US$ 217 US$ 159.00

There is always one way for a new mobile phone brand name to pave its way to fame – a flattering price. i-mate seems to know this golden rule very well to have attached its featureful new phone Ultimate 8502 such a welcoming price tag. It is difficult not to give this newcomer a closer look.

The box is pretty contentful: the phone, a battery, a charger, a data cable, an AV cable, a stereo handsfree, a leather case, two Styluses, a CD ROM and a user’s guide.

The i-mate Ultimate 8502 has a modest design. The phone is 15mm thick and 140g, a little thicker and heftier than its pricier competition. However, it is still a favorable trade off I would say. The 2.6 inch touchscreen is alright. The TFT screen is good enough for video streaming and you can also connect it to your big screen TV or projector, how convenient is that?

The keypad is a nice surprise. We always want a finger friendly pad to type faster but a smaller, more portable phone. Ultimate 8502 has protruding keys that are prominent enough for speedy typing. You have got a joystick for navigation which I find helpful.

Here on the top you will find the power button.

You do get a 3.5mm jack for your personal earphones. It is accompanied by a mini-USB portal.

A jog dial and an OK button are laid on the left side.

The right side houses a volume rocker and the camera key and yes it indeed looks pretty thick. The camera is only 2.0MP assisted with LED flash, perhaps a little underwhelming when we are all spoiled by high-pixel camera phone.

You can (only) extend the memory up to 2GB with MicroSD, sorry!

Ultimate 8502 is operating on Windows Mobile 6.0. Professional. Can’t imagine a phone with this price can be smart as this? You bet!

You’ve got Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, HSDPA on board. I have only one word for it: impressive!

i-mate Ultimate 8502 Video Review