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Alcatel is bringing its new budget phones, the Alcatel 1X and 3V, to the U.S.

U.S. shoppers can get the ultra-cheap Alcatel 1X from Amazon starting next week

Christian de Looper
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At Mobile World Congress 2018, Alcatel announced that the Alcatel 1X and Alcatel 3V would both be making their way to the U.S.

The two phones boast some pretty decent specs for the price — and could be the phone of choice for many on a budget. Here’s everything you need to know about the phones, including when you’ll be able to get your hands on them.

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Alcatel 1X

The Alcatel 1X is actually a very interesting offering. Why? It’s one of the first sub-$100 devices to offer an 18:9 display aspect ratio, which helps make it look slightly more modern than it otherwise would. Apart from the 18:9 display, you’ll also find a MediaTek MT6739, coupled with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. The 18:9 display only has a resolution of 480 x 960 — but that is to be expected from such a cheap device. The camera on the device comes in at 13 megapixels, with the front-facing camera at 5 megapixels. Last but not least, according to Alcatel, the U.S. variant of the 1X will come with a fingerprint sensor.

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When it comes to software, the phone is an Android Go device — so it offers a stripped-down version of Android with stripped-down apps — all built specifically for phones with less RAM and low-power processors.

So when can you get your hands on the Alcatel 1X? Well, it’ll actually be available in the very near future. Alcatel has announced that you’ll be able to buy it in the first week of June, and it’ll be available for $99. The phone will first be available from Amazon, after which it’ll head to Best Buy and Walmart in “coming weeks.”

Alcatel 3V

The Alcatel 3V is a little more high-end. It’s actually Alcatel’s first dual-lens phone to come to the U.S. Under the hood, the phone offers a MediaTek MT8735A processor, along with 2GB of RAM and either 16GB or 32GB of storage. The rear-facing camera on the device has a dual 12-megapixel sensor, while the front-facing camera offers five megapixels. Like its less expensive sibling, the phone has an 18:9 aspect ratio display, but the resolution comes in at 1,080 x 2,160. The phone also comes with Android Oreo — but its the full version rather than the Android Go version.

We’ve actually reviewed the Alcatel 3V, and you can check out that review here.

Alcatel hasn’t said exactly when the Alcatel 3V will be available in the U.S. beyond telling us that it will be available unlocked in “coming months.” We will update this article when we get more information on pricing and availability.

Update: The Alcatel 1X will be available in the first week of June.

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Christian de Looper
Christian de Looper
Contributor
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
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