We're getting our first look at Alcatel's 2018 lineup of phones

Even though it may not be the most well-known brand in the world, Alcatel makes some pretty good smartphones. The Idol 3 and Idol 4S were very compelling budget options in their time. This year’s Idol 5S was a bit of a letdown due to a spec downgrade, but it proved that Alcatel can still make great hardware.

So, what does the future hold? If a new leak is accurate, Alcatel plans a plethora of new phones in 2018. In a tweet from Evan Blass, we’re getting a look at six new devices. According to the image, Alcatel will brand its devices in three categories this year: 1, 3, and 5.

The Alcatel 5 looks to be the flagship of the bunch. It has minimal side and bottom bezels and opts for a large forehead. We’ve seen phones with small bezels on three sides before, but they generally opt for a large chin like the Xiaomi Mi MIX. It seems that Alcatel is taking the opposite route here and keeping the earpiece, camera, and sensors on the top of the phone.

The four different Alcatel 3 models include the 3v, 3x, 3, and 3c. We don’t have the specs for the devices yet, so all bets are off as to their prices. The 3v, 3x, and 3 all have rear-mounted fingerprint scanners, while it appears that only the 3v and 3x have dual-camera setups. It looks like the 3c will be the device tasked with bridging the gap between the mid-tier 3 series and the budget 1 series.

Juch like the rest of the devices, we don’t have any specs for the Alcatel 1x. We can tell that it doesn’t have a visible fingerprint scanner and only a single camera on the rear of the phone. It also looks to have a little cheaper build quality with just a plastic backing.

If we’re seeing leaks of these devices now, that means they’re probably going to be announced sometime in the next couple of months. CES kicks off in Las Vegas on Sunday, January 7, and Alcatel has been known to show off devices at the trade show in the past.