Alcatel 3v hands-on

On the first day of CES, Alcatel gave to us: three new phone series; one “flagship” level, another mid-range, the other entry level, and a partridge in a pear treeeee. OK, well they actually didn’t give us anything, but rather previewed three new phones from their upcoming “series” lineup.

TCL, which has licensing rights to Alcatel’s mobile phone business, will introduce the lineup as an addition, not replacement, to the Idol phone series. The Alcatel 1, 3, and 5 series’ will all be set at different price points, but will share “high-end” features like 18:9 displays and face unlocking. While pricing hasn’t yet been announced, the 3 series could be the most interesting contender, at the right price. We had a chance to take a preliminary look at the Alcatel 3v, and while specs haven’t been nailed down yet, some general impressions have been made.

As promised, an 18:9 display is employed, but top and bottom bezels are still prominent. Display technology hasn’t been made official, but the unit did have a nice, vibrant screen. Utilizing a unibody construction, the 3v has a shiny metal back, where you’ll also find the fingerprint sensor and dual-cameras.

Yes, dual cameras are present on this mid-tier offering. Arranged vertically, the 3v’s cameras may well set it apart from the 1 and 5 series in a real, and significant way, but alas performance will be a big factor in its importance.

The 3 series, along with the rest of Alcatel’s new lineup, will be detailed further at Mobile World Congress in late February. Until then we can only speculate on pricing and availability, but it seems that the right price can put these devices in a position to steal some fans. It remains to be seen how many of those will be stolen from Alcatel’s Idol series, or its competitors.