The Alcatel 1X, still the only Android Go smartphone released in the United States, has already been sold out in the country less than a week after becoming available for pre-orders. TCL Communication, the Chinese manufacturer behind all contemporary Alcatel handsets, has yet to disclose when it’s expecting the device to return to stock, though it’s still accepting orders, with the implication being that the lack of availability is likely to be resolved in the immediate future.
Having launched as part of Google’s Android Go program, the Alcatel 1X comes with a custom-built version of Android 8.1 Oreo designed to be extremely lightweight and deliver a smooth experience on entry-level devices shipping with no more than 1GB of RAM. A special set of Google-made apps such as YouTube Go and Gmail Go are also part of the package, offering equally consistent performance. The rest of the phone’s specs are as modest as its $100 price tag implies, with the Alcatel 1X featuring a 5.3-inch 960 x 480 LCD panel, MediaTek’s quad-core MT6739 chip clocked at up to 1.3GHz, 16GB of storage space, and 1GB of RAM. A 2GB RAM model is also available for purchase in select territories but comes with 2GB of RAM, a 5059D chip, the standard edition of Android 8.1 Oreo, and isn’t sold stateside.
The Android Go edition of the handset features an 8-megapixel rear camera mounted behind an f/2.0 lens, as well as a 5-megapixel front-facing sensor. While Alcatel launched a handful of color options, only the Black variant of the 1X made its way to the U.S. so far. With the Android Go program being primarily aimed at developing markets and first-time smartphone owners, the vast majority of devices that stem from the project will never be officially sold stateside. Originally introduced with Android 8.0 Oreo, the Android Go project is expected to continue with Android 9.0 P which is set to hit the stable channel in the third quarter of the year.
Buy Alcatel 1X