Is TelOne’s US$99.99 feature phone value for money?

Valentine Muhamba

19 July 2021

Earlier on we reported on TelOne’s MLS Easy TS 4G feature phone that will go toe-to-toe with Econet’s Kambudzi lineup. In that article, it was clear that the MLS Easy TS 4G was a cut above the Kambudzi 4G Mi-Fi launched by Econet the last month. It is closer to a conventional smartphone than the latter however the pricepoint at US$99.99 is pretty high considering the number of more capable devices that are out there.

A good place to start is the plethora of entry-level itel phones on offer. The A14 goes for US$41.00, the A16 Plus retails for around US$65.00 and the A37 goes for around US$65.00 at GadgetsGuy

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQifbZWoRA5/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

All those phones retail for tens of dollars cheaper than TelOne’s feature phone and the US$99.99 price looks even high when we compare stats:

	TelOne MLS 4G	itel A14	itel A16	itel A37
Battery	1,800 mAh	1,500 mAh	2,050 mAh	3,020 mAh
Sim Card Slots	2	2	2	2
Internal Storage	8 GB (expandable up to 32 GB)	8GB (expandable)	8GB (expandable)	16 GB
RAM	1 GB	512 MB	512 MB	1 GB
Operating System	Android 6.0 Marshmallow	Android 8.1 Oreo Go Edition	Android 8.1 Oreo Go Edition	Android™ 10 Go Edition
Processor	Unspecified 1GHz	Spreadtrum SC7731E	Spreadtrum SC7731E	Quad-core 1.3GHz
Screen Size	2.8 inches (touch)	4 inch (full touch)	5 inch (full touch)	5.7 (full touch)
Camera	8MP Rear + 3.2 MP Front	2MP Rear + 0.3MP Front	5.0 MP Rear + 2 MP front	5.0 MP Rear + 2 MP front
Connectivity	Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, 4G	Bluetooth 4.0, 3G, Wi-Fi	Bluetooth 4.2, 3G, Wi-Fi	Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi, LTE
Price	US$99.99	US$41.00	US$65.00	US$65.00

Prices via GadgetGuy

As you can see comparatively the entry-level itel phones have a lot more across the board than the TelOne feature phone for far less. The sacrifices you’d be making with the A14 and A16 are 4G connectivity but that is cosmetic compared to everything else those devices offer.

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14 comments

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TkaYz

19 July 2021 16:10

Kkk its too expensive period

On that article you didn’t even bother to go to the Itel’s P” series all of which are housed with more mAH than the rest

P36 included offers more battery

Um not an Itel user or fan but i appreciate the value for money

Not to mention the Android version 6 Mashmallow in this era kkkk they must be joking

Reply
wokenman

19 July 2021 18:28

4G connectivity is “cosmetic”??? You can’t be serious! The screens on those 3G itel phones are what’s cosmetic. That mbudzi’s screen is also a touchscreen – so there is really nothing those itels can do that it can’t do in terms of navigation on apps, it’s only that it’s significantly smaller but bear in mind that such small touchscreens have been here before with the likes of Nokia Asha, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini, Huawei Ideos, the original Samsung Galaxy Pocket: those were all 2.8inch touchscreens devices WITHOUT a keypad! The A14 and A16 also have less ram and worse cameras than the mbudzi! All they have going for them are bigger displays, bigger batteries (an advantage nullified by those bigger displays) and a newer version of android.
Those small advantages do not make up for not having 4G – not a chance! Granted this particular model from TelOne is overpriced, but 4G is essential technology now and I would never let anybody I know (in this day and age) buy a 3G only device without trying to intervene and make them see common sense. Itel A14 and A16 are simply NO-GO phones and the mbudzi just needs a 40% pricecut!

Reply
1. Caasi
  
  19 July 2021 21:02
  
  True, I don’t think 4G is cosmetic too, but I’m still trying to understand the difference between 4G and LTE. Can someone elaborate.
  
  Reply
  1. Samsung User
    
    20 July 2021 16:21
    
    In layman terms 4G & Long Term Evolution( LTE )are basically the same.Depending on your Handset,you might see LTE or 4G on your notification panel when mobile Data Is ON.But you need to understand that not all phones labelled as “4G” or “LTE” Capable Are necessarily Truly 4G capableYou moght also want to check the LTE CATEGORY of a 4G Device before buying basically the higher the LTE category of a device ,the better. Some devices are labelled as 4G whilst they’re actually 3.5G
    
    Reply
    1. Caasi
      
      20 July 2021 18:38
      
      Thanks
      
      Reply
Caasi

19 July 2021 21:03

Fun fact: I’m using the A37 itel model.

Reply
1. Maunga_Zw
  
  20 July 2021 01:51
  
  All i know is LTE chibabest!
  
  Reply
Time for change

20 July 2021 05:30

512 ranvs 1gb willmmake a huge difference…even then overall user experience in all these phones will be severely compromised… I understand the cost problem…but they will be unusable….maybe a test run with whatsapp and and a browser head to head…will be more relavent

Reply
Time for change

20 July 2021 05:31

512 ranvs 1gb willmmake a huge difference…even then overall user experience in all these phones will be severely compromised… I understand the cost problem…but they will be unusable….maybe a test run with whatsapp and and a browser head to head…will be more relavent

Reply
Samsung User

20 July 2021 07:22

Thanks for the Article.

Reply
Imi vanhu musadaro

20 July 2021 09:23

Please also do a ZWL price comparison. 😁

Reply
Henry Matirira

20 July 2021 13:02

In the article is not mentioned the A.I. that comes with the MLS-TelOne device (that is MAIC). You can actually talk to the phone hands free! 4G and RAM matters!!! Just think about if WhatsApp makes an upgrade to become ZOOM (on the way that scenario). Definitely in ZWL pricing it will be another story!

Reply
Samsung User

20 July 2021 16:23

In layman terms 4G & Long Term Evolution( LTE )are basically the same.Depending on your Handset,you might see LTE or 4G on your notification panel when mobile Data Is ON.But you need to understand that not all phones labelled as “4G” or “LTE” Capable Are necessarily Truly 4G capableYou moght also want to check the LTE CATEGORY of a 4G Device before buying basically the higher the LTE category of a device ,the better. Some devices are labelled as 4G whilst they’re actually 3.5G

Reply
Caasi

20 July 2021 18:37

The table shows kuti Itel A37 haina a good camera and 4G. What makes it a Kambudzi if battery rayo richikurirwa nere Itel A37 before we look at the prices?

Reply