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Welcome to the 2011 Telstra T3020 review page otherwise known as the Telstra Smart Touch T3020. This model was released in late March 2011 and is the cheapest touch screen and Android 2.1 based mobile phone you could buy at the time. The main issue is that it only comes as part of a pre-paid package locked to the Telstra 3G mobile network - which is not a bad thing thanks to great coverage. The T3020 was priced at $99 at release for the package which is great. How great? - read on.
The Smart Touch T3020 in the hand is like all Telstra/ZTE branded phones - a bit on the cheap side. The phone has plastic front and back with a metal like frame but it was well made though. This is not a criticism because it is a cheap phone.
The main thing that you are probably concerned about is the responsiveness of the screen since it is a resistive model. To answer that question we can honestly say that T3020 touch screen is pretty good. Our finger gestures and responsiveness where registered quick enough to be satisfied. However it is lacking that instant activation of the capacitive screen. However the Smart Touch is probably best in class with a $99 price tag.
The screen quality is quite good although low resolution, as good as the more expensive $179 Galaxy 5 and the $299 HTC Wildfire. The 600Mhz CPU is fast enough but not noticeably faster than the other two. Again we have to stress that at the $99 price level there is not much competition and it works great on that basis. (Although the forth coming Wildfire S looks very promising.)
The internet browser worked well likewise the apps that you could run was good too. The camera was OK for a cheap phone likewise video. There is nothing exceptional good about the phone or bad that we could obviously pin point.
However the most noticeable issue we found with the T3020 is the on-screen keypad. It replicates a standard mobile phone which means 4 touches for the letter c for example. We couldn't find if there was a setting to change it either. The other issue is that you require a Google ID in order to activate the most basic features like the calendar. Sure its also got Wi-Fi built in but the phone is about wireless mobility and when you don't have a computer. As a result if you want the whole phone to work as intended then you need an extra data plan. Hence if you don't want a Google ID, Gmail address, etc... and the essential data pack or plan then this phone is not for you -stick to the regular mobile phone. Apart from these issues, there are less dramatic stuff common to the Android OS on low powered CPUs but they are annoying rather than deal breakers.
Since it is inevitable that it will be on our best value page there are various short falls in the hardware side of things you should be aware of.
The main shortfall is that a GPS module isn't included - although we did not expect it to be included at this price, We were wrong about GPS! the T3020 does have A-GPS built in but without dedicated navigation software. In regards to the screen - we tested various resistive screens like the one on the Nokia C3 and the other cheaper HTCs, Samsung Galaxy 5 and there was no difference in terms of responsiveness. The T3020 leaves a great first impression and if it doesn't 'slow' down like the Galaxy 5 we and hence you should be happy too.
It is difficult to complain about the T3020 too much since it is very cheap and easily the best of the Telstra pre-paid range at the moment. If you are happy with getting the required data plan and yet another email address then the T3020 is for you. Forget any other pre-paid phones offered by Telstra at the present (Early 2011). However if you just want a mobile phone for talk and texting then try something else.
Note that if you prefer any other mobile network eg. Optus, Vodaphone you should consider the
Huawei X1. The X1 also priced at $99 as a pre-paid package is a better phone that the T3020.
Specifications
- Telstra Smart Touch - T3020
- Network
Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900
Dual-band 3G 850/2100
HSDPA 7.2 Mbits data speed (download)
Not mentioned data speed (upload)
- Design
Resistive Touch screen
- L102.8 x W54.8 x D14.8 mm
Weight 103 grams
- Display/s
External 2.8 Inch TFT 240 x 320 pixels
- Camera
3.2MP
- Video Camera
Yes - no specifications
- Connectivity
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth V2.1
- CPU
600Mhz
- Memory
Up to 150MB available to user
2GB MicroSD card included
MicroSD up to 32Gig
- Ring tones
MIDI, MP3, vibration and others
- Features
Haptic feedback
Accelerometer
FM Radio
Music and Media player
Organiser/Calender
SMS, MMS, IM, Email
Speaker Phone/Hands free
Li-Po 1100mAh battery
Up to 200 hours Standby
Up to 150 minutes Talk Time
- Price history
Under $100 AUD 2011 (Pre-paid)
