Everything about the Alcatel one touch smartphone. Smartphone "Alcatel One Touch": review, characteristics, settings and reviews
Russian buyers have long been familiar with Alcatel products. There is a wide range of mobile devices from this company on the market. Unfortunately, they are not sales leaders, but they have their own audience. As part of this article, a review of the Alcatel One Touch Hero phone will be presented. Let's take a closer look at its features and technical characteristics. We will also provide customer reviews about this device.
Equipment
This phone model is packaged in a small white box. The name of the device is presented on its front panel. Under the cover there is a plastic substrate in which the smartphone itself lies. The manufacturer, having chosen a laconic design, wanted to show that this model does not need flashy advertising. Note that this solution is currently used by most manufacturers.
What else is in the box besides the Alcatel One Touch Hero phone? As mentioned above, there is a plastic backing at the top. It ensures safe transportation of the device. The charger is located directly underneath it. It is of a modern format and consists of a power supply (adapter) and a removable USB cable. The manufacturer also provided the buyer with a branded book case and a stereo headset. However, the latter is entry level. In addition to these accessories, the box contains instructions, a certificate and a warranty card.
Appearance
The Alcatel One Touch Hero smartphone is a typical mobile device. Considering that it has a 6-inch screen, the dimensions of the device are accordingly quite large. As for the height of the case, it is almost 159 mm. Thanks to its width of 80.6 mm, the device looks proportional. This model received most positive reviews due to its small thickness. The case is quite narrow - only 8.5 mm. As for the weight of the smartphone, it is in the average range (150 g). The designers of this company, despite its rather large size, were able to create a convenient device, therefore, according to many buyers, they can safely be proud of it. When interacting with the phone, the user does not feel discomfort. The device fits well in the hand. It is convenient to use.
The layout of the controls is standard. On the front panel, in the upper part, there is a front camera, a sensor, and a speaker hole. There are three touch keys below the screen. On the back panel, engineers placed the main camera lens, flash and noise-canceling microphone. All three of these elements are at the top. Below them is the name of the One Touch line. At the bottom there is a large output speaker hole. There is also a magnet that is designed to attach the cover case. At the bottom of the case there is a small recess used for the stylus. On the right side there is a connector for installing micro SIM cards. Below it is the lock key. There is also a rocker for adjusting the volume. Many users paid attention to its location. Due to the fact that it is located under the lock key, out of habit they constantly touch it.
On the left side there is a slot into which memory cards are installed. A standard port for connecting audio devices is located on the top end of the case. On the opposite side there is a microUSB connector.
Please note that the manufacturer used matte plastic. Thanks to him, the body turned out to be non-marking. It does not slip in your hands, so the risk of accidental falls is reduced to a minimum.
Screen Specifications
Most of the positive reviews were addressed to the screen characteristics of the Alcatel One Touch Hero. It is ideal for those users who prefer smartphones with large displays. This model has a 6-inch screen with a fairly high Full HD resolution. It is based on a high-quality IPS matrix. It is worth noting that the manufacturer outperformed competing companies in this model, since such characteristics were still new for mid-level devices.
The designers also worried about protecting the display. It is covered with DragonTrail glass. Due to the fact that it is coated with a special oleophobic coating, users will not have problems with the accumulation of fingerprints.
The IPS matrix provides wide viewing angles. There are no problems with brightness. The smartphone is convenient to use both in a dark room and outdoors in bright sunshine. If necessary, in the settings you can select brightness adjustment in automatic mode. There is a multi-touch function, which is designed for 5 touches made simultaneously.
A huge advantage for this phone model is the thin screen frame. Its width is about 2 mm. This gives the impression that the screen completely occupies the entire space of the front panel.
Autonomy
The Alcatel One Touch Hero phone also has decent results in terms of battery life. The manufacturer used a lithium polymer battery with a capacity of 3400 milliamps per hour. It is worth noting that such a battery provides at least 18 hours of talk time. For those who like to listen to music, this device is perfect, since the battery in this state will last for 24 hours. If you put your smartphone in standby mode, you can count on approximately 500 hours of operation.
In their reviews, users 100% agree with the characteristics presented by the manufacturer. If the device is used in combined mode, then it will need to be charged no more than once every two days. If you reduce the load, you can achieve an increase in time by 24 hours or even more. In order to restore the battery life, it will take about 3.5 hours.
Performance
The “heart” of the Alcatel One Touch Hero is the Chinese MediaTek processor. Model MT6589 operates at a frequency of 1500 megahertz. Thanks to this indicator, this chipset well deserves the Turbo title. It is based on four computing modules. The type of each is Cortex-A7. The main processor is paired with a PowerVR SGX544 MP graphics accelerator.
Users noticed that there are no impossible tasks for this smartphone. It copes well with all resource-intensive applications, and also easily runs “heavy” games. This result was achieved due to the fact that the manufacturer integrated 2 GB of RAM. The system takes up about half. The rest is for the user's needs. Considering that there are two modifications on sale, the amount of integrated memory will be different. The device, which only works with one SIM, has 8 GB installed. But a dual-SIM device has twice as much memory.
Camera
The manufacturer used a 13-megapixel sensor as the main optics module of the Alcatel One Touch Hero. There is a flash and autofocus. However, as users have noticed, the quality of the images is not up to the stated level. This shows up in poor detail. It is impossible to achieve better quality even during the day, in good lighting.
The front module also did not please users. Unfortunately, the selfie camera uses a 2 megapixel sensor. There is no need to talk about the quality of these pictures. Naturally, noise, blur, and poor color rendition are clearly visible in the frame.
Software and basic settings
Android version 4.2 is installed on board this device. Naturally, at present this operating system is already considered very outdated. But do not forget that in Russia this model went on sale at the end of 2013. At that time, such equipment was considered relevant. The main advantage of this device is that the manufacturer used its own software shell on top of the operating system. It is quite convenient and has a beautiful interface.
When you turn on Alcatel One Touch for the first time, settings can be made through a special application. It's called the Setup Wizard. Here you are asked to select a language, activate the keyboard, set the current date and time, and, if desired, set up a Google account. After this, a window appears on the main screen in which “Ready!” will be written in large letters. After confirmation, the device is completely ready for use. For those who have already dealt with the new shell from Alcatel, you can skip this step and configure the phone manually.
Alcatel One Touch: reviews
What conclusions arise after studying the characteristics of this phone model? Note that users did not have any serious comments about this device. The following features were noted as positive:
- excellent connection quality;
- high speaker volume;
- excellent vibration alert;
- speech transmission without distortion.
As for performance, it also did not disappoint. The device copes well with all modern tasks. Many laudatory comments were made about the screen. Its characteristics are undeniably impressive.
However, not only the benefits were found by users. Like many other models, the One Touch Hero is not without its drawbacks. These include:
- quite high cost (at the start of sales about 16,000 rubles);
- low camera resolution.
Perhaps these are the most significant disadvantages of this model.
In the spring of 2018, Alcatel introduced a series of smartphones based on the Android Oreo (Go Edition) OS platform. The Android Go program is designed for budget mobile phones. It allows you to optimize system software so that applications and services run 10–15% faster.
This was the focus when creating the new Alcatel 1 model - a smartphone cheaper than five thousand rubles should not be inferior in performance to more expensive competitors. Find out whether the British company succeeded in this in our review.
Design, ergonomics and equipment
The Alcatel 1 smartphone is presented in a stylish plastic case with a metallic texture in three colors: black, blue and gold. The stylish and laconic design is effectively complemented by the rounded edges of the rear panel. In its series, Alcatel 1 has become the most compact and lightest. With dimensions of 138 x 66 x 10 mm and a weight of only 134 grams, the gadget feels comfortable and can be controlled with one hand. All parts of the smartphone fit tightly together without creaking or play.
The external elements of the gadget are placed in a familiar layout: on the right side there are volume rockers and a power button, a vertically located camera with a flash is placed in the upper left corner. At the top end there is a USB port and a 3.5 mm headset jack. Of course, they didn’t bring a fingerprint scanner – after all, this is a classic ultra-budget car.
The Alcatel 1 package includes the smartphone itself, a charger and wired headphones.
Screen and image quality
The 5-inch FullView TFT screen has a fashionable 18:9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 960 x 480 pixels. The display with a pixel density of 195 ppi with decent viewing angles displays a bright and colorful picture. Alcatel 1 is perfect for viewing multimedia content, surfing websites and communicating in instant messengers.
The maximum screen brightness is 323 cd/m², which is quite decent for a budget smartphone. The display does not back up in the sun and does not strain your eyesight at dusk.
Alcatel 1 performance
From a smartphone for 4,990 rubles, it is perhaps difficult to expect any special revelations when working with system and third-party applications. However, Alcatel 1 pleasantly surprises.
The smartphone runs on a very fast 28nm quad-core MediaTek MT6739 processor with a clock frequency of 1.28 GHz and a memory capacity of 1 GB. The PowerVR GE8100 graphics chip with a frequency of 570 MHz provides quite decent performance in most modern games at medium settings.
The optimized operating system loads the chipset much less than standard software versions, so in synthetic tests Alcatel 1 demonstrates performance that is not inferior to more expensive and advanced models on top processors.
In the diagram below you can compare the performance of the smartphone in comparison with several popular and, by the way, more expensive models:
Alcatel 1 also showed good results in the gaming graphics test using the GFXBench benchmark in the Manhattan 3 gaming simulation:
Optimized software consumes fewer hardware resources, so with only 1 GB of memory, the smartphone copes well with multitasking. The gadget has 8 GB for storing files, which can be expanded up to 32 GB using an external SD card.
Software
A review of the Alcatel 1 would be incomplete without mentioning the features of the apps included in the Android Go package. The smartphone comes pre-installed with Gmail Go, Maps Go, Assistant Go and Facebook Lite. One of the upcoming updates will also include the YouTube Go applet, which will allow users to upload smaller, higher-quality video files. You also get Google Assistant, which, by the way, doesn't run on regular Android phones with 1GB RAM.
The Google Play Store will notify Android Go users about new or recommended apps that have a Lite or Go version. Go apps also let you control permissions for individual apps when running over cellular networks or Wi-Fi.
Another special feature of Go applications is that they take up significantly less space than their standard versions. For example, Google Maps on Android requires 89.5 MB, and its optimized version Maps Go requires only 375 KB! At the same time, the light version of the maps is equipped with such useful functions as searching for a location and building a route.
The good performance of the smartphone is also confirmed by the launch time of applications. Thus, the Gmail Go email service loads in just 4 seconds, versus 8 seconds in the standard version.
Battery life
The optimization of the gadget also affected the energy-saving capabilities of the smartphone. Alcatel 1 is equipped with a removable 2000 mAh lithium-ion battery. For modern mobile gadgets, this value is very modest, however, under maximum load (watching videos, running Wi-Fi and LTE, 3D games), the smartphone discharged from 100% to 0 only after 6.5 hours.
In terms of individual battery life characteristics, Alcatel 1 also demonstrates impressive performance that few budget models can boast of:
- in standby mode up to – 310 hours;
- talk time on a 2G network – up to 17 hours;
- talk time on a 3G network – up to 11 hours;
- talk time on a 4G network – up to 8 hours.
There is no Quick Charge mode here, so it takes about 3 hours to fully charge the smartphone.
Cameras and shooting functions
There are two photo modules on board the gadget: a 5-megapixel main camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front camera with face detection for better selfies. In their reviews of Alcatel 1, many experts note that the capabilities of the smartphone’s cameras are one of the most interesting points among the technical characteristics of the model.
Despite the low resolution and lack of autofocus, high-quality photos are obtained due to the light-sensitive sensor, as well as the automatic interpolation mode. It allows you to improve color saturation and brightness by completing pixels that were not processed by the matrix. Therefore, in fact, pictures on a smartphone come out as if they were taken with an 8-megapixel and 5-megapixel camera, respectively.
Budget and ultra-budget models rarely surprise you with their photography capabilities, but the Alcatel 1 focuses on this. The smartphone cameras have 3 modes, providing ample opportunities for taking interesting pictures:
- Instant collage. The principle of operation is reminiscent of the Layout function on Instagram. In the camera settings, you can choose one of 4 collage grid templates and fill it with photos.
- Photo booth. The Alcatel 1 camera takes and composes 4 quick shots - a great opportunity to fool around and make funny faces.
- Party. This mode is for those who take photos and want to see and compare the finished result. The camera takes a photo and leaves the viewfinder open for the next shot, so the user has the opportunity to compare two images and choose the most interesting one.
The smartphone also has a one-handed shooting mode. It allows you to place the camera settings interface in the most convenient position, so that right-handers and left-handers can easily use the smartphone.
Among the additional features of the cameras, it is worth noting the HDR mode, which improves the contrast and saturation of images, as well as the video recording function with a resolution of 1080p Full HD.
Conclusion
We can say that Alcatel 1 is a somewhat unique smartphone. For its price, it provides all the features you'd expect from an affordable and capable smartphone. Of course, it lacks modern modules, such as a fingerprint scanner, but this is more than compensated for by excellent performance, decent battery life and ample camera capabilities.
Alcatel 1S is a new smartphone that I have been testing over the past few weeks. Can a product worth 7 thousand rubles surprise you with something positive? I tried to find out, which I will talk about in the review.
Alcatel is the name of the French manufacturer, which for many born at the turn of the eighties and nineties will evoke a feeling of sentimentality and the thought “oh, before.” Many of us associate models from the OneTouch series with the time when a minute of conversation was so expensive that it was necessary to give up the “grouse”. Today, as in the case of Nokia, the rights to the Alcatel brand have passed to the Chinese, TCL is a global tycoon in the television industry.
| 5.5-inch HD+ resolution (1440x720) and 18:9 aspect ratio |
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| CPU | Octa-core Unisoc SC9863A, made using a 28 nm process technology (4 cores ARM Cortex-A55, 1.6 GHz and 4 with a clock frequency of 1.2 GHz) |
| IMG PowerVR GE8322 |
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| 32 GB internal memory + microSD slot up to 128 GB |
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| Dual SIM cards |
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| Battery | |
| Main: 13-MP (f/2.0, 1.12 µm) + 2-MP (f/2.8, 1.65 µm) with background blur function Front: 5-MP (f/2.0, 1.12 µm) |
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| System and software | |
| Communications and connections | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 4.2, LTE: 2100, 1800, 22600, 900, 800, 700, GPS with A-GPS function |
| 3.5 mm audio jack, micro-USB 2.0 port |
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| 147.8×70.7×8.6 mm |
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| 7 thousand rubles |
What is in the box?
For seven thousand rubles we get very reasonable technical specifications and a new version of Android. The device comes to us in an aesthetic blue and white box with an image of the device on both sides and technical specifications. Inside you will find the phone, documentation, a clip for the SIM and microSD tray, a charger, a micro-USB cable and a headset.
Indeed, I would definitely prefer that the manufacturer, instead of headphones that look like they should fall apart when you look at them, included something else in the package (maybe a case or tempered glass for the screen).
Design and appearance
In addition to the accessories, we get the Alcatel 1S 2019, which came to me in a blue color version, called Metallic Blue by the manufacturer. The aesthetically pleasing blue backs with a delicate texture pair well with the uniform black front. The plastic covering the body used does not have an excessive tendency to collect fingerprints. The smartphone itself feels like a very durable gadget; despite intensive attempts, I couldn't get it to make even the slightest squeak.
The back of the 1S houses a dual camera, LED backlight and fingerprint scanner. The latter is very responsive and located at the optimal height. The mirror element was installed next to the main camera. A small thing, but effective and pleasant. The bottom edge is occupied by a micro-USB port, microphone and speaker. On the right side there are volume control and power/lock keys. On the opposite side there is a tray for two SIM cards and a microSD card. At the top end there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
The device lies very confidently in the palm of my hand; I did not find any problems with it slipping out during tests. Alcatel is a medium-sized smartphone, so the one-handed experience depends on the size of the user's palm. In my case it was not very convenient, perhaps because I have short fingers.
Features and convenience
Setting up the Alcatel 1S smartphone does not cause the slightest difficulty. Just place the SIM card in the tray and start the device. The settings wizard will immediately greet us when we start the phone for the first time, the entire further process is very intuitive and simple. Directly from the configuration menu we go to the main screen, where we see a simple shell from the manufacturer. It is economical in resources and aesthetic, there are only the most necessary elements.
Support for basic functions is available in Alcatel 1S, as is the Internet browser, where with one tab open everything works very smoothly. The more tabs, the faster the device begins to feel a lack of power. However, the first impression of this phone is pleasant.
Screen and media
Alcatel 1S 2019 was equipped with a 5.5-inch screen with HD+ resolution. As for the quality of the offered image, I have no serious reservations (taking into account the price). But readability in the sun and the panel sensor responsible for control are definitely the weakest points of this device. The smartphone has very serious problems with correctly recognizing and responding to touches, so writing a short SMS is a real test. The sensitivity of the display reminds me of the days of the Samsung Galaxy Spica and HTC Wildfire. Here you can see where the manufacturer saved money.
The software of this Alcatel allows us to adjust the parameters of the displayed image within a range of color temperatures. You can choose one of three modes: warm, standard and temporary. There is also a blue light filter activated from sunset to sunrise or according to the owner's preferences.
For convenience, Alcatel's 1S has a single speaker located in a hole on the bottom edge, to the right of the power port. The maximum sound volume is satisfactory here. TCL has not forgotten about the mini-jack, which provides a positive experience when listening to music on headphones. True, in the box with the phone you will find a terrible headset. I tested the D/A converter capabilities of this Alcatel with my headphones and was positively surprised. The sound is clear, pleasant and crisp for the vast majority of users.
Alcatel 1S cameras
The Alcatel 1S 2019 phone is equipped with a main camera module consisting of two lenses: a main one with a resolution of 13 MP and a secondary one with a resolution of 2 MP, to separate the subject from the background. A 5-megapixel front lens is responsible for selfies. Both cameras are equipped with LED backlights.
The camera app is clear and legible. From the main screen you can access manual flash, HDR mode, adjust digital aperture, add basic anti-aliasing effects, brighten up, zoom, and change the sensor used. Overall, the experience is as befits a bottom-shelf Chinese phone.
Throughout the day, Alcatel will take the correct photos from both cameras. The device is also good for shooting static objects, such as portraits or landscapes, but when movement occurs in the frame, sharpness is completely lost. Therefore, if you are looking for a smartphone with a camera that will allow you to immortalize your little offspring, avoid this device.
Shooting children or animals with this camera module is not the most pleasant; it is very easy to get blurry photos. In poor lighting conditions, everything is much better if the phone remains in the owner's pocket. This is definitely not equipment from which you can post photos on Instagram.
There is one interesting feature that represents the “virtual aperture ratio”, where you can simulate the behavior of the camera in situations where its aperture operates in the range from f/0.95 to f/16.0 (default is set to f/2.8) . The name of the parameter sounds very reassuring, so I decided to take a closer look at it. Unfortunately, after a few shots, it turned out that this tool is nothing more than applying a vignetting effect.
The quality of video recorded on the 1S from both the front and rear cameras is not the best, stabilization leaves much to be desired.
System and software
Directly from the Alcatel 1S 2019 configuration menu we go to the launcher, which surprises with its simple and intuitive controls. We will not find here many colorful elements pleasing to the eye. Everything is classic and “flat”. However, this is not a defect, because the interface remains responsive most of the time, providing very high operating comfort for this price level. The device quickly responds to commands, and the speed of launching individual applications is fine.
Hardware performance
It's clear that Alcatel's 1S doesn't have the same response time as a flagship, but at 1/10th the price of most top-shelf models, I can accept that shortcoming. When using applications that require a large amount of memory, like heavy games, it becomes obvious that the smartphone needs time to “think”.
Thanks to the latest version of Android 9.0 Pie, you can easily install even the newest and most demanding mobile games on your device. The gadget copes with less demanding titles without stuttering, providing the comfort known to more expensive devices.
However, this is not a gaming phone, so I have no right to blame the Alcatel 1S for poor performance. The 1S rating was important to me, primarily in terms of how fast the browser, Facebook, YouTube and other popular programs work here. In short, everything is fine here.
Fingerprint scanner
The Alcatel 1S has a fingerprint scanner on the back, which I have very mixed feelings about. My fingers are not the thickest, but sometimes I had problems getting the sensor to respond correctly. At the same time, when I asked a person with thin fingers to check the reader, the problems disappeared.
Communication and call quality
There are practically no significant communication modules on the Alcatel 1S 2019. Here we find only Wi-Fi operating on 2.4 GHz technology, LTE with 800 MHz (B20), Bluetooth 4.2 and a non-hybrid dual SIM card tray. This phone can accommodate both two SIM cards and microSD at the same time (a solution rare, even in flagships). The device does not support VoWiFi or VoLTE.
I also don’t mind the quality of the connection; the sound is loud, clear, pleasant for the user and his interlocutor.
Autonomy Alcatel 1S 2019
In the kit we get a regular micro-USB cable and a standard 1A charger. This allows you to fully charge the 1S's 3060 mAh battery in about three hours. The time can be reduced by connecting the device to a charger that provides faster charging.
The standard battery life of this Alcatel is 1.5-2 days. As a second phone, it will last about 5 days without any problems. In fact, I did not expect such a result at all and was very surprised. Therefore, I can recommend 1S to everyone for whom long waiting times are a priority.
Bottom line
TCL's Alcatel 1S is a very good smartphone for its price range, it brought a "like before" smile to my face, followed by the usual but unexpected joy of use. Due to the low price, I am able to accept all of its shortcomings except one - the fatal touchpad. If the manufacturer managed to fix this, the device would definitely become a backup phone for me.
Who is Alcatel 1S 2019 intended for? First of all, for people who are looking for a new device with a guarantee for little money.
Advantages
- Reasonable price.
- There is a 3.5 mm jack.
- Speed and stability (at this price).
- Dual SIM cards with separate MicroSD card slot.