alcatel 1S (2020) review

A year ago, TCL Communication launched the budget smartphone Alcatel 1S (2019), which was slightly inferior to its competitor Redmi 7A in terms of features. Its key features were compactness and a more attractive low price. The successor, the Alcatel 1S (2020), was launched in early 2020. This device also offers a balanced combination of parameters for a modest sum. What it promises you can learn from the following lines.

alcatel 1S (2020) Specifications

• Release date: 2020, January
• Colors: Agate Green, Power Grey
• Dimensions: 158.7 x 74.6 x 8.5 mm.
• Weight: 165 g.
• Screen: 6.22" in, 720 x 1520, IPS LCD
• Camera : Triple, 13MP
• Chipset: Mediatek MT6762D Helio P22 (12 nm)
• CPU: Octa-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A53
• Memory: 32GB 3GB RAM
• Battery: 4000,  Non-removable Li-Po
• Network: GSM / HSPA / LTE
• Operating system: Android 10.0
• Sensors: Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, proximity, compass

If you are curious to find out all the details before reading the full review, visit the page for alcatel 1S (2020) Specs, where you will find even the smallest detail about the phone.

Design

The Alcatel 1S (2020) carries the visual characteristics of the budget models from a year earlier. Its front panel is adorned with a teardrop-shaped notch for the front camera. Its bezels are satisfyingly thin, with a wider bottom one. The back panel is plastic and pleasant to touch. In its top corner, you'll find a vertically positioned triple camera, and in the center, a fingerprint scanner.

You'll find this model on the market in just two colors - dark grey and dark green. Overall, the Alcatel 1S (2020) looks stylish, compact and fresh.

Display

One of the advantages of the smartphone over its predecessor is the fact that it now features a larger contemporary display. If you recall the Alcatel 1S (2019) featured a 5.5-inch display. A year later, the new smartphone has a 6.22-inch diagonal and is IPS, featuring a resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels. The pixel density per inch is 270. The aspect ratio is 19:9. Colour rendering is at a good level. There is a decent brightness margin and wide viewing angles.

Thanks to the use of a drop-shaped notch, the display occupies 81.6% of the front panel area. This is a pretty high indicator for a smartphone of this price segment. In comparison, the Redmi Note 7 mentioned a moment ago had a benchmark of 81.4%.

Performance

The hardware power of the Alcatel 1S (2020) is guaranteed with a single-core Mediatek MT6762D Helio P22 system. It is a budget but satisfyingly power-efficient 12nm 8-core platform running at a clock speed of 1.8 GHz. PowerVR GE8320 is responsible for the graphics. The same chipset is embedded in several competitors in the market, we will mention the ZTE Blade A7 and Motorola Moto E6 Plus.

Alcatel 1S (2020) has 3 GB of RAM. It may be insufficient for running heavier games and apps, but it covers the needs for smooth interface performance and basic features. The internal memory is 32 GB - a problem that can be solved if you take advantage of the memory card slot. You can use microSD up to 128 GB.

Cameras

Although the Alcatel 1S (2020) belongs to the budget class, in this device we find a triple main camera. Its main module has a resolution of 13 MP and optics with f/1.8 aperture. It is complemented by an ultra-wide-angle module with a 5 MP sensor and a 2-megapixel module for measuring the depth of scenes and the bokeh effect. The main and ultra-wide-angle cameras are capable of taking detailed photos in good lighting. In the dark, expect a slightly worse result. With the Alcatel 1S (2020) in hand, you can shoot 1080 pixel resolution videos at 30 frames per second. For selfies, a reasonably good 5 MP front camera with f/2.2 aperture is offered.

Autonomous operation

If the predecessor Alcatel 1S (2020) had a battery with a capacity of 3060 mAh, a year later, the manufacturer has already bet on 4000 mAh. Considering how economical the processor is and how low the screen resolution is, you can expect a good level of autonomy from the smartphone. In normal mode, you will be able to guarantee a day and a half of operation. Unfortunately, the Alcatel 1S (2020) doesn't come with support for fast charging technology. 

Conclusion

The Alcatel 1S (2020) is a modern budget device that has several undeniable plus points. Despite its low price, it has an attractive appearance and a contemporary design. It will win you over with its large display. Every element of the Alcatel 1S (2020) is well thought out. It even amazes at times with its capabilities.

The smartphone is quality made. It achieves not bad performance and outperforms a number of competitors in the market. Of course, choosing a model from the budget class, the user makes compromises. With the Alcatel 1S (2020), they are not so extreme.

Pros:

• Attractive and fresh design;
• 8-core processor and not bad performance;
• Beautiful and excitingly large display;
• Fast and accurate fingerprint scanner;
• Attractively low price;
• 2 SIM card support;
• Excellent set of cameras for the price;
• Competitive battery life.

Minuses:

• Absence of NFC;
• Plastic body;
• microUSB.

alcatel 1S (2020) video review

Disclaimer: The information presented in this article is based on our team's personal experience with the alcatel 1S (2020) and third-party sources. While every effort has been made to provide accurate and reliable information, readers should keep in mind that this is a subjective assessment. The writing of this article was not paid for or sponsored by alcatel.