Alcatel One Touch Hero hands-on and first impressions

Back in early September Alcatel officially took the wraps off its One Touch Hero, a 6-inch handset with reasonably decent specs and a price tag aimed around the $350 mark. Now that it has been a few months since the handset was first unveiled, we managed to get a look at the handset for ourselves on the showroom floor at CES last week.

In Josh Vergara’s hands-on preview, we take a look at what to expect from the 6-inch budget handset. In particular, Vergara notes that the 1080p 6-inch IPS display is rather impressive with great colors and very good vibrancy, which should provide an excellent viewing experience.

Alcatel One Touch Hero specifications

• 1.5GHz quad-core MediaTek CPU
• 2GB of RAM
• Display: 6-inch IPS display with a 1080p resolution, 367ppi
• Internal storage: 8GB storage, microSD for up to 32GB expansion
• Cameras: 13MP rear, 2MP front
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, NFC, DLNA, microUSB, GPS
• Sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope, compass
• Networks: GSM, HSDPA+
• Battery: 3400mAh
• Dimensions: 158.5 x 80.6 x 8.5 mm, 178 grams
• OS: Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with custom UI

Although the One Touch Hero packs a solid display, the rest of the specs aren’t exactly what we’d call amazing. The quad-core MediaTek CPU should be enough to provide a decent Android experience for those with more modest needs, however.

When quickly paging through the UI, Josh notices that the experience is very fluid, with the exception of the notifications menu with shows a minor bit of sluggishness. Still, for a 6-inch handset with a 1080p display and a price tag that will be at or under $350, it’s hard to complain. Unfortunately, the handset is currently only being aimed at the Asian market, though Alcatel is at least exploring the option of bringing the handset to other markets in the future.

What do you think of the One Touch Hero, if it debuted to your market with a sub-$350 price tag, would you be interested in picking it up?