Gifted | Contains affiliate links The mobile tech industry is constantly evolving and every year a large number of smartphones are lau...
Gifted | Contains affiliate links
The mobile tech industry is constantly evolving and every year a large number of smartphones are launched. 2018 has been no different with so many new smartphone models hitting the market. But every year the smartphones also seem to be getting more pricier. However, budget phones are improving too with each passing year. And for around £100 you can now get a good, budget smartphone. What I am talking about today on the blog is an affordable entry level smartphone from Alcatel - the Sim-Free Alcatel 1 4G smartphone.
Price and Availability of Alcatel 1
Before I talk to you about the design and specifications of the Alcatel 1 let me mention the price upfront as you need to keep that in mind while looking at the features on this phone. Available at under £100 (£69.95 on offer, at the time of writing this post), Alcatel 1 is a highly affordable smartphone option that offers some useful features.
Display and Design of Alcatel 1
The Alcatel 1 follows the same strategy as the other phones in the Alcatel 1 series. It aims to offer users a smartphone with a premium design but at an affordable price. Alcatel 1 comes with Android Oreo (Go edition) and an immersive Full-View 18:9 display. A 5 inch TFT LCD display, two cameras (rear camera 8MP, front camera 5MP), standard definition quality video capture and MP3 & MP4 player are some of the other features of this budget smartphone.
The phone offers up to 480 hours of standby time and up to 720 minutes talk time. In terms of charging; it takes a little more than 3 hours to go from totally flat to a full charge.
Technical Specifications
Chip set: MT6739, Quad core 1.3GHz, LTE CAT4
Memory: 8GB ROM / 1GB RAM
Operating system: Android 8 (Oreo) Go Edition
8GB Internal memory
Expandable memory up to 32GB when using microSD card slot.
Size H138, W66, D9.8mm
Weight 145g
Connectivity
2G Quadband 850/900/1800/1900
3G Bands 1/2/5/8
4G LTE Bands 1/3/7/8/20
4G LTE Cat 4: 150 Mbps downlink, 50 Mbps uplink
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Wi-Fi direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
VoLTE, VoWiFi 'ready'
Our Thoughts on the Alcatel 1
For a budget phone, the Alcatel 1 has a number of useful features and while the 5-inch display (960 x 640 pixels resolution) looks good, you can find better ones if you are ready to pay more. However, for the entry-level pricing that it comes at, the phone offers a good viewing experience. The build of the phone is good too. It is lightweight, 145g to be precise and while the casing is plastic, it doesn't feel like a cheap phone in any way. It has a thin, sleek design, not too wide bezels, smooth curves and a brushed metallic finishing - overall a premium aesthetic design that makes it pleasing to the eye and comfortable to hold.
(Above) Lightweight and sleek design, size compared to another 5-inch budget smartphone.
The cameras are good enough to get the job done. Both the front and rear cameras take nice photos in good light conditions however the results are not very satisfying in low light. It offers what you would expect from a phone in the price range, so no complaints.
In terms of battery life, if you do not make too many demands on the battery (just use the phone for calls or text and the occasional browsing/games) the phone will easily get you through the workday. But if you surf the web a lot, stream videos, do a lot of gaming or take loads of photos and use a lot of apps, then it does drain the battery quickly. But this is something applicable to most phones.
The bottom line is that the Alcatel 1 is a good buy for the price. We have been using it for a few weeks now and haven't encountered any problem. It looks like it will last long enough to make one feel that it has been worth the money. Yes, it won't wow you with its performance (definitely not like high end smartphones) but it does what it is supposed to do and quite nicely. It is a fantastic device at a price that really can't be beaten. So, if you are looking for a budget smartphone, check out the Alcatel 1.
Order the Alcatel 1 phone here.
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