Review: The MTN Smart T “Feature Phone” Review

Feature phones are not really devices which a lot of people use as their main driver. Feature phones are either a backup phone or for users who want to use more USSD services.

But the MTN Smart T phone is a bit different. It can do things that normal feature phones can’t. It’s something of a hybrid between a feature phone and a smartphone.

What does that mean? It means you can use apps including Facebook, WhatsApp and Google Maps. Something a normal feature phone can’t do.

We got a chance to do a brief review of the device and we can honestly say it’s a great device especially when you can’t afford a smartphone but need to access some apps like WhatsApp and Facebook.

What’s In The Box

When you get the MTN Smart T phone, you get the essentials including the phone itself as well as

• Phone charger,
• a micro-USB cable
• Earphones
• A 2000 mAh battery
• MTN SIM card with a voucher for 500MB for 6 months

The Smart T Phone Hardware

The phone itself is small and fits in the hand nicely. It has two SIM card slots:

• One for normal sized SIM and
• One for a nano-SIM (Note: The phone does require one SIM slot to be used by an MTN SIM card)

The device has a numeric keypad and also a button dedicated to Google Assistant.

On the back of the device is a slot for a Micro SD as well as also a large speaker near the 1.3 MP camera.

Specifications

Even though it’s a “feature” phone, the MTN Smart T does have good technical specifications. These specs include:

• Supports SD card (for up to 32 GB)
• 2.4 inches in screen size
• Rear camera and Front Camera: 1.3MP.
• 256MB of RAM
• Torch/Flashlight, flashlight, and an FM radio.
• Connectivity: 2G, 3G, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Apps and Software

The Smart T runs on the Kai OS. Kai is a mobile operating system based on Linux. It is can be considered as a slimmed down version of Android OS but it’s more targeted for feature phones. Kai OS is India’s second most popular phone OS after Android.

The Smart T phone comes preloaded with apps like Facebook, Google Maps and YouTube but you can download more apps from the Kai app store.

This phone can also run WhatsApp. You can do basic things like text and send pictures/videos. But you can’t do audio or video calls.

The dedicated button for the Google Assistant app (comes pre-installed) which allows you to use Google search with your voice when pressed.

Price

The phone is quite affordable. It’s priced at 150 GHC and can be bought at select retailer stores and MTN care centres.

Verdict

Even though we’re heavy on smartphones in the future, we would definitely recommend this phone if you want something simple to use or need to escape all the notifications, this is definitely a good buy.