This is a fact that Nokia realises and is a major contributing factor to why they are still number one – by releasing plenty of great entry level devices that are attainable to those struggling to make ends meet.

These four new mobiles from the Finnish manufacturer announced today (five, if you include the £17 Nokia 1280) show that fun and functional phones needn’t cost the earth.

The Nokia 1616 is a torch-waving dual band handset with a 3.5 mm headphone jack, FM radio, colour screen and the usual suite of basic Nokia functionality.

With a choice of colours and a price of only €24 (£21), the 1616 could shine on prepay after its Q1 2010 release.

The Nokia 1800 differs in form but remains familiar in function to the 1616, another compact dual band device with a colour display, 3.5mm audio jack and FM radio.

It can also outlast even the chattiest of folks, with a 8.5 hour talk-time and a fantastic 22 days of standby, and at a price of €24 (£21) we’re sure that it won’t stay on shelves for long next year.

Amazing what the absence of wi-fi, Bluetooth, GPS tagging or toastie maker can do to a phone’s battery lifespan, isn’t it?

The Nokia 2220 Slide is far more flamboyant, a two-tone slider available in a range of colours including hot pink, which immediately got us interested!

In all honesty the 2220 is a step up from the above two phones, incorporating MMS, Bluetooth, GPRS support, a VGA camera and Ovi e-mail support.

The Nokia 2690 is a candybar version of the 2220 slide that looks pretty nice and contains the majority of features, with the addition of EDGE and MicroSD support for cards up to 8GB.

At a price of €45 (£40) and €54 (£48) accordingly, it is amazing to see how far mobile phones have actually come, and what savvy folks can get for their money.