Australian mobile brand Aspera has a series of rugged phones that seriously undercut the competition for price, while offering a slew of impressive, no-nonsense features.
The Aspera R40 is the latest model in the range, and the most affordable to date, at just $129.
For this, you get a 2.4 inch screen, a 2MP rear camera, with a 0.3MP front facing snapper, and Bluetooth connectivity.
There’s an impressive 2500mAh li-ion battery, which offers approximately 15 day standby and a 40 hour talk time; and a 4G connection with the ability to turn the phone into Wi-Fi hotspot and share your mobile data to other devices.
Being a rugged phone, it sports a IP68 rating, meaning it can be dunked in a metre of water for half an hour without failing, and won’t be impacted by dust; and a robust build reinforced for shock, vibrations, water, and even sand.
The inbuilt KaiOS operating system features built in apps, including YouTube and Facebook, and can be fitted with a 64GB SD card.
Elsewhere in the rugged range, there are phones ranging from $129 up to the $399 Aspire R8.
The closest thing to the R40 is the similar Cat B40, which retails for $169, or the Cat S42 H+, which sells for $399.
