Alcatel A3 XL hands on

At CES 2017, Alcatel showcased a new budget-range smartphone with a surprisingly large display. The Alcatel A3 XL is six inches across the diagonal, and we got to go hands on with it for the first time.

The device looks to be an option for consumers who aren’t looking to break the bank for a handset. On the surface, it has a decent design that’s familiar from what we’ve seen from Alcatel in the past.

The 6-inch display clocks in at 720p resolution, which may prove to be a bit disappointing if you’re used to more clarity. Also on the list of cons is the capacitive touch screen, which only registers five points of contact.

Under the hood, this baby is rocking a MediaTek MT 8735B quad core 1.3GHz processor. It runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box and it’s fairly close to a vanilla Android experience.

Unfortunately, the A3 XL only has 8GB of internal storage, and the OS and software take up a good chunk of that, leaving the user only 3.8GB of storage for their own use. The good news is that you can upgrade to up to 32GB thanks to the microSD slot.

The cameras are pretty standard fare for the budget range. We’re looking at an 8MP rear facing camera capable of 1080p video capture. One interesting note is that it has some beautification filters that we’re used to seeing on front facing cameras. Speaking of the front facing camera, it’s 5MP and offers 720p video capture.

Unlike most budget devices, you’ll get biometric security with the Alcatel A3 XL thanks to a fingerprint scanner on the back. Battery life seems reasonable since it’s packing a 3000mAh battery.

Although we wouldn’t describe the UI as “snappy,” it was certainly fluid and we didn’t notice any hangups or lags while playing around with it.

No price has been announced for this device yet, but it’s slated for imminent release in the Asian, Middle-Eastern, and African, Latin American market, followed by a European launch in Q2 of 2017.

What are your thoughts on the Alcatel A3 XL? Let us know your take in the comments below!