Smartphone Alcatel 5V - advantages and disadvantages

TCL Communication in July 2018 announced the launch of its new cell phone Alcatel5. As the manufacturer notes, its advantage is manifested in the availability of a wide range of updated options, including an NFC module, a dual main camera using artificial intelligence (AI) innovations and a coordinated Google Lens application. Positioned as a budget option with improved parameters.

Complete set and dimensions

The package includes:

1. Smartphone Alcatel 5V;
2. Built-in 4000mAh Battery;
3. Battery adapter;
4. Type-C USB data cable;
5. Type-C to 3.5mm adapter;
6. USB Type-C Headset;
7. Adapter for SIM - cards;
8. Headphones wired;
9. Warranty card;
10. Protective back cover made of soft plastic;
11. Phone manual.

Number of SIM cards: dual sim. The work is variable.You can insert both SIM cards or one SIM card and a memory card.

Dimensions: 153.7 x 74.55 x 8.5 mm.

Device weight: 158 g.

Design

Housing made of aluminum alloy and plastic. The metal frame and the back surface are made of smooth, beautiful and pleasant to the touch plastic. Plastic imitates mirror polished glass.

Slim phone with narrow bezels. The screen occupies more than 84% of the area.

Sold in blue and black. Colors are soft, not bright. There are no fashionable overflows, but given the ergonomics, they would be out of place.

Strict design with rounded edges. The black version looks like a frameless one.

At the top there is a rather large notch where the speakers and camera are placed.

The design is quite simple, attracts with its laconic elegance.

Main technical characteristics

Technical characteristics of the smartphone are summarized in the table.

Screen

The screen occupies 84.7% of the front surface. The 6.2-inch IPS capacitive touch screen with a resolution of 720 x 1500 pixels has good sensitivity. FullView 19:9 screen.

The display is 6.2 inches, large and bright. The resolution is not high, but for a state employee it is quite decent. Indoors the image is clear, outdoors it is a little worse, but there are no big differences. The colors are not annoying, they are quite natural. The display is equipped with an oleophobic metallized glass that protects it from scratches.

There are pre-installed applications on the screen - Google mail, Google Play Store, Google Maps, Clock, Calendar, Calculator, Google Lens - a modern application.

CPU

An 8-core processor unit that has 4x 2.0GHz ARM Cortex-A53 cores and 4x 1.5Ghz ARM Cortex-A53 cores. The phone is powered by Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762 chipset, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. According to research conducted by the company, the amount of built-in memory is 5818 songs, 12800 photos and 107 videos. The RAM is fast, the option is improved compared to previous models in the line.

A powerful processor provides high performance, which allows you to play active games, watch movies and videos. Moreover, you can easily open a movie and a game, the smartphone will not freeze. This is a smart phone, faster than all the previous ones in the line.

Software and autonomy

Alcatel 5V runs on Android OS v8.1 (Oreo), but the 5V firmware can be upgraded to a newer OS version.

The smartphone has a powerful lithium-ion battery 4000 mAh, the battery is non-removable.

There are different power saving modes. The battery will allow the smartphone to work for a day without recharging, subject to fairly vigorous activity. If you only occasionally call on it, then the battery will last for three days. It takes three hours to fully charge the phone. Unfortunately, the smartphone is not equipped with a fast charging option.

Cameras and sensors

Main camera resolution 12 Mpx (2400 x 5000) Secondary main camera resolution 2 Mpx (980 x 2041) Sensor type CMOS aperture F/2.2. The second camera is 8 MP.

Cameras have the following features:

• continuous shooting;
• LED flash;
• autofocus on the subject;
• digital zoom;
• dual rear camera;
• digital image stabilization;
• geotargeting;
• HDR touch focus;
• ISO settings;
• panoramic shooting;
• self-timer;
• white balance settings;
• bokeh effect;
• beauty mode, which improves video and photo shooting, faces look more natural;
• macro photography.

Cameras allow you to take photos of decent quality. You can shoot with equally good color reproduction at dusk and during the day. For this class, the pictures are quite decent. Shooting in the sun is no problem. But at night the pictures are not very good. The dual camera has an interesting feature - the option to change the depth of field allows you to change the focus angle after the photo is taken.

Smartphones today have a variety of sensors to make the user experience easier.

The Alcatel 5V comes with Near Field Communications (NFC) features for sharing content with other NFC-enabled devices.

The accelerometer is a sensor that measures the deviant movement and orientation of the phone. The 5V phone has a fingerprint scanner. This sensor identifies and authenticates a person's fingerprints to grant or deny access to a smartphone. Located on the back cover. It is easily detected and pressed with a finger if you hold the gadget with the front surface towards you.

There is a face unlock sensor. Recognizes the owner by 106 points in half a second.

These Alcatel phones come with a proximity sensor. This sensor detects how close the phone is to an external object such as your ear. The touch sensor detects when the user is holding the phone near their face during a call and turns off the display to prevent keypad presses and unnecessary battery consumption.

5V comes with NFC (Near Field Communication) functionality.Near Field Communication (NFC) is a short-range wireless communication technology that simplifies transactions and is convenient for consumers around the world. Enables the exchange of digital content and reads electronic devices by touch. This is the first budget Alcatel with NFC, which sets it apart from competitors in the same price segment.

Sound and communication

Alcatel 5V supports 2G, 3G and 4G/LTE networks. This phone has built in GPS. GPS is a highly accurate navigation system that uses signals from satellites to determine your position on the Earth's surface, regardless of weather conditions.

There is a 3.5mm audio jack. Stereo headphones vacuum wired.

The 5 V phone has a built-in radio. The built-in FM radio is great for listening to your favorite radio station. The radio is loud with clear sound. The interlocutor on the phone is also perfectly audible. Call volume and vibrating alert are average. The sound in the headphones is better than without them, there is little bass.

Loud alarm clock and good voice recorder quality.

Video recording is in HD format.

Connectivity on the Alcatel 5V has the following features: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Bluetoothv4.0, GPS, and A-GPS.

Service life and warranty

Users do not yet have much experience in operation, and the manufacturer gives a standard year of warranty.

Peculiarities

Alcatel 5V has an interesting built-in application. A relatively new and impressive feature built into Google Assistant is called Google Lens. This is a new level of virtual assistant. Google Lens is integrated with Google Photos. This allows you to get additional information about it when you point your phone at an object.For example, if you point your smartphone at a restaurant, the assistant will show its website, reviews, menus, and nearby similar objects.

Now the camera will not just see things and provide modest information (using Goggles), with the help of artificial intelligence (Google Lens), it will present detailed and useful information.

Suppose there is a billboard for an upcoming concert on the way home. When you point the camera at the billboard, the phone will show the details of the concert, information about the band, the ability to buy tickets.

Where could I buy?

You can buy it in any retail chain in Russia or on the Internet. It is not sold on Ali Express, it may be later. The estimated price is $ 200, but it is more likely to decrease, since the main sales peak has already passed.

Advantages and disadvantages of the model

• updated Android;
• high quality photo in the daytime. The main camera on the device uses a 12MP + 2MP lens, which is capable of taking photos with a resolution of 4032 x 3024;
• thin;
• large display with non-irritating colors;
• Asahi Dragontrail Glass - powerful protective glass;
• have all the necessary sensors;
• NFC option;
• fast processor;
• nice design in two soft color variations;
• you can open two games at the same time without freezing the phone;
• A powerful battery will allow you to use the gadget for at least a day without recharging.

• no fast and wireless charging option;
• glossy plastic quickly gets dirty and scratched, apparently, so the manufacturer included a protective transparent cover in the kit;
• for such a large display, the screen resolution is small, there is a slight graininess;
• the speaker is located inconveniently and is closed by hand during games;
• the sound lacks low frequencies;
• for some users, the smartphone may seem too light, despite its large size;
• the notch at the top of the phone is perceived as too large;
• good pictures at night are not obtained;
• no water protection.

Alcatel 5V was released in July 2018 as a smartphone in the budget line, but close in options to the high class. This is an option for people who want maximum performance. Its main advantages are a strong battery, an eight-core processor and a large screen. A powerful processor and battery will allow you to play active games calmly, view any content without any problems. For a toy lover, this is just a godsend for relatively little money, since popular games do not hang.