Reviewer: Anthony Caruana
The Telstra 165 Country Phone is clearly designed for real work – there’s no chance of mistaking it for a fashion accessory. It has a “no frills” look that will appeal to many and its body is ruggedised so it can handle plenty of bumps and scrapes.
The Country Phone’s screen is very clear. While on-screen colours are muted in bright sunlight, phone numbers are easy to read. At about 12 x 5 cm it’s not the slimmest unit on the market but the extra size means that the keypad can be used by even the most sausage-fingered amongst us without too much danger of hitting the wrong key.
Part of the Country Phone’s retro look is the pull-up antenna. This isn’t a fashion statement; the antenna points to the Country Phone’s most potent feature – excellent reception. It’s more likely to get a reliable signal where other fashion phones revert to being paperweights. We compared it with a number of other units in a poor coverage area and it was able to get a strong signal where the others got none.
The Country Phone is easy to use and will help you stay connected where some other phones wither.
