We didn’t test slider phones for a long time already. But today we shall do our best to remedy this omission and are glad to present you a review of a new slider phone: the Alcatel OT-606 . This device features a standard keypad and a sliding QWERTY keyboard.

The retail package is standard issue stuff. In the box, as well as the phone itself, there is a battery charger, a mini-jack headphones and a USB cable (Pic. 1, 2).

The handset is sleek and compact (Pic. 3 – 5). It doesn’t look like the majority of slider phones because it is slim in shape and weight. However, this design has a bad impact on the phone’s battery lifetime. The Alcatel OT-606 is powered by 670 mAh LI-Ion battery.

We tested the two mobile phone samples at the same time. Now we’ll tell you everything in order.

The Alcatel OT-606’s stress tests (the 1st sample)

1. Reception quality

We tested the phone’s reception quality before performing the tough stress tests that are dangerous for the electronic components. We covered a cardboard box with foil. Then we cut a slot into the top of the lid that was also covered with foil. Finally, we placed the phone inside the box, lidded it and started to make calls.

We performed this test in three stages. The slot dimensions into the lid were 40 mm by 50 mm (1.57-inch by 1.97-inch), 20 mm by 20 mm (0.787-inch by 0.787-inch) and 15 mm by 15 mm (0.59-inch by 0.59-inch) respectively for every stage (video 1 – 3).

The Alcatel OT-606 uses a set of 5 bars to display the strength of the signal . At the first and the second stage the reception was displayed by 3 bars and at the third stage only by 2 bars. But it didn’t hinder the phone to receive all incoming calls.

Video 1. Reception quality (stage 1)

Video 2. Reception quality (stage 2)

Video 3. Reception quality (stage 3)

Grade (stage 1): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 2): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 3): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

2. Freeze test

In order to check the Alcatel OT-606’s performance in extremely cold weather we placed it in the freezer with -15…-20 °N~ (5….-4 °F). The phone was left it there in speaking mode for 2 hours and for 30 minutes in stand by mode.

When the test was finished we examined the device (video 4). Surprisingly, the cell battery stayed absolutely powerful. The display malfunctioned a litlle bit. The back light started to blink probably because the condensate appeared on the current conductor elements. The rubber keyboard became stiff but worked pretty fine.

Finally, we took out the battery out of its compartment and dried the phone out. Soon the device performed with no problem.

Video 4. Here’s how the phone looks like after the freeze test.

Grade: 2 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

3. Short circuit of the battery charger

We started to test the Alcatel OT-606’s electronic components. At first we shorted the battery charger. Actually, we connected the terminals of the battery charger for a second (video 5).

The battery charger successfully passed this test.

Video 5. Short circuit of the battery charger

Grade: 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

4. Short circuit of the battery

Next, we shorted the battery (video 6).

Everu cell battery has a small microchip that protewcts it from reverse polarity and short circuits. Otherwise the cell battery can be damaged or even explode. But usually this system works fine and the Alcatel OT-606’s battery survived the short circuit.

Video 6. Short circuit of the battery

Grade: 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

5. Charging the phone with extremely high and low voltage

This is the stress test of the phone itself. First of all we checked the Alcatel’s reaction to the extremely high and low charging voltage. We plugged the regulated power supply into the outlet. Then we plugged one end of the USB cable to the regulated power supply and the other end to the charger jack of the phone. After that we started to increase the charging voltage from the nominal 5 V to 8 V (video 7).

The device showed good results in this test. It gave a warning that the charging was stopped and it was true. The current consumption was normal during the whole experiment.

Video 7. Charging the phone at a higher rate

Grade: 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

6. Providing the phone with extremely high and low power

After testing the charging circuit we checked how the power circuit can withstand overvoltage. We lifted the battery out of its compartment and connected the regulated power supply into the phone directly. Then we started to increase the power slowly from 4 V to 7 V (video 8).

As a result, the current consumption was increased 5 times and amounted to 0.5 A. It proves that this phone can’t withstand such a high voltage. Hower, the Alcatel showed no damage and stayed functional after this tough test.

Video 8. Providing the phone with incorrect power

Grade: 2 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

7. Leaving the cell phone out in the rain

After testing the Alcatel’s electrical circuit we started a series of water tests that are also dangerous for the phone.

At first, we saimulated the situation when a person leaves his/her cell phone out in the rain (video 6). Actually, we put the Alcatel OT-606 under the low-flow shower for 1 munute. That was enough time for water to penetrate under the keypad (Pic. 6) and under the battery (Pic. 7). The exposed USB port was also filled with water (Pic. 8).

In general the wet mobile phone performed fine despite the speaker which became more silent than it had been before the test. We dried the handset for an hour and the speaker became loud again.

Video 9. Leaving the cell phone out in the rain

Grade: 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

8. Submerge to a shallow depth

In this test we submerged the phone for 20 seconds (video 10).

The result was almost the same as in the previous test. The only difference was the battery. We didn’t many drops of water on it.

Video 10. Submerge to a shallow depth

Grade: 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

9. Submerge to a depth of one meter (3.28 feet) for 20 seconds

we made the conditions a little bit tougher. This time we dunked the Alcatel OT-606 under water to a depth of one meter (3.28 feet). We used a special pipe for that.

Had we dunked the device under water it switched itself off and showed no reaction when we tried to turn it on (video 12). We saw water leaking out of the phone which proves that it penetrated deep the casing.

We dried the Alcatel for pretty long period of time and only then we could turn it on. Fortunately, the phone worked with no problem.

Video 11. Here’s how the pipe looks like

Video 12. Submerge to a depth of 100 cm (3.28 feet)

Grade: 2 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

10. Submerge to a depth of one meter for 30 minutes

Only IPx1-IPx6 waterproof cell phones are allowed for this test.
Grade: –

11. Submerge to a depth of two meters

Only IPx7 waterproof cell phones are allowed for this test.
Grade: –

12. Immersion in beer

Beer is the most popular alcoholic drink in the world and anyone can spilt beer on his/her mobile phone. In this test we found out what would happen with the Alcatel OT-606 if we immersed it in beer. So we dunked it under beer for 10 seconds (video 13).

The beer penetrated as deep as water in the “shower test”. But the result was worse. The phone stuck in headphone mode because beer penetrated in the headphone jack. So it was impossible to use the keypad (dial a number). The speaker and the microphone were switched off.

When the test was finished we gently washed the phone with water and dried it out. After that, the device started to work fine again and didn’t stick in headphone mode any more.

Video 13. Immersion in beer

Grade: 2 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

13. Disassembling. Build quality

After all the tests we disassembled the Alcatel OT-606’s first sample (Pic. 9). It wasn’t easy because we had to remove the 14 screws. The interior is nothing out of the common, the same as of the other slider phones within this price range. There are some steel shields on the circuit board (Pic. 10, 11). Under one of the shields we found a processor that was compounded. This design makes it difficult to repair the phone (e.g. to remove the processor). The keyboard is located on the circuit board.

We noticed rust only on one of the metallic shields and didn’t see any signs of corrosion on the circuit board. It was partly covered with film.

Grade: 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

14. Headphone cable testing (bending)

Sooner or later all headphone cables are damaged because of infinite bending and the headphones become useless. We tried to simulate such situation and bended the cable of the Alcatel’s headphones many times. Actually we locked the cable in a special device (video 14). The test was divided into 3 stages: 1000, 1500, 2000 bends respectively.

After the test, the headphones continued to weork with no problem.

Video 14. Bending of the headphone cable

Grade (stage 1): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 2): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 3): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

8. Headphone cable testing (static loads)

This time we tried to break the cable by hanging three loads on it in turns like people hang their clothes on the clothesline (video 15). Every load weighed 1 kg (2.2 lbs).

We should say that the cable can stand 3 kg (2.2 lbs) with no problem. The headphones showed no visible damage and worked fine afterwards.

Video 15. Headphone cable testing (static loads)

Grade (stage 1): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 2): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 3): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

The stress tests of the Alcatel OT-606 (sample 2)

1. Cell phone’s reception

First of all we checked the reception quality of the Alcatel OT-606’s second sample. The conditions were absolutely the same as for the first sample.

The result was also the same. The phone received all incoming calls with no difficulties at every stage of the test.

Grade (stage 1): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 2): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 3): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

2. Talk time

This test promised to be interesting due to the low capacity battery (670 mAh). The manufacturer declares that the talk time is 11 hours and 10 minutes.

At first we powered the battery as much as possible. Next, we made a call and put the phone aside. The mobile network operator disconnected every hour and we had to call again and again until the battery got empty.

In 10 hours and 15 minutes the call was dropped but the phone didn’t switch itself off. This is the real talk time of the Alcatel OT-606. As we expectes, it is less than it was declared but not too much. The talk time amounted to 91 % of what was promised by the supplier. And it deserves our praise. As you can see, low capacity batteries can work as long as the batteries which capacity is twice higher. In this case a small screen and a weak processor played a very important role.

Grade: 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

3. Drops on the carpet

It’s time for a drop test now. All portable gadgets can be accidentally dropped on the floor. Manufacturers take it into consideration and test their products before launching them on the market. But we performed our own tests. At first, we dropped the Alcatel OT-606 on the carpet. The experiment was divided into three stages according to the height of falls: 100 cm (3.28 ft), 150 cm (4.9 ft) and 200 cm (6.56 ft) (video 16 – 18). At every stage we dropped the phone with each face, edge, and corner.

The phone showed no visible damage during the test. The back cover didn’t fall off.

Video 16. Drops on the carpet from 100 cm (3.28 ft)

Video 17. Drops on the carpet from 150 cm (4.9 ft)

Video 18. Drops on the carpet from 200 cm (6.56 ft)

Grade (stage 1): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 2): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 3): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

4. Drops on a tile

In this test we dropped the phone on a tile but the heights of fall were much smaller: 30 cm (11.8 inches), 50 cm (1.64 ft) and 100 cm (3.28 ft) respectively for every stage (video 19 – 21).

As a result of the falls from 50 cm (1.64 ft) the device sustained some scuffs. But it was nothing in comparison with what we saw after the third stage of the test. After one of the drops, the top section of the phone was a little bit shifted from the lower section. The slider was damaged (Pic. 12).

Video 19. Drops on the tile from 30 cm (11.8 inches)

Video 20. Drops on the tile from 50 cm (1.64 ft)

Video 21. Drops on the tile from 100 cm (3.28 ft)

Grade (stage 1): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 2): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 3): 2 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

5. Crushing the phone with a wooden bar

Some mobile phone stress tests include running over with a car. But our aim is to compare ruggedization of different phones rather than destroying them completely.

In this test, we laid a wooden bar on the phone and applied pressure above the bar: 5 kg (11 lbs), 20 kg (44 lbs) and 50 kg (110 lbs) in every stage respectively. The handset was carefully examined afterwards. As a result, the it stayed absolutely safe. We saw no signs of deformation and other visible damage. The section slid fine past each other.

Grade (stage 1): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 2): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 3): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

6. Breaking the cell phone in half (bending)

As a rule, slider phone are more difficult to be bended than candybar phones due to 2 segments of which they are composed .

In order to check how the Alcatel OT-606 withstands bending we put onto the two planks so that each edge of the phone lay on a single plank. Then we hitched a string with a load.

The first load weighed 3 kg (6.6 lbs). We saw no bend at all. Then we used a heavier load of 7 kg (15.4 lbs) and the phone was bended slightly. There was a visible bend when we used a 15 kg (33 lbs) load (Pic. 14). However, the Alcatel performed with no problem.

Grade (stage 1): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 2): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 3): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

7. Keyboard

The numeric keypad of the Alcatel OT-606 is made of a piece of rubber. A rule of thumb states that such keypads may not work fine in cold and hot weather. However, they are quite dust proof. All the keys are comfortable to use besides the keys of the lower line due to their small size. The inside QWERTY keyboard is also made of rubber. The keys are small and many users are likely to press them with their nails which will evidently make a negative impact on the appearance of the keyboard.

Grade: 2 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

8. Dust test

There is a speculation that slider phones are not dust resistant. In this test we found out how the Alcatel OT-606 can withstand dust.
We threw the phone inside a drum that was filled with dust (video 22). Then the drum was rotated as fast as possible. The test was divided into three stages: 1, 3 and 6 minutes respectively.

After the first stage of the experiment we heard an unpleasant noise when we slid the sections because dust and sand stuck between them (Pic. 15). Few grains of dust penetrated in the battery slot (Pic. 16). The USB port was quite dirty (Pic. 17). After the second stage we saw much dust in the speaker (Pic. 18). Besides dust and sand there were small pieces of steel that were attracted by the magnet of the speaker. Fortunaly, they didn’t ruin the sound quality. After the third stage, dust penetrated under the screen glass (Pic. 19). You can’t get rid of it without disassembling the phone. So we lowered the grade for the Alcatel in this test. When the test was finished we tried to slid the phone but it was pretty hard. The sections didn’t slide well. The sand that stuck between the segments scratched the phone when we slid it (Pic. 20). However, the sections became clean again very soon. The phone slid as fine as before the test.

Video 22. Dust test

Grade (stage 1): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 2): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 3): 2 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

9. Durability test

In this test we used a special vibrate pallet with plastic balls (video 23). This device helped us to simulate the phone’s contact with a rough surface (e.g. a table). The test was divided into 3 stages: 5, 10 and 15 minutes respectively. The phone (its front panel) sustained no damage.

Video 23. Durability of the front panel

Grade (stage 1): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 2): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 3): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

10. Simulation of carrying the phone in a pocket

The majority of people carry their mobile phones in pockets. Sometimes they put them in pockets together with keys, pennies and other solid things that can inflict damage to a phone. In order to find out how the Alcatel OT-606 will look like after a period of carrying in a pocket we performed the following test. We placed the phone in a special drum together with keys and pennies and rotated the drum as fast as possible (video 24). The test was divided into 3 stages: 5, 10 and 20 minutes respectively. We examined the phone after every stage of the experiment.

The matted covering of the phone is not of a high quality because it showed a lot of scuffs already after the first stage of the test (Pic. 21). We also saw deep scratches on the corners of the phone (Pic. 22, 23). All the scuffs abd scratches increased in size and number after the second stage of the test (Pic. 24). The covering was scuffed completely on the middle edge (Pic. 25). The screen sustained some small scuffs and scratches too (Pic. 26). After the third stage of the test we saw many new scratches and dents on the casing (Pic. 27) and many scuffs on the screen (Pic. 28). The area around the inside QWERTY keyboard became pale because of a great number of scratches on it (Pic. 29). By the way, the grains of sand that stuck between the sections of the slider phone during the dust test made their negative impact in this test.

The part of the phone that stayed safe after this experiment is the numeric keypad. We saw no scuffs on the rubber keys. Only three plastic keys sustained tiny scratches. Despite the phone became unattractive, it continued to work with no problem.

Video 24. Simulation of carrying the phone in a pocket

Grade (stage 1): 2 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 2): 2 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 3): 2 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

11. Scratch resistance of the screen

In order to check scratch resistance of the screen glass we scratched it with a nail for 3 times. We locked the nail in the machine that was specially devised for this test. Then we applied pressure above the nail and ran the phone over the sharp tip of the nail thus making a scratch on the screen. Each time we applied different pressure: 100 g (0.22 lbs), 300 g (0.66 lbs) and 600 g (1.3 lbs) (video 25 – 27).

At first time we didn’t manage to make any scratch (Pic. 30). The second time the scrarch was small and shallow. But when we applied 600 g (1.3 lbs) pressure we saw a visible scratch on the screen.

Video 27. Scratching the screen at the force of 100 g (0.22 lbs)

Video 28. Scratching the screen at the force of 300 (0.66 lbs)

Video 29. Scratching the screen at the force of 600 (1.3 lbs)

Grade (stage 1): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 2): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 3): 2 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

12. Scratch resistance of the back panel

The conditions of the back panel scratching were the same as for the screen (video 28 – 30).

All the three scratches were quite visible (Pic. 31). We should say that the phone is made of a low quality plastic material.

The first scratch was almost invisible. The other two were deeper (Pic. 29, video 30 – 32).

Video 28. Scratching the back panel at the force of 100 g (0.22 lbs)

Video 29. Scratching the back panel at the force of 300 (0.66 lbs)

Video 30. Scratching the back panel at the force of 600 (1.3 lbs)

Grade (stage 1): 2 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 2): 2 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 3): 2 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

13. Test of the screen glass

In this test we dropped a steel sphere on the screen from 10 cm (3.9 inches), 15 cm (5.9 inches) and from 25 cm (9.8 inches) (video 31). The diameter of the sphere is 22 mm (0.86 inches).

The screen glass survived all the attacks. We saw no cracks at all.

Video 31. Test of the screen glass

Grade (stage 1): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 2): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 3): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

14. Heat test

In this test we simulated the phone’s exposure to the sun or leaving the handset near an open fire. We placed the phone and the light bulb (40 Wt) in a small can and kept it there for three periods of time: 3, 5 and 10 minutes (video 32 – 34). We took the phone out after every stage of the test and examined it.

During the first stage of the experiment the temperature of the phone rose to 110 °N~ (230 °F). The rubber numeric keypad overswelled but all the keys worked fine. At the second stage of the test the temperature was the same. We saw a small dark spot on the display. It disappeared when the phone was cooled down. After the 10-minute heatimg the temperature of the phone rose to 130 °N~ (266 °F). We saw a dark spot on the display again. But it was large and we even couldn’t see the picture. This dark spot also disappeared and the keypad became OK. However, the screen glass was badly damaged. Actually, it was deformed by the heat. But the phone performed with no problem.

Video 32. Heating for 3 minutes

Video 33. Heating for 5 minutes

Video 34. Heating for 10 minutes

Grade (stage 1): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 2): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 3): 2 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

15. Cell phone smash

This is the last stress test in this review. We tried to break the Alcatel OT-606 by dropping it on a tile. The conditions were the same as in the drop test besides the distances: 150 cm (4.9 ft), 200 cm (6.56 ft) and 240 cm (7.87 ft) (video 35 – 37).

During the drops, the back cover fell off many times and the battery fell out of its compartment too. when the phone fell from 240 cm (7.87 ft) the SIM card was shifted. However, the device stayed absolutely functional. All the keys worked fine. The performed all its functions with no problem.

Video 35. Drops on the tile from 150 cm (4.9 ft)

Video 36. Drops on the tile from 200 cm (6.56 ft)

Video 37. Drops on the tile from 240 cm (7.87 ft)

Grade (stage 1): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 2): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)
Grade (stage 3): 3 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

16. Disassembling. Build quality

The interior of the second sample of the Alcatel OT-606 was the same as of the first one. We didn’t see any flaws. Everything was OK.

We disassembled the phone not only to check the state of the innards but also find the reason why one section of the slider was shifted against the other. The sections slide past each other on the rails. These rails leaned against a plastic area of the phone that was damaged during the drop test (Pic. 32). Besides. the screws on the top part of the phone weren’t properly driven. some of them were partly removed during the drop and durability tests.

Grade: 2 (with 3 being the highest possible grade)

All in all, the Alcatel OT-606 gains 622 point (with 702 being the highest possible grade)

Final words

Both mobile phones that we tested stayed functional. This is a good result. Their appearance after the stress tests is another question. The second sample of the Alcatel OT-606 suffered a lot and sustauned many scuffs and scratches (Pic. 33 – 36, video 38).

If we compare the fine results shown by the phones and their fails the fails will outnumber the positive results. And this is common. The Alcatel OT-606 is not a scratch resistant cell phone. It is also afraid of extremely high and low temperatures. Heat is likely to inflict a visible damage (e.g. deformation). In cold weather the keys become stiff. However, the battery stayed absolutely powerful despite the phone was left in speaking mode for two hours in the freezer. As any other slider phone, it’s better not to use the Alcatel OT-606 in dirty environment.

We can’t find any reason why this cell phone is better than its competitors. In all the stress test it showed average results. The device stayed safe during the drops from the high distances and was damaged during the drops from the relatively small distances. It continued to work fine when we treied to overcharge it. But it malfunctioned when we powered it at a higher rate. The phone survived all submersions in water but it stuck in headphone mode when we dunked it in beer.

In conclusion we can say that this low end device that is relatively cheap showed average results. So it’s a good value for money if you are not very fastidious mobile phone user and need a budget phone.

Video 38. Here’s how both samples look like after all the stress tests

Alcatel OT-606 stress test, 8.6 out of 10 based on 7 ratings