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Welcome to the 2014 Telstra Tempo (T815) mobile phone review. Released in October it is yet another inexpensive smartphone to tempt you to upgrade or downgrade as per your requirements. The Telstra Tempo is currently one of the cheapest Android based smartphones on sale as a pre-package - retailing between $79 and $49 outright. For this sort of money you can't buy any better (at the time of posting) - even a regular retro candy bar Nokia phone. There are of course certain characteristics when dealing with any cheap prepaid phone package and you need to be aware of the shortfalls.
In terms of construction the Tempo is and all plastic model highlighted by the white color scheme on the back. The body of the phone feels light and study and the rear's plastic feels like the anti-slip finish used by Nokia. The touch screen didn't feel like glass but a plastic material but seems scratch resistant. The Tempo does not feel premium in any way but at least it doesn't feel like it will break too easily either. Overall for the price it's acceptable.
In terms of hardware the Tempo does have decent specification for such a inexpensive model so don't expect too much and you'll be pleasantly surprised. The first spec short fall is the lack of 4G capabilities. The Tempo is only a 3G phone but it is compensated by having Wi-Fi. The screen has a resolution of 480 x 800 which is not too bad to look at. It has 1.5Gig space for the user but has a microSD slot for more memory. It has the most basic 2MP camera which is hardly worth adding as the picture where blurry in more ways than one. There is a decent dual core CPU but no separate graphicswe could tell in the spec sheet, means only run of the mill games. Now we've had Telstra branded phones before and know that its cheap price also means not so premium internals including the battery failing early and the phone simply dying for no reason and well before its expected life span of a couple years.
In terms of use we found that the Telstra Tempo's latest version of Android OS worked perfectly and smoothly. It seemed fast enough for most apps to run quickly and easily but the Tempo is clearly no powerhouse or competition when compared next to the mid range models. We have noticed that Telstra have been supporting certain Android phones with software updates but for how long we don't know but presume until the model was no longer for sale. In terms of software the Telstra Tempo has minimal extra software just the usual Telstra branded widgets and app.
The Telstra Tempo T815 is a very usable mobile phone with a bargain basement price tag on pre-paid. We dare say its the cheapest Android mobile phone that is with out any real problems to date. Sure it may only be 3G phone and that's already yesterday's tech but it is a very cheap. Once again its priced to sell and if your needs are simple and don't care about brands than this is worth a look due to price. However remember that with any smart phone you really need an additional data plan.
Specifications
- Telstra Tempo T815
- Network
Dual-band GSM 850/2100 Mhz
Tri-band 3G 850/2100 Mhz
4G or LTE 1800 / 2600 Mhz
- Design
Touch screen
- L125 x W64 x D9.8 mm
- Weight 123 grams
- Display/s
4 inch 480 x 800 pixel
- Camera
2MP
VGA video camers 15 FPS
- Connectivity
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth V3
- CPU
1.2 Ghz Dual core
- Memory
Up to 2.5 Gig for user
Up to 32Gig micro-SD expansion
- Ring tones
MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
- Features
A-GPS
Android App store
FM Radio
Li-Po 1200 mAh battery
Up to 200 hours Standby
Up to 5 hours Talk Time
- Price history
Approx $49 - 79 AUD October 2014 (Pre-paid)
