We’ve seen an increase lately in the number of manufacturers selling their smartphones directly to consumers, with Sony, BLU Products, BlackBerry, HTC, and more letting folks buy full price hardware directly from them. Now Alcatel Onetouch is doing the same.
Alcatel Onetouch is now selling several of its unlocked devices in its own online shop, which is powered by Amazon. Alcatel currently has four phones — the Idol X+, Idol 2S, Idol Mini, and Pop C9 — as well as two tablets — the Pop 7 Tablet and Pop 8 Tablet — available for pre-order. Some of the prices are $275 for the Idol X+, $198 for the Idol 2S, $199 for the Pop 8 Tablet, and $149 for the Pop 7 Tablet.
In addition to selling unlocked smartphones and tablets, Alcatel Onetouch is offering many accessories in its online shop. Available are wall chargers, NFC tags, cases, Bluetooth headsets, and more.
Most wireless consumers have never bought a smartphone online, whether that’s because of the high price that some unlocked smartphones can carry or the ease of just walking into a carrier store and signing a contract. It seems like the popularity of unlocked hardware is slowly growing, though, and it’s great to see another device maker offering its wares directly to consumers.
Alcatel Onetouch notes that it plans to have a new online shop for Canadians “later in Q1 2015.”