We are seeing a lot more affordable smartphones being released recently that gives consumers more options when deciding to get a new smartphone, and for those on a budget or are not too worried about having the best handset available more choice is a good thing. Today we have news of the Vodafone Smart 2 that offers Android Gingerbread on the cheap.

The handset is available now and according to Cnet the Smart 2 handset only costs £70 on Vodafone’s pay as you go service. It comes running the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system with a 3.2 HVGA display, and the device is not the slimmest handset out there measuring 12.35mm thick.

You get a choice of white or grey colour options and the pebble shaped smartphone comes with only 150MB of built in storage, but this can be upgraded by a microSD card, and you even get a free 2GB card thrown in with the handset. On the back there is a 3.2 megapixel camera that will probably only provide passable images, but you can’t expect too much more at this price level.

The screen has a low resolution of 320 x 480 so web browsing may feel a little cramped, and the 800 MHz processor won’t be able to cope with the most demanding apps available on Google Play. You do get apps such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Gtalk, and Gmail preinstalled though.

Vodafone’s latest own branded smartphone replaces the original Smart that only had a 2.8-inch screen and a less powerful processor. We have seen a number of cheaper smartphones being released recently that includes the renamed Orange San Diego, and we recently told you about the Motorola Defy Mini that is now available at Asda for only £70. Check the demo video of the Smart 2 below.

Are you in the market for a more affordable smartphone?