The iOS faithful and other financially masochistic people should ignore this piece and just go on by. Just go on ahead, there’s nothing of concern for you here. Only people who are on the lookout for affordable and “maximum bang for the buck” smartphones are likely to find any benefits whatsoever from today’s column.

OK, we will allow well-heeled people who might have the slightest curiosity about what the rest of the population are doing to get by in their corner of the mobile world, including the affordable but highly capable smartphones.

Below are three of the most affordable smartphones in the local market right now. For consumers who have no access to endless supply of money (somehow, that defines almost all of us living on these local shores), these gadgets certainly are heaven sent.

Starmobile Astra

Do not let its designed-for-astrology-sounding name distract you from its stated mission: to provide local mobile consumers with a smartphone that can go toe-to-toe with the pricier models in the market.

And with a suggested retail price of Php6,990, this 130.5 x 66.5 x 10.9mm  smartphone comes with a bundle list of features that can surely put some of its more expensive rivals to shame.

Consider the 4.3-inch WVGA IPS capacitive touchscreen that this Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone has, or its 8-megapixel main camera, which comes with autofocus and LED flash. More than amply powered by a 1GHz dual-core MT6577 processor and a PowerVR SGX531 GPU, the Astra includes an adequate 417MB RAM and 4GB internal storage, which can be expanded up to 32GB via its external card slot.

Though priced quite sensibly and comfortably mindful of the economic slowdown affecting the country and most other parts of the globe, this smartphone is no pauper when it comes to connectivity, both of the wired and wireless varieties. It includes Bluetooth, 3G, WiFi, GPS, EDGE, WAP, GPRS, GSM Triband 900/1800/1900MHZ, HSDPA, and HSUPA.

And, by the way, it can play host to two on-standby SIM cards simultaneously.

MyPhone A898 Duo

Powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor, the A898 Duo from MyPhone comes with an equally impressive list of features and capabilities.

This tri-band GSM-, EDGE-, and 3G-touting monster of a smartphone also comes loaded with WiFi, motion sensor, GPS, Bluetooth, FM radio, MP3/MP4 player, and a microSD slot with 16GB maximum capacity.

A USB slot and a 3.5mm audio jack complete this Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich phone’s connectivity options.

Also, this dual-SIM phone comes with 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen.

Cherry Mobile Titan

Powered by a Snapdragon 1.2GHz dual-core processor, this 5-megapixel camera-toting smartphone is one affordable Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich mobile gadget.

With its 5-inch capacitive touchscreen and built-in storage capacity of 4GB, which can be expanded up to 32GB via its SD card slot, the Titan lives true to its mythological name by coming with a long list of connectivity options, including WiFi, GPRS, EDGE, WAP, MMS, Bluetooth and a USB port.

Also, this Php6,499 dual-SIM handset comes with a bundle of entertainment and multimedia features designed to keep its users more than adequately happy and distracted.

And that completes our lineup of some of the best and most affordable smartphones currently available in the local market. These gadgets surely make us ready to face the New Year, knowing that one doesn’t have to sacrifice his or her pension just to have a highly capable handset.

That’s all for the meantime, folks. Join me again next time as we keep on watching IT.