Alcatel has now introduced the Alcatel U5 and what Alcatel refers to as “the most affordable 5″ 4G smartphone.” Needless to say, the two big selling points here, is that the Alcatel U5 comes with 4G LTE support and is priced super competitively. However, while this is an affordable smartphone, Alcatel has yet to provide from details on the price of the Alcatel U5, or when it will become available to buy in the US, or internationally.
The Alcatel U5 is certainly a budget smartphone and this can be seen with the display, as the Alcatel U5 comes loaded with a 5-inch FWVGA (480 x 854) screen. Inside, this is a smartphone that comes packing 1GB RAM and 8GB internal storage, while being powered by a MediaTek MT6737M quad-core processor (clocking at 1.1 GHz). In terms of the cameras, this is a smartphone that comes loaded with a 5-megapixel rear camera, as well as a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. Battery life comes courtesy of a 2,050 mAh capacity battery and additional features include the option to expand the storage (via microSD), and Android 6.0 (Marshmallow). Speaking of the software, the Alcatel U5 also comes with a few additional software tweaks for good measure. In particular, Alcatel has highlighted ‘Face Mask’ and ‘Face Show’ which are both designed to bring a bit more personalization to selfies taken with the U5.
So while this is not a blazing fast or spec-heavy smartphone, it is not really meant to be. Instead, the Alcatel U5 is designed for those who are just looking for a nice smartphone that is simple to use. Alcatel’s Portfolio Management Director, William Dowie, summed up this point by stating that due to the U5’s “ease of use and affordability”, this is the sort of smartphone which will be ideal for a first-time buyer. As the U5 will offer those first-time smartphone adopters “a snappy smartphone with some really fun camera experiences included.” For those who are not really interested in a an entry-level smartphone, Alcatel did also announce two other smartphones today. The Alcatel A3 which places a focus on security and the Alcatel A5 LED which comes with an LED covered body.
