Aspera F26: Plans | Pricing | Specs

The Aspera F26 is a simple and affordable handset that offers an easy-to-use alternative to the modern smartphone.

Most phone manufacturers these days assume that everyone wants massive touch screens, high-resolution displays and more features than Inspector Gadget, not to mention that people are willing to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars for such a device. But what if you just want a simple, no-nonsense phone for keeping in touch with friends and family?

This is exactly what Aspera aims to provide with phones like the F26 and the flip-phone design of the F24. Harking back to the early days of the mobile phone where buttons were large and screens were small, the F26 pares the humble phone down to the bare essentials of calling and texting, making it a compelling choice for folks who don't need to browse Facebook or stream Netflix on the go.

Design

• Revives the simple design of early 2000s mobile phones.
• Physical buttons and minimalist interface prioritise accessibility above all else.

• Read more on the Aspera F26's design

  

  Aspera has turned back the clock with the design of the F26, taking inspiration from the pre-iPhone mobile phones of the early 2000s. Like many phones of that era, the F26 features a basic bar-shaped design with half its face taken up by a small screen and the other half devoted to a physical keypad. The screen measures in at a compact 2.4 inches, leaving plenty of space for large, easy-to-press buttons including dedicated buttons for making and ending calls.

  Portability plays a prominent role in the F26's design, too. The handset measures in at just 124.5mm x 52.5mm, which is a whole lot smaller than your average modern smartphone. It's also a lightweight, clocking in at just 120g. Around the back is a rubberised grip to make the phone easier to hold onto.

  With its focus on simplicity and accessibility over cutting-edge performance, the Aspera F26 eschews 4G network support in favour of 3G-only compatibility. Since the primary difference between 3G and 4G is network speeds, this isn't a big issue. Calls and texts are typically handled over 3G even on a 4G smartphone, so the only time you're likely to notice the slower speeds on the F26 is if you browse the Internet on it.

  The F26 does come with a built-in web browser, but it's a barebones affair intended for only the most basic browsing. You can connect the F26 to a computer over USB and share its Internet connection, though, and the speed limitations would be more noticeable there. It's also worth noting that the F26 does not support connecting to Wi-Fi networks.

  While most of the F26's design follows Aspera's no-frills mentality, the phone does include a couple of extra features on top of its basic calling and texting functionality. Along with a built-in FM radio receiver, there's support for audio and video playback of files stored locally on the device. You can plug regular headphones into the F26's 3.5mm audio jack or you can connect a pair of wireless headphones thanks to its Bluetooth 2.1 support. Just be aware that the F26 only includes 128MB of onboard storage which won't hold many songs, though you can add extra storage by purchasing a separate microSD card. Only cards up to 32GB are supported, though.

Camera

• Handy for quickly recording information you don't have time to write down.
• Low image quality means it won't substitute for a dedicated camera.

• Read more on the Aspera F26's camera

  

  As with all aspects of the Aspera F26, the built-in camera is a basic affair. With a resolution of just 0.3MP, it's intended more for recording information you'll need later (such as snapping a photo of a relevant advertisement or the licence plate of a reckless driver) than capturing high-quality memories. That said, it does boast both an auto-focus feature and digital zoom, plus you can record video as well as take still photos. Aspera doesn't say what quality or frame rate the videos record in, though.

Performance

• No apps or software updates to slow it down.
• Low internal storage limits some of the phone's capabilities.

• Read more on the Aspera F26's performance

  By streamlining its functionality to focus almost solely on calling and texting, the Aspera F26 avoids many of the performance overheads associated with modern smartphones. It only needs to present a basic menu interface and provide simple utilities like a phone book and call log. These tasks require very little processing power to perform, which should ensure general use of the F26 remains snappy and responsive.

  However, the barebones approach to phone design does introduce a few of its own performance limitations. Due to the limited storage space on the Aspera F26, it can only keep track of the last 20 calls you've made, received or missed. The built-in phone book also has a hard cap, topping out at 200 contacts.

Battery

• Small and best-suited for those who use their phone infrequently.

• Read more on the Aspera F26's battery

  Cutting extraneous features doesn't just increase the general performance of a phone, it can help the battery last longer too. This is essential for a phone like the F26, since its 900mAh battery is significantly smaller than the one you'll find in a typical smartphone. These days, most phones include batteries of 2,000mAh or more and that includes other budget handsets.

  How long the Aspera F26's 900mAh battery will last you is going to vary greatly depending on what you use it for. On standby, the handset is capable of surviving multiple days on a single charge, but that's going to drop considerably with every call. Frustratingly, Aspera does not provide any indication of estimated battery life for the F26.

Pricing and availability

Aspera F26

Back to basics

If you've been longing for the days when phones were just simple devices for calling and texting, the Aspera F26 is going to be right up your alley.

Buy Now

• The Aspera F26 is available from retailers like Bing Lee, Big W and MobileCiti for around $79.