The budget-friendly T-Mobile Prism 2 (pictures)

As the sequel to the original Prism, the T-Mobile Prism 2 features marginal improvements in processing speeds and battery life. It's currently available from the prepaid carrier for $115.99.

At 4.6 inches tall, 2.44 inches wide, and weighing 3.88 ounces, the handset is compact, light, and easy to control with just one hand. It runs Android 4.1 and connects to the carrier's 3G network.

The 3.5-inch HVGA screen has a 480-by-320-pixel resolution. While adequately responsive to touch, it's not the crispest of displays. And given that the touch screen isn't very bright, it's difficult to see in direct sunlight.

On the left is a Micro-USB port for charging, up top are a 3.5mm headphone jack and a sleep/power button, and on the right is a slim volume rocker. In addition, at 0.49 inch, its profile is quite thick.

Its hefty two-layer chin below the display adds to its overall bulk.

With its matte battery door and all-plastic glossy aesthetic, the Prism 2 looks deliberately toylike. Combined with the neon green ring that encircles the camera lens, the device has a subtle "youthy" look that still feels rather cheap.

The 3.2-megapixel camera features a few photo options. Some include a digital zoom, geotagging, a new panoramic shooting mode, three photo sizes (ranging from 640x480 to 2,048x1,536 pixels), and compositional lines.

Powering the phone is a 1GHz single-core processor and a 1,750mAh battery, which has a reported talk time of up to 7 hours.