Alcatel A5 LED Review

• Overview
• Design and Build Quality
• Display
• Performance
• Software and User Interface
• Camera
• Battery Life
• Connectivity and Networking
• Additional Features
• Comparison with Other Related Phones
• Pros and Cons
• Conclusion

Overview

The Alcatel A5 LED is a budget phone that aims to attract bargain seekers with its flashing LED back plate. It is priced at around 200 EUR and competes with other budget phones like the Wileyfox Swift 2 Plus and Moto G5. While the LED light show is a unique feature, the phone falls short in several areas, including performance, camera quality, and storage capacity. Let's dive into a comprehensive review of the Alcatel A5 LED to understand its strengths and weaknesses in more detail.

Design and Build Quality

The Alcatel A5 LED features a slim, black plastic back with a subtle brushed metal pattern. However, the highlight of its design is the LED back plate. The LED light show can be customized using the Light Show app, allowing the LEDs to light up for incoming calls, notifications, games, or music. The back plate can be removed and resembles a normal rear cover. Overall, the design is distinctive and appealing, especially when the LED lights are active.

Display

The Alcatel A5 LED features a 5.2-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. While the screen size is decent, the resolution is lower than expected, resulting in a pixel density of around 282 ppi. The display offers good color reproduction and viewing angles, but the brightness levels could be better, especially under direct sunlight. Overall, the display quality is average for a budget phone.

Performance

In terms of performance, the Alcatel A5 LED falls short. It suffers from stuttering and lag, which can be frustrating during everyday use. The phone is equipped with a Mediatek MT6753 chipset and an octa-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A53 CPU. While it can handle occasional tasks well, it struggles with more demanding applications and multitasking. Gaming performance is decent, but overall, the performance is below average compared to other budget phones.

Software and User Interface

The Alcatel A5 LED runs on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow), which is an outdated version of the operating system. This could be a concern for users who prefer the latest software features and security updates. The user interface is relatively clean and easy to navigate, but the lack of software updates may limit the phone's capabilities in the long run.

Camera

The camera performance of the Alcatel A5 LED is mediocre. It sports an 8 MP rear camera with an f/2.0 aperture and features like dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, and panorama. The image quality is decent in well-lit conditions but lacks detail and sharpness. In low-light situations, the camera struggles to capture clear and noise-free photos. The 5 MP front camera with an LED flash is suitable for basic selfies but may not satisfy users looking for higher-quality self-portraits.

Battery Life

The Alcatel A5 LED is equipped with a non-removable 2800 mAh Li-Ion battery. The battery life is average, providing a full day of usage with moderate use. However, heavy usage, such as gaming or continuous video streaming, may drain the battery quickly. The phone does not support fast charging, which means it may take a while to fully recharge.

Connectivity and Networking

In terms of connectivity, the Alcatel A5 LED offers standard features like Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, and FM radio. However, it lacks NFC, which may be a drawback for users who rely on contactless payment methods. The phone also supports microUSB 2.0 for charging and data transfer.

Additional Features

Comparison with Other Related Phones

When compared to other budget phones like the Wileyfox Swift 2 Plus and Moto G5, the Alcatel A5 LED falls short in several aspects. Its performance is below average, especially when it comes to multitasking and demanding applications. The camera quality is also mediocre, with other phones offering better image capture capabilities. Additionally, the storage capacity of the Alcatel A5 LED is limited, which may require users to rely on external storage options. Overall, there are better alternatives available in the same price range.

Pros and Cons

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Alcatel A5 LED offers a flashy LED back plate that adds a unique design element to a budget phone. However, this feature fails to compensate for the phone's shortcomings in terms of performance, camera quality, and storage capacity. While it may attract users looking for a fun and eye-catching design, it may disappoint those seeking a reliable and capable smartphone. Considering the availability of better alternatives in the same price range, it is advisable to explore other options before making a purchasing decision.