Vodafone is busy putting in a new billion-dollar network to combat the negative press they received last year, not to mention the loss of some 300,000+ customers. The new network is being deployed rapidly, and will seek to offer speeds equal to Telstra’s current NextG offerings, as well as boosted coverage. To further entice customers back to the fold, Vodafone is now offering two of the most popular Android smartphones at dirt cheap prices.

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The Samsung Galaxy S II rides in tandem with the Galaxy Nexus as Samsung’s flagship offerings. While the Nexus boasts a “pure” Android experience, the S II is the big, thin, powerful and super-specced Samsung market champion. Previously, the S II was available for $10 on Voda’s $49 cap. The price has now dropped steeply to $5/month, when taking the $29 cap for 24 months- and going to $0 on the $49 cap.

The HTC Sensation XL, with its big 4.7” screen, 8MP camera and superb music player, is a worthy competitor to Samsung’s best offerings, and has been subjected to the same price cut.

Mobile World Congress, an annual conference hosted in Barcelona, is slated for the end of February and serves as the traditional launching point for the best and brightest phones. Samsung, coming off a record sales quarter, is expected to launch a new version of the Galaxy S, while HTC will be looking to leap back into relevance after a bad 2011. Vodafone's deals might be a way to clear out inventory ahead of new stock, but for those who have been waiting to jump on the smartphone bandwagon, there's never been a better time to get some of the best current-gen equipment at rock-bottom prices.

Vodafone’s $29 cap comes with comes with $180 included values for talk and text, unlimited calls to Vodafone and 3 Mobile customers, 200 MB data, and free access to every social networking site you can think of. The $49 cap offers the same, with $550 credit and a whopping 1.5GB of mobile data. Call 1300 106 571 for more info, or click here to apply online.