BenQ A520 Complete Guide to Specs Pricing Pros & Cons

Overview of BenQ A520

The BenQ A520 was introduced to the market in the first quarter of 2005 as a feature phone targeting users seeking simplicity and basic mobile functionality. It was a part of the wave of devices that existed before smartphones became ubiquitous, and it offered essential features for communication. Despite its discontinuation, the A520 represents an interesting piece of mobile history.

Design and Build

With dimensions of 82.5 x 44.8 x 22.6 mm and a weight of 96 grams, the BenQ A520 was compact and easy to carry. Its form factor allowed it to fit comfortably in the hand, and it used a Mini-SIM. Available in classic black and white colors, the device had a simple design with a navigable interface supported by the feature phone operating system.

Display

The A520 featured a 1.5-inch OLED display with a resolution of 128 x 128 pixels. The screen offered 65K colors, which was standard for that era, providing users with a basic visual experience. With a screen-to-body ratio of approximately 19.6%, the display was sufficient for navigating menus and viewing text messages.

Camera

Equipped with a VGA camera, the BenQ A520 provided very basic photo-taking capabilities. The camera did not support video recording, which was typical for many feature phones at the time. While the 0.3MP camera wouldn’t compete with modern smartphone cameras, it served its purpose for capturing simple snapshots.

Memory and Storage

The internal storage of the A520 was limited to 2MB with no option for expanding via a card slot. This limitation reflected the phone's purpose as a communication device rather than a multimedia gadget. Despite the low storage capacity, the phonebook could hold up to 500 entries, and logs for 10 dialed, 10 received, and 10 missed calls were available.

Network and Connectivity

The BenQ A520 supported GSM technology and operated on 2G bands (GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900). It featured GPRS Class 10 but lacked EDGE and other more advanced connectivity options. Connectivity was limited to a proprietary USB interface, with no WLAN, Bluetooth, GPS, or radio features.

Sound and Audio

Audio features of the A520 were minimalistic. The phone did not have a loudspeaker and lacked a 3.5mm headphone jack. Alert types included vibration and downloadable polyphonic ringtones, with a composer built-in for creating custom ringtones.

Battery

The device housed a removable Li-Ion 700 mAh battery, providing up to 120 hours of standby time and up to 3 hours of talk time. This battery life was adequate for the phone's feature set, emphasizing voice calls and texts over power-demanding applications.

Software and Features

Operating as a traditional feature phone, the BenQ A520 supported messaging types such as SMS, EMS, and MMS, and its browser was WAP 2.0/xHTML compatible. It included Java support (MIDP 1.0), allowing users to run basic applications and games that were popular in that period.

Conclusion

The BenQ A520 symbolizes an era when mobile phones were predominantly used for calls and text messages. The device's minimalist approach and basic functionalities are a testament to its time before the widespread emergence of smartphones. Although it has been discontinued, its features serve as a reminder of the evolution of mobile technology, highlighting the journey from simple communication tools to today's multifaceted devices.