Six upcoming Alcatel smartphones show up in leaked render

Alcatel has been keeping rather busy these past few months, with at least 12 new handsets under its belt since the beginning of 2017. That number is probably conservative if we take into account the company's flexible business model, aimed at easy device customization and catering to carrier needs.

Hence, it comes as no surprise that most Alcatel-related leaks come in bulk. Like the latest image, uncovered by reputable leakster Evan Blass, which pictures a total of six upcoming devices. However, these are not dollar-grade models for carriers to give out with contracts, but rather Alcatel's top-tier devices.

Alcatel 2018 top-tier lineup (Idol-equivalent) pic.twitter.com/W5FrqwIhDs

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) October 13, 2017

"Idol-equivalent", as Evan puts it is pretty apt, since the Idol moniker seems to be missing this time around. Instead, Alcatel is going for a cleaner number-first approach to naming. Unfortunately, there is not much more to the leak besides the renders. Still, a few details we can be deduced.

Looking at the image, it appears the devices are arranged according to their class standing - a theory further backed up by the fact that the 1x looks a bit thicker and with a different, less shiny finish - likely plastic. It also lacks a rear-mounted fingerprint reader. It is probably not hidden underneath the display either, so, we can assume the Alcatel 3 is the first in line to get one at all. That logically leaves the 3c as a step-down model, complete with what appears to be the same design, but lacking some features to cut down costs.

The 3x and 3v on the other hand are clearly higher tier variants, since both seem to feature dual camera setups. It is definitely hard to tell from this angle and renders are not exactly a trustworthy source on bezel proportions, but it does look as though the pair have very little extra space on the left and right of their panels. On the other hand, there is plenty of chin room above and below the displays, so a stereo speaker setup is not out of the question on either.

The most distinctive thing that instantly pops-out about the Alcatel 5 is its noticeably thin bottom chin. Again, without any proper live shots and size references, it is hard to tell, but our best bet would be that Alcatel is experimenting with some trendy ultra-wide aspect display in this model. On the other hand, interestingly enough, the Alcatel 5 only seems to have a single camera on the back.

Anyway, most of this is guesswork. So, before we get too ahead of ourselves, we'll leave it at that. What's your take on Alcatel's future plans?

Source