Alcatel 3L: Features | Pricing | Specs

It's quite common these days for smartphone manufacturers to release less-powerful versions of their phones at a lower price point. This gives the more budget-conscious buyer a means to enjoy most of the latest smartphone features without spending more than they can afford.

Typically, this approach is confined to flagship phones like the Apple iPhone XS/iPhone XR or the Samsung Galaxy S10/Galaxy S10e, but Alcatel has decided to jump on the bandwagon with the Alcatel 3L, a "Lite" version of its Alcatel 3 handset. This is an odd approach seeing as the Alcatel 3 is already a budget handset, but it could make sense if you like the sleek look of the Alcatel 3 yet don't need quite so much power for your day-to-day phone use.

Design

• 5.9-inch screen
• Extra-wide 19.5:9 aspect ratio
• Minimal notch and bezel means more screen to enjoy

• Read our full overview of the Alcatel 3L's design

  If you've seen the Alcatel 3, you know exactly what you're getting with the Alcatel 3L. Both phones are identical from the outside, with the same weight, dimensions and edge-to-edge screen. That screen measures in at a sizeable 5.9 inches, but those inches aren't quite the same as they are on your typical budget smartphone. Instead of the standard 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, the Alcatel 3L uses a 19.5:9 ratio that more closely approaches the ultra-wide format you see in Hollywood movies.

  This gives the Alcatel 3L a taller frame than your average 5.9-inch smartphone. It also makes watching the aforementioned Hollywood movies more immersive, as the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen will be thinner than on a 16:9 display. Bear in mind, though, that the resolution is locked at 720 x 1,560, which is less than the full HD specification of 1,920 x 1,080. Photos and videos won't look quite as sharp as they would on a true HD display, but that's a common trade-off for a budget smartphone.

  Alcatel has made fewer sacrifices on the feature front, with the Alcatel 3L sporting an impressive amount of functionality for a phone at its price point. Along with a 3.5mm headphone jack and support for Bluetooth 4.2, you've got a built-in radio, a fingerprint sensor and dual-SIM support. The storage situation is slightly less remarkable, with just 16GB of internal storage plus support for microSD expansion up to 128GB.

  Oddly, the Alcatel 3L ships with the 2017 edition of the Android operating system, Android 8.1 ("Oreo"). Fortunately, Alcatel offers an upgrade to the more-recent Android 9.0 ("Pie"), allowing 3L owners to take advantage of the latest features and security updates it brings.

Camera

• Dual-lens 13MP/5MP rear camera
• AI scene detection and Beauty mode promise better images for amateur photographers

• Read our full overview of the Alcatel 3L's camera

  Just a few years ago, dual-lens cameras were a key selling point of the latest flagship smartphones. Now, phone camera technology has progressed so far that we're seeing high-end phones with triple- and even quad-lens arrays, while the dual-lens approach has filtered down to budget handsets like the Alcatel 3L.

  Alcatel has gone with a 13MP/5MP configuration for the rear camera of the Alcatel 3L. That secondary 5MP lens allows you to add bokeh depth-of-field effects to your subjects, while the primary 13MP lens should deliver decent if unremarkable photos in line with other budget smartphones. The same can be said of the single 8MP lens at the front of the Alcatel 3L, which should have little trouble satisfying your basic selfie needs.

  You may notice Alcatel advertising the 3L's rear and front cameras as 16MP and 13MP respectively, significantly higher than the numbers mentioned above. This is due to the 3L's cameras using a technique known as interpolation. Interpolation is a software process that increases the resolution of photos beyond the capabilities of the hardware alone by "guessing" what pixels to add to the image. The result is never quite as sharp as a raw image taken at that higher resolution, but it can look noticeably better than an equivalent non-interpolated shot.

  Facial recognition has become a popular feature in the smartphone space since Apple introduced FaceID with the iPhone X, so it's no surprise that companies like Alcatel are incorporating it into their devices too. But while the Alcatel 3L does support hands-free unlocking via its Face Key feature, it's important to understand that it doesn't work the same as Apple's FaceID. Where FaceID uses a 3D depth-sensing camera to ensure accurate facial detection, Face Key relies on basic 2D image comparison processes. This approach isn't particularly accurate and is often regarded as significantly less secure than even a regular PIN.

Performance

• Snapdragon 429 should have enough grunt for basic tasks
• 2GB of RAM is likely to bottleneck multi-tasking performance

• Read our full overview of the Alcatel 3L's performance

  The guts of the Alcatel 3L are where it differs most dramatically from its more-expensive doppelganger, the Alcatel 3. Alcatel has dropped the RAM from 3GB to 2GB and swapped out the eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 processor for the quad-core Snapdragon 429. Those are some significant compromises certain to result in considerably lower results once we get our hands on both phones for benchmark testing.

  In the meantime, we can get a good idea of the Alcatel 3L's capabilities by looking to the Motorola Moto E5, a phone powered by the predecessor to the Snapdragon 429, the Snapdragon 425. In our review of the Motorola Moto E5, we found performance to be adequate for simple tasks like browsing the web and checking in on social media, but long load times and lacklustre responsiveness were common.

  According to Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 429 platform offers 25% higher performance than the Snapdragon 425, so the Alcatel 3L should be slightly snappier than the Moto E5. Nevertheless, the inclusion of just 2GB of RAM means you should expect delays and choppiness when multi-tasking or switching between apps.

Battery

• 3,500mAh battery should easily keep you going all day
• No fast-charging means long charge times

• Read our full overview of the Alcatel 3L's battery

  Not only does the Alcatel 3L match the size and shape of the Alcatel 3, it packs the same 3,500mAh battery, too. 3,500mAh was already ample for the Alcatel 3 and with the 3L opting for the lower-powered Snapdragon 429 processor, it should last even longer as you go about your day-to-day.

  Judging from the screen size and processor, 3,500mAh should have no trouble seeing the Alcatel 3L through a full day of average use on a single charge. Under light use, two or more days wouldn't be out of the question, either. Alcatel's own tests back this up, with an estimated talk time of 21 hours on 3G and 18 hours on 4G. When left on standby, Alcatel claims the 3L can last for up to 950 hours on 3G and up to 900 hours on 4G.

  The unfortunate counterpoint to the Alcatel 3L's promising battery life is its lack of support for any form of fast-charging. Instead, Alcatel expects you'll need to leave the 3L plugged in for a painstaking 4.2 hours to charge it up fully, so you'll probably want to schedule your charging sessions for times when you're sitting at your desk or sleeping.

Pricing and availability

• Alcatel hasn't announced pricing or availability for the Alcatel 3L yet.