Alcatel 20.45X

Where do I start? - would give this zero stars if I could – This has to be the most frustrating phone I have ever used. What is wrong with it? Although it is marketed as 'seniors-friendly', it is far from that! The main problem is that it has some nominal SMS limit number which appears to be composed of inbox and sent messages. This limit is unaffected by memory upgrade (which I did) or even sending… Read more

messages as MMS (and saving these in the SD card - thought I was being clever doing this).

But no - the phone keeps sending me messages 'delete all messages in your phone. SMS message limit exceeded', and refuses to save or send or receive any SMS until this is done!

Even then, you still need to remember to send a 'dummy' message to yourself to 'trigger' receipt of the shedload of messages that have built up! Completely unreliable.

Unlike my previous Nokia 3120 Classic you have to remember to capitalize the first letter of the SMS text sentence then turn caps off for the rest. Annoying! Also it can drop in and out of 3G in a strong-signal area - hanging you up in the process (very embarrassing if you have to call three times!). The sound quality is so poor I have it on speaker for calls.

The torch manages to turn itself on when the phone is in your pocket and you have to enter the Menu to turn it off. Video is barely adequate and there is no zoom on photos. Internet is virtually non-existent (Google headlines but can't enter any pages) but I don't use it for that. The brightness won't turn down past a certain point for night use and tired eyes. The phone is relatively cheap but these issues make it expensive for what it is.

Any good points? Well, the numbers are bigger than the Nokia and the battery lasts longer.

Alcatel One Touch 20.45 – Cheap phone, it's ok and does what it's supposed to. Big buttons and easy enough to use, but doesn't have too many functions that I could find. I only bought it for texting messages and to use when I needed to contact someone when I'm out, or someone needed to contact me. Battery doesn't hold the charge very long, so it's only suitable for short calls.  Show details

decent phone – Bought this as a downgrade from my smartphone and it does the job, however there is a really strange thing that happens even if the phone is off everyso often the screen comes on and voice recorder starts auto recording, then when you click cancell recording it asks if you want to turn on the phone??????? Really strange.... But appart from that… Read more

it does what it says on the tin, fm radio, voice recording(even when u dont want to), contacts, pictures, music..

Great phone for the price – I purchased this phone for my brother who was going away for a few months and needed a simple cheap phone. I think it does the job great as it is simple and easy to use. And if my brother lost it I haven’t lost a lot of money. I highly recommend for a backup phone also  Show details

Junk – I bought on like it L995 and most of the time I only have 1 bar and lose single and most the apps will not work like all of my bank apps and the stories like Kroger and others to me if you can't use it is JUNK and what good is it  Show details

It Is The Worst Phone Ever....!! – I brought it for my grandfather and it just keeps turning off and has a mind of its own I wouldn't recommend it to anyone if they were thinking of buying it for their parents or grandparents who are not good with using Android or IPhones. I think I'll try another brand as have always had trouble with the Alcatel brand...!  Show details

It's good – Good solid little phones. These are I still have mine from four years ago I use it when ever my New phones break I can always rely on it and there really solid I don't know how many times I have dropped it on the ground and it still works. The battery is great to lasts forever.  Show details

Alcatel 20.45X – What I like about my Alcatel: Call quality terrific, reception terrific, big keys great, FM radio great, size good. What I don't like about my Alcatel: Camera useable once you change the default resolution, media player useless (no playlists, no sorting, only play everything), calendar unfriendly and lacking functionality (cant set a… Read more

fortnightly task, even birthdays difficult), lacking detail in contacts, incompatible to transfer my SMS messages and calendar.

Conclusion: Using it for phone, SMS and radio but everything else I have to revert to my old cheap Nokia which leaves it for dead.

You get what you pay for! – My trusty old Nokia 110, also a simple, compact, no bulky touch/swipe screens, no unnecessary bells and whistles, mobile TELEPHONE, left the Alcatel far behind in its wake, until the demise of the 2G network. I should have been warned by the low (as little as $9.95) prices and Optus free giveaway to keep us on board. It is the most user unfriendly… Read more

device I've been saddled with in my 77 years but I"ve been unable to find another equivalent to my several old Nokias.

User guide? Bah! The webpage alternative? The same thing in PDF - at least the print size here is legible without a magnifying glass, but no more helpful towards getting halfway audible, or personalised, ring tones; capital letters easily when entering contact names or texting; setting the alarm and calendar reliably - luckily my doctor, too, was running behind time this morning.

But until something better comes along I'll have to live with it and welcome the spare battery courtesy Optus

Simplicity Brilliance! – I loved using this phone. Very simple, easy to use. It is basic but that's exactly what I wanted. Just a phone I can use to make and receive calls. Maybe send the odd text message here and then. The old school candy bar phones are convenient for the elderly who are used to those types of phones.  Show details

night mare – Bought this as my samsung died on me and l could not aford the same worst l have ever had Constantly freezing on me all the time Try to do anything at all send messages anything really slow if l get there at all 9 times out of ten just comes up with the not responding message on it .Would any one be able to give me some advice on this one ?  Show details

A great basic phone – I received this phone for free because of the Optus network upgrade (2G being switched off). It's a great simple phone with the good-old mechanical buttons (no swiping which suits me) The battery capacity is generous - if I forget to charge up when I get home, it's not a drama - there's plenty of capacity. Battery/card access can be tricky at… Read more

first but once you've got the knack of how to do it (follow the instructions) it's straightforward.

The antenna efficiency in weak signal areas is excellent. That is: I could make phone calls/send text messages using the same SIM card that I had used in other smart phones that indicated "no signal" in the same physical location. Very impressive performance.

I highly recommend this phone if you only need basic functionality.

Cheap & Free... what did you expect! – Received this phone from Optus for the network upgrade. What can one say? Can't complain too much. They sent this cheap and free. Looks like a phone; works like a phone; limited smartphone capabilities. For what it is... "a phone" that works. If you're looking to compare to a high-end smart device, you'll be disappointed!!  Show details

Alcatel 20.45 REPLACEMENT FROM OPTUS – Received the Alcatel 20.45 from Optus as a replacement due to upgrade of network. Very disappointed with Phone, small and not robust, cheap right at the bottom end of the market in the Alcatel range; Small screen,flimsy body,very lightweight. It is not practical for everyday use,okay in an emergency as a last resort.  Show details

Freebie! – Optus 2G being turned off so they sent me a free Aclatel 3G. Battery cover virtually impossible to remove - absurdly so. I was on the verge of taking it to the nearest Optus shop when a more technically-minded mate managed to remove it and it took him 15 minutes nearly breaking finger nails in the process.  Show details

Looks okay but user friendliness is borderline – For the price $15, got it from Big W. Got it as a present for the old man. First things first, the mobile is small, lightweight and has a very long charge. Reasonably cheap and affordable. It does have the default social media apps like facebook, twitter, radio player, music and video player. It does have a micro sd card slot but it will overkill… Read more

to put a 32 GB micro sd card.

Pain points of this mobile is the difficulty in getting the battery cover off. You have to press really hard on the camera on the back and try and use your fingernails to pry open one of the corners. It takes too much effort to open the back plate like 30 to 60 minutes for newbies. You'd be shouting expletives after this experience. Also the button is flimsy. Navigation for senior citizen is pretty poor, small fonts and low resolution combine makes it time consuming and fiddly to get to what you want like setting contacts, time and date. If you haven't used a old style phone before and your a senior, your going to struggle and shout expletives. Phone can only receive 3G. Camera is cheap, usable but photos are low resolution and grainy.

This phone is great for your parents, going to remote places or other countries. You drop it, your not going to get emotional if it scratch or break, you can always get another one. Its a cheap no frills and affordable mobile phone to get by with receiving calls and making calls.

Won't last but cheap! – You can purchase these on special for as little as $15! Very basic phone obviously. You can't Google etc but it's fine for basic calls and texts. Have had several over the years. Maybe 5. Had to return 2 almost immediately and one died after few months. Not a fabulous result but nothing else so affordable on our market.  Show details

Excellent Cheap basic mobile – We needed a basic, easy to use, Talk/Text 3G with blue tooth mobile, to replace our old 2G unit. We found this Alcatel one touch 20.45X easy to setup. Easy to setup the bluetooth into our car for hand free operation. The cost was very reasonable at $29.00. my wife loves it !!!