Tesco: £19 VX1i Party Phone is "surprise hit"

Shoppers shunning smartphones in favour of slimline, simple, SIM-free option

11 January 2010 15:52 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Tesco Mobile customers are shunning its higher-end handsets in favour of a cheap and cheerful £18.99 mobile angled as ideal for "forgetful" (read: sloshed) party-goers.

The VX1i Party Phone is currently one of the operator's best selling handsets with sales of over 10,000 units in the 2 weeks leading up to the New Year alone.

The handset, which looks like it could be a Hop-On effort, although that is purely speculative, is offered on a SIM-free basis, and according to the CEO of Tesco Mobile was developed as "an affordable replacement, temporary phone or alternative to a more expensive phone".

Admitting the phone's success has taken it by surprise, Tesco suggests that it is in fact skinny jeans that may have helped lead to the sales success for the teeny, slimline handset. ("69% of Brits find it uncomfortable to have a large mobile phone in their pocket!").

Alternatively, perhaps consumers fed up with the high cost, generally poor battery life and over-complicated feature sets of modern phones are chosing to de-tech with a more simple option.

What do you think? Have you bought a VX1i? Have your say in the comments box below.

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Comments

Got one, leave the LG Renoir at home now as this is more robust and funnily enough does what a mobile does - voice and SMS. No need for a MP3 player, GPS unit or Android/internet device. For the money it's ideal. Posted by adrianaitken, United Kingdom
I like my fancy phones but for clubs i carry a cheap nokia, then im not worried about losing or breaking it. Posted by dans, UK
I carry seven phones when i go out because I am on call for a number of different companies. However, I have a utility belt so I just chain my blackberrys and other mobiles to it. Posted by Robin, UK
yes...got it. Had an H1 from Samsung but then brought it back as it's trash.... Posted by Rodrigo, Ireland
same problem with H1 from Samsung here- it just doesn't work- now waiting for iphone. What a trashy device. Posted by Florian, Baktistan
I got this for my Mum (who's in her 70's) as a replacement for her old Nokia 3310. It was a cheap &, (most importantly), lightweight alternative providing contact wherever she is. Posted by STEVEN DAVIES, U.K.
I carry EIGHT phones when i go out because although I am not on call for a number of different companies, I like to go one better than Robin. However, I don't have a utility belt so I just chain my blackberrys and other mobiles to a Tesco carrier bag. Posted by Phonio Orangivodatee, UK
I too carry seven phones when i go out because 7 is a good number. I hope one day to be on call for a number of different companies. However, I have a belt to keep my trousers up so I just chain my blackberrys and other mobiles to a Morrisons carrier bag. Posted by Biron Agranam, UK
I carry 20,000 phones when I go out. I'm an HGV driver for Nokia. I'm not on call for a number of companies but do have an ASDA carrier bag full of belts in my utility room. Posted by Brin O'Garaman, UK
Robin, sheesh, why not just give all 7 companies one number? Love the one upmanship i have 8 phones etc.... Ha ha, Posted by jeeebuz, U.K
I've never had a Nokia 3310 Steve but I loved your snooker. Shame you were so boring. Posted by Dennis Griffiths, Northern Ireland / Wales
I carry 1,000,000 phones, split between 50,000 HGVs each carrying 20,000 phones. Im not on call for a number of companies, Im just a rich billionaire with a fetish for phones. I spent all my money on phones, and cant afford a belt, so i chain the HGVs to my dog. However, i may have an ASDA bag. Posted by Rawr, theatmosphere
I only have one phone but I'm a thousand times better at arithmetic than Rawr. Posted by Pascal Leibnitz, England
So Robin if your on call for a number of different companies why carry 7 Mobile phones ? Why not just give all the companies your on call to the same mobile number you complete and utter twat. Posted by Batman, ethiopia
I seem to missing the point here, all you lot are doing is waffing on about how many phones you are carrying..................YAWN..........has about as much to do with the VX1i, as harry hill is to benny hill !!! wise up people, leave your mundane yapping to the market stalls !!!!!!!!!!! Posted by Chris Batt, Northern Ireland
I agree, I have a VX1i and its great as I like to keep little on me when I go out so it fits nicely in my pocket along with my money and lippy lol. Posted by Lyn, United Kingdom
I own the own a phone company, leather tanning works, chain manufacturers and also have a nice little hobby making plastic bags for supermarkets, and I love the fact that Robin carries 7 phones round on his belt, mainly because I also own all 7 companies Robin works for. Posted by Madbob, uk
Listen up little people,.......
..THIS IS GOD !!!!!!!.......In 7 days I made the Earth, I made the people that invented the phones , the trousers ,the belts , all the bags, I ALSO made the COWS , the sheep, the Kangaroos, the horses,the crocodiles and every other creature that the little people use to make belts .... I even showed them how to fornicate ( but that was another day) to make sure there will forever be an abundance of belts.. When the molten core of the earth ( made by ME) shifted and settled ,( or whatever it did , its SOOOOOOOOOO long ago I forget )...... the ore was used for metal. ... And who the heaven do you think puts all these fantastic ideas into the little peoples heads...,phones, phone companies, belts, ...Hello !!!!!!!!!..I made you walk and talk..and think and............
I don't have a Phone as I HEAR all and SEE all, yes Madbob , you lied , YOU dont even work , the fact you own an Asda bag shows you dont know quality....and Biron Agranam and Brin O'Garaman ...sorry about the split personality.,I was having a bad day what can I say......BY the way YOU all pay taxes , who do you think heads the Tax company ??? .. GOD??? ....
YOU will ALL note..... its official ,,,,, GOD lives in Australia, its hot , its sunny , every day I sit in my sun, on my beach watching all my Eve's ( Sheilas to the Ozzies) walk by wearing bikinis ( stupid invention Satan) ............. AMEN ....
This is GOD , Creator of the CEO of Tesco Mobile phones . Posted by lynn, australia
Ooooeeerrrr You're all madder than the lot in Government here! Posted by Les Acres, UK
ermmmm i dont know if i dare ask anythin lol .....thinkin of gettin this little phone for the hols jus to put in the bottom of the bag but how loud is it no point in buyin a phone if i aint gonna hear it Posted by sharna, u k
It has a loud ring tone, unfortunately it sounds like a variation of some Russian national anthem, however it's £18 or £16 if you buy it online and does what it says on the tin!!

Posted by Rach, UK
Satan here.....I put all the bad ideas in peoples heads, like the ones that got all those people sent to Australia to become Ozzie's. This phone doesn't have a colour screen it doesn't have GPRS EDGE 3Gs WiFi and all the other stuff you don't need. Mobile phone crap was invented to make you upgrade to the next cool phone, stupid. Still you cant help it because I'm the man behind Nokia, Vodafone and all the other companies manipulating you. You know that jealous feeling you get when you see someone using a diamond encrusted Vertu phone, thats me making you feel like that. hit them over the head and steal that gorgeous phone. Then you can go and live with God in Australia. Posted by paul, UK
best phone for school ever !!! "NO SIR ITS A CALCULATOR". HaHaHa Posted by Jason, UK
Hah, now I've got you, young man! Posted by Jason's Teacher, UK
Chris Batt is a twat Posted by Batman, UK