Note: This article was originally posted on ValueQ, where may offer you an impressive discount. Make sure you check ValueQ before you make the purchase.
Alcatel launched is a new budget device, the 1X. Although there is already a 1X launched by Alcatel itself in 2018, the newer one looks like a more aggressive and packs a beefier battery, dual camera unit, and a bigger screen with higher resolution. Although, apart from it, the processor and the software remains unchanged. To know more about the super affordable device, check out our complete review of the Alcatel 1X below.
Design and Build
The Design and Build quality of the Alcatel 1X is what you can expect at a price point of around $100. Most of the device is made out of plastic and the rear panel has a “pebble paint” finish to it. Also, the back panel isn’t removable thus the user doesn’t have access to the battery of the device. There is no IP certification for Dust and Water resistance but that’s expected for the price.
Even though the Alcatel 1X packs a decent battery, the design isn’t thin by any means. It has a thickness of 8.3mm, however, the weight of the device is quite low, only 130 gram. The device is very comfortable to hold and use, thanks to the textured back which provides additional grip while using the device. Also, the edges on the back are rounded so they feel smooth to touch as well. The device is available in two colors which are Pebble Blue, and Pebble Black.
Upfront, the device comes with an 18:9 display which doesn’t have an oleophobic coating. Above the screen are the front camera, earpiece, flash, and a proximity sensor. The textured Power key and the Volume button is on the right while the SIM tray and microSD card slot is on the left. There is a MicroUSB charging port along with a speaker and mic at the bottom and the headphone jack can be found at the top. There is a Dual camera unit on the back and below it is the flash and the fingerprint scanner. Overall, the design and build is nothing exceptional but very good considering the price and other devices in the segment.
Display
The display on the Alcatel 1X is actually quite impressive even though it has lower screen resolution and pixel density. There is a 5.5-inch display on the front which is an IPS LCD panel. It has a resolution of 1440x720 pixels and a pixel density of 293 pixels-per-inch. There is no news about Alcatel using any kind of screen protection for the screen as of now.
Talking about the screen quality, I was actually impressed by it. Yeah, it may be able to compete with the inky blacks on the OLED panels or the high resolution of the Samsung panels but it’s good for the price. The screen is bright and the viewing angles are good. We watched a couple of videos on the screen and found the colors are vivid and the viewing experience is pleasant. The bezels around the screen aren’t super slim but still, the content consumption of the Alcatel 1X is enjoyable.
Performance and Software
Just like other budget smartphones, the compromise with the performance to keep the cost down is one of the cases with Alcatel 1X. It packs a low-end processor which does well with simple tasks but nothing more than that. To be specific, it packs the MediaTek MT6739 chipset which is a Quad-Core processor clocked at a frequency of 1.5 GHz. It comes with PowerVR GE8100 which is just an entry-level GPU. Even though the new 1X is an upgraded version, the 2GB RAM and 16GB storage configuration are the one and only available option.
In real-world usage, the Alcatel 1X performs very well under minor load like web browsing, browsing social media sites, watching movies etc. Although, the processor isn’t capable of handling heavy games like PUBG or Asphalt 9 and even if you do install them, the frame rate will not let you enjoy the game anyhow. But you can play less demanding games like Subway Surfer, Temple Run etc.
The Alcatel 1X comes with Android 8.1 Oreo which isn’t the latest version of Android out there but it’s the second from the top so no issues there. Alcatel has tweaked the software with custom icons and some design changes and there are some apps which come pre-installed. There is an occasional lag while finding your way through the software and the 2GB isn’t enough for multitasking. The app runs out of memory quite often and the 16GB storage isn’t too much as well. Although, there is a microSD card slot which supports a MicroSD card up to 128GB.
Camera and Battery Life
The Alcatel 1X packs a 13 Megapixel primary sensor along with a 2 Megapixel depth sensor. It comes with features like HDR, AutoFocus, Panorama etc. On the front, there is a 5 Megapixel camera which can also record videos. The camera app is pretty basic and doesn’t have a Pro or manual mode.
Talking about the camera quality, it’s passable since at this price you are not gonna get flagship grade camera performance. It good lighting, the camera captures acceptable images with decent color and good details. The Dynamic range is a hit or miss but it’s fairly decent. Although at night, the images turn out to be grainy and lack details. It can capture Portrait shots and the quality is good for the price. The front selfies camera capture passable images. In good light, the photos turn out fine for social sharing but for in low light, the images aren’t good, lacking details. The rear camera can record Full HD videos at 30 fps but there is no stabilization, nor OIS neither EIS.
Alcatel 1X packs a 3000 mAh battery which is decent for the price. The back of the device isn’t removable which means you don’t get access to the battery. Talking about the battery life, it can easily last a day until you play heavy games which you can’t since the processor isn’t powerful enough. The 1X is able to give around 5–6 hours of Screen-on-time but of course, that will vary depending upon the user. There is no fast charging support and the device is still using an old school MicroUSB charging port rather than the new Type-C.
More Features
The Alcatel 1X supports Dual SIM with Dual standby and VoLTE connectivity. There is also a slot for MicroSD card which can be used to expand the storage up to 128GB. Other connectivity options on the device include WIFI, Bluetooth and GPS. The sensors on the device include Proximity, Accelerometer, Fingerprint scanner etc. There is no NFC and IR emitter on the device.
Talking about the Fingerprint scanner, it is located on the back just below the Dual camera unit. The position is quite easy to reach and works almost instantly. It reads my finger almost every time but to enhance it further, you can store the same finger twice which reduces the overall error chances. There is also a Face Unlock option as well which unlocks the device instantly.
…196 words left.
Thanks for your reading! If you want to know the remaining, please check ValueQ.
评论
发表评论