The 5 key features of the Alcatel 5V

A good mobile at a good price. A formula that seems simple but is not so easy to bring to life. Something that the Alcatel 5V does, Alcatel's most powerful smartphone so far in 2018 . A team that joins the fashion of infinite screens (in fact, Alcatel is the first company that has brought this screen format to all its models) and that allows us to enjoy multimedia content on a large 6.2-inch screen .

Its design is very careful, with a back that has a glossy finish with a mirror effect and the presence of a rectangular notch or eyebrow to remove the minimum space from the screen. In fact, the bezels are so tight that the screen-to-body ratio goes up to 88%.

Within the photographic section, its main double camera stands out to create blur effects, in addition to the social mode to create different compositions that we can easily upload to Facebook or Instagram. The Alcatel 5V can be found in stores for an official price of 229 euros . We wanted to gather in this article its five most interesting characteristics.

Alcatel 5V - Data sheet

1. High-end design with mid-range price

The Alcatel 5V is a mobile that immediately draws attention for its finish. Despite being in the mid-range, its design can be confused with that of a smartphone for double or triple its value . This is helped by its curved glass-like finish on the rear, which creates a very premium feel from the first glance. In addition, it is reinforced with a 2.5D Dragontrail glass to make it more resistant to bumps and scratches.

The subject of frames has also been taken care of. These have been reduced to the maximum so that the screen takes advantage of almost all the space on the front. Not surprisingly, we are talking about a screen-to-body ratio of 88% , a higher percentage than that of some flagship mobiles from other brands.

This percentage is also achieved thanks to the use of an eyebrow or notch. Although at first its presence may shock, in our experience soon after you forget it and it becomes part of the day-to-day experience without problems.

Another key to the Alcatel 5V design. We are talking about only 156 grams in a mobile that houses a 6.2-inch screen . That is, a very light body that allows us to handle the device with one hand without problems. By the way, inside the box we will also find a transparent casing to protect this mobile from shocks.

2. Dual rear camera and scene recognition by AI

Within the photographic section we find a double main camera. This is the strong point of the Alcatel 5V, as opposed to the Alcatel 5 that emphasizes selfies. The first lens has a resolution of 12 megapixels, although with the larger pixels for more detailed photos up to 16 megapixels. The second 2 megapixel lens is designed to provide depth of field information. Thanks to this, you can take photos with blur or bokeh in real time. This mode gives us a lot of play to create artistic and quality photos.

The Alcatel 5's camera also includes PDAF for very fast focus and a dual-tone flash to help take more natural photos in low light conditions.

But perhaps the most interesting is the arrival of AI functions (Artificial Intelligence) . The artificial intelligence of the Alcatel 5 is able to analyze the scenes that we are going to photograph in real time and assign them a series of contrast, brightness or saturation values ​​to get the best photo. In total, it is capable of detecting up to eleven different scenes depending on the objects that come into play:  Portrait, Food, Cat, Dog, Flower, Plant, Text, Beach, Blue sky, Night and Backlight (photos with high light contrast) .

It has the Google Lens function that allows you to search what you see, do things faster and interact with the world around you.

I do not want to end this section without mentioning another of the interesting features with which to get the most out of the Alcatel 5V camera. It is the social mode, oriented to its use on platforms such as Facebook or Instagram . The idea is to make it easier to upload photos to these networks and also to create various compositions to make them more attractive. And, in addition to taking a normal photo, we also have the option of creating a photo collage or even making a burst to upload four photos at once in photo booth mode.

3. Good autonomy

There is no doubt that it is one of the fields in which mobile phones have more room for development. Despite technologies like fast charging, having to live with the threat of running out of charge is one of the modern fears. The Alcatel 5V has the advantage of being a mobile designed to withstand the pull of a whole day of use without the need to recharge. In fact, in our tests we managed to pass the 24-hour barrier without needing a plug with a fairly intensive use.

Its battery capacity goes up to 4,000 milliamps, a good figure for its 6.2-inch screen.

4. 6.2 inch full view screen

The new frameless designs of modern mobiles have opened a door to a batch of mobiles with large screens without having to fall for the “shoe”. This is the case of the Alcatel 5V, which offers us a powerful 6.2-inch screen designed to view multimedia content such as videos, movies or series. Its full view panel has an ultra-wide 19: 9 format, that is, somewhat more elongated than other competing equipment.

As we have commented before, we have a notch or eyebrow that helps to achieve this extra screen. Its technology is IPS, which translates into good brightness levels and, above all, very competitive viewing angles both horizontally and vertically. In addition, we have to emphasize the vividness of the colors and the detail of this screen. It cannot be ignored that we are facing an HD + resolution, although in general in panels of this size other factors matter more such as the treatment of color or brightness. Although this level of brightness is good, we may have difficulties in seeing the contents if it is directly hit by sunlight.

5. Face Key and fingerprint reader

Finally, one of the sections in which Alcatel has worked is that of security systems. In addition to the fingerprint reader, which has already become a fundamental feature in high-end and mid-range terminals, we also have another type of unlocking. We mean Face Key. It is a facial recognition technology that analyzes up to 106 key points on the user's face . And it does it practically instantaneously, since it only takes half a second to unlock the terminal.

In the tests that we carried out, its operation did not disappoint, being able to recognize our face in normal situations both with glasses and without them and with changes in the hairstyle. Of course, it must be borne in mind that when using the front camera to carry out the analysis of the face, it is required that there be some light in the room.

However, it must be borne in mind that this type of facial recognition unlocks are less secure than other available alternatives. Therefore, if you are looking for a plus, we recommend using the fingerprint reader on the back , which also has a very agile and fine operation (the vast majority of times it is able to recognize the finger in almost any position without having to repeat the gesture).

Price and reviews

The Alcatel 5V can be found in stores for an official price of 229 euros. In short, this is a mobile that meets the fundamental requirements for a good mid-range smartphone. On the one hand, it has a 4,000 milliamp battery capable of withstanding the pull. In particular, we have been able to use the terminal for a whole day without the need to recharge, a guarantee if you have a long day ahead or a trip in which you will not have a plug at hand.

In addition, it has a well-made photographic set. Starting with its main dual lens camera. One of these lenses is designed to obtain information from the depth of field and allow us to create blur effects in real time. And all this with a very careful design that recalls the top-of-the-range models of many firms, with the rear with a glass-like finish and with a very light weight that facilitates its handling with one hand.

Without a doubt, an attractive proposal if we are looking for an inexpensive smartphone with good benefits for this Christmas.