Telstra Superior review: Plans | Pricing | Specs

The Telstra Superior isn't really superior to all that many phones, but at its price point, it does offer superior value.

All of Telstra's phones used to come via Chinese maker ZTE, right up until that firm found itself subject to some rather severe US trade restrictions, forcing its factory lines to shut down.

Telstra has pivoted to a new Chinese supplier for its own-brand phones in Alcatel. It has taken the Alcatel 3V as its first "Telstra branded" Alcatel handset and dubbed it the Telstra Superior. It's a low-cost prepaid handset and that raises the question as to what Telstra considers it superior to.

Design

• Terribly generic design.
• Fingerprint sensor.
• Cheap plastic feel.
• Protective case included.

• Read more on the Telstra Superior's design

  

  You certainly can't accuse the Telstra Superior of having any particular superiority when it comes to physical design.

  The black model as tested may as well have a sticker on it stating "generic phone" because outside of the fact that it has Telstra and Alcatel logos on the back, there's absolutely nothing that makes it stand out. Perhaps in a world where we see so many multi-hued phone designs, one that's so unashamedly generic is meant to be superior by dint of being different?

  The Telstra Superior measures in at 162 × 76 × 8.05mm with a carrying weight of 169g, relatively light for a phone with a 6-inch display screen. That's no doubt down to the fact that it's a plastic-bodied phone, and it definitely feels like it in the hand.

  Plastic is of course less durable than a metal body, although one nice touch that we've seen with other Alcatel handsets is that you do get a protective case in the box with the Telstra Superior. Sure, it's only a simple clear case, but at the budget level, it's not a common inclusion.

  Also uncommon in the budget space is the inclusion of a fingerprint sensor. Alcatel has already taken that feature into the ultra-low price space with the similarly Telstra-exclusive Alcatel 1C and it's much the same story with the Telstra Superior.

  The fingerprint sensor is well placed, but it's not particularly quick to unlock the handset and sometimes required a secondary tap during testing.

Camera

• Dual cameras are unusual at this price point.
• Can't access second camera except for bokeh effects.
• Simple camera app.

• Read more on the Telstra Superior's camera

  

  On paper, the Telstra Superior should stand out for the simple inclusion of dual cameras at the rear. It wasn't that long ago that a dual camera array was the exclusive property of premium flagship phones costing over $1,000 like the Galaxy Note9, yet here it is in the sub-$200 Telstra Superior.

  Except that, as is very common for dual-lens cameras in lower-end handsets, you're not faced with two distinct lenses to expand your photographic possibilities. Instead, what you've got at the rear is a 12MP primary camera paired with a 2MP camera that's present purely to give depth focus effects.

  For such a low-cost phone, this can work better than you might think:

  

  But it can also be rather hit-and-miss, often giving a bokeh effect that feels much more like it has fallen out of a bad Photoshop tutorial than a camera lens:

  

  This is the story of the Telstra Superior's camera performance overall. For a camera in this price range, it's a decent but not great performer. You will need patience with its simple camera app, which is neither fast nor terribly accurate. It's very much a question of getting what you pay for. Here are some sample shots from the Telstra Superior:

  

  

  

Performance

• Mediatek MT8735A is predictably sluggish.
• Few preinstalled apps.
• Display is very good for its price range.
• Budget for a microSD card.

• Read more on the Telstra Superior's performance

  The Telstra Superior runs on Mediatek MT8735A with just 2GB of memory. That's a function of its low asking price, with most budget phones opting for Mediatek silicon in order to keep costs down. The end result is rarely superior performance and the Telstra Superior compares poorly against other budget options:

  In 3D performance, it's an even starker story. The Telstra Superior should be able to handle Facebook games, but not much else unless you're happy with very long loading times and poor frame rates:

  Like many budget handsets, the Telstra Superior couldn't handle the Vulkan API part of 3DMark's slingshot extreme test.

  While the low-cost internals of the Telstra Superior deliver predictably low-end results, it's not actually all bad news. The inclusion of a bright 2,160x1,080 402ppi LCD display gives the Telstra Superior clarity you don't typically see in "cheap" phones, making it a good match if you want to watch a lot of streaming videos. It would be a good gaming match, too, were it not for the Telstra Superior's lacklustre gaming performance.

  While it's locked to the Telstra network and comes with the Telstra 24/7 app preinstalled, there's precious little in the way of other preinstalled apps. You can uninstall Telstra 24/7 if it's not to your taste. The Telstra Superior is an Android 8.0 phone and I wouldn't be holding my breath for an Android Pie upgrade if I were you.

  While the Telstra Superior is a low-cost phone, that also means that it's not exceptionally blessed when it comes to storage, with only 16GB of onboard memory. You can supplement that with microSD cards and I'd strongly suggest you budget for one because that 16GB will run out fast if you're using the Telstra Superior as your day-to-day handset.

Battery life

• Poor battery life.
• Micro USB charging.

• Read more on the Telstra Superior's battery life

  Bigger phones can typically accommodate more battery capacity for the simple reason of having more space behind their display screens. That's always a balancing act against the higher power draw of those larger displays. The Telstra Superior has a non-removable 3,000mAh battery, which is quite large for a budget handset. You might even call it superior, but sadly this doesn't extend to its battery life overall.

  In Geekbench 4's very linear battery test, the Telstra Superior compares poorly against other budget options, with the lowest overall battery life we've seen out of any phone in that test:

  Geekbench 4 is deliberately brutal and it's not a stretch to suggest that the Telstra Superior's core market probably isn't spending all day on their handsets. If you're a light user it's feasible to get the Telstra Superior through a day's usage. Still, having a micro USB charger handy would be wise if you're planning a long day or planning to use the Telstra Superior much in the evening.

Verdict

• Not a great handset, but appropriate for its price point.
• A good choice if you just want a big handset.

• Read our full Telstra Superior verdict

  

  Telstra's marketing department probably had fun naming the Telstra Superior because the practical reality of using this particular handset is that it's really not superior to all that many handsets in any one area.

  However, as with any budget phone, you're looking at a device that's built to meet a specific price point. At its $199 outright asking price, it's hard not to see the Telstra Superior as a good value handset, despite its silly suffix.

  No, it's not a great handset and it will compare poorly against more expensive devices, but then that's rather the point. Folks buying "Telstra" branded handsets are typically after low-cost simple devices with the reassurance of that particular brand name and the Telstra Superior certainly delivers that.

Pricing and availability

Telstra Superior

Big screen, small price

With its 6-inch screen and dual-lens camera, the Telstra Superior packs in plenty of value at a budget-friendly price.

• The Telstra Superior is available directly from Telstra for $199 as well as from local retailers like Target.