Alcatel’s New Phones Prove Budget Doesn’t Mean Cheap

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Alcatel 5

TCL Communications has come to Mobile World Congress with a fleet of new budget phones, including a new smartphone that is truly one of a kind. After announcing their two new Alcatel tablets, TCL Communication is modernizing their Alcatel smartphones by bringing flagship-style features and premium designs in their new 5, 3 and 1 series.

The 5, 3, and 1 series phones feature Alcatel-exclusive features such as Face Key for facial recognition,. And if you’re concerned about your phone’s security, Alcatel will be offering regular Android software updates on a quarterly basis.

The entire line up sports 18:9 displays as a new standard. However, each of the three series, have some features that set each other apart.

The Alcatel 5 will feature Face Key which allows you to unlock your device by simply looking at it. Both the Alcatel 5 and Alcatel 3 feature a neat and quite unique Fingerprint Sensor functionality that allows you to unlock different apps with different fingers.

That’s a feature we’ve LONG wanted from other companies, so we’re ecstatic that Alcatel is the first out the door for this.

Alcatel 5

Think of the Alcatel 5 as more a budget-friendly flagship; it’s loaded with features such as a bezel-less 5.7-inch display, a 13MP f/2.0 front-facing camera for all of your selfies, and a secondary 5mp 120-degree super wide-angle lens with Flash.

What I like about the 5 is that the fingerprint sensor is on the back of the device, making it convenient to hold and even more practical to use. Available in Metallic Black and Metallic Gold, it will cost 229.99 EUR and is currently available now.

Alcatel 3

The Alcatel 3 has a lot of the internal features found in the Alcatel 5, including the FullView 18:9, but also comes with 2.5D contoured edge glass and a comfortable curved backing which is great for ergonomics. On top of that, you’ll get dual rear cameras including a 12MP camera paired with a 2mp secondary depth camera with LED Flash that will always get that perfect shot.

What’s more, the Alcatel 3 series (3v, 3x and 3 series) all have their own display differences that set them apart. For instance, the 3V has a 6-inch 2k display, while the 3x sports a 5.7-inch IPS display, with the Alcatel 3 having a 5.5-inch IPS display. Available in a multitude of colors, the base price for the 3 series starts at 149.99 EUR for the Alcatel 3; it’s available now.

Alcatel 1x

Finally there’s the Alcatel 1 Series, which is the more affordable of the three, but still provides a lot of the same technology.

All of this, without the bulk – the Alcatel 1x is the first device under 100 EUR to sport an 18:9 display. There are other premium features like the Face Key functionality and a fingerprint sensor too, which are both impressive at this price point.

There will be two models of the Alcatel 1x, with single or dual-SIM options, running at 99.99 EUR or 109.99 EUR respectively. Coming in a finish of black and blue, the 1x will be available in April.

For more information on any of Alcatel’s new 18:9 Smartphones, you can head over to their site.

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About the Author

Greg Alston
Diehard Apple fanboy, and lover of all things tech. Born and raised in Washington, DC, Greg enjoys spending time with his wife, family, and friends, live sporting events, good bourbon, Tetris, and pizza. In that order.