Telecom R54

At PC World, we left 'feature phones' behind a fair while ago for the more productive pastures of the smartphone domain. However, we're taking a brief detour back to look at Telecom's R54: a rebranded ZTE device that makes calls, sends and receives texts and is surprisingly hard to destroy.

Certified IP54, it's dust and water resistant enough to survive on a building site, or out in the bush if you keep it out of the water (IP54 means dust and splash resistant, not submersible).

The outside is rubberised for good grip, and protection from knocks and drops. The rear battery hatch locks down with a twist mechanism, so it won't come open and expose your precious SIM to the elements if dropped. The Micro-USB connector is protected by a plastic flap with a rubber seal, as is the socket on the rear for an external areal. Don't laugh – if you're out on the boat or deep in the bush, you might actually need one of those.

Despite its rugged exterior, the phone's buttons are surprisingly easy to press… there's good 'clicky' tactile feedback, and dialling, texting and navigating menus are all easy enough.

The menu system is simple and though totally unfamiliar to me, took less than five minutes to work through from top to bottom. You'll find an email client and web browser, but their usefulness is limited. You do get a music player, and a MicroSD card slot underneath the battery… the phone can pull double-duty as a rugged MP3 player, triple duty as an FM radio. However, I wouldn't advise it if you're going bush and think you might need to make a call. Unless, that is, you've got a spare battery or a solar charger in your pack.

There's a three megapixel rear-facing camera to document your adventures, and a VGA (0.3MP) front camera for video calling. You only get 40MB internal memory, so be sure to invest in a MicroSD card if you plan to shoot your snowboarding videos on the R54. Again, the battery-life caveat applies here.

Speaking of battery life, talk time is advertised as a very mediocre 2.5 hours. Standby is advertised at 10.4 days. These numbers seem low to me… smartphone-low. The phone only weighs 130 grams… I'd have happily had an extra 20-30 grams for longer battery life, as would I suspect anyone with a need for such a ruggedized device. To me, 'rugged' means you'll be taking the R54 places you'd be unlikely to find a convenient power socket.

You can have the phone outright for $399 from your local Telecom store, at which point you can slap any SIM card you like in there. If you need an alternative to your pricey iPhone to take tramping, or would prefer to avoid smartphones altogether and just need something outdoor-friendly to take calls on the job, the R54 is a good option.

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