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There’s a reason why the Alcatel 1C is priced at around $80 [hands-on]

By John Velasco

Updated: Jan 10, 2019, 10:50 PM

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Saving money is always something that just about anyone can appreciate, but while some smartphones may come off dirt cheap, in terms of their performances and constructions, there’s a reason why that’s the case. You’ll share the same sentiments checking out the Alcatel 1C, which was announced during CES 2019 alongside another budget offering in the Alcatel 1X. However, the 1C goes way lower in price point at $80.

It’s dirt cheap and the phone reflects that

As we mentioned, it’s a really cheap phone, one that’s not technically coming to the US. Instead, the Alcatel 1C will be targeting emerging markets, so the price point and overall construction of the phone makes more sense. Donning a plastic textured body, it’s instantly noticeable that it’s not the most flattering looking smartphone out there – nor is its construction polished. Obviously, for emerging markets, Alcatel has crafted a phone that’s going to be more accessible to people.

The basics

Being such a budget-friendly smartphone, you seriously can’t expect this doing anything more than the basics. We’re talking about phones calls, the occasional texting, checking email, and surfing the web. And while it’s sporting a 5-inch FullView display with an aspect ratio of 18:9, the amount of distortion and color bleeding doesn’t make it the most pleasing to the eye. On top of that, the overall performance from a smartphone boasting a quad-core Spreadtrum SC7731E processor coupled with 1GB of RAM, it doesn’t surprise us that it’s rather sluggish. Patience is definitely something you’ll need if you intend on using this smartphone, but for basic use, it’ll suffice just as long you don’t mind the occasional wait time.

Going after a specific demographic

We’ve seen some ridiculously beautiful looking smartphones that also perform nicely at around the $250 range, but when you go below that $100 threshold, there’s going to be a huge disparity with what you’ll find. The Alcatel 1C is just that kind of phone, one that offers the bare essentials with its Android Oreo Go Edition. With its equivalent cost of $80, the Alcatel 1C is something suitable for emerging markets that takes pride in savings more than anything else – at the expense of the design and performance.