Alcatel launches three new affordable smartphones at MWC 2017

Despite competing against big name manufacturers and their flagships, Alcatel has had a strong showing at MWC for the past few years, with their “premium mid-range” Idol series at the front and center. This time around, we may not have gotten the latest addition to that series as expected, but the company has just taken the wraps off three new affordable smartphones that offer some unique capabilities.

Here is all you need to know about the Alcatel U5, A3, and A5 LED!

Alcatel U5

Starting with the Alcatel U5, the company is billing this phone as the most affordable phone with a 5-inch display and 4G LTE capabilities. The specifications do fall at the lower-end of the spectrum, with it featuring a display resolution of 480 x 854, a 1.1 GHz quad-core MT6737M processor, 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of built-in storage, microSD card support, a 5 MP rear camera and a 2 MP front-facing shooter with both including an LED flash, and a 2,050 mAh battery.

Alcatel A3

Next up is what Alcatel is calling the affordable phone with a 5-inch HD display, the A3. The specifications are a step above the U5, with the A5 coming with a 1.25 GHz quad-core MT6737 processor, 1.5 GB of RAM, 16 GB of built-in storage, microSD card support, a 13 MP rear camera and a 5 MP front-facing unit, and a 2,460 mAh battery. An extra layer of security is available with the presence of a fingerprint scanner on the back, that can also be used to take selfies with one touch.

Alcatel A5 LED

Finally, we get to the most unique smartphone of the bunch, the Alcatel A5 LED. As the name suggests, the phone comes with special LED covers that can be setup to perform a variety of light shows. For example, you can have different patterns and colors for different contacts and type of notifications, or set up unique LED cover patterns and themes for a new look everyday. You can also add an extra element to your music listening experience, with the LEDs lighting up and moving along with your tunes.

On the specifications front, the A5 LED comes with a 5.2-inch display with a 720 x 1280 resolution, a 1.5 GHz octa-core MT6753 processor, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of on-board storage, microSD card support, an 8 MP rear camera and a 5 MP front-facing shooter, both with a LED flash, and a 2,800 mAh battery.

Wrap up

All three smartphones are running Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which is disappointing to see regardless of how affordable a device may be. The A3 and the U5 also come with special capabilities when it comes to your selfie taking needs, with features like Face Mask, Face Show, Selfie Album, Face Beauty, and more available.

While affordable has been a big key word when talking about all three of these smartphones, the actual pricing and availability information is not known yet. Considering their specifications and features, they will have to be extremely low-cost to be competitive in this space, with only the A5 LED capable of requiring a slight premium because of its unique feature.

What do you think about Alcatel’s latest affordable smartphone offerings? Is the unique feature of the A5 LED something you will be interested in? Let us know in the comments section below, and stay tuned with Android Authority as we continue to bring you more great coverage from MWC 2017!