Optus X Smart: Plans | Pricing | Specs

Where to buy

Phones come in all shapes and sizes these days, from the bleeding-edge extravagance of the latest iPhones to the bare bones simplicity of retro-styled feature phones like the Nokia 8110 4G. Both ends of the spectrum serve wildly different audiences, but neither adequately caters to the smartphone buyer looking for a handset capable enough to keep pace with the modern online world yet affordable enough to be purchased outright rather than requiring commitment to a lock-in contract.

That's why phones like the Optus X Smart exist. Equipped with a large touch screen, a capable camera and 4G connectivity, it covers all the basic functions expected of a modern smartphone while sporting an accessible budget price tag. If you don't need lightning fast performance or flashy features like wireless charging and NFC, the Optus X Smart might be just the handset you've been looking for.

Design

• 5.5-inch screen is impressively large for a budget smartphone.
• Headphone jack and decent storage capacity make it a capable portable entertainment device.

• Read more on the Optus X Smart's design

  The Optus X Smart plays it safe with its design, sticking to the standard smartphone template of combining a large touch screen with a slim body and rounded corners. The screen itself measures 5.5 inches and delivers an HD resolution of 1280 x 720. That's not full HD, but it's still relatively sharp.

  Below the screen sits three physical capacitive buttons for navigating the Android operating system, while on the top edge of the handset you'll find a 3.5mm audio jack for connecting a set of wired headphones. You can also sync up a pair of wireless headphones or many other wireless devices thanks to the built-in Bluetooth 4.1 support. Onboard storage is a decent 16GB, but if you need more space to store your music library, you can expand this by as much as 128GB by purchasing and installing a microSD card.

  Software is often just as important as hardware in modern smartphones. The Optus X Smart ships with Android 6.0 aka "Marshmallow", which introduced new features like enhanced power management, a more relevant help system and the ability to adjust security permissions for individual apps. Unfortunately, Optus has not released any updates to later versions of Android for the X Smart.

Camera

• 8MP rear camera should satisfy most basic photo needs.
• Beauty mode and panorama support provide additional flexibility.

• Read more on the Optus X Smart's camera

  A budget smartphone is never going to take the place of a full-blown dedicated camera, but thanks to the constant advancement of phone camera technology, it's now possible to take decent snaps even with many cheaper handsets. For the Optus X Smart's part, it packs a solid 8MP sensor on its back for standard photography and a 5MP sensor around the front for getting your selfie on. This combination should be sufficient for snapping simple photos while you're out and about.

  The Optus X Smart crams a few extra features into its camera, too. Along with support for HDR photos, there's a Beauty mode option that automatically applies image enhancements to your shots as well as a panorama mode for creating wide-angle shots by panning the phone across your target scene.

Performance

• Enough power for basic day-to-day phone tasks.
• Slowdown is likely if you push it too hard.

• Read more on the Optus X Smart's performance

  Performance is often a sticking point for budget smartphones. To keep costs down, manufacturers rely on low-power components that, unsurprisingly, lack the raw grunt of the parts you'll find in more-expensive handsets. The Optus X Smart doesn't buck this trend. Its basic 1.1GHz quad-core processor is a touch scrawny even for its price point, increasing the likelihood of slowdown when running anything more complicated than basic apps. Similarly, the 1.5GB of RAM limits its multi-tasking capabilities, with apps likely to bog down if you try to open too many at once.

  Provided you go in knowing this, the Optus X Smart can still deliver an entirely adequate experience. If you're only going to be calling and texting, checking emails and engaging in light web browsing, you shouldn't encounter too many issues with the X Smart's performance. Just be aware that 3D games and quick app switching are probably out of the question.

Battery

• 2,500mAh battery can deliver up to 15 hours of talk time and 500 hours on standby, according to Optus.

• Read more on the Optus X Smart's battery

  Battery capacity is often compromised in budget smartphones, though this is alleviated slightly by the reduced battery drain of their low-power components. The Optus X Smart punches a little above its weight here thanks to its sizeable 2,500mAh battery. According to Optus, this combined with the X Smart's modest processor means it can deliver a respectable 15 hours of talk time on a single charge.

  Even more impressive is the claim that the X Smart can survive for as long as 500 hours on standby, making it particularly well-suited as a back-up phone or as a handset you only need to use now and then. Using the Optus X Smart as a portable media player is also eminently viable, with Optus promising up to seven hours of audio playback on a full charge.

Pricing and availability

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Specifications

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