Dick Smith offering the Alcatel OneTouch Pixi for $99

Not everyone needs a top of the line handset, and some simply choose a cheaper, more affordable phone. Some people can think of better things to spend their coin on, and we respect that. If you’re in the market for a cheap, entry level Android powered smartphone for yourself, your kids, grandma or just as a back up smartphone, then Dick Smith might have the answer for you.

The Alcatel OneTouch Pixi isn’t going to give you high end specs. Alcatel normally aim for the entry level market, but the specs for the OneTouch Pixi really aren’t too bad considering it’s a basic handset.

The full list of specs include:

• 3.5″TFT touchscreen – 320 x 480 pixels (165 ppi)
• 512 MB ROM
• 256 MB RAM
• 1 GHz CPU
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
• 2MP rear facing camera
• Android v2.3
• Wireless connectivity:
  • 2G / GSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
  • 3G: 850 / 2100 MHz

With these specs, there’s a few things to point out. First and foremost is the older version of the Android OS — Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) is quite old, and there are a good number of apps that do require a newer version than this. However, for basic needs, this won’t affect you too significantly. Your bread and butter apps for a basic smartphone, like email, web browsing, and social networking will probably function okay on this handset. More powerful, resource intensive apps probably won’t work too well.

With 256MB of RAM, you’re really not going to be able to install too many apps before running out of room, so you’re looking at keeping it simple if you’re after a handset in this price bracket. Otherwise, the features are fairly respectable, and will certainly allow someone who’s previously gotten by with a feature phone or your old Nokia to enter the smartphone world for under $100.

You can view the full list of spec via GSM Arena, and you can purchase Alcatel OneTouch Pixi through the Dick Smith Website or from your local store.

Are you in the market for a cheap Android smartphone? Does this offer tempt you to consider buying the OneTouch Pixi?