With the country’s 3G network shutdown on the horizon, plenty of Australians are looking for affordable upgrade options. While you could walk into any retailer and grab something off the shelf, Telstra has a potential answer in the form of the well-priced T-Elite 5G.
At just under $200, it’s one of the cheapest 5G entry points, which is what makes it so attractive as a potential upgrade. Made by ZTE with Telstra’s branding on top, it’s a no-nonsense phone devoid of pointless gimmicks and superfluous features. It covers the basics and does them without fuss.
There’s a lot in common with ZTE’s other recent phone, the Nubia Focus 5G, exclusive to Optus. Compared head-to-head, the Telstra T-Elite 5G doesn’t wield the same level of camera performance. While it may not be the same budget photography powerhouse, the T-Elite makes up for it in value. It’s roughly $70 cheaper and produces identical everyday practicality.
Telstra T-Elite 5G review
First impressions
A little more understated than the bold flourishes of the Nubia, the Telstra T-Elite embodies the conventional phone design many of us are used to by now. It doesn’t do anything outlandish or attention-grabbing – nor does it need to.
Its 6.6-inch 720p display looks nice and colourful, plus the smooth 120Hz refresh rate makes scrolling look slick. I always prefer a Full HD screen for clarity, 720p is completely fine for a sub-$200 phone.
Like the Nubia, the Telstra T-Elite 5G errs on the bulky side. It’s thicker than many modern phones and carries more weight. A lot of recent phones tip the scales at somewhere between 170-180 grams, while the T-Elite exceeds 200g. Its weight distribution does feel more balanced than the Nubia, however, likely thanks to a smaller camera array.
A silicone case comes included, which I recommend applying for a couple of reasons. One is to add an extra layer of protection. Fingerprint and smudge prevention is the other big reason. Brandishing a glossy black finish, this phone smudges at the slightest hint of a touch, particularly from sweaty-handed users like me.
Continuing the theme of simplicity, the Telstra T-Elite 5G ships with a streamlined version of the Android 14 operating system. Other than the My Telstra app, it’s a nice and clean install, free of the excessive bloatware favoured by some brands.
Telstra T-Elite 5G specs and price in Australia
| Display | 6.6-inch IPS display 1612 x 720 HD+ resolution 120Hz refresh rate |
| Dimensions | 163.6 x 74.9 x 8.95mm 203.9g |
| Processor | Unisoc T760 Octa Core 2.2GHz |
| Storage and memory | 128GB storage 4GB RAM + up to 4GB additional virtual RAM |
| Cameras | 50MP rear main camera 2MP rear sensor 5MP front camera |
| Battery and charging | 5,000mAh capacity 22.5W wired charging |
| Connectivity | Nano SIM Wi-Fi 5 Bluetooth 5.0 NFC 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Network bands | 3G: WCDMA 850MHz / 900MHz / 2100MHz 4G: TD-LTE B40 FDD-LTE B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B26/B28 5G: n5/n7/n26/n78 |
| Software | Android U 14 |
| Price (RRP) | $179 outright |
| Warranty | Two years |
| Official website | ZTE Mobiles Australia |
Performance
Quick to unlock, swipe and scroll, using this phone yields a pleasingly smooth experience. Built to tackle the essentials of a phone in 2024, it does exactly what you want from a $179 device. Be it web browsing, checking your messages, or scrolling through your apps, there are no issues to speak of.
Equipped with the same Unisoc T760 chipset as the Nubia Focus 5G, the Telstra T-Elite is efficient and capable. Its multitasking capacity is slightly lower, only due to an additional 4GB of virtual memory available on top of the existing 4GB of physical RAM (the Nubia supports an additional 10GB of virtual memory). You’ll only notice this if you frequently swap between apps though.
Run through some of the standard benchmarking apps, the Telstra T-Elite 5G outperformed several other budget handsets. This includes similarly priced, and some notably more expensive, devices from the likes of Motorola and Oppo.
| Device | CPU single-core | CPU multi-score | GPU (OpenCL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moto G54 5G | 921 | 2,329 | N/A |
| Telstra T-Elite 5G | 749 | 2,345 | 1,720 |
| Nubia Focus 5G | 749 | 2,234 | 1,715 |
| Oppo A79 5G | 718 | 1,836 | 1,163 |
| Oppo A18 | 435 | 1,454 | 565 |
| Moto G24 | 411 | 1,405 | 549 |
| Moto G04 | 381 | 1,335 | 446 |
One of the main drawbacks of entry-level phones is a lack of graphical processing power. As shown in the 3DMark benchmark results below, this isn’t a gaming phone or a device for complex video editing. Although big games like Zenless Zone Zero probably aren’t on the radar of the target demographic. I’m more than happy to be surprised!
| Device | Score | Average frame rate (fps) |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy A35 | 2,798 | 16.76 |
| Oppo Reno 11 F 5G | 2,296 | 13.75 |
| Telstra T-Elite 5G | 1,634 | 9.79 |
| Nubia Focus 5G | 1,624 | 9.73 |
| Moto G85 | 1,557 | 9.45 |
Battery life
The good news is that the Telstra T-Elite packs a decent battery capacity. 5,000mAh is the standard these days for affordable Android phones, which is what you get here. Beyond that, processor and device efficiency also impact how long you can go without charging.
After an hour of YouTube video playback with the screen brightness and volume set to 50%, a fully charged battery only dropped two points to finish at 98% capacity. Granted, batteries don’t necessarily deplete at a linear rate, but it’s still one of the better results I’ve seen. It’s even slightly better than the Nubia Focus 5G, which ended the test at 97%.
I only needed to start charging the Telstra T-Elite 5G more than a day after moderate usage. Infrequent phone users could easily get two days or more out of this handset.
Telstra T-Elite 5G camera
If you’ve seen my camera analysis of the Nubia Focus 5G, what you’ll see here will be fairly similar, albeit in reverse order. Photo quality is the main separating factor between the two ZTE-made phones; paying roughly an extra $70 for the Nubia gets you above-average results, while the T-Elite joins the middle of the entry-level phone pack.
The Telstra T-Elite 5G takes some reasonable snaps in good lighting conditions. When things get dimmer, however, it starts to struggle. For starters, a photo of my cat, Billie, backlit by natural light came out underexposed, despite my efforts to change the settings manually. All is not lost, fortunately, because a bit of post-production could brighten the shadows a bit.
Other than lighting, the Telstra T-Elite 5G camera’s white balance tends to focus heavily on the subject, instead of the lighting around it. You can see in the photos of my Pokemon plush that the couch and wall take on a greenish tinge compared to the photo from the Nubia Focus. It’s otherwise well-lit and the colours are vibrant.
In darkness, however, you can see a lot of noise and a lack of colour accuracy. Which, to be fair, is consistent with the camera performance of most phones cheaper than $200.
Because the T-Elite doesn’t have the same beefy camera sensor as the Nubia phone, the increased noise is also visible elsewhere. These photos of a Lego flower set look nice, bright and colourful. On closer examination, the T-Elite contains more noise when you zoom into the petals.
There’s not much difference between the two phones’ selfie cameras. Both capture vivid colours in good lighting, while the T-Elite’s photo came out slightly dimmer.
At this price tier, there’s little to complain about. These photos are totally fine for viewing on phones. It’s only when you try to zoom in or look at them on a larger display that the flaws stand out.
Who is the Telstra T-Elite 5G for?
A ready-made replacement for the 3G network shutdown, the Telstra T-Elite 5G is an efficient and reliable phone that performs well for its price.
Like many other entry-level phones, it’s not a photo-taking beast. That mantle belongs to ZTE’s other, slightly pricier, Nubia Focus 5G. Otherwise, if you simply want a phone to tackle the basics without leaving a hole in your wallet, the T-Elite fits the bill.
The post Telstra T-Elite 5G review: A ready-made reliable upgrade appeared first on GadgetGuy.
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