X

Telstra's 4G prepaid Christmas: photos

Telstra is planning to spread as much speed as cheer this Christmas, with three new 4G LTE prepaid devices on offer.

Joseph Hanlon
Joe capitalises on a life-long love of blinking lights and upbeat MIDI soundtracks covering the latest developments in smartphones and tablet computers. When not ruining his eyesight staring at small screens, Joe ruins his eyesight playing video games and watching movies.
Joseph Hanlon
tesltra-4g-xmas_1.jpg
1 of 13 CBSi

Dasher, Dancer and Blitzen

Telstra is planning to spread as much speed as cheer this Christmas, with three new 4G long-term evolution (LTE) prepaid devices being made available for outright purchase, including a 10-inch tablet.

The Telstra Frontier 4G and Easy Touch 4G are the new handsets on offer, and are both available for outright purchase. The Frontier 4G comes in cheapest, at AU$299, while the larger Easy Touch 4G slips in for the more awkward figure of AU$456 (we think someone came to this figure by pressing three numbers sequentially on their keyboards).

As we've previously reported, Telstra will also stock a new self-branded 4G tablet, and will be the exclusive carrier for the Nokia Lumia 920.

This is Telstra's trio of self-branded 4G prepaid products for Christmas, all made by Chinese manufacturer ZTE.

tesltra-4g-xmas_2.jpg
2 of 13 CBSi

Unlock, you say?

Telstra's Easy Touch brand is a hit with the Blue Rinse Brigade, despite not having had a touchscreen in the line-up previously. The new Easy Touch 4G has a 4.3-inch screen, which is hopefully large enough for older eyes.

tesltra-4g-xmas_3.jpg
3 of 13 CBSi

Crystal clear

Here is the crux of the Easy Touch 4G. Telstra has designed a handful of big, easy-to-read shortcut widgets that are designed to ease someone into the smartphone age.

tesltra-4g-xmas_4.jpg
4 of 13 CBSi

A few more

As you can see, Telstra goes beyond the basics here, with guidance for the core online tools, like the browser and email. The media widget doesn't push users to online services, though; they just open the related apps.

tesltra-4g-xmas_5.jpg
5 of 13 CBSi

A little bit further

Finally, this widget goes a little bit deeper again, helping users to manage wireless connections, alarms and ringer volume.

tesltra-4g-xmas_6.jpg
6 of 13 CBSi

A dollop of ICS

Beyond Telstra's widgets, the Easy Touch 4G runs on Android Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), and it is a stock experience from here on out.

tesltra-4g-xmas_7.jpg
7 of 13 CBSi

Surprise!

We were a little surprised to hear that the Easy Touch 4G comes with an 8-megapixel camera. This is a higher resolution than any of the cameras in any other Telstra-branded smartphones that we can remember. Not that this is a true measure of photographic quality, but it's a good start.

tesltra-4g-xmas_8.jpg
8 of 13 CBSi

For wide pockets, not deep ones

The Easy Touch 4G is reasonably cheap for a smartphone, but it is also a chunky monkey. Not that this should put you off too much; it is still a comfortable device to hold.

tesltra-4g-xmas_9.jpg
9 of 13 CBSi

Telstra Frontier 4G

Saddle up them ponies and pile into the wagon! We're heading out onto the wide, open plains of ... umm ... 4G prepaid phones?

The Frontier 4G breaks new ground in Australia as the first prepaid phone under AU$300. According to Telstra, it has a dual-core processor, too, which is quite a nice bonus at this price point.

tesltra-4g-xmas_10.jpg
10 of 13 CBSi

No swiping here, Mr Legal Representative!

Whether or not this lock-screen design has anything to do with recent tech-related court cases in Australia, the Frontier requires you to press and hold, not swipe to unlock.

tesltra-4g-xmas_11.jpg
11 of 13 CBSi

Don't tell me not to swipe!

But if you do swipe on the lock screen, expect to be met by this cheerful shortcuts menu.

tesltra-4g-xmas_12.jpg
12 of 13 CBSi

So chunky you could carve it

Like the Easy Touch 4G, the Frontier isn't shy about its rotund waistline — not that there's anything wrong with that.

tesltra-4g-xmas_13.jpg
13 of 13 CBSi

Just shoot me

The Easy Touch wins in a camera comparison, with the smaller Frontier 4G sporting only a 5-megapixel camera.

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos