What is it?
A budget-friendly Android smartphone with all the latest features.
You would be hard pressed to find another smartphone with facial recognition, a fingerprint scanner and powerful cameras for a fraction of the cost of premium handsets. The Alcatel 1X delivers these and more for less than £100.
Good Points?
The build quality and design are exceptional with a soft-touch casing which is fingerprint, scratch and slip-resistant. A 5.5-inch HD+ screen with 18:9 aspect ratio gives stunning visuals that cover most of the handset for a more immersive experience.
Powerful dual rear cameras up to 16 megapixels and a front lens with integrated "Face Beautification" filter. This feature helps create enhanced selfie shots to wow your friends and ensure even on the roughest days, you are ready for that close-up.
The old school-style headphone jack is a welcome addition along with micro-USB charging that lasts a whopping 420 hours standby time on a 4G connection.
Android Oreo (Go Edition) provides the OS and is superb in conjunction with the 1X's hardware. Even Apple Music is seamless on the device which is saying something.
Bad points?
Given this is a feature-packed budget product, any quibbles feel like unnecessary nit-picking. Two things worth mentioning are the USB 2.0 port does seem a tad outdated and satellite communication is GPS only.
Best for ...
Those who value substance over a bling brand name: the Alcatel 1X provides major bang for your buck. Photographic features such as the Bokeh blurring effect and one-handed mode will be a hit with social media fans.
Avoid if ...
You'd prefer a high-end product with oodles of computing and memory powers for multitasking purposes.
Score: 8/10.
Alcatel 1X, £99 (carphonewarehouse.com)
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