Alcatel 1 Review: Affordable 4G smartphone

Flagship phones are not meant for everyone, the same is the case for Mid-range phones. There are some people who will buy entry-level smartphones or budget smartphones. Some junior students, old age people having the need to use mobile apps and touch display buy those smartphones. The reason is, of course, the lower cost that is affordable to them and getting the service/features that they actually require. Alcatel, the new brand in Nepal has such an affordable phone called Alcatel 1, which we are going to review here.

• Alcatel phone debuts in Nepal with 5 smartphones and 3 feature phones.

Overview

Alcatel 1 is an Android Go (Oreo) edition phone with 5 inches, 480 x 960 pixels screen, 18:9 aspect ratio. The phone is powered by a MediaTek MT6739 processor and consists 1GB of RAM. The Android Go OS is a toned-down version of the Android which targets to run on low-end smartphone having 1GB of RAM. It has an 8 GB of internal storage with support for storage expansion using the memory card.

The OS is quite lightweight, uses less storage. Which also makes the phone run smoothly for normal usage, despite the low-end specs. As we mentioned early, this phone is not for all those performance or camera feature seekers. So, take it differently as we review it with the price segment.

Looks

Alcatel 1 phone looks good with the nice texture in the back. The blue color we got is quite appealing as well. The plastic texture and size also make the phone comfortable to hold for longer.

Performance

We do not expect sleek performance for heavy and multi-tasking usage for the phone at this price point. But the regular usage of calls, app usage, photo-taking does not have lack-luster performance. The Go version of Android apps like Google Go, Gmail Go, YouTube Go, Files Go, Assistant Go preinstalled in the phone has no complaints.

YouTube Go also prompts you to select the quality before streaming it. This makes you save some data while being on the cellular network. One thing I did not like at all is the reflective screen, making it harder to use outdoors. Similarly, to switch SIM cards, you need to take out the removable back despite having nano-SIM card support.

Camera

Regarding the camera, the phone has an 8 MP rear camera and 5 MP front camera. The phone also has a LED flash below the rear camera. There are Automatic, Panoramic, Time-lapse mode and light trace mode. The phone takes normal photos in bright lighting condition which you should not compare with other high-end smartphones. Here are the sample photos were taken by the Alcatel 1 phone.

Battery and the box

The phone has a removable battery of 2000 mAH which you should fit yourself with the back after unboxing. The phone lasts for two days with normal usage for that category of people. The box even has a headset (with a mic), micro-USB charger and a transparent back cover. All those come at a price of Rs 8,249.

4G support

As the phone supports 4G, Alcatel 1 is one of the affordable 4G smartphones in Nepal. Regarding 4G band support, 4G in the phone works in band 3 (available now) and band 20 (which is to be used by Nepal Telecom for upcoming 4G network).

All in all the Alcatel 1, the budget phone from newly launched Alcatel brand has an average performance in this cost. Alcatel 1suits for people who want a 4G smartphone at an affordable cost. If you are looking for a phone to gift it to your younger sibling (junior student) or your parents, then you can select this phone.

What do you think of Alcatel 1 phone review? Please comment below.