latest
Wi-Fi Calling gets the ax on more than a dozen T-Mobile devices
A number of classics are being made *that much* more obsolete
T-Mobile is about to turn off Wi-Fi Calling to a number of older phones. Have you been prudent enough to see the day when your phone's been made obsolete? Well, at least in one small factor.
T-Mobile's new REVVL 4, 4+, and 5G are sub-$400 phones made by TCL
Nice, cheap phones with a shared bloodline
T-Mobile is updating its own-brand REVVL line of mid-range phones with three new entries, including a 5G phone that costs $400 at full retail. All of them are available from September 4 at T-Mobile on discount and, for the first time, at Metro by T-Mobile.
When BlackBerry finally made the move away from proprietary software and jumped aboard the Android train, the Priv was the only phone it produced by itself before teaming up with Chinese manufacturer TCL in 2016. That partnership has now come to an end, as TCL has announced that it will no longer make phones with BlackBerry branding.
We've already taken a look at KaiOS, the operating system for flip phones that Google has invested millions of dollars into. It's designed to bring improvements from the smartphone era, such as personal device tracking and VoLTE, back to the world (and price point) of feature phones. The platform is already a smash hit in countries like India, but until now, the only KaiOS phones to appear in the United States are running older OS versions with the app store and other features missing.
At a private briefing during MWC (that evidently wasn't all that private), TCL showed us some concepts of foldable screens and devices it's been working on. The devices don't have names, release dates, or even really a considered use case - they're just explorations of form factor and engineering, not reflections of upcoming product designs. They're neat to look at, but that's really all you can say about them at this point. Well, almost.
TCL's Alcatel brand is about to get a raft of new phones, according to the latest leak from Evan Blass. Alcatel doesn't trade in high-end phones or innovative designs, but it does make a lot of cheap phones. Of course, that means you're going to forget about these new devices almost immediately after they're announced.
Alcatel is one of the most successful smartphone brands in the United States, mostly because of how many budget devices it sells through prepaid carriers. Many of the company's recent phones, like the Android Go-equipped Alcatel 1X and the MetroPCS exclusive Alcatel 7, haven't been great. The Alcatel ONYX is the OEM's next attempt at a good budget phone, and it will be a Cricket Wireless exclusive.
There aren't very many good budget phones in the United States. There are a few standouts, like the Nokia 6.1 and Moto G6, but most pale in comparison to budget devices sold in Asia and parts of Europe.
Affordable phones will always be a compromise, but Google hopes it can make entry-level devices a bit better with something new: Android Go. It's the same Android platform you know and presumably love, but optimized for sub-1GB RAM environments. That way low-end hardware can have its own low-end version of Android, rather than suffering an OEM debate between shoehorning in the latest version to perform terribly, or an older version which won't be secure or feature-filled.Enter the Alcatel 1X. It's the second Android Go device to hit the US behind the ZTE Tempo Go—and the only one you can actually buy right now—at a mere $100.So how much does $100 get you? Simultaneously more and less than you'd expect. Alcatel manages to bring the budget space into the future with a TCL-made 18:9 screen, fingerprint reader, and Android Oreo (Go edition)—that's actually the name, I'm not kidding. But entry-level phones are by necessity a compromise, and the low-end panel, MediaTek chipset, and 1GB RAM reflect that.
Hot on the heels of the recent Alcatel 1X (review coming later this week), the company has announced another Android Oreo (Go edition) powered device. The new Alcatel 1 drops both the X and the fingerprint reader but hits a lower $89 price. The phone offers a 5" 18:9 "FullView" TCL display in several different colors with a brushed metallic finish, and Android Go should help ensure the lower-end hardware is a bit more performant. The company is also pushing some new camera features for the social-savvy in the device, including interpolation and some software tweaks.
Alcatel and TCL have been teasing the 1X since just MWC. It was the first of the Android Go phones to be revealed, but now it looks like it will be the 2nd to hit stateside—following ZTE's Tempo Go, which you can't actually buy anymore. Thankfully, today TCL and Alcatel have just announced that the Alcatel 1X will be landing in the US on Amazon next week, delivering Android Oreo Go edition and an 18:9 display for only $99.
Alcatel is bringing the budget-friendly 3V to the U.S. next week for an attractive $149 price. This phone has many of the buzzword features, like face unlock and an 18:9 display, and more for that low, low price. It's unlocked and will work on GSM carriers.
It's been almost a year since Google unveiled Android Go, now technically known as Android Oreo (Go Edition), but devices you can actually buy are few and far between. In fact, only ZTE has committed to launching a Go device in the US. Now, Alcatel is announcing plans to launch the 1X in the US, too. The phone was shown off at MWC a few weeks ago. The specs are modest, but it'll cost under $100.
Android Go was first introduced by Google at I/O in May 2017, so it's been a long wait for real devices running the slimmed-down Oreo experience. We hoped Mobile World Congress in Barcelona would be when OEMs began launching Android Go phones, and this was confirmed by Google last week.
Just two days ago, we learned that the first devices running Google's new 'Android Go' platform would be announced next week at Mobile World Congress. Now it appears Alcatel has jumped the gun a bit, and unveiled the world's first Android Go phone alongside a slew of other devices. It's called the 1X, and it's not much different from a typical budget phone, except for the software.
Like most Android phone manufacturers, Alcatel has uploaded many of its phones' apps to the Play Store. This allows the company to update various system apps without sending out a full Android upgrade. Some time in mid-November, Alcatel's gallery app received such an update - a very bad update, if reviews from owners of Alcatel phones are any indicator.
TCL briefly showed off its new line of Alcatel devices at CES. Simply named the 1-, 3-, and 5-series, each product line constitutes a portfolio that brings fingerprint sensors, 18:9 displays, and "flagship design" to devices that hit three distinct price points.
Black Friday is over, but there are still a few deals hanging around until Cyber Monday. From now until November 27 at midnight PST (or until supplies run out), you can grab an Alcatel Idol 5S for $80 off, or an Alcatel A30 for $40 off.The Idol 5S is a mid-range device, with a Snapdragon 625 processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage, and a 5.2" 1080p IPS display. The rear-facing camera is 12 MP with video stabilization, and the front-facing lens is 8 MP. Most reviews for the phone point to the design, speakers, and performance as excellent. However, many reviewers and buyers say the battery life is average at best.The A30 is very much a low-end phone. I'll be honest, the $60 price is probably what it should have been from the start. You're looking at a Snapdragon 210 processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB of expandable storage, and a 5" 720p screen. On the bright side, it has front-facing speakers and a headphone jack. The A30 is probably best suited as a backup device, especially since there are both GSM and CDMA models available (the CDMA model will not work on Sprint).You can get the Idol 5S and A30 from the source links below. To get the discount, you'll need to use the 40OFFA30 coupon code for the A30, and 80OFFIDOL5S for the Idol 5S.Source: Amazon - Idol 5S, A30
Smartphone leaks are inevitable, no matter who you are. But they usually happen pretty close to a device's launch date, and they're usually only specific to a single product. Last month, much to Alcatel's dismay, serial leaker Evan Blass shared an image of not one but six upcoming Alcatel phones. Now, Blass has shared higher-resolution renders of those same devices.