Skip to main content

Alcatel is bringing its new budget phones, the Alcatel 1X and 3V, to the U.S.

U.S. shoppers can get the ultra-cheap Alcatel 1X from Amazon starting next week

Image used with permission by copyright holder

At Mobile World Congress 2018, Alcatel announced that the Alcatel 1X and Alcatel 3V would both be making their way to the U.S.

The two phones boast some pretty decent specs for the price — and could be the phone of choice for many on a budget. Here’s everything you need to know about the phones, including when you’ll be able to get your hands on them.

Alcatel 1X

The Alcatel 1X is actually a very interesting offering. Why? It’s one of the first sub-$100 devices to offer an 18:9 display aspect ratio, which helps make it look slightly more modern than it otherwise would. Apart from the 18:9 display, you’ll also find a MediaTek MT6739, coupled with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. The 18:9 display only has a resolution of 480 x 960 — but that is to be expected from such a cheap device. The camera on the device comes in at 13 megapixels, with the front-facing camera at 5 megapixels. Last but not least, according to Alcatel, the U.S. variant of the 1X will come with a fingerprint sensor.

When it comes to software, the phone is an Android Go device — so it offers a stripped-down version of Android with stripped-down apps — all built specifically for phones with less RAM and low-power processors.

So when can you get your hands on the Alcatel 1X? Well, it’ll actually be available in the very near future. Alcatel has announced that you’ll be able to buy it in the first week of June, and it’ll be available for $99. The phone will first be available from Amazon, after which it’ll head to Best Buy and Walmart in “coming weeks.”

Alcatel 3V

The Alcatel 3V is a little more high-end. It’s actually Alcatel’s first dual-lens phone to come to the U.S. Under the hood, the phone offers a MediaTek MT8735A processor, along with 2GB of RAM and either 16GB or 32GB of storage. The rear-facing camera on the device has a dual 12-megapixel sensor, while the front-facing camera offers five megapixels. Like its less expensive sibling, the phone has an 18:9 aspect ratio display, but the resolution comes in at 1,080 x 2,160. The phone also comes with Android Oreo — but its the full version rather than the Android Go version.

We’ve actually reviewed the Alcatel 3V, and you can check out that review here.

Alcatel hasn’t said exactly when the Alcatel 3V will be available in the U.S. beyond telling us that it will be available unlocked in “coming months.” We will update this article when we get more information on pricing and availability.

Update: The Alcatel 1X will be available in the first week of June.

Christian de Looper
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
Your $1,000 flagship may not have faster 5G speeds than a budget phone
Moto Edge 20 Lite, OnePlus Nord 2, Oppo Find X3 Lite, and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3.

After spending over $1,000 on a flagship 5G phone, you might think you're getting the fastest network speeds possible. After all, isn't that what you're paying for? But our recent network testing shows that may very well not be the case, with 5G performance on flagship phones being minimally better than budget phones, and in some cases, actually worse.

To give you some context, earlier this year, we put the 5G-capable MediaTek Dimensity 700 against the Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 in a test to see which processor delivered the best 5G performance and had the best daily user experience. Six months on, we’re going to take a look at four new 5G phones with different chips to see how they compare to answer this question: Does paying more for a smartphone with a flagship processor inside give you the fastest network connection, or is it all pumped-up marketing?
Understanding 5G
Before going into the details, we received some very interesting feedback from MediaTek after our last test, which is also relevant to this one. MediaTek contacted Digital Trends to discuss the 5G speed test results, as the Dimensity 700-powered Realme 8 5G couldn’t match the Oppo A54 5G with a Qualcomm chip inside. The company then took its own test equipment to the area where I had tested the phones, and in conversations afterwards, it gave plenty of insight into how 5G varies across phones, networks, and location.

Read more
iPhone 13 and Z Flip 3 keep Apple and Samsung sales strong in U.S. and Europe
Galaxy Z Flip 3 closed with Cover Screen active.

The smartphone markets in the U.S. and Europe are still suffering from a chip shortage, according to a report from Counterpoint Research, with overall sales being slightly lower in Europe and slightly higher in the U.S. than they were last year. In Europe, Samsung, Xiaomi, and Apple led the European smartphone market in Q3 (July, August, and September). Even though Samsung saw a decline from the immediately preceding quarter, the newly launched Galaxy Z Flip 3 helped its fortunes. The U.S. market remains dominated by Apple and Samsung, with Motorola continuing slow and steady growth.

Zooming out to look at the bigger picture, aside from Apple, the usual suspects who make the best Android phones (Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo) lead the pack in the European market. This was likely with phones like the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and OnePlus 9, along with lower-priced A-Series models, while there are some surprise entrants from the likes of Vivo and Realme. Huawei continues to decline, with the lack of Google services and the limited launch of the P50 continuing to take their toll, while former sub-brand Honor is on the rise. The company just launched the Honor 50 and Honor 50 Pro as its first phones with Google services in years, and it'll be interesting to see how these affect future sales.

Read more
Samsung is bringing Galaxy S21 features to older phones starting today
Someone holding the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.

Samsung has been steadily rolling out Android 11 in the form of One UI 3.0, but it's already on to the next release: One UI 3.1. The new operating system update is now heading to a number of last-generation Samsung phones, and essentially brings some key Galaxy S21 features to older devices.

The update is now rolling out to the Galaxy S20 series, Galaxy Note 20 series, Galaxy Z Fold 2, and Galaxy Z Flip. It's currently unclear if all variants of those phones are getting the update -- for example, the Galaxy S20 FE may not receive it for a while.

Read more