It’s not so often you see something come out that makes you do a double-take and wonder if you’re really seeing what you’re seeing.
This was the case when I happened upon Neo’s newly released MC K13. The phone actually has physical keys. Not in a yesteryear slide-out style, but in an even older style – T9 and part of the face of the phone!
Neo is well known for their Neo N002 and Neo N003. We have yet to hear about any planned MT6592 model from Neo, but surely something is in the works. In the meantime we have this little oddity to post about.
Blackberry obviously has their QWERTY keyboard, but this is something different, as it’s T9. T9 is the old style of phone where the keys make up a 3×4 or 4×3 grid. T9 phones themselves aren’t rare at all. They probably make up the majority of phones in the world. What’s rare is that it’s got Android 4.2, a 1.3GHz CPU, and a 3.5″ LCD.
The other specs are somewhat less than spectacular. 480×320, 256MB RAM, 512MB ROM. The SoC is MTK6572M. You might think 320p is terrible, and you’d be correct that it’s not stellar, however on a 3.5″ LCD it’s not so bad coming in at 161ppi.
Once again we have some discrepancy with China brand band coverage. The official site shows in the marketing tab that the MC K13 is GSM+TD, but then two lines later shows 850/900/1800/1900GSM and 850/2100WCDMA , while in the spec tab it shows GSM, then band coverage as 900/1800GSM + 850/2100WCDMA + 1900/2100TD-SCDMA. Even after writing about and enjoying China brands for so long, it still hasn’t ceased to amaze me the lack of attention to things like this from a well known corporation. That’s a rant for another day though.
The price is set at 399 yuan (65 USD). While the MC K13 isn’t something to get super excited about, I do find it very interesting and like to write about these oddities when they come about.
Neo obviously thinks there’s a market for the phone. I for one wouldn’t mind having it for the uniqueness factor, though we would have liked to see slightly higher RAM and storage – perhaps 512/1GB would have been more appropriate.
It's not so often you see something come out that makes you do a double-take and wonder if you're really seeing what you're seeing.
This was the case when I happened upon Neo's newly released MC K13. The phone actually has physical keys. Not in a yesteryear slide-out style,...
<img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2836" alt="mc-t13-mtk6572m" src="http://www.gizbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/mc-t13-mtk6572m-300x350.jpg" width="300" height="350" />It's not so often you see something come out that makes you do a double-take and wonder if you're really seeing what you're seeing. <span id="more-2835"></span>
This was the case when I happened upon Neo's newly released MC K13. The phone actually has physical keys. Not in a yesteryear slide-out style, but in an even older style - T9 and part of the face of the phone!
Neo is well known for their <a title="Neo N02-M! Top-Pick China Phone With Hot Specs!" href="http://www.gizbeat.com/1289/neo-n02-m-top-pick-budget-phone-with-hot-specs/">Neo N002</a> and <a title="Neo N003 – MTK6588 / MTK6589 Phone In The Works!" href="http://www.gizbeat.com/1514/neo-n003-mtk6588-mtk6589-phone-in-the-works/">Neo N003</a>. We have yet to hear about any planned MT6592 model from Neo, but surely something is in the works. In the meantime we have this little oddity to post about.
Blackberry obviously has their QWERTY keyboard, but this is something different, as it's T9. T9 is the old style of phone where the keys make up a 3x4 or 4x3 grid. T9 phones themselves aren't rare at all. They probably make up the majority of phones in the world. What's rare is that it's got Android 4.2, a 1.3GHz CPU, and a 3.5" LCD.
The other specs are somewhat less than spectacular. 480x320, 256MB RAM, 512MB ROM. The SoC is MTK6572M. You might think 320p is terrible, and you'd be correct that it's not stellar, however on a 3.5" LCD it's not so bad coming in at 161ppi.
<img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-2841" alt="neo-what-2" src="http://www.gizbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/neo-what-21-450x223.jpg" width="450" height="223" />
Once again we have some discrepancy with China brand band coverage. The official site shows in the marketing tab that the MC K13 is GSM+TD, but then two lines later shows 850/900/1800/1900GSM and 850/2100WCDMA , while in the spec tab it shows GSM, then band coverage as 900/1800GSM + 850/2100WCDMA + 1900/2100TD-SCDMA. Even after writing about and enjoying China brands for so long, it still hasn't ceased to amaze me the lack of attention to things like this from a well known corporation. That's a rant for another day though.
The price is set at 399 yuan (65 USD). While the MC K13 isn't something to get super excited about, I do find it very interesting and like to write about these oddities when they come about.
Neo obviously thinks there's a market for the phone. I for one wouldn't mind having it for the uniqueness factor, though we would have liked to see slightly higher RAM and storage - perhaps 512/1GB would have been more appropriate.
Damian Parsonshttps://plus.google.com/107879368390224447304admin@gizbeat.comAdministratorHi, I'm Damian Parsons. I've been working with Android phones since the first Droid came out. I'm fascinated by computers and technology. My first BBS were ran on an old Apple IIc and Commodore 64. I work hard to bring the latest updates to you every day - without all the boring fluff. Please subscribe to keep up on the newest China tech.
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Damian Parsons -December 26th, 2013 at 10:01 pmnone
Comment author #9496 on Neo Releases Phone With T9 Physical Buttons! by GizBeat
Plus it just feels good to push buttons :)
Also, 3.5″ is not so small. Apple used it with iPhone all the way through iPhone 4, so it wasn’t too long ago that this was the standard size LCD.
Damian ParsonsMember of GizBeatAdministratorPlus it just feels good to push buttons :)
Also, 3.5" is not so small. Apple used it with iPhone all the way through iPhone 4, so it wasn't too long ago that this was the standard size LCD.
It’s not so often you see something come out that makes you do a double-take and wonder if you’re really seeing what you’re seeing. 
very interesting, there are many people yet need a physical alpharethmetic keyboard for blind texting
gerstavrosPublic CommentUservery interesting, there are many people yet need a physical alpharethmetic keyboard for blind textingPlus it just feels good to push buttons :)
Also, 3.5″ is not so small. Apple used it with iPhone all the way through iPhone 4, so it wasn’t too long ago that this was the standard size LCD.
Damian ParsonsMember of GizBeatAdministratorPlus it just feels good to push buttons :) Also, 3.5" is not so small. Apple used it with iPhone all the way through iPhone 4, so it wasn't too long ago that this was the standard size LCD.