Alcatel OT508A Comprehensive Review and Pricing Guide

Overview of Alcatel OT-508A

The Alcatel OT-508A was a compact and lightweight feature phone released in 2010. With its simple design, this phone was aimed at users who required basic functionalities and an affordable communication device. Despite its simplicity, it offered a range of features that were quite impressive at the time of its release.

Design and Build

The Alcatel OT-508A featured a classic candy bar design, which was popular among feature phones of its era. Measuring 107 x 46 x 14.3 mm and weighing just 69.6 grams, it was incredibly lightweight and easy to carry around. It was available in two colors: Soft Touch Orange and Mat Chrome, providing users with some variety in terms of aesthetics. The device utilized a Mini-SIM card, which was standard at that time.

Display

The phone came equipped with a 1.8-inch TFT display that supported 65K colors. The display had a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels, resulting in a pixel density of approximately 114 ppi. While the screen size and resolution were modest by today's standards, they were sufficient for viewing messages, contacts, and basic phone applications comfortably.

Network and Connectivity

The Alcatel OT-508A supported GSM 850 and 1900 bands, making it functional in many regions around the world. In terms of connectivity, it supported GPRS Class 10, allowing users to browse basic WAP 2.0 web pages. Bluetooth 2.0 was available for short-range wireless data transfer, though it did not support EDGE or WLAN connectivity.

Camera

For photography, the device featured a VGA main camera with a resolution of 0.3MP. While the camera functionality was quite limited, it was standard for feature phones during that time, allowing users to capture basic photos.

Memory and Storage

Internally, the device came with a modest 2MB storage, but it offered a dedicated microSD card slot allowing expansion of storage for additional contacts and messages. The phone's phonebook could store up to 800 entries, which was ample for a typical feature phone user. Unfortunately, the device lacked the capacity to support RAM specifications typical of smartphones.

Battery Life

The Alcatel OT-508A was powered by a removable Li-Ion 750 mAh battery. It offered impressive battery life, with up to 570 hours of standby time and up to 8 hours and 30 minutes of talk time. Additionally, it supported music play for up to 11 hours, making it a dependable device for users who prioritized long battery life without frequent charging needs.

Other Features

The phone included several additional features that enhanced its usability. It supported SMS and MMS messaging, making it capable of sending and receiving multimedia messages. For entertainment, the phone came with two pre-installed games and a stereo FM radio with RDS support. Sound output was provided via a loudspeaker, though it did not support a 3.5mm jack. Charging of the device was done using a miniUSB connection that was specifically for charging purposes.

Conclusion

The Alcatel OT-508A was a practical device for individuals seeking a basic and reliable mobile phone. Its design, straightforward functionality, and long battery life made it suitable for users who valued simplicity over the advanced features prevalent in more modern smartphones. Despite being discontinued, its affordability and dependability left a mark in the segment of feature phones during its time of release.