Alcatel Pros and Cons: The French Mobile Phone Company

Let us introduce you to Alcatel if you haven’t already been acquainted. Alcatel is a phone company that specializes in budget-friendly phones, tablets, and the odd accessory here and there. They aren’t just limited to one type of phone either, they manufacture both Smartphones and the universally loved Flip Phone. 

Even though Alcatel has been building and producing phones since the 90’s, they have flown a bit under the radar from the general public. But don’t let their lesser-known status be a deterrent, surprisingly, they’ve got pretty good alternatives to your higher-end Smartphones, which you know can end up costing your month’s rent. 

Today we’re going to discuss Alcatel pros and cons along with plenty of info you should know before you buy one of their products.

• A Quick Glance at Alcatel
• What Networks do Alcatel Phones work on? (and other quickfire questions)
• What Alcatel Phones are There?
• Alcatel Pros and Cons

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A Quick Glance at Alcatel

Alcatel is licensed under TCL Communication Technology Holdings Limited, they design, create, and help expand the market of mobile and internet services all over the globe. In fact, Alcatel products are currently sold in over 160 countries which is a pretty huge feat for a phone company. 

• Fun Fact: According to their website, “TCL Communication ranked as a top-10 global mobile phone manufacturer in the first quarter of 2017 according to IDC and company data.” Not a bad feat to have on their record in the past seven years, especially in the ever-expanding market.

Alcatel is not a wireless provider, they are a phone manufacturer, and in a world with hundreds of wireless providers but very few phone manufactures, Alcatel is here to bring phones to those who can’t afford the bigger models. Companies like Samsung, Apple, and Google have been dominating the market with their cell phones for the past decade, though it comes at hefty price points. 

Most Smartphones nowadays will end up costing you close to, or over a grand. With newer models coming out every year, keeping up with the latest Smartphone technology can get especially costly and not everyone needs a brand new powerhouse Smartphone every year. 

Alcatel is for those who aren’t looking for the highest-end Smartphones, the ones with the processing power of a computer. An Alcatel Smartphone can connect you to the internet, give you access to an app store, and allow you to keep up with the modern age without having to spend triple digits.

What Networks do Alcatel Phones work on? (and other quickfire questions)

Since Alcatel doesn't have its own wireless network, their phones can virtually work on any wireless network including the bigger ones like Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. But, a caveat, some models of Alcatel phones, maybe a second-hand one, or one bought through a certain phone company could be potentially “locked” to that wireless service.

For instance, say you buy an Alcatel phone at a MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator), that Alcatel phone may only work through their service. To be sure you can use your Alcatel phone without being restricted to one network do a bit of homework and go to the wireless carrier’s website and look at their “Compatibility” page- (every wireless service has one so you can make sure your current phone is compatible with their services).

• Fun Fact: Almost all wireless companies besides Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile are MVNOs. MVNOs are wireless providers that piggyback off of the signal and network of those three major wireless companies. It can lead to slower speeds, but you get the access to their widespread network at lower costs.

🔥Quickfire Questions🔥

What kind of “power” does Alcatel phones have?

• Since Alcatel makes phones that are on the “lower” end of the spectrum you can expect some differences compared to higher end models. Calls and texts seem to go through fine with no issues, besides the few odd problems users have talked about, there doesn’t seem to be a big problem with their call and text performance.

As of writing this, Alcatel does not have any 5G capable phones. All of their phones run on 4G LTE, 3G, and lower networks. Their processing power ranges from phone to phone so we can’t give you a solid number, but you can expect the majority of their phones to reach up to 1.5 to 1.8 GHz. 

What do Alcatel phones offer?

• Some Alcatel phones have access to the Google Play app store which is great as you can download apps like Instagram, Youtube, and Candy Crush. Some also have a fingerprint scanner and facial recognition software. But you will have to make sure to check out each phone individually as some don’t offer the Google Play app store capability which can be a dealbreaker for some. There’s Flip Phones that can connect to the internet, but beyond that you obviously won’t get the bigger features like a Smartphone has.

What kinds of products does Alcatel offer?

• Alcatel has Smartphones and Flip Phones available. Average price of an Alcatel Smartphone is around $50 to $60, while Flip Phones tend to be $40 to $100 depending on where you get them. They’re phones don’t offer a whole lot in terms of special features, but they get the job done for the price. 

• They have listed on their website the “Joy” tablets which seem to operate like their phones. Okay for the price but overall nothing too fancy. Though they do have a “Kids” version of the tablet called the Alcatel JOY TAB^™ KIDS 2, which is made for kids as it has a case meant for little hands and a kickstand for the dining room table. There’s a comprehensive Parental Control Panel too so you can monitor what your child is looking at when on their tablet.

What Alcatel Phones are There?

Alcatel’s “phone market” is a bit interesting to navigate. On their website they feature 16 different Smart and Flip phones. However, when clicking on their “Buy Now” links to each phone, only a select few are shown as available and some of the web pages didn’t ever load when clicking through onto their affiliated website. It seems you can’t actually buy an Alcatel phone through the Alcatel website, you must buy it through a wireless provider or a retailer like Walmart. 

So because not all of their direct links work and in order to view certain phones you’ll have to manually type in the make and model of the ones that interest you into your preferred search engine and try to find it through other online stores.

These are all the phones listed on the Alcatel website:

• Alcatel GO FLIP 4™
• Alcatel AXEL™
• Alcatel GLIMPSE™
• Alcatel LUMOS™
• Alcatel APPRISE™
• Alcatel 3V™
• Alcatel SMARTFLIP™
• Alcatel INSIGHT™
• Alcatel SMARTFLIP™
• Alcatel GO FLIP™ 3
• Alcatel AVALON™ V
• Alcatel GO FLIP™ V
• Alcatel ONYX™
• IdealXTRA™
• Alcatel TETRA™
• Alcatel MYFLIP™

But like we said, not all the direct links work so you may have to go hunting for specific models. We will however, highlight a few of the ones with links that work, what we think about them, and where their link takes you to.

Alcatel AXEL™

The Alcatel AXEL™ has 32GB of user storage and the speed is up to 1.8GHz. The display of the screen is 6 inches, and you’ll get “HD+ (720 x1440)” resolution. The rear camera captures 13 megapixels, while the front captures five. Expect video capture and playback to be 1080p at 30fps. 

Through their official link you’ll find that you are brought to Walmart where you can purchase the phone for $57.49 online. This is a little bit better than your most basic Smartphone, of course nothing too fancy, but nice a nice amount of storage and resolution quality for the price.

Alcatel GLIMPSE™

The Alcatel GLIMPSE™ has 16GB of user storage and the speed is up to 1.5GHz. The display of the screen is 5.5 inches, and you’ll get “FW+ (480 x 960)” resolution. The rear camera captures 5 megapixels, while the front captures two. Expect video capture and playback to be 1080p at 30fps on the rear camera and 720p at 30fps on the front. 

Through their official link you’ll find that you are brought to Walmart where you can purchase the phone for $61.49 online. This is a pretty basic Smartphone that will take care of your basic Smartphone needs, nothing too fancy, but alright for the price except it is exclusive to Cricket Wireless so beware before buying.

Alcatel LUMOS™

The Alcatel LUMOS™ has 32GB of user storage and the speed is up to 1.8GHz. The display of the screen is 6 inches, and you’ll get “HD+ (720 x 1440)” resolution. The rear camera captures 13 megapixels, while the front captures five. Expect video capture and playback to be 1080p at 30fps.

Through their official link you’ll find that you are brought to Walmart where you can purchase the phone for $59.95 online. This model is very very similar to the Axel model, it’s almost identical except this one is also exclusive to Cricket Wireless so if that is a deterrent go for the Axel.

Alcatel GO FLIP™ V

The Alcatel GO FLIP™ V is our only Flip Phone on the list and it has 8GB of user storage and the speed is up to 1.1GHz. The display of the screen is 2.8 inches, and you’ll get “QVGA (320×240)” resolution. The rear camera, which is the only camera on the phone, captures 2 megapixels. Expect video capture and playback to be 720P at 30fps.

Through their official link you’ll find that you are brought to Verizon this time where you can purchase the phone for a one time payment of $99.99 or $2.77 a month for 36 months. For Flip Phone users, you’ll enjoy the ease of use and the flow of the phone the most. This one is exclusive to Verizon and is “only available for Express Pickup”.

Alcatel IdealXTRA™

The IdealXTRA™ has 16GB of user storage and the speed is up to 1.1Ghz. The display of the screen is 5.34 inches, and you’ll get “FWVGA PLUS (960×480)” resolution. The rear camera captures 8 megapixels, while the front captures five. Expect video capture and playback to be 720P at 30fps.

Through their official link you’ll find that you are brought to Walmart again where you can purchase the phone for $39.98 online. This model is the cheapest on our list and the specs reflect that. Given it’s only $40 you won’t get much, but you will get access to the most basic tier of Smartphone needs. This one is exclusive to AT&T and it is labeled as a “prepaid” phone.

Alcatel Pros and Cons

Alcatel has a great phone selection for those who are not attached 24/7 to their phones and don’t need all the fancy specs you’ll find in most expensive Smartphones. They keep you connected while doing some basic data using and mobile app browsing, but that’s not to say there aren't any cons, let’s go over a few pros and cons.

Pros:

• Affordable Phones
• “No Frills” Phones
• Flip Phones and Smartphones

Affordable Phones

Alcatel’s biggest selling point is their incredibly priced phones. You can get a Smartphone for less than a hundred dollars which is kinda insane to think about- especially these days. Of course you don’t get the big features, but if you’re looking at Alcatel, then you aren’t looking for that, you’re looking to keep up with the ever-expanding connectivity of this modern age.

“No Frills” Phones

Like we mentioned before, Alcatel phones are inexpensive and pretty darn easy to use. These “no frills” phones keep users connected while also having basic Smartphone capabilities like surfing the web, using apps, and having a touch screen display. Great for phone users who aren’t big on using their phones all the time but still want a Smartphone.

Flip Phones and Smartphones

Although you may have to hunt for all of Alcatel’s phones, they do offer a pretty decent selection of both Smartphones and Flip Phones. Since they have so many you can go and look at each of their specifications so you can pick the one that’s best for your phone usage.

Cons:

• Inconsistent Phone Links
• Carrier Restrictions
• Similar Phone Specifications

Inconsistent Phone Links

We mentioned this when we went over what kinds of phones Alcatel sells, but on their official website links to buy most of their phones direct you to a page that endlessly loads an “unavailable” store page, or shows you all the phones the provider does sell. We think there should be a disclaimer or an updated list with phone links that actually work so you don’t have to jump through potential hoops- aka trying to find the exact make and model on third-party websites to find the specific phones you want.

Carrier Restrictions

A lot of Alcatel phones come with “carrier restrictions” which means that the phone is already tied to a network and you might want to have the freedom to choose which wireless network you want to be covered under.

Similar Phone Specifications

Although there is a good array of phones Alcatel sells, each of them are very similar in specifications to each other. And if you’re looking for anything more than the “basic” Smartphone specs then you’ll need to look elsewhere. With 16 gigabytes being the average storage space, you won’t be able to store a lot of photos and videos on your Alcatel device.

Alcatel phones are pretty basic in terms of other Smartphones on the market, but you get what you pay for! A $50 Smartphone with touch and facial recognition along with your basic browsing apps isn’t too shabby, it’s just not the best choice for those looking for a heavy duty Smartphone.

If you want to compare and contrast any of the Alcatel Phone Wireless Carriers to over 1,200 other phone plans so you know you’re getting the service that’s right for you, then make sure to check out the REALLY compare page which allows you to look at pricing, coverage, what phone plans are available, current deals and steals, and how you can make the most of your potential phone bill.