TCL isn’t pivoting the Alcatel brand away from being budget-friendly, but the company would like to point it in a slightly different direction. The brand’s 2018 product lineup includes refreshed designs that are much more modern. In fact, each of the three new phones debuting at CES 2018 has a display with 18:9 aspect ratio. And, while you can certainly tell them apart, TCL implemented a universal design language. These are ways for Alcatel to become recognizable and remembered after years sitting off to the side, not getting too much attention.
Three series are launching this week in Las Vegas, and one member belongs to each. The Alcatel 5, 3V, and 1X are the phones TCL has set to make up the 2018 product lineup.
The “affordable premium tier” will be covered by the Alcatel 5, a phone with high-end features at a price way more affordable than other flagships on the market today. It has an ultra-thin bezel on the bottom; however, TCL fattened the top one to compensate. So it’s not exactly the 18:9 aspect ratio we’re all familiar with. But the phone does also have a metal construction, facial recognition carried out by two front-facing cameras, and a rear-based fingerprint scanner.
TCL’s Alcatel 3V, meanwhile, tries to say trendy but definitely remains on the not-so-expensive side. All we know for now is that this phone has a dual-camera setup, a fingerprint scanner, an all-screen front with small top and bottom bezels, and high resolution for the display,
If you’re still looking to Alcatel-branded hardware to save as much money as possible, there’s the Alcatel 1X. It also has a display with 18:9 aspect ratio and a fingerprint scanner on the back, but the internal specifications have to be watered-down compared to its siblings. TCL did add some personality to the Alcatel 1X by having the exterior slightly textured with a speckled pattern.
Pricing and availability weren’t shared, but the images provided to us subtly note different dates throughout 2018. Going by that, the Alcatel 5 would arrive in late February followed by the Alcatel 3V two months after. And then the Alcatel 1X could be released in mid-May. None this is confirmed, though. TCL merely says we should be on the lookout for more information at MWC 2018.
It’ll be a few more weeks before we find out what exactly the specifications are, how much you can buy these phones for, and when they’ll be sold.
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