When the Aspera F50 popped up for review I jumped at the chance, not for myself, but for my 14y.o. who has, again, destroyed another iPhone 7 Plus screen! I suggested to him that we get him a “cool retro flip phone” as a stop-gap, but when the F50 arrived and he thought it was really cool, well, maybe it’s his new phone for keeps! In a world of social media and teens aimlessly stumbling about, staring at screens and snapping their friends, the F50 has come as a handy and welcome change. But will it stick? Only time will tell!
The F50 isn’t huge! – Here it is ‘flipped’
The Aspera F50 boasts a classic candy bar design, reminiscent of feature phones from the early 2000s. Its compact size and lightweight build make it easy to carry and handle. The keypad is well-spaced and tactile, ensuring comfortable typing for SMS (Texting, that’s what the cool kids are calling it now, right!) and dialing. The phone’s durable plastic casing provides a reassuring sturdiness that can withstand everyday wear and tear – that said, in the hands of my 14yo, nothing is safe! We’ll see how the F50 lasts and update this review as required.
The Aspera F50 is a 4G capable mobile telephone, which if you’ve been holding onto a 3G capable mobile forever, and with the 3G network recently having been turned off, could be the simple yet well-featured replacement telephone you’ve been looking for.
Let’s Look at the Features
- 4G Network Compatible
- Hands Free Speaker
- 1000mAh Battery
- SD Card (32gb max)
- Bluetooth
- 2.4″ Display
- 2.0mp Camera
- SOS Button
- Large Buttons
While this phone might be mostly targeted at our older generation that aren’t that interested in getting their TikTok on throughout the day, it’s a perfectly handy telephone for a young teen, or a 10 year old (as my youngest (10) proved the other day by slipping his older brother’s F50 into his school bag, and calling us at lunchtime to update us on his day, cute!) With larger buttons and a decent sized display, it’s easy to use for those with less nimble fingers. Equipped with a 2.4-inch colour display, the F50’s screen is bright and clear, suitable for reading messages and navigating the simple menu interface. The user interface is straightforward, making it ideal for individuals who are not tech-savvy or those who prefer a minimalist approach to mobile technology.
As we mentioned before, with the 3G telephone network being switched off, the F50 supports 4G, and will work with all current Aussie carriers (it’s a network unlocked phone, so you can put whatever sim card in it that you would like, for the review we’re using an Aldi (Telstra network) sim card on a monthly plan.
The F50 comes with a charging cradle (below, complete with the grubby finger marks of real life!) that has an included USB-C cable and charger, you can also use a USB-C cable connected to your computer to charge the phone, and USB-C means no fun and games (always!) plugging the USB Micro cable in upside down – over and over again! Aspera suggest running the phone down to around 20% and then leaving it fully charge overnight (we found it was taking around 3 hours for a full charge) – in real world use we found the little F50 would last a couple of days, or more, without needing a charge!
You can opt to tap the hands free button and take your calls on speaker. As you would expect, when you open the flip-phone upon receiving a call, the call is answered (You can change this option) and you’re talking. There is also an emergency button on the back of the Aspera F50, it can be programmed to call your emergency contact (or any number you program in) as well as text up to five people when pressed and held down for about 5 seconds – We tested it without telling my wife, the default message is something along the lines of “I’m in trouble, help me!” – yes, we won’t be doing that again any time soon without telling her! (You can put your own message in) Note: If you don’t add your own contacts to the emergency button’s memory, the phone will call emergency services by default – we didn’t test this, but that’s what it says in the manual.
Entertainment?
The Aspera F50 is equipped with a basic camera that will allow you to capture both stills and video, it also has a music player for your mp3 collection (no Spotify app, actually, no apps…) or wav files – if that’s your thing! You can use the phone’s built in memory, or you can use the storage space on a microSD (not included, Max Size is 32gb) card that you slip in beside the sim card, not that when you install the MicroSD card you need to cycle the power before the phone will recognise it! (That will teach me for not reading the manual up front!) The F50 comes with a pair of USB-C headphones, and while they’re nothing fancy, they work fine. You can also connect your own headphones to the phone via Bluetooth, my 14yo had no trouble setting up his Sony Noise Cancelling in-ear buds.
Other Tools?
The tools menu offers several useful features. The Calendar provides a monthly view to track important appointments, with marked days indicating events. The Calculator performs basic arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The Alarm feature allows setting multiple alarms with specific ringing times; however, the phone must be turned on for alarms to work. The Torchlight can be easily switched on and off using the OK button. The World clock displays world time and various time zones, allowing users to select their relevant city.
The Aspera F50 is a user-friendly 4G mobile phone designed to meet all your basic needs. It’s perfect for those who want a reliable phone without the complexities of a modern smartphone. If you’re looking for a straightforward, easy-to-use device, the Aspera F50 is a great choice and a worthwhile investment. You can currently grab the F50, with an Amaysim $30 starter sim for $99 at BigW! Bargain.
DRN would like to thank Aspera for providing the review unit.
