A new Alcatel smartphone has just shown up at the FCC, and there are even pictures showing what the device looks like. It’s possible that Alcatel may announce this new smartphone at Mobile World Congress later this month. There’s not much known about this device, but it does certainly look like it might be a mid-range device headed for AT&T or T-Mobile, or simply a smartphone being sold unlocked. The FCC listing does show some of the bands that are supported by this device, which does show both AT&T and T-Mobile, but there’s no CDMA support, which means there won’t be support for Sprint or Verizon, at least on this variant.
The model number we’re talking about here is the 5085J. It’s a model number that we have not heard of before, so it’s unclear what device this could be. But looking at the pictures below, we can see that there is a physical home button, which may double as a fingerprint scanner as well. The backside appears to be metal, but it could also be plastic made to look like metal. Additionally, there is a volume rocker and power button on the right side of the device. There doesn’t appear to be a SIM card tray, which would lead us to believe that the back will be removable. There is a micro USB port at the bottom, and the charger is also pictured. It’s not a Quick Charge charger, but that doesn’t rule out a Snapdragon processor – although if this is a mid-range device, it’s highly likely that it will be a MediaTek SoC inside. Finally, it appears that this device will be sold with a pair of headphones, which are also pictured.
Alcatel is a fairly large manufacturer in the US, and that is largely due to the number of low-end and mid-range devices that they sell at carriers like T-Mobile, MetroPCS, Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile and even Cricket. This smartphone is likely headed to one of those carriers after Mobile World Congress this month. Of course, TCL, the owner of Alcatel and the company that makes their smartphones, will be under the spotlight in Barcelona but not for this phone, but for the BlackBerry Mercury.
