Alcatel One Touch isn't a company that we hear much about when it comes to high-end smartphones here in the U.S., but today the company took the wraps off of a set of new handsets at CES 2013 that each have some notable features. There are actually quite a few new products that Alcatel packed into its pockets to bring to CES, so to make them all easier to digest, let's break 'em down bullet point style:
- One Touch Idol Ultra: Alcatel is billing this as the "world's slimmest smartphone," which features a body that measures in a 6.45mm thick. Unfortunately, that thin body also has a bit of a downside, as Alcatel tells Engadget that the One Touch Idol Ultra couldn't get FCC approval due to its thinness and isn't slated to hit the U.S. as a result. Packed inside the Idol Ultra's thin frame is a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, and there's also a 4.7-inch 720 Super AMOLED display on the phone's face. Around back is an 8-megapixel camera, a 1.3-megapixel shooter is available on the front, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is the OS that'll come preloaded on the Idol Ultra.
- One Touch Idol: While the One Touch Idol isn't quite as thin (8.15mm) as the One Touch Idol Ultra, it is extremely light at just 3.88 ounces. Contributing to that sub-4 ounce weight is a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 8-megapixel front and 2-megapixel rear cameras and a 4.7-inch qHD (960x540) LCD display. Also included with the One Touch Idol is Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Alcatel has confirmed to Phone Scoop that the One Touch Idol is expected to hit the U.S. sometime in Q3 2013, so interested customers have got plenty of time to make preparations to prevent the lightweight device from blowing away in a strong gust of wind after they purchase it.
- One Touch Scribe HD: The One Touch Scribe HD is Alcatel's contribution to the growing phablet category of devices, featuring a 5-inch 720p display. Also included is a 1.2GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6589 processor, which Alcatel says is making its first public smartphone appearance in the Scribe HD, as well as 4G support, 8-megapixel rear camera, a second front-facing camera and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Expect the Scribe HD to hit the U.S. sometime in Q3 2013. Alcatel also introduced the Scribe X (5-inch 1080p display, 12MP camera and 1.4GHz quad-core chip) and Scribe HD LTE (same as Scribe HD but with LTE support), but hasn't announced any availability details for them.
That's a whole lot of new gadgetry, no? As I noted before, Alcatel is typically known in the U.S. for entry-level devices like the recently-released Shockwave, so it's good to see that the company is planning to bring some slightly higher-end gear here in the future. It's a bummer that the one that won't be making its way stateside is the slim One Touch Idol Ultra, but hey, at least we get to gawk at it in some press images today. What do you all make of the One Touch Idol Ultra? Would you buy one if it did hit the U.S. or do you think that its 6.45mm thickness is almost too thin?
Via Alcatel, Phone Scoop, Engadget (1), (2)
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