A number of Chinese OEMs have upped their game significantly in the last couple of years to develop smartphones that are as capable as those developed by their overseas counterparts, but are available at cheaper price points, thereby making the industry more competitive than ever. Among the lesser-known Chinese phone makers, the likes of Oppo, Vivo and TCL have seen remarkable growth in the past year and earlier this year, the latter launched the Alcatel Idol 4S, a $400 phone featuring the latest Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 5.5-inch AMOLED display and 64GB of internal storage. Earlier today, a new phone manufactured by TCL surfaced on the Chinese telecommunications agency’s website, featuring a design very similar to that of the Alcatel Idol 4S as well as a set of specifications fit for premium flagship phones.
As per details available on TENAA, the agency’s website, the phone is named TCL 950, features a 5.5-inch Full HD AMOLED display, weighs 165g and is 153.9mm tall and just 6.9mm thick. Its internal specifications include a 3,000 mAh battery, 64GB of internal storage, 4GB of RAM, the latest Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow operating system, a MicroSD slot with a capacity of 128GB of additional storage and a Snapdragon 820 processor clocked at 2.15 GHz. Additionally, the phone can store up to 1000 contacts, supports 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands among others and features gravity, proximity and light sensors.
While the specifications can rival those of other premium handsets launched this year, TCL may choose to sell the phone at a similar price point as the Alcatel Idol 4S or may even pitch it as a competitor to the cheaper OnePlus 3. The fact that the phone has appeared on TENAA doesn’t guarantee that it will launch anytime soon and it is not known if it will be shipped to other regions outside China. The phone previously surfaced on GFXBench back in May and it was rumored at that time that the phone may be officially named either Alcatel Idol X or a variant of Alcatel Idol 4. However, given that its specifications are quite similar to those of the Alcatel Idol 4S, the former could be a real possibility. The listing of the phone on GFXBench also revealed that it will feature 21-megapixel and 8-megapixel cameras as well as an NFC chip, things that weren’t mentioned in the more-recent TENAA listing.
