The built-in advocacy organization enjoyed by users of the Galaxy S just doesn’t exist for these less-popular phones.

Next page: Specs do matter sometimes