Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.
If you can get past the wide notch, the Alcatel 5V ain't half bad
- Alcatel quietly announced the Alcatel 5V, a new mid-range smartphone.
- The phone features a very wide display notch, dual cameras, and Android 8.1 Oreo.
- The Alcatel 5V launches in select markets sometime in July.
Alcatel has been releasing a slew of low-end and mid-range smartphones lately, and today it quietly released one more. The new Alcatel 5V is the latest entry to the company’s mid-range lineup and is expected to compete with Motorola’s new Moto G6.
For a number of you, the Alcatel 5V’s story either starts or ends with the display notch. Unlike the LG G7 ThinQ’s and OnePlus 6’s notches, which are small by comparison, the Alcatel 5V’s is rather wide. The notch is reminiscent of the iPhone X’s in terms of size, though there is no special hardware to take up that space.
If you can get past the notch, almost everything else about the Alcatel 5V is rather decent. The phone features a 6.2-inch 19:9 display with Full HD+ (1,500 x 720) resolution, dual 12MP and 2MP rear cameras, an 8MP selfie camera, rear fingerprint sensor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage, and a 4,000mAh battery.
The octa-core MediaTek Helio P22 makes us wonder what software support looks like. At least the Alcatel 5V runs Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box, keeps the headphone jack intact, and features Google Lens integration in the stock camera app.
Finally, the phone features a glass back that feels nice but will not mingle nicely with the floor if you drop it.
Compared to the Moto G6, the Alcatel 5V surprisingly keeps up in most aspects, including pricing. Whereas the Moto G6 sells for $250, the Alcatel 5V costs $200.
The big question is availability. The Alcatel 5V will launch in “select markets” sometime this month, though we do not know if those markets include the U.S.