Alcatel Onyx brings an 18:9 display, dual cameras, and facial recognition on the cheap

Alcatel and prepaid carrier Cricket Wireless have announced the Alcatel Onyx, the latest smartphone to bring tall displays and dual cameras to the budget-conscious masses.

Announced during CES 2019 as the Alcatel 1X, the Onyx features a 5.5-inch display with HD+ (1,440 x 720) resolution. The display makes use of Dragontrail glass, which features the same hardness of seven as Gorilla Glass 4 on the Mohs scale. That said, Dragontrail doesn’t withstand drops as well as Gorilla Glass.

Above the display is a 5-megapixel camera that supports Alcatel’s Face Key facial recognition. Face Key uses the front-facing camera to detect 100 points on your face and verify your identity. The relatively low number of points means that Face Key could theoretically be fooled with a detailed picture.

There’s a fingerprint sensor around back if you want another option for added security. Also around back are the dual 13 and 2MP cameras, along with the suede-like finish that also envelops half of the left and right sides.

Under the hood, the Onyx features the quad-core MediaTek MT6739 processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage, and a 3,000mAh battery. Finally, the phone runs Android 8.1 Oreo, even though we’re now in January 2019.

The Onyx is only available through Cricket Wireless for $119.99; pick it up via the link below, if you’re interested.