If you want to try out Windows 10 Mobile in the U.S. and don’t want to go through the hoops of being a Windows Insider, your only bet is getting either the Microsoft Lumia 950 or 950 XL. That’s about to change very soon, however, as Alcatel OneTouch has now officially announced the Fierce XL.
Positioned as T-Mobile’s first Windows 10 Mobile smartphone, the Fierce XL won’t satisfy the needs of power users, and its quad-core 1.1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 processor reflects that sentiment. There are 2GB of RAM, so you can get some multitasking done, but with the relatively lowly processor, don’t expect support for Continuum, which turns your Windows 10 Mobile smartphone into a pseudo-PC.
The low specifications are not a surprise, however, when you consider that Alcatel believes that the future of the Windows Phone isn’t in high-end devices, but in the entry-level segment of the market.
Continuing our peek under the hood reveals a non-removable 2,500mAh battery, as well as 16GB of internal storage, which can be expanded by up to an additional 32GB through the MicroSD card slot. In addition, the Fierce XL brings with it support for Wi-Fi calling and VoLTE.
On the outside lies a 5.5-inch, 1,280x720p resolution display, with capacitive buttons sitting on the bezel below the display. A 2-megapixel camera lies above the display, while an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p video recording can be found in the back. Finally, the Fierce XL features a black bezel with a cyan back, possibly a nod to old-school Lumia smartphones.
Overall, the Fierce XL seems to exude a budget aura around it, consistent with Alcatel’s approach to the general smartphone market. Whether that aura matches the price is still to be determined, however, as Alcatel did not reveal pricing information. The Fierce XL will be available through T-Mobile “in the coming weeks.”
