Alcatel 3x, analysis and test with features and price

When buying a mobile, not all users want or can choose a high-end or even mid-range mobile. Many are looking for a simple mobile that offers them all the services of a smartphone, but without spending a lot of money. That's why manufacturers like Alcatel launch inexpensive devices on the market, but that offer some characteristics inherited from the high-end. Phones like the Alcatel 3x, a terminal with a 5.7-inch FullView screen for 170 euros .

But not only that. The Alcatel 3x also features a dual camera system with a wide-angle lens. It even equips a fingerprint reader and facial recognition. All with a nice radial finish on the back and a compact body. How will this device work? I have had the opportunity to test the Alcatel 3x for a few days and I will tell you what I think .

Alcatel 3x datasheet

Simple but effective design

That we cannot spend a lot on a mobile does not mean that we cannot have some of the features of the more expensive devices. The Alcatel 3x offers a simple but visually appealing design .

For example, we have a front with reduced frames. Although it is true that they could be much smaller, especially the lower frame. We have a screen-to-body ratio of 77.65% .

The back is finished in plastic . However, the terminal gives a good feeling when you pick it up. The radial finish on the back offers a nice and comfortable touch in hand. Additionally, the edges are slightly curved for easy grip.

In addition to the brand logo, on the back we have the double camera and the fingerprint reader . The double camera is located in the center and in a vertical position. It is delimited by a metal border, like the fingerprint reader, which is positioned just below. The operation of the same is correct, although sometimes I have had to put the finger several times.

On the right side (looking at the terminal from the front) we have the volume and power buttons. The latter has a rough finish so that we can easily locate it in the dark.

On the other side we only have the SIM card tray, which must be removed using the usual "skewer". The headphone jack is at the top , while at the bottom we only have the charging MicroUSB.

FullView 18: 9 display

With the new reduced frame designs, any mobile terminal can have a large screen. Currently the 5.7 inches have become a standard even in low-end terminals.

The Alcatel 3x is equipped with a 5.7-inch IPS panel . It has an 18: 9 format and HD + resolution of 1,440 × 720 pixels . This low resolution is noticeable as soon as the terminal is turned on, since we will see a text and icons of a considerable size.

Still, for navigation and social networks I have not had any problems. It's true that less information fits on the screen, but the text looks sharp.

As for video, the maximum resolution that we can use will be 720p . This affects the quality of the video, even though the screen is small. A quite remarkable difference is noticed with the terminals that can reproduce in 1080p.

But if we leave aside the resolution, the use of an IPS panel allows a correct reproduction of colors . Viewing angles are pretty good too and pure blacks.

Double wide angle camera

The Alcatel 3x has a dual camera system on the back. The main sensor offers a resolution of 16 megapixels , with 1.12 μm pixels and f / 2.0 aperture .

This is accompanied by a second wide-angle sensor with a resolution of 8 megapixels, 1.12 μm pixels and f / 2.2 aperture . The camera is capable of recording video in 1080p resolution at 30 fps. In addition, the sensors are accompanied by a dual-tone flash.

As for the front camera, we have an 8 megapixel sensor . The pixels are also slightly larger, at 1.12 μm in size . On the other hand, it offers an aperture f / 2.4 and is capable of capturing video with 1080p resolution.

Simple camera app

The Alcatel 3x camera application is simple, but effective. On the right side of the screen (with the mobile horizontally) we have the fire button. Just above it is the button to switch between the front and rear camera.

Next to the fire button we have a kind of clover, with which we can switch between modes. What modes do we have? Automatic, Panoramic, Time Lapse, Social and Light Trace .

On the left side we have five shortcuts . The first to activate the night mode, the second for the flash, the third to activate the timer, the fourth to activate HDR shooting and the last to use the filters.

At the top we have one of the most important buttons. This is the button that allows you to switch between the normal lens and the wide angle lens .

Picture quality

And now that we have reviewed the technical characteristics of the camera, let's see how it works in "real life". First of all, I have to remind you that we are talking about a 150 euro mobile phone.

Taking this into account, we can say that, in good light, the quality of the photos is correct . I can't say that the mobile takes great photos, but I think it will be enough for most users who are looking for a mobile like this.

Yes I have noticed a problem in the autofocus system of the terminal . On more than one occasion I have had to repeat the photo because it was slightly shaken. And it hasn't always been in rapid-fire situations.

In more difficult conditions, such as a backlight or a scene with light and shadow, the camera suffers. This is accentuated a lot when we want to use the camera in low light conditions. Also indoors, where it is difficult to even take the photo in focus .

But if something can differentiate the Alcatel 3x's photographic system from that of other terminals in this price range, it is its second objective. As I said before, it is a wide angle capable of capturing a 120 degree angle of view . This, as we saw in the analysis of the LG G7, offers a different point of view than what we can capture with other mobiles.

Photo with main sensor

Same photo with wide-angle sensor

However, as you can see in the images, the wide-angle sensor offers less image quality than the main sensor . As soon as we enlarge the image we will see a significant loss of quality, with a lot of noise. However, I repeat, for most of the users this mobile is intended for, it will be enough.

As for the front camera, it offers quite good quality . Despite not having a sensor with a lot of resolution, if the light is good we can take some more than decent selfies to upload them to our Instagram.

I leave you a gallery of photos made with the Alcatel 3x so that you can see for yourself the quality offered by its dual camera system.

Gallery of photos taken with the Alcatel 3x

Fair performance and Android 7.1

To be honest, the Alcatel 3x is somewhat lacking in power. It has a processor inside MT 6739 , which offers four A5 cores at 1.28 GHz. Accompanying the processor we have 3 GB of RAM .

It also has 32 GB of internal storage , a capacity that we can expand using a MicroSD card of up to 128 GB.

The use of such a simple processor is noticeable in the performance of the terminal on a day-to-day basis. Not always, it is true, but as soon as you “give it a bit of cane” things get complicated. For example, if we are installing or updating an application, we will practically not be able to use the mobile until it is finished.

I have also noticed this when running heavy applications, like games. Or at the startup of the terminal, having to wait a while to be able to use the mobile fluently. Even so, if we are going to make a simple use of the terminal, with few apps open, the operation is correct .

In the image above I leave you the result of the AnTuTu test. Generally I also pass the Geekbench test, but on this mobile I have not been able to do it, it did not work.

The Alcatel 3x comes with Android 7.1.1 installed as standard . In addition, on the Android system we have the usual manufacturer's customization layer.

Without being too annoying, it does incorporate some applications and options of Alcatel. For example, it comes with three games installed as standard . Also other quite common apps on this type of device, such as Super Cleaner or its own app store.

Among the functionalities that Alcatel adds, I would like to highlight the facial recognition system . The Alcatel 3x is capable of identifying 106 facial points, with a detection radius of 30 °. And the truth is that the system works quite well for such an economical mobile. In fact, it works better than the fingerprint reader.

Autonomy and connectivity

The Alcatel 3x is equipped with a 3,000 milliamp battery . It is a capacity, on paper, very good if we take into account the hardware of the terminal.

However, in everyday use it is not as spectacular as you might expect . Yes, it lasted me all day without problems doing normal use of the terminal, but I expected something more.

In the AnTuTu battery test it has achieved a score of 8,808 points . It thus stays close to, for example, the Wiko View 2, another low-end terminal and a content price.

And if we talk about connectivity, we have what is expected in a terminal with a reduced price. The Alcatel 3x is equipped with 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, 4G LTE and a MicroUSB connector . I liked the incorporation of FM Radio, something that is difficult to find today.

Conclusions and price

The Alcatel 3x is a very simple terminal. However, despite having a very reasonable price, it tries to offer some features of the high-end models.

It offers a nice design and easy to handle . The screen lacks some resolution, but perhaps for certain types of users it could even be an advantage, since everything looks bigger.

The dual camera system complies, having more creative possibilities with the wide angle . What I liked the least is its processor. I think it offers a performance that is too tight, hurting the user experience in some situations.

Despite all that has been said, it is a very interesting terminal for those who are looking for a simple and cheap mobile. We can get the Alcatel 3x with a price of 170 euros .