The Alcatel 3v launches in the US: dual camera, 18:9 display, $150

The Alcatel 3v was introduced earlier this year in Europe and we got some hands-on time with it, but had no idea when it would be launching in the States. Well, we've got official word that it's coming to the US next week, for the super-competitive price of $149.99! What does that get you? Here's a quick reminder:

The Alcatel 3v is super-shiny, with a metal-and-glass build that makes it look no less premium than much more expensive flagships. On its front, we have a display with the contemporary 18:9 aspect ratio — it's tall and narrow — with a 1080 x 2160 pixel resolution. On the back, we have a fingerprint sensor, just under the camera module.

Speaking of the back, there's a dual camera module back there. The main shooter has a 12 MP sensor, while the secondary camera is there just to assist in depth-perception tasks with a 2 MP sensor of its own. Yes, the phone has a bokeh-emulating portrait mode. The selfie cam has a 5 MP resolution and is assisted by a flash of its own.

When it comes to hardware, the phone has a MediaTek MT8735A quad-core processor under its hood, humming at 1.45 GHz. There are only 16 GB of storage, but it's expandable via a microSD card and 2 GB of RAM. The Alcatel 3v is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery, which should do pretty well with the modest hardware.

On the software end, we've got Android 8.0 Oreo with some extra software features by Alcatel. The fingerprint scanner is not the only biometric lock on the phone — the trendy face unlock feature has been added as well.

The Alcatel 3v is unlocked and will work on GSM carriers — AT&T, T-Mobile, Cricket, Wireless, MetroPCS, among others. It will be available in Spectrum Black via Amazon next week and will later drop by Best Buy and Walmart stores as well.