The budget-minded smartphone brand Alcatel has introduced the Alcatel 1SE (2020) for the Pakistani market. It’s a value-packed model with a cookie-cutter entry-level build. Here’s a closer look.
The cover has a subtle sunburst pattern painted on it, available in matte-finished blue and black shades. A triple camera array, laid out inside a compact housing resides in a corner, next to the ring-shaped fingerprint scanner. Around the front, there’s a 6.22” HD+ screen that has a notch carved into it. It reaches an underwhelming 87.18% screen-to-body ratio because the bezel profile is heavier than most current-gen budget smartphones, presenting a very noticeable chin.
A 13MP primary camera, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 5MP ultra-wide lens complete the AI Triple camera. The front camera uses a more modest 5MP camera. The optics hardware is augmented with AI scene detection, which can intelligently pick from 12 different preset scenes and optimize the camera settings to deliver better shots.
The entry-level internals include an octa-core CPU, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of native storage expandable only up to 32GB with a microSD card (there’s also a 4GB + 128GB edition). The chipset is a rather obscure Unisoc SC9863A, and it’s hooked to a 4,000 mAh battery, which too, is uncharacteristic for a low-range 2020 smartphone).
For better accessibility, a dedicated button for summoning the Google Assistant is positioned below the volume rockers and the power key. It ships with Android 10 and starts at Rs. 18,500.