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The US will get its first taste of Android Go next week with the Alcatel 1X
- The Alcatel 1X will be available sometime next week through Amazon, with other retailers to follow.
- Alcatel announced the 1X during MWC 2018 as the company’s first Android Go smartphone.
- The 1X will sell for $100 unlocked and work on GSM networks.
With ZTE’s Android Go smartphone on the back-burner due to the company’s ongoing issues with the U.S. government, Alcatel looks to fill the void and launch its Android Go-powered 1X smartphone in the U.S. sometime next week.
The 1X will first be available through Amazon, though the phone will also be available through Best Buy and Walmart in the coming weeks. Regardless of where it is sold, the 1X will go for $100 unlocked and work on GSM networks.
As a refresher, the 1X features a 5.3-inch, 960 x 480 resolution display with an 18:9 aspect ratio, 8MP main camera, 5MP selfie sensor, quad-core MediaTek MT6739 chipset, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, and a 2,460mAh battery. The phone features no fingerprint sensor or face unlock, so you must rely on a pattern, PIN, or password to get in.
The specifications might not be exciting, but keep in mind that the 1X runs the Android Oreo version of Android Go. Apart from a slimmed-down operating system, the Android Go platform also features a set of slimmed-down Go apps. These apps include Assistant Go, YouTube Go, Files Go, and several more, with every Go app taking up very little space and using relatively less data than their regular versions.
Even with the slimmed-down software, we encountered quite a bit of jank when we used the 1X during MWC 2018. Also of concern is the update situation, with Alcatel saying that the 1X will receive “regular Android security updates, on a minimum quarterly basis.”
Even so, the 1X is an enticing option for those wanting their first smartphone or an option for the younger and older folks among us.