Is Telstra’s New $99 Smartphone Worth The Money?


Telstra’s upcoming range of budget smartphones won’t break the bank but will the day-to-day cost of using an underpowered phone be too much?

Telstra have announced a new range of budget smartphones that include the $99 Telstra Essential Plus. Gizmodo reports that these new phones are rebranded Alcatels.

The Telstra Essential Plus is a rebranded Alcatel 1, a budget phone with stats almost comparable to the five year old Samsung Galaxy S4 albeit with 4G capability.

You can still get a lot of use out of an underpowered phone. Until recently, I was using a Samsung Galaxy S4 and only replaced it when the battery was unable to hold a charge.

You won’t be able to run the latest and greatest apps. Some games, like the new Fortnite for Android, beta are completely out of the question.

Day-to-day use is sluggish but manageable. The use of the Android Go should smooth over some of the hardware limitations to give a better experience. Normal phone functions including internet browsing, accessing social media and sending/receiving messages aren’t going anywhere just because you’re paying less.

It’s fine. Not great, not terrible. Just fine. For $99, fine is fair. Just don’t expect to take any great pictures.

The Alcatel 1X ($129) and Telstra Superior ($199) offer slightly larger screens and improved specs over the Telstra Essential Plus with the Superior including a fingerprint scanner and dual rear cameras. A happy bump over the bare minimum although you’ll have a similar experience with all three phones.

The new suite of phones launch alongside Telstra’s Pre-Paid Extra that gives customers a 5GB Data Bank bonus on their first three $30 or above recharges when they recharge before 3 September 2018.


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