Alcatel 3V Smartphone Review

Name: Alcatel 3V
Brand: Alcatel

Plastic with style. The Alcatel 3V is priced well and should be powerful enough for casual users. Alcatel has managed to make the device look stylish despite using a plastic case. Find out in this review whether the Alcatel 3V’s internal hardware is as good as it looks.

Mike Wobker, 👁 Mike Wobker, ✓ Stefanie Voigt (translated by Alex Alderson), Published 07/10/2018 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 ...

ARM Android Smartphone Touchscreen

Since dropping the OneTouch moniker from its smartphones, Alcatel has focused on releasing budget devices like the Alcatel Shine Lite. This emphasis has changed following the release of the new Alcatel 3 Series, a set of four mid-range devices for 2018.

In this review we will be focusing on the Alcatel 3V, a mid-range device that is powered by a MediaTek MT8735 SoC, an ARM Mali-T720 MP2 GPU, 2 GB RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. The 3V also simultaneously supports two nano-SIM cards and microSD cards up to 128 GB.

The sub 200-Euro (~$233) smartphone market is a saturated one, so we have chosen to compare the 3V against comparably priced and performing devices. These are the Honor 7C, the Gigaset GS270 Plus, the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus and the HTC Desire 12.

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Alcatel 3V (3 Series)

Processor

Mediatek MT8735 4 x 1.3 GHz, Cortex-A53

Graphics adapter

ARM Mali-T720 MP2

Memory

2048 MB

Display

6.00 inch 18:9, 2160 x 1080 pixel 402 PPI, Capacitive touchscreen, IPS, glossy: yes

Storage

16 GB eMMC Flash, 16 GB

, 10 GB free

Connections

1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm jack, Card Reader: Up to 128 GB microSD cards, 1 Fingerprint Reader, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: G-sensor, Proximity sensor, E-Compass, Gyroscope, Fingerprint sensor

Networking

802.11a/b/g/n (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.2, GSM (850/900/1800/1900), UMTS (B1/2/5/8), LTE Cat. 4 (B1/3/7/8/20/28A/B38), Dual SIM, LTE, GPS

Size

height x width x depth (in mm): 8.1 x 162 x 76 ( = 0.32 x 6.38 x 2.99 in)

Battery

3000 mAh Lithium-Polymer

Operating System

Android 8.0 Oreo

Camera

Primary Camera: 12 MPix 12 MP: f/2.2, 1.25 μm, Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF), LED flash. 2 MP: f/2.4, depth of field sensor. Videos in up to 1080p at 30 FPS
Secondary Camera: 5 MPix

Additional features

Speakers: Two speakers, Keyboard: Virtual keyboard, Keyboard Light: yes, Headphones, protective case, 24 Months Warranty, SAR value head: 1.04 W/kg. SAR value body: 0.83 W/kg, fanless

Weight

155 g ( = 5.47 oz / 0.34 pounds), Power Supply: 66 g ( = 2.33 oz / 0.15 pounds)

Price

190 Euro

Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

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Case

The 3V has a plastic case with a glossy finish. The 3V is available in black, blue and gold. The black and blue variants have black display bezels while the gold variant has white bezels.

The workmanship is impressive, although the edges between the front and rear of our test device could be smoother. The hardware buttons are not of equal quality either. While the power button and SIM/microSD card tray sit firmly, it is easy to wiggle the volume rocker. The bottom of the back case gives way under pressure and we could hear a quiet creaking sound when twisting the device.

Size Comparison

Connectivity

The 3V is powered by a MediaTek MT8735 SoC that integrates a quad-core ARM-A53 CPU and an ARM Mali-T720 MP2 GPU. This is combined with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. The 3V is a dual-SIM device that supports simultaneous microSD card expansion too, which isn’t always the case with mid-range devices. The 3V supports up to 128 GB microSD cards but can only format them as external storage, which means that apps can only be stored on the internal memory. You can plug in USB thumb drives via the OTG-capable Micro USB 2.0 port too.

The 3V has a 3.5 mm jack as well, which isn’t always a given. There is an audible click when headphones are connected, with the port holding them firmly in place.

Right-hand side: power button, SIM/microSD card slot

Software

The 3V ships with Android Oreo 8.0, with our test device running Android security patch level March 5, 2018. Alcatel includes plenty of preinstalled software on the 3V. There is the One-Touch app store, Microsoft Office, Netflix, Facebook, some games and a suite of Alcatel apps. Alcatel also includes an enjoy.now app which allows users to register their devices to receive special offers, news, tutorials and tips as to how best use their device. All additional software can easily be uninstalled.

The 3V supports multiple user accounts, which are accessible in Settings.

Default home screen and some preinstalled apps

App drawer demonstrating some of the wealth of preinstalled apps

Communication & GPS

The 3V supports GSM, UMTS and LTE Cat.4 for connecting to mobile Internet. The MediaTek MT8735 SoC theoretically supports up to 150 Mbps download and 50 Mbps upload speeds. Our test device cannot achieve this in practice though, with the mobile network and Wi-Fi signal frequently dropping off sooner than our comparison devices.

The 3V supports IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, which means it can connect to both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks. Broadly, transmission speeds are unimpressive, with our test device being around 50% slower than the class average. However, the 3V fares much better against our comparison devices, where it is at least 50% faster in iperf3 Client tests than our best comparison device.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Average of class Smartphone (16.9 - 1368, n=70, last 2 years)	528 MBit/s ∼100% +447%
Alcatel 3V Mali-T720 MP2, MT8735, 16 GB eMMC Flash	96.5 MBit/s ∼18%
HTC Desire 12 PowerVR GE8100, MT6739, 32 GB eMMC Flash	81.8 MBit/s ∼15% -15%
Gigaset GS270 Plus Mali-T860 MP2, MT6750, 32 GB eMMC Flash	61.8 MBit/s ∼12% -36%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus Adreno 506, 625, 64 GB eMMC Flash	55.7 MBit/s ∼11% -42%
Honor 7C Adreno 506, SD 450, 32 GB eMMC Flash	53 MBit/s ∼10% -45%
iperf3 receive AX12
Average of class Smartphone (32.7 - 953, n=71, last 2 years)	502 MBit/s ∼100% +437%
Alcatel 3V Mali-T720 MP2, MT8735, 16 GB eMMC Flash	93.4 MBit/s ∼19%
HTC Desire 12 PowerVR GE8100, MT6739, 32 GB eMMC Flash	61.1 MBit/s ∼12% -35%
Gigaset GS270 Plus Mali-T860 MP2, MT6750, 32 GB eMMC Flash	60.2 MBit/s ∼12% -36%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus Adreno 506, 625, 64 GB eMMC Flash	53.9 MBit/s ∼11% -42%
Honor 7C Adreno 506, SD 450, 32 GB eMMC Flash	46 MBit/s ∼9% -51%

The 3V uses GLONASS and GPS for location services. Location accuracy is impressive for a device at this price, with our test device being able to locate us to an accuracy of four meters when inside and two meters when outside.

We took the 3V on a bike ride to test its location accuracy against a professional navigation device, the Garmin Edge 520. Our test device performed reasonably well, but there were some dropouts that affected the overall distance recorded. Our test device recorded 180 meters more than the Garmin, which is around a 4% discrepancy. Overall, the 3V should be suitable for all general navigation tasks but not those that require higher precision.

Telephone Function & Call Quality

The 3V uses the Google Phone app for handling calls and managing contacts. Call quality is adequate for a device at this price, but the earpiece is comparatively quiet, which makes it difficult to hear calls in areas of background noise. Worse still, voices quickly sound scratchy if either person starts speaking too loudly.

Call quality is much better with the included headphones. The 3V does not seem to support VoLTE or VoWiFi either.

Cameras

Photo taken with the front-facing camera

The 3V has dual 12 MP & 2 MP rear-facing cameras and a 5 MP front-facing camera. The front-facing camera takes adequate selfies, but images often look slightly out of focus and lack details when trying to take a selfie in daylight. The camera app has two slides that allow you to soften the image and adjust the color temperature before taking a shot.

The main camera has two sensors. The 12 MP sensor is the larger of the two and has an f/2.2 aperture and 1.25 μm pixel size. By contrast, the secondary 2 MP camera has an f/2.4 aperture and assists the 12 MP camera in creating bokeh effect photos.

Panoramic shots look good, but the camera only moderately compensates for large differences in brightness throughout an image. The main camera reproduces dark areas so darkly that they jar with the rest of the image. The main camera captures details relatively well, but details look muddier outside of the camera’s area of focus.

Macro shots look good too, with the main camera capturing images sharply when using the camera in good lighting. The contrast between dark and light areas is stronger than it should be though. Our test shot is overexposed, but there is at least the impression that it was taken in summer.

The high sensitivity of the main camera is clearly apparent when taking low-light shots though. The 3V’s low-light performance is better than even our Sony A77 comparison camera.

Unfortunately, the Alcatel camera app is scant on photo options. There is no way to adjust brightness, white balance, shutter speed or ISO values. There are various modes and filters, but you will need to download another camera app if you want to change settings for specific shots.

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3

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We then tested the 3V against ColorChecker to measure how accurate the device reproduces colors. Our tests in controlled lighting conditions demonstrate that the 3V reproduces colors too darkly, especially with gray and black tones.

The photo of our test device came out very dark too. The level of detail is adequate though, with fine lines being clearly visible. Even line edges are not affected by blurriness, which is impressive for a device at this price.

Accessories & Warranty

The 3V comes with a charger, headphones, a protective case, a SIM tool and a USB Type-A to Micro USB cable. The headphones sound good enough to be used for listening to music and for making phone calls.

Alcatel does not offer any accessories specific to the 3V.

The 3V comes with 24 months manufacturer’s warranty. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices & Operation

Alcatel has set Google Gboard as the default keyboard. Gboard is one of the most popular keyboards for Android and has been downloaded over 500 million times at the time of writing. There are plenty of other reputable keyboards available on the Google Play Store if Gboard doesn’t meet your needs though.

Our test device’s touchscreen worked reliably throughout our tests. The touchscreen has a smooth and glossy finish, which helps make drag and drop movements easy to execute. The display does take slightly too long to rotate though.

The 3V can be secured with either a PIN, a pattern lock, your face or by fingerprints. You must have a PIN or a pattern lock as a secondary method of security if you enable fingerprint unlocking. This is also the case with face unlock. Face unlock is fast, but it is not as secure as the technology used in the Apple iPhone X; the 3V’s face unlock could be easily spoofed. The fingerprint sensor works well too, but it requires precise positioning of your finger for the fingerprint to be registered.

Display

The 3V has a 6.0-inch IPS display with a 2160x1080 native resolution and a 2:1 aspect ratio. You may see 2:1 aspect ratios referred elsewhere as 18:9.

Our test device achieved an average maximum brightness of 461.9 cd/m² using X-Rite i1Pro 2. This is a relatively low value but one which is marginally lower than most of our comparison devices. Overall, the 3V has a display that is bright enough for a device at this price.


487 cd/m²	461 cd/m²	436 cd/m²
477 cd/m²	473 cd/m²	441 cd/m²
471 cd/m²	470 cd/m²	441 cd/m²

Distribution of brightness

X-Rite i1Pro 2

Maximum: 487 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 461.9 cd/m² Minimum: 4.2 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 90 %
Center on Battery: 463 cd/m²
Contrast: 1689:1 (Black: 0.28 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.95 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.2
ΔE Greyscale 5.8 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
94.9% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.27

	Alcatel 3V IPS, 2160x1080, 6.00	Honor 7C IPS, 1440x720, 5.99	Gigaset GS270 Plus IPS, 1920x1080, 5.20	Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus IPS, 2160x1080, 5.99	HTC Desire 12 IPS, 1440x720, 5.50
Screen		-22%	-17%	4%	10%
Brightness middle	473	392 -17%	487 3%	620 31%	502 6%
Brightness	462	403 -13%	476 3%	612 32%	499 8%
Brightness Distribution	90	85 -6%	89 -1%	96 7%	84 -7%
Black Level *	0.28	0.61 -118%	0.35 -25%	0.57 -104%	0.2 29%
Contrast	1689	643 -62%	1391 -18%	1088 -36%	2510 49%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *	4.95	5.4 -9%	6.39 -29%	3.46 30%	5.4 -9%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *	12.1	9.7 20%	14.24 -18%	7.88 35%	10.8 11%
Greyscale dE 2000 *	5.8	4.2 28%	8.6 -48%	3.9 33%	6.2 -7%
Gamma	2.27 ^97%	2.59 ^85%	1.91 ^115%	2.073 ^106%	2.07 ^106%
CCT	7779 ^84%	6734 ^97%	7366 ^88%	7230 ^90%	7660 ^85%

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

ℹ

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.

Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18878 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

The 3V has a comparatively impressive black value though, with its score of 0.28 cd/m² being higher than all our comparison devices except for the HTC Desire 12, which has a 29% lower black value. The low black value is of a benefit to the contrast ratio too. The 3V achieved a 1,689:1 contrast ratio in our tests, which is only bettered by the Desire 12; the 3V has a higher contrast ratio than all other comparison devices.

Display Response Times

ℹ

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.

↔ Response Time Black to White
24 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 11 ms rise
24 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 13 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 45 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (22.3 ms).
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
42 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 21 ms rise
42 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 21 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 60 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (35.2 ms).

The 3V’s display has a glossy finish, which limits the extent to which the device can be used outside in direct sunlight. We found that the screen is difficult to read when direct sunlight hits even at maximum display brightness. The maximum brightness is sufficient to use the display in shady areas or on cloudy days though.

The 3V has stable viewing angles thanks to its IPS panel. There are no losses in brightness or readability even at acute angles.

Performance

The 3V is powered by a MediaTek MT8735 SoC. The MT8735 integrates a quad-core ARM-A53 CPU and an ARM Mali-T720 MP2 GPU. Alcatel combines this with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of eMMC flash memory. The hardware is adequate for a mid-range device, but other manufacturers have started to offer devices with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage for the same money as the 3V.

The 3V performs slightly better in benchmarks than the average of MT8735 devices that we have tested, but the 3V is far slower than our comparison devices. Our test device would not run AnTuTu v7 or GFXBench 4.0 for some reason. We found no issues with other apps in daily use, but opening apps and menus always take slightly longer than we would like.

AnTuTu v6 - Total Score (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	36177 Points ∼60%
Honor 7C	54731 Points ∼90% +51%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	44138 Points ∼73% +22%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	60490 Points ∼100% +67%
HTC Desire 12	36253 Points ∼60% 0%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (34009 - 36177, n=3)	34778 Points ∼57% -4%

PCMark for Android
Work performance score (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	3902 Points ∼31%
Honor 7C	5656 Points ∼45% +45%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	4496 Points ∼35% +15%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	5801 Points ∼46% +49%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (3617 - 3948, n=3)	3822 Points ∼30% -2%
Average of class Smartphone (9875 - 19297, n=4, last 2 years)	12669 Points ∼100% +225%
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	2981 Points ∼31%
Honor 7C	4736 Points ∼50% +59%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	3255 Points ∼34% +9%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	4905 Points ∼52% +65%
HTC Desire 12	3320 Points ∼35% +11%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (2980 - 2981, n=2)	2981 Points ∼31% 0%
Average of class Smartphone (5279 - 13282, n=28, last 2 years)	9508 Points ∼100% +219%

BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	197 Points ∼4%
Honor 7C	442 Points ∼9% +124%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	310 Points ∼6% +57%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	1229 Points ∼24% +524%
HTC Desire 12	637 Points ∼12% +223%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (197 - 647, n=3)	356 Points ∼7% +81%
Average of class Smartphone (411 - 9585, n=163, last 2 years)	5118 Points ∼100% +2498%
System (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	1271 Points ∼14%
Honor 7C	2665 Points ∼30% +110%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	1882 Points ∼21% +48%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	3236 Points ∼37% +155%
HTC Desire 12	1526 Points ∼17% +20%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (1192 - 1271, n=3)	1218 Points ∼14% -4%
Average of class Smartphone (2083 - 19657, n=163, last 2 years)	8861 Points ∼100% +597%
Memory (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	322 Points ∼6%
Honor 7C	1522 Points ∼27% +373%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	789 Points ∼14% +145%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	961 Points ∼17% +198%
HTC Desire 12	984 Points ∼18% +206%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (322 - 769, n=3)	614 Points ∼11% +91%
Average of class Smartphone (670 - 11617, n=163, last 2 years)	5620 Points ∼100% +1645%
Graphics (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	382 Points ∼3%
Honor 7C	955 Points ∼9% +150%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	640 Points ∼6% +68%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	1017 Points ∼9% +166%
HTC Desire 12	18 Points ∼0% -95%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (290 - 382, n=3)	321 Points ∼3% -16%
Average of class Smartphone (697 - 30125, n=163, last 2 years)	11138 Points ∼100% +2816%
Web (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	10 Points ∼1%
Honor 7C	10 Points ∼1% 0%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	10 Points ∼1% 0%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	722 Points ∼50% +7120%
HTC Desire 12	591 Points ∼41% +5810%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (10 - 672, n=3)	231 Points ∼16% +2210%
Average of class Smartphone (10 - 2392, n=163, last 2 years)	1448 Points ∼100% +14380%

Geekbench 4.1 - 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	647 Points ∼15%
Honor 7C	758 Points ∼18% +17%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	610 Points ∼14% -6%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	870 Points ∼20% +34%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (588 - 647, n=2)	618 Points ∼14% -4%
Average of class Smartphone (783 - 8424, n=78, last 2 years)	4328 Points ∼100% +569%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	1833 Points ∼16%
Honor 7C	3913 Points ∼34% +113%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	2627 Points ∼23% +43%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	4292 Points ∼38% +134%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (1697 - 1833, n=2)	1765 Points ∼15% -4%
Average of class Smartphone (2630 - 21505, n=78, last 2 years)	11416 Points ∼100% +523%
Compute RenderScript Score (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	1270 Points ∼15%
Honor 7C	2800 Points ∼33% +120%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	1766 Points ∼21% +39%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	3316 Points ∼39% +161%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (1103 - 1270, n=2)	1187 Points ∼14% -7%
Average of class Smartphone (2053 - 14785, n=64, last 2 years)	8586 Points ∼100% +576%

3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	6689 Points ∼11%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	9202 Points ∼15% +38%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	13682 Points ∼23% +105%
HTC Desire 12	4188 Points ∼7% -37%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (5188 - 6689, n=3)	5738 Points ∼10% -14%
Average of class Smartphone (31558 - 113147, n=5, last 2 years)	59969 Points ∼100% +797%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	6006 Points ∼6%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	9479 Points ∼10% +58%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	13219 Points ∼14% +120%
HTC Desire 12	3597 Points ∼4% -40%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (4622 - 6006, n=3)	5103 Points ∼5% -15%
Average of class Smartphone (40738 - 200519, n=5, last 2 years)	93693 Points ∼100% +1460%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	11114 Points ∼40%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	8348 Points ∼30% -25%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	15593 Points ∼56% +40%
HTC Desire 12	9856 Points ∼36% -11%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (9076 - 11114, n=3)	10221 Points ∼37% -8%
Average of class Smartphone (15179 - 44810, n=5, last 2 years)	27680 Points ∼100% +149%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	211 Points ∼6%
Honor 7C	824 Points ∼24% +291%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	546 Points ∼16% +159%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	854 Points ∼25% +305%
HTC Desire 12	178 Points ∼5% -16%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (203 - 211, n=3)	207 Points ∼6% -2%
Average of class Smartphone (574 - 9221, n=101, last 2 years)	3367 Points ∼100% +1496%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	173 Points ∼5%
Honor 7C	713 Points ∼19% +312%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	476 Points ∼13% +175%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	732 Points ∼20% +323%
HTC Desire 12	148 Points ∼4% -14%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (167 - 173, n=3)	170.3 Points ∼5% -2%
Average of class Smartphone (517 - 13263, n=101, last 2 years)	3659 Points ∼100% +2015%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	896 Points ∼30%
Honor 7C	1809 Points ∼61% +102%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	1120 Points ∼38% +25%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	2058 Points ∼69% +130%
HTC Desire 12	593 Points ∼20% -34%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (810 - 896, n=3)	854 Points ∼29% -5%
Average of class Smartphone (937 - 4609, n=101, last 2 years)	2979 Points ∼100% +232%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	160 Points ∼6%
Honor 7C	445 Points ∼18% +178%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	382 Points ∼15% +139%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	463 Points ∼18% +189%
HTC Desire 12	113 Points ∼4% -29%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (127 - 160, n=3)	140.3 Points ∼6% -12%
Average of class Smartphone (286 - 7890, n=131, last 2 years)	2516 Points ∼100% +1473%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	130 Points ∼5%
Honor 7C	366 Points ∼15% +182%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	321 Points ∼13% +147%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	379 Points ∼15% +192%
HTC Desire 12	92 Points ∼4% -29%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (102 - 130, n=3)	113.3 Points ∼4% -13%
Average of class Smartphone (240 - 9814, n=131, last 2 years)	2518 Points ∼100% +1837%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	857 Points ∼29%
Honor 7C	1817 Points ∼61% +112%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	1122 Points ∼37% +31%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	2038 Points ∼68% +138%
HTC Desire 12	589 Points ∼20% -31%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (847 - 860, n=3)	855 Points ∼28% 0%
Average of class Smartphone (858 - 4679, n=131, last 2 years)	3002 Points ∼100% +250%

GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	11 fps ∼14%
Honor 7C	34 fps ∼43% +209%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	16 fps ∼20% +45%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	17 fps ∼21% +55%
HTC Desire 12	9.7 fps ∼12% -12%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (8 - 14, n=3)	11 fps ∼14% 0%
Average of class Smartphone (22 - 165, n=187, last 2 years)	79.3 fps ∼100% +621%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	11 fps ∼6%
Honor 7C	21 fps ∼11% +91%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	17 fps ∼9% +55%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	23 fps ∼12% +109%
HTC Desire 12	5.9 fps ∼3% -46%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (8.3 - 11, n=3)	9.3 fps ∼5% -15%
Average of class Smartphone (19 - 497, n=187, last 2 years)	198.8 fps ∼100% +1707%

GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	4.1 fps ∼6%
Honor 7C	18 fps ∼27% +339%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	6.8 fps ∼10% +66%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	9.4 fps ∼14% +129%
HTC Desire 12	5.4 fps ∼8% +32%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (2.9 - 6.2, n=3)	4.4 fps ∼7% +7%
Average of class Smartphone (6.8 - 161, n=188, last 2 years)	67 fps ∼100% +1534%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	4.3 fps ∼4%
Honor 7C	9.2 fps ∼8% +114%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	6.8 fps ∼6% +58%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	9.9 fps ∼9% +130%
HTC Desire 12	2.7 fps ∼2% -37%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (3 - 4.3, n=3)	3.47 fps ∼3% -19%
Average of class Smartphone (9.2 - 331, n=189, last 2 years)	113 fps ∼100% +2528%

GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	2.5 fps ∼5%
Honor 7C	13 fps ∼24% +420%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	4.6 fps ∼9% +84%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	6.2 fps ∼12% +148%
HTC Desire 12	3.5 fps ∼7% +40%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (2.5 - 4.3, n=3)	3.3 fps ∼6% +32%
Average of class Smartphone (3.7 - 143, n=189, last 2 years)	53.5 fps ∼100% +2040%
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
Alcatel 3V	2.5 fps ∼3%
Honor 7C	6 fps ∼8% +140%
Gigaset GS270 Plus	4.5 fps ∼6% +80%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	6.5 fps ∼8% +160%
HTC Desire 12	1.6 fps ∼2% -36%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (1.9 - 2.5, n=3)	2.13 fps ∼3% -15%
Average of class Smartphone (6.2 - 223, n=189, last 2 years)	76.8 fps ∼100% +2972%

Legend

Alcatel 3V Mediatek MT8735, ARM Mali-T720 MP2, 16 GB eMMC Flash

Honor 7C Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Qualcomm Adreno 506, 32 GB eMMC Flash

Gigaset GS270 Plus Mediatek MT6750, ARM Mali-T860 MP2, 32 GB eMMC Flash

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, Qualcomm Adreno 506, 64 GB eMMC Flash

HTC Desire 12 Mediatek MT6739, PowerVR GE8100, 32 GB eMMC Flash

Average Mediatek MT8735

Average of class Smartphone

The 3V performed reasonably well in our browser benchmarks and sits in the middle of our comparison devices in these benchmarks.

Browser performance on our test device is smooth, but media heavy websites take slightly longer to load than other websites.

JetStream 1.1 | Octane V2 | Mozilla Kraken 1.1 | WebXPRT 2015

JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Average of class Smartphone (26.7 - 414, n=79, last 2 years)	135.5 Points ∼100% +640%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus (Chrome 66)	23.1 Points ∼17% +26%
Honor 7C (Chrome 66)	22.35 Points ∼16% +22%
Gigaset GS270 Plus (Chrome 66)	18.59 Points ∼14% +1%
Alcatel 3V (Chrome 67)	18.32 Points ∼14%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (15.4 - 18.3, n=3)	17.2 Points ∼13% -6%
HTC Desire 12 (Chrome 66.0.3359.158)	15.79 Points ∼12% -14%

Octane V2 - Total Score
Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 74261, n=194, last 2 years)	29454 Points ∼100% +789%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus (Chrome 66)	4424 Points ∼15% +34%
Honor 7C (Chrome 66)	3470 Points ∼12% +5%
Alcatel 3V (Chrome 67)	3312 Points ∼11%
Gigaset GS270 Plus (Chrome 66)	3273 Points ∼11% -1%
HTC Desire 12 (Chrome 66.0.3359.158)	2930 Points ∼10% -12%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (2290 - 3312, n=3)	2773 Points ∼9% -16%

Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total Score
HTC Desire 12 (Chrome 66.0.3359.158)	17134 ms * ∼100% -30%
Gigaset GS270 Plus (Chrome 66)	13367 ms * ∼78% -1%
Alcatel 3V (Chrome 67)	13199 ms * ∼77%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (12334 - 13705, n=3)	13079 ms * ∼76% +1%
Honor 7C (Chrome 66)	11370 ms * ∼66% +14%
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus (Chrome 66)	10895 ms * ∼64% +17%
Average of class Smartphone (414 - 10797, n=168, last 2 years)	1998 ms * ∼12% +85%

WebXPRT 2015 - Overall Score
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus (Chrome 66)	112 Points ∼100% +75%
Alcatel 3V (Chrome 67)	64 Points ∼57%
Average Mediatek MT8735 (53 - 64, n=3)	57 Points ∼51% -11%

* ... smaller is better

Around 10 GB of the 16 GB eMMC flash memory is usable, with the remaining 6 GB reserved for the OS and other system data. Internal storage speeds are on par with our comparison devices; the 3V falls down on its microSD card transmission speeds where it is slower than the competition. It is worth noting that we had to carry out our microSD card tests with a 32 GB Kingston card as our test device could not read our Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 reference card.

Overall, the 3V struggles against the competition in terms of memory performance. The 3V is last overall in these tests, demonstrating how comparatively poor its microSD card performance is. What’s more, all our comparison devices are equipped with larger internal storage at competitive prices.

	Alcatel 3V	Honor 7C	Gigaset GS270 Plus	Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	HTC Desire 12	Average 16 GB eMMC Flash	Average of class Smartphone
AndroBench 3-5		152%	129%	203%	125%	57%	1157%
Sequential Read 256KB	219.4	297 35%	269.1 23%	270 23%	211.4 -4%	164.5 ?(9.66 - 294, n=256) -25%	1180 ?(215 - 4512, n=235, last 2 years) 438%
Sequential Write 256KB	47.35	115 143%	72.8 54%	194.5 311%	103.8 119%	43 ?(8.74 - 106.3, n=256) -9%	741 ?(13.6 - 3062, n=235, last 2 years) 1465%
Random Read 4KB	24.8	30 21%	35.3 42%	79.5 221%	16.69 -33%	21.7 ?(2.49 - 62.1, n=256) -12%	207 ?(22.2 - 543, n=235, last 2 years) 735%
Random Write 4KB	10.38	10 -4%	11.51 11%	7.1 -32%	7.54 -27%	8.08 ?(0.49 - 44.9, n=256) -22%	217 ?(13 - 572, n=236, last 2 years) 1991%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard	21.38 ?(Kingston 32GB)	83.9 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) 292%	80.8 278%	84.4 295%	81.8 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) 283%	59.1 ?(8.1 - 87.7, n=137) 176%
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard	11.92 ?(Kingston 32GB)	62.6 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) 425%	55.5 366%	59.5 399%	61.1 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) 413%	39.8 ?(6.38 - 65.8, n=137) 234%

Games

The ARM Mali-T720 MP2 handles graphics and clocks up to 650 MHz. This GPU is now four years old, which limits the games that the 3V can play. Our test device handles casual games like Dead Trigger 2 and Temple Run 2 comfortably but playing more complex games will be a struggle.

The touchscreen responded quickly and precisely to our inputs during our tests. Unfortunately, there is some delay in the positional sensor which is noticeable when playing games.

Emissions

Temperature

The 3V is a relatively warm device even at idle. Our test device averaged 31.7 °C at idle, with a maximum temperature of 32.1 °C on the front and 32.5 °C on the rear.

Temperatures ramp up significantly under load, with the front of the device reaching up to 39.4 °C, while the rear case hit 41.5 °C. The averages are lower at 35.6 °C and 35.5 °C, respectively, demonstrating the extent to how heat is unevenly distributed across the device.

Overall, these temperatures are safe, but the device will feel hot to the touch.

Max. Load

Idle


36.3 °C 97 F	34.5 °C 94 F	33.2 °C 92 F
37.3 °C 99 F	37.3 °C 99 F	33.5 °C 92 F
39.4 °C 103 F	35 °C 95 F	33.5 °C 92 F

Maximum: 39.4 °C = 103 F
Average: 35.6 °C = 96 F


32.6 °C 91 F	34.4 °C 94 F	37.4 °C 99 F
32.1 °C 90 F	34.6 °C 94 F	38.8 °C 102 F
32.5 °C 91 F	35.4 °C 96 F	41.5 °C 107 F

Maximum: 41.5 °C = 107 F
Average: 35.5 °C = 96 F

Power Supply (max.) 34.6 °C = 94 F | Room Temperature 21.8 °C = 71 F | Voltcraft IR-260

(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 35.6 °C / 96 F, compared to the average of 32.6 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 39.4 °C / 103 F, compared to the average of 34.9 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 52.9 °C for the class Smartphone.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 41.5 °C / 107 F, compared to the average of 33.7 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 31.4 °C / 89 F, compared to the device average of 32.6 °C / 91 F.

Heat-map of the front of the device under load

Heat-map of the rear of the device under load

Speakers

The 3V has two speakers that are both quiet and of a poor quality. Our test device achieved a relatively low 63.6 dB(A) maximum volume from its speakers, which is around 10 dB(A) quieter than the Gigaset GS270 Plus, the speakers of which are not especially loud either.

Only mid tones are present when playing music over the 3V’s speakers. Tones above and below that range are practically non-existent. The speakers are only suitable for calls over speakerphone, but even then the sound quality is comparatively poor.

By contrast, the sound quality over external speakers or headphones is much better. Even the supplied headphones offer a balanced sound that is suitable for both calls and for listening to music.

Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)

Alcatel 3V audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (73.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 29.4% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (6.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 11.9% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (13.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 9.3% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (9.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (39.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 99% of all tested devices in this class were better, 0% similar, 1% worse
» The best had a delta of 11%, average was 23%, worst was 65%
Compared to all devices tested
» 99% of all tested devices were better, 0% similar, 1% worse
» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 20%, worst was 65%

Gigaset GS270 Plus audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (73.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 26.5% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (6.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.6% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (6.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.5% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (2.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (21.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 36% of all tested devices in this class were better, 11% similar, 53% worse
» The best had a delta of 11%, average was 23%, worst was 65%
Compared to all devices tested
» 60% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 32% worse
» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 20%, worst was 65%

Battery Life

Power Consumption

While the 3V is more efficient than the average of other MT8735 devices that we have tested, it consumes more power across the board than most of our comparison devices. In short, the outdated SoC cannot compete with more modern and energy-efficient competitors.

Our test device consumed a maximum of 6.3 W under load, which exceeds the included 5 W charger's capacity. This is considerably higher than most of our comparison devices, except for the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus; the 3V is around 3% more efficient than the 5 Plus overall.

The included charger takes around three hours to fully recharge the 3V’s 3,000 mAh battery.

Power Consumption

Off / Standby	0.1 / 1.2 Watt
Idle	1.6 / 1.8 / 2.7 Watt
Load	5.5 / 6.3 Watt


Key: min: , med: , max: Metrahit Energy Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

	Alcatel 3V 3000 mAh	Honor 7C 3000 mAh	Gigaset GS270 Plus 5000 mAh	Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus 4000 mAh	HTC Desire 12 2730 mAh	Average Mediatek MT8735	Average of class Smartphone
Power Consumption		29%	27%	-3%	20%	-23%	22%
Idle Minimum *	1.6	0.6 62%	1.1 31%	0.7 56%	1.13 29%	1.353 ?(0.76 - 1.7, n=3) 15%	0.884 ?(0.12 - 2.37, n=172, last 2 years) 45%
Idle Average *	1.8	2.16 -20%	1.6 11%	2.8 -56%	2.03 -13%	3.14 ?(1.8 - 4.4, n=3) -74%	1.485 ?(0.65 - 2.98, n=172, last 2 years) 17%
Idle Maximum *	2.7	2.24 17%	1.9 30%	3.4 -26%	2.05 24%	3.58 ?(2.7 - 4.7, n=3) -33%	1.699 ?(0.69 - 3.11, n=172, last 2 years) 37%
Load Average *	5.5	2.59 53%	3.6 35%	4.2 24%	3.68 33%	6.23 ?(4.79 - 8.4, n=3) -13%	4.27 ?(2.1 - 10, n=172, last 2 years) 22%
Load Maximum *	6.3	4.11 35%	4.5 29%	7.2 -14%	4.52 28%	7.07 ?(5.72 - 9.2, n=3) -12%	7.08 ?(3.56 - 13.7, n=172, last 2 years) -12%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

The 3V’s relatively poor energy efficiency is reflected in its battery life. We tested battery runtimes with our Wi-Fi battery test, in which we run a script that simulates the load required to render websites. Our test device lasted for 5 h 41 m in this test, which is a comparatively short runtime. By contrast, the Desire 12 lasted 99 minutes longer than the 3V despite having a 270 mAh-smaller battery. Likewise, the Honor 7C lasted 103% longer than the 3V even though the two devices share the same battery capacity.

Overall, the 3V has below average battery life given its battery capacity and price bracket.

Battery Runtime

WiFi Websurfing

5h 41min

	Alcatel 3V 3000 mAh	Honor 7C 3000 mAh	Gigaset GS270 Plus 5000 mAh	Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus 4000 mAh	HTC Desire 12 2730 mAh
Battery Runtime
WiFi v1.3	341	693 103%	747 119%	497 46%	440 29%

Pros

+ strong low-light camera performance

+ dual-SIM

+ dedicated SIM and microSD card slots

+ high contrast display

Cons

- short battery life

- outdated SoC

Verdict

The Alcatel 3V in review. Test device courtesy of Alcatel Germany.

The Alcatel 3V achieved comparatively mediocre results in our performance tests largely because of its outdated SoC. This old hardware impacts battery life too, where the 3V is woeful compared to our comparison devices.

The Alcatel 3V is an affordable mid-range smartphone that is hampered by its outdated hardware and short battery life. The 3V cannot compete with its equally priced competitors for these reasons alone.

The 3V is a solid device besides these reasons though thanks to its impressive camera and a decent display. The device also ships with Android Oreo 8.0, which is still not a given for mid-range smartphones. Equally, we do not always see dual-SIM devices that support simultaneous microSD card expansion, so that is a bonus for the 3V. We largely like the design and workmanship too, but it could look cheap to some when comparing the 3V against its competitors that have metal cases.

Alcatel 3V - 2018-07-02 07/02/2018 v6^(old)
Mike Wobker

Chassis

74%

Keyboard

65 / 75 → 87%

Pointing Device

86%

Connectivity

41 / 60 → 68%

Weight

92%

Battery

86%

Display

85%

Games Performance

10 / 63 → 16%

Application Performance

30 / 70 → 43%

Temperature

89%

Noise

100%

Audio

60 / 91 → 66%

Camera

66%

Average

68%

78%

Smartphone - Weighted Average

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Editor of the original article: Mike Faust - Senior Tech Writer - 424 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2017

I carried out my first IT experiments with a 386-based system and a whole 4 MB RAM. This was followed by work on various PCs and laptops that I maintained and repaired for friends and acquaintances. After training to become a Telecommunications Systems Technician and gaining a few years of experience, I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering. Currently, I pursue my fascination for IT, technology, and mobile devices by writing reviews and articles for Notebookcheck. I have also worked for Gamestar, Netzwelt, and Golem, among others.

contact me via: @mornoc_mw, Xing

Translator: Alex Alderson - Senior Tech Writer - 7994 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2018

Prior to writing and translating for Notebookcheck, I worked for various companies including Apple and Neowin. I have a BA in International History and Politics from the University of Leeds, which I have since converted to a Law Degree. Happy to chat on Twitter or Notebookchat.

contact me via: @aldersonaj

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> Notebook / Laptop Reviews and News > Reviews > Alcatel 3V Smartphone Review

Mike Wobker, 2018-07-10 (Update: 2019-03- 9)

Alcatel 3V Smartphone Review

Case

Size Comparison

Connectivity

Software

Communication & GPS

Telephone Function & Call Quality

Cameras

Accessories & Warranty

Input Devices & Operation

Display

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

Display Response Times

Performance

Games

Emissions

Temperature

Speakers

Alcatel 3V audio analysis

Gigaset GS270 Plus audio analysis

Battery Life

Power Consumption

Battery Life

Pros

Cons

Verdict

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