It's always easy to ignore the budget underdog, especially if they're unattractive or lack finesse. In the grand scheme of things, Alcatel is definitely a mobile phone outsider, but its latest clutch of phones are fairly attractive, even -- gasp! -- desirable. We're not talking super-phones, no -- these cost under £20. Let's hit the bargain basement and see what's going down.
The OT-S120, OT-S210 and OT-211 are Alcatel's latest budget line-up and rather than point and laugh at a trio that put together would cost a fraction of our feature-packed warrior phones, we're actually fairly impressed. The OT-S120 (pictured) might only have a black and white screen, but it's tiny and usable -- it makes calls, it sends text messages, and little else.
The OT-S210 and OT-211 come in the same casing as the OT-S120 but boast colour screens and FM radios. Stop laughing at the back -- okay, it's not exactly the Nokia N95 8GB, but before you scoff at these, bear in mind they cost under £20, they do the basics perfectly well and they'll easily fit in your pocket.
The keypad is extremely usable, with a satisfying click to the buttons, and the interface is reminiscent of early Nokias, if not a little simpler. Our only initial concern is that voice quality doesn't sound fantastic, but we'll test it out further and let you know more in the full review. A retailer has yet to be announced, but they'll most likely be sold (on pay as you go, of course) at Woolworths and Argos. -Andrew Lim
Update: Read our full Alcatel OT-S120 review here.
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