Telstra T100 mobile phone

Telstra T100 review: A $49 prepaid Next G mobile phone that is relatively straightforward to use

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Retailing for just $49, Telstra's T100 mobile phone is one of the cheapest phones on the Australian market. It features Bluetooth, MMS, a VGA camera, and an MP3 player but, most importantly, it's straightforward to use.

Pros

  • Price, Next G network, Bluetooth, zippy UI

Cons

  • Small display, keypad design, awkward feeling navigational pad

Bottom Line

The Telstra T100 mobile phone has Bluetooth, MMS, a VGA camera and an MP3 player, and it is relatively easy to use.

Would you buy this?

  • Price

    $ 49.00 (AUD)

Read our reviews of other top Telstra mobile phones on prepaid.

Ideal as a temporary replacement to your lost or stolen mobile phone, or as an inexpensive second phone, the Telstra T100's main benefit is access to Telstra's Next G network; it is widely regarded as a superior network to both Optus and Vodafone in Australia. The T100 is also a BlueTick-rated handset meaning it's been recommended by Telstra for use in rural and regional areas of Australia. Call quality is fair and the hands-free speakerphone is quite loud, while those in remote areas will appreciate the external antenna port on the rear of the phone.

The Telstra T100 mobile phone is almost ridiculously cheap, so it's no surprise that it has small, low resolution screen with poor viewing angles. The display is reasonable for general use, but struggles with video content like Telstra's Mobile Foxtel service.

Manufactured by ZTE, the T100 feels light but relatively sturdy and is constructed from a soft, almost rubber-feeling plastic. Our main complaint is the design of the controls; the numeric keypad requires a firm press and the buttons feel sticky and emit an annoying loud clicking sound when pressed, while the five-way navigational pad feels awkward to press due to its thin edging. If we are being extra picky, the answer and end call keys are also a little small for our liking.

The Telstra T100 mobile phone has a basic and straightforward menu system. It uses a standard 3x3 grid layout for the main menu and a simple list format for submenus. The phone is relatively zippy and showed no sign of any slowdown while browsing the menus. There was also no keystroke lag when messaging, though the sticky keys do affect typing.

The handset has access to the full range of Telstra BigPond services, including Yellow Pages, White Pages, Whereis mobile and the afore-mentioned Mobile Foxtel. The phone also includes a basic VGA camera, an MP3 player and Bluetooth connectivity. A basic suite of PIM applications include an alarm, calendar, calculator, currency converter, world time and a stopwatch.

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