[rwp-review id=”0″]
Although only giving me 16GB of internal memory to work with, the Alcatel Onetouch X1 is a bargain at only 899AED. Being an iPhone user and honestly terrified of Android (only because I’m an Android noob and I don’t want to look like an idiot), I was sceptical about testing out the phone, but supporting Android Lollipop made life a tad bit easier. The X1 is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 415 processor, has 2GB of RAM, and a 13MP back camera (5MP front camera).
Design
While being slim and just the right size, I will admit that the Onetouch X1 is slippery a lot of the time. I wouldn’t give this a terrible rating however, since I know that I personally am unusually clumsy. This is fixable by attaching a provided phone case to the phone. The back sports a large 3D ‘X’ on it’s glass panel, while the front features a ‘Home’ button, but lacks a fingerprint sensor. The phone also features a Wolfson WM8998 audio chip, that helps to enhance audio quality.
The back panel is also prone to smudges, which can be easily cleaned off, but still should be avoided. I must say, even though this is the case, it isn’t something that can never be prevented.
Display
The HD Super AMOLED 5-inch screen comes in at 1280 x 720 pixels has quite a bright display. I did find that when out in sunlight, the brightness never adjusted accordingly. It just kind of stayed on one setting, even if I tried to adjust it manually.
Performance and Software
The X1 runs fairly smoothly for me, as I didn’t really have any lag issues of the sort. Android 5.1.1 runs smoothly and didn’t over-complicate things for me for the most part.
I did find a fun little feature however (I’m still unsure whether or not this happens on other phones), that is when opening a folder, it does a neat little unfolding technique.
Battery performance wise, the X1 manages to hold up impressively. I was able to use the phone for two days with a normal amount of social media usage, as well as phone calls, without having to run to charge it.
Camera
The X1 features a 13MP dual LED flash rear camera, as well as a 5MP front camera, and both are quite impressive. The camera has filters such as HDR, Panorama, Beauty mode, has a QR Scanner, face detection, GPS tagging and allows you to adjust the ISO. Unexpectedly, the HDR function did not take as much time as I thought it would when capturing a photo. It does however, have a lot of over-exposure, but it isn’t as unbearable as other Android phones that do support HDR. But it also really depends on the lighting in which you’re shooting in – the brightness/contrast of the photo is adjusted accordingly.
Although I am a fan of HDR, I think using just the Auto function for the X1’s camera does just the job well without HDR.
Verdict
I had never used an Alcatel device before, so I didn’t really know what to expect when I had received the X1. But I genuinely was impressed when I used the device. The operating system wasn’t too complicated for myself to handle, and the phone itself was comfortable to hold and use. I definitely would recommend the X1 to anyone looking for an affordable phone that still provides an excellent experience.
