Alcatel 5 Series hands-on

Continuing to expand its portfolio, Alcatel gave a sneak peek tease of its upcoming new smartphones, which are intended to provide re-imagined designs and features. One of them, the Alcatel 5 Series, sits at the top of the pedestal in its upcoming portfolio, while still coming at a price point that'll be significantly more competitive that most of today's flagship phones. 

Now, this sneak peek tease doesn't provide us with any meaningful look into the phone's specs, seeing that it wasn't disclosed – plus, these new lines are intended to be officially announced in Barcelona for MWC 2018. Despite this, it's interesting to see Alcatel's strategy and decision for adding yet more new lines into its portfolio. 

Given its attachment as being Alcatel's premium tiered smartphones, this new Alcatel 5 Series clearly exudes a premium look and feel, which is most apparent from our cursory look at the handset. Boasting what appears to be a unibody metal body, the Alcatel 5 Series absolutely exudes a phone that some would believe to be priced over $500. Sure, it might have a boxy appearance when looking at it head on, but we really appreciate how it has a form-fitting feel in the hand – it's not grossly large unlike some flagships nowadays. 

Another standout from our hands-on is the phone's display, which adopts the trend of boasting that all-screen look with minimal bezels. Employing an 18:9 screen aspect ratio, this new Alcatel 5 Series definitely looks sharp and detailed, but it remains to be seen whether or not it has anything else compelling to make it stand out from the crop. Other high-end, premium features that are expected to accompany the series include face unlock, a finger-print sensor, and what appears to be dual-front facing cameras. 

Currently in the space, OnePlus has been taking the majority of recognition of pushing the boundaries when it comes to premium smartphones. Therefore, it'll be interesting to see what kind of ambitious approach Alcatel ends up attacking when they announce its new premium line with the 5 series. This tease should hopefully generate attention towards them, but it won't be long before we fully know what this new series will deliver come MWC 2018.