Alcatel announces 3 new phones, one new tablet (hands-on)

Alcatel just took the veil off three new handsets — the Alcatel 1s, Alcatel 3, and Alcatel 3L. All three handsets are mid-rangers designed with budget conscientious buyers in mind. Additionally, the company also showed off its new tablet.

We had the opportunity to check out Alcatel’s latest ahead of the unveiling, so let’s jump right into this quick hands-on.

Alcatel 1S

The most entry-level member of the family is the Alcatel 1s, powered by a modest Spreadtrum SC9863 processor and 3GB of RAM. Other core specs include 32GB storage, microSD, a 5.5-inch 18:9 HD+ display, a fingerprint sensor, and a 3,060mAh battery.

The 1S features a dual rear camera, with a 13MP primary sensor, and a 2MP secondary sensor. While this is far from a high-end setup, it does include a few extra features like artificial bokeh effects and AI scene detection. On the front is a 5MP camera with standard features like a face beautification mode to help you step up your selfie game.

Despite its metallic-like finish, the Alcatel 1S has a plastic chassis, which isn’t too surprising for a budget device. Plastic isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it tends to be very durable. The design still looks and feels good as well, though it’s obviously a little generic.

The Alcatel 1S will arrive to Europe in Q2 2019 with a starting price of €109 (~$124), with your choice of four colors: black, blue, rose, and gold.

Alcatel 3L

Next up is the Alcatel 3L, powered by a Snapdragon 429 with just 2GB of RAM. While a Snapdragon processor is favorable to the Spreadtrum chip found in the 1S, 2GB is fairly low even for a budget device in 2019.

Up front you’ll find a 5.94-inch HD+ display with a very small notch for the front-facing 8MP camera. Speaking of cameras, the rear setup is a dual-configuration with a 13MP main sensor and a secondary 5MP sensor. Like the 1S you’ll get features like bokeh blur and AI scene detection. There’s also Google Lens support included.

Other core specs include 16GB storage with microSD for expansion, a headphone jack, fingerprint sensor, and a 3,500 mAh battery. Unfortunately the software powering it is Android 8.0 Oreo. This is a bit disappointing for 2019, but Alcatel says that the Pie update is coming in Q2 and hinted that it could arrive within days or weeks after the phone lands into consumer hands.

The Alcatel 3L is definitely more attractive than the 1S, with a beautiful front display and a more elegant metallic rear.

The 3L will arrive to Europe in Q2 2019 starting at €139 (~$158) and will be offered in Anthracite Black or Metallic Blue.

Alcatel 3

If you prefer the 3L’s design but found the low RAM and storage disappointing, the Alcatel 3 might be more your speed. The Alcatel 3 features the same display, camera, and design as its L variant but upgrades several key features.

The Alcatel 3 trades in the Snapdragon 429 for a slightly faster 439 and comes in two different storage RAM configurations: 32GB/3GB of RAM and 64GB/4GB of RAM. The 3 also has Android 9 Pie out of the box and a few extra software features like AR emojis.

Other than this, the only other change is the gradient colors that help the design pop and makes the Alcatel 3 much more of a head-turner than the rest of the line. There are two different color choices here, Gradient Black Blue and Gradient Blue Purple.

The Alcatel 3 will arrive to Europe in Q2 and will be priced at €159 (~$180) for the base model and €189 (~$214) for the variant with 4GB of RAM.

Alcatel 3T

The Alcatel 3T isn’t exactly a true smart display, but it sort of functions as one. This tablet features far-field recognition of up to three meters, so you can trigger Google Assistant hands-free.

The 3T has an unspecified processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB of storage (with microSD support). There’s also a 2MP front and rear camera, a 10-inch 800×1280 display, and 2 speakers built into the device. The battery is pretty typical for an entry-level tablet though far from large at 4,080 mAh. Running everything is Android 9 Pie.

The Alcatel 3T isn’t going to blow anyone away, but it’s a solid budget tablet that is perfect for those looking for a tablet that also happens to function as a smart display/speaker of sorts.

There’s also an optional Audio Dock that includes two 5W speakers and double bass enhancement units for deep distortion-free sound (or so says Alcatel). It even includes an integrated 2,000 mAh battery in the dock that Alcatel claims should get around 7 hours of playback.

The Alcatel 3T will be available later this year starting at €179 (~$203) or €229 (~$260) for a bundle that includes the Audio Station.