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Welcome to the 2014 Telstra Easy Smart T809 mobile phone review. Based on our own hands on test and specifications the 'Easy Smart' is essentially an entry level Android based smartphone. The entry level phone market is filled with lots of Android OS based phones to choose from so unless a particular model has something unique it is not going to sell in large numbers. That said the Telstra Easy Smart is selling for $99 as a prepaid package which is not very much money - but is it worth buying even at this low price?
In terms of construction the Easy Smart is a well made phone that looks OK. The materials and design is much like those of Nokia but clearly not quite as well designed. The oddest thing about the phone is the inset screen - it seems like there is a huge gap between the glass of screen and the actual surface. This was common to all the units we look at and is a design issue rather than quality control. Apart from that obvious it is what you'd expect in a cheap phone in 2014 but other brands do much better for around the same money. Overall its a very normal looking smart phone.
In terms of hardware specifications the Easy Smart has all the usual features that are one or two generations behind the latest with only a quite low powered dual core CPU with a older graphics GPU and a low resolution screen but it looks actually looks OK. The screen resolution may be low but the graphics were still clear without any of the fuzziness or blockiness of phones a few years ago. The camera pictures looked Ok on the phone... The 3G only radio means that it is quite slow compared to those with 4G and faster CPUs of course the price means it's OK. Note that the Easy Smart still has a limited number of frequencies for GSM and 3G radio so it won't work in every country you may visit.
In terms of operation the Easy Smart is quite good. Overall smooth enough with the occasional pause as the radio downloads new data. Since we have the latest Sony Z Ultra with a 2.2Ghz processor and 4G to directly compare - this feels a little sluggish. However for the price the Easy Smart is quite acceptable. However once again - it may be psychological but the screen design makes it 'feel' laggy? Try it out your self first before buying we guess...
There are now more than enough Apps to try on the Google Play store to cover any functionality that you may require your phone to do. The ability to display live widgets with genuinely useful updates without wasting time running Apps helps this any other Android OS phone prove more useful on a daily basis.
The Telstra Easy Smart T809 takes over from the entry level Telstra and ZTE models prior and as always, is an improvement. There are only a handful of branded mobile phones in this price range and none with these specifications are that cheap - yet. It will do everything you want just not as well as the phones priced a little higher. The Easy Smart is selling at a pre-paid price of $99 dollars so it is an OK sort of deal for what it is. However we think you should spend a little a more for something better and for your own longer term happiness.
Specifications
- Telstra Easy Smart (T809)
- Network
Tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 Mhz
Tri-band 3G 850/2100
- Design
Touch screen
- L126 x W64 x D12.4 mm
- Weight 137 grams
- Display/s
4 inch 480 x 800
- Camera
2MP
LED Flash
- Video Camera
640x 480 pixels
- Connectivity
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth V3
- CPU
1.3 Ghz Dual core (Cortex A7)
Separate Graphic CPU (Mali)
- 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
Proximity Ambient Light Accelerometer
Google Play store
Virtually any App for Android OS
Speaker Phone/Hands free
Li-Po 1500 mAh battery
Up to 300 hours Standby
Up to 4 hours Talk Time
- Price history
Approx $99 AUD March 2014 (Pre-paid)
