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French brand returns to smartphone market with three new devices at once

Owned by Finnish giant Nokia, the Alcatel brand is making headlines again after a 4-year pause.

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By Cosmin Vasile

Published: May 21, 2025, 5:08 PM

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Alcatel

Alcatel V3 Ultra 5G | Image credit: Alcatel India

Alcatel phones were famous back in early 2000s not just for their affordability, but also thanks to their colorful designs. Especially the Alcatel One Touch lineup, which became the corporate brand back in 2010, made the French company popular among smartphone users.

Founded in 2004 as a joint venture between Alcatel-Lucent and TCL Corporation, Alcatel’s mobile division became a wholly owned subsidiary group of TCL after the Chinese company acquired the French giant’s 45 percent share just one year later.

However, Finnish giant Nokia decided to acquire the assets of Alcatel-Lucent back in 2016, which also included the licensing agreements for the Alcatel brand. This means that while TCL is the company that currently designs, manufactures and distributes Alcatel mobile phones, it does that because it’s been given the license to do that by Nokia.

The Alcatel brand was licensed by Alcatel-Lucent to TCL for mobile phones and devices back in 2005, even before the Chinese company acquired the French giant’s share in the joint venture. But the license expired at the end of 2024 and it’s unclear if TCL and Nokia entered another agreement regarding the Alcatel brand.

Alcatel V3 Pro 5G | Image credit: Alcatel India

But the recent announcement from Alcatel India makes us believe the license to continue to release Alcatel phones have been extended. Despite the fact that TCL hasn’t released another Alcatel-branded phone since 2021 and preferred to push its own brand instead, three new Alcatel phones are about to make their debut in India in the coming days: Alcatel V3 Ultra 5G, Alcatel V3 Pro 5G, and Alcatel V3 Classic 5G.

TCL phones are well-known in the United States for their NXTPAPER display technology, and the three Alcatel-branded phones will offer the same functionality. In fact, these seem to be just rebranded versions of already released TCL phones.

For example, the Alcatel V3 Ultra 5G is clearly just a reskinned TCL 50 Pro NXTPAPER. The other two phones seem to be just slightly dumbed down versions of the TCL 50 Pro NXTPAPER.

That said, we expect Alcatel V3 Ultra 5G to arrive with a 6.8-inch FHD+ display with 120 Hz refresh rate and anti-glare NXTPAPER technology. By the way, this is the first phone to introduce this technology in India.

Alcatel V3 Classic 5G | Image credit: Alcatel India

The phone is equipped with a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset, paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. On the back, the new Alcatel phone packs a triple camera setup that includes 108MP + 8MP + 2MP cameras. There’s a 32-megapixel selfie camera on the front.

The V3 Ultra 5G is powered by a 5,010 mAh battery with 33W wired charging support, which promised up to 7 days of use with the Max Ink mode enabled. The phone comes with a built-in stylus and features eSIM support.

The other two Alcatel phones come with smaller 6.7-inch HD+ displays with 120 Hz refresh rate, but only the V3 Pro 5G features NXTPAPER technology, while the V3 Classic 5G embeds NXTVISION technology.

They use the same MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset but have slightly bigger 5,200 mAh batteries. They feature dual cameras (50 MP + 8MP), 8GB RAM, and 128 GB storage.

According to Alcatel India, all three phones will be available for purchase beginning May 27 via Flipkart. Prices haven’t been revealed yet, but the most expensive should be priced around Rs 29,000 ($340 / €300).

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Cosmin, a tech journalist with a career spanning over a decade, brought a wealth of experience to PhoneArena. His expertise lies in brands like Samsung and Nokia, and he has a keen interest in innovative technologies. After a brief stint in PR, Cosmin returned to tech journalism in 2016, committed to delivering clear and objective news. When he's not writing or appearing as a guest on TV and radio shows, Cosmin enjoys playing RPGs, watching Netflix, and nurturing his passion for history and travel.

French brand returns to smartphone market with three new devices at once

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