After leaking back in October, Telstra has today officially unveiled the Telstra Tough Max 2, a ruggedised phone that includes their much vaunted ‘Blue Tick’ certification and enough protection to run it through a full days work no matter what your occupation.
As usual the Telstra Tough Max 2 is a rebadged handset with ZTE again doing the work with the phone listed as a T85 on their website. The ZTE website also lists support for Qi Wireless charging for anyone looking for that wireless option.
The Tough Max 2 is available from both Telstra and JB Hi-Fi on a range of plans, with the phone coming with no additional payments for those opting for the $79/mth Go Mobile Plus and above which also includes 5GB of data. A 12-month subscription for a Foxtel Now Starter Pack which is valued at up to $420 is also included, letting you choose between Pop, Drama, Docos, Kids, and Lifestyle options.
The phone comes with Corning Gorilla Glass covering the screen, a rubber casing around the edges to protect it from knocks and bumps and an IP67 water and dust resistance rating – it can be in up to 1m of water for up to 30m – allowing for protection against the elements.
Spec wise, the phone has a 5″ HD (1280×720) resolution display while under the hood is a Qualcomm (neither Telstra nor ZTE say which) Octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of on-board storage which you can add to with a microSD card (up to 128GB). A 16MP rear camera and 8MP front facing camera are included as well.
Full specs include:
- 5″ HD (1280×720) resolution display with Corning Gorilla Glass
- 1.4Ghz Octa-core SoC
- 3GB RAM
- 32GB ROM with microSD Card slot up to 128GB
- 16MP PDAF Rear camera with LED Flash and 8MP Front camera
- Wi-Fi 802.11/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, A-GPS, NFC, FM Radio
- Rear Fingerprint Sensor
- Nano-SIM with Blue Tick
- 3G Network: 850/2100
- 4G Network: B1/3/7/8/28
- Android N
- 3,000mAh battery with Quick Charge 2 & QI Wireless Charging
- 146.4 × 72 × 11.9mm @ 153 grams
The inclusion of Telstra’s Blue Tick certification means that the phone is ideal for users in reginla areas, and as a bonus it also includes an external RF port for enhanced rural coverage.
The phone is available now, and you can check it out on the Telstra (or ZTE) websites
Qi charging from Telstra? Well done! Even some of the major phone manufacturers are still behind the times, and Telstra beat them. That’s saying something lol
It’s to do ( mainly ) with material build… can’t have metal backs and wireless charging ( yet )… so samsung has had it for years as they went from plastic to glass…… and up until 6P, nexus phones has had it..even the old Nexus 7 2013 had it! But the likes of HTC and LG that went metal could not have it… and it of course ruled out all the iphone clones from Hawawei, Oppo etc etc..