Alcatel 3X Smartphone Review

Name: Alcatel 3X
Brand: Alcatel

The umpteenth attempt. The Alcatel 3X is supposed to be a further step in reviving the formerly very popular brand name. The strong points of TCL’s latest mid-range smartphone are Face Key, wide-angle camera and App-Launch via the fingerprint sensor. Read our review to learn what you can expect from the Chinese device.

Mike Wobker, 👁 Florian Schmitt, ✓ Felicitas Krohn (translated by Stanislav Kokhanyuk), Published 07/14/2018 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 ...

Android Smartphone Touchscreen

We reviewed the Alcatel 5 and the Alcatel 3V a couple of weeks ago. The Alcatel 3X is the best-priced Alcatel smartphone that we have reviewed so far. It competes directly against other low-priced, powerful smartphones. The MediaTek MT6739 and the Imagination PowerVR GE8100 form a solid foundation for the mid-range smartphone. In addition, the Alcatel 3X packs 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of eMMC flash memory, which should ensure the smooth operation of the OS (Android 7.1.1).

The Alcatel 3X has quite a few competitors in the 200-Euro ($233) price range. Many manufacturers offer similarly-equipped devices. We selected four of those for comparison purposes. The competing devices include: The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5, Huawei‘s Y7 (2018), the Moto G6 Play from Motorola and Umidigi‘s A1 Pro. The above-mentioned smartphones offer very similar specifications and cost almost as much as our review device.

Test device courtesy of Alcatel Deutschland

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Alcatel 3X (3 Series)

Processor

Mediatek MT6739 4 x 1.5 GHz, Cortex-A53

Graphics adapter

PowerVR GE8100

Memory

3 GB

Display

5.70 inch 18:9, 1440 x 720 pixel 282 PPI, capacitive, IPS, glossy: yes

Storage

32 GB eMMC Flash, 32 GB

, 16GB or 32GB, 21 GB free

Connections

1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5mm, Card Reader: MicroSD (up to 128GB), 1 Fingerprint Reader, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: motion sensor, proximity sensor, E-Compass

Networking

802.11 b/g/n (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.2, GSM Quadband (850/900/1800/1900), UMTS (B1/2/5/8), 4G LTE Cat. 4 (B1/3/7/8/20/28/38/40), Dual SIM, LTE, GPS

Size

height x width x depth (in mm): 8.5 x 153.5 x 71.6 ( = 0.33 x 6.04 x 2.82 in)

Battery

3000 mAh Lithium-Polymer, Talk time 2G (according to manufacturer): 10 h, Talk time 3G (according to manufacturer): 6 h, Standby 2G (according to manufacturer): 480 h

Operating System

Android 7.1 Nougat

Camera

Primary Camera: 13 MPix 13 MP+5 MP (16 MP+8 MP from SW), AF+ wide FF, 5P+5P lenses, pixel size 1.12 μm+1.12 μm, sensor size 1/3.06" + 1/5" aperture f/2.0+f/2.2, wide-angle from 78.4°+ 120°, dual-tone flash
Secondary Camera: 5 MPix 5 MP (8 MP from SW), FF, pixel size 1,12 µm, sensor size 1/5", aperture f/2.4, flash

Additional features

Speakers: 2 speakers, Keyboard: onscreen, Keyboard Light: yes, USB charger, Micro-USB cable, stereo headset, OfficeSuite, enjoy.now, 24 Months Warranty, SAR-value (head): 0,64 W/kg, SAR-value (body): 1,09 W/kg, fanless

Weight

144 g ( = 5.08 oz / 0.32 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 – Alcatel smartphone with a radical design

The Alcatel 3X comes with a well-built plastic case and is available in the following color schemes: Black, Blue and Gold. The finish on the back that Alcatel describes as “radical details” consists of circular textures radiating away from the camera cutout. These textures span the entire back.The juncture at which the glass front meets with the plastic sides is smooth and uniform. The buttons are located on the right side of the device. The SIM/MicroSD card slot is located on the left side.

Connectivity – Mid-range smartphone with a headphone jack

The Chinese manufacturer TCL has equipped the Alcatel 3X with MediaTek’s mid-range SoC MT6739 and Imagination’s PowerVR GE8100 graphics unit. In combination with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of eMMC flash memory, the Android smartphone offers a very good level of performance for a device in this price range.

The smartphone has a Micro-USB port on the bottom. It operates at USB 2.0 speeds. The Alcatel 3X also features a headphone jack. You can insert either two SIM cards or one SIM card and one MicroSD card in the slot on the left side of the device.

Software – Alcatel smartphone with Android Nougat

The Alcatel 3X runs Android 7.1.1 (Nougat). The security patches were last updated on the 5th of April of 2018. The Chinese smartphone comes with the stock version of Android. However, the icons have been changed and OfficeSuite has been pre-installed. In addition, there are a few games and the Alcatel app "enjoy.now". In this app, you can find news, tutorials and other information about the Alcatel smartphone. You can set up multiple accounts for different users in the settings menu if more than one person is going to use the device. Moreover, you can assign different apps to different fingers so that when you scan a certain finger with the fingerprint sensor the app associated with that finger will open.

Communication and GPS – an LTE smartphone from Alcatel

The Alcatel 3X supports the following mobile communication standards: GSM, UMTS and LTE. The LTE module operates at Category 4 speeds (download: 150 Mbit/s, upload: 50 Mbit/s). For short-distance communication, the Android smartphone relies on Bluetooth 4.2 and Wi-Fi.

The Alcatel 3X supports the IEEE-802.11 standards b, g and n. This is why our review device can only offer mediocre transfer rates. In our Wi-Fi benchmarks, the Alcatel 3X takes the next-to-last spot.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Adreno 509, SD 636, 32 GB eMMC Flash	273 MBit/s +395%
Huawei Y7 2018 Adreno 505, 430, 16 GB eMMC Flash	56.9 MBit/s +3%
Umidigi A1 Pro PowerVR GE8100, MT6739, 16 GB eMMC Flash	55.8 MBit/s +1%
Alcatel 3X PowerVR GE8100, MT6739, 32 GB eMMC Flash	55.1 MBit/s
Motorola Moto G6 Play Adreno 505, 430, 32 GB eMMC Flash	46.8 MBit/s -15%
iperf3 receive AX12
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Adreno 509, SD 636, 32 GB eMMC Flash	268 MBit/s +390%
Umidigi A1 Pro PowerVR GE8100, MT6739, 16 GB eMMC Flash	55.7 MBit/s +2%
Huawei Y7 2018 Adreno 505, 430, 16 GB eMMC Flash	55 MBit/s +1%
Alcatel 3X PowerVR GE8100, MT6739, 32 GB eMMC Flash	54.7 MBit/s
Motorola Moto G6 Play Adreno 505, 430, 32 GB eMMC Flash	44.7 MBit/s -18%

We use the app called "GPS Test" to determine how good the Alcatel smartphone is at geo-location. Outdoors, the Alcatel 3X exhibits a margin of error of 4 meters (~13 ft) and uses both GPS and GLONASS. Indoors, our review device quickly loses its satellite connection and therefore is unable to determine the user’s location.

On our compulsory bike ride, the GPS of the Alcatel 3X does not prove to be very reliable. When moving at a low speed, the Alcatel 3X is, actually, a bit more accurate than our reference-grade navigator Garmin Edge 520. However, at a high speed, the Alcatel 3X becomes very inaccurate, to the point where entire curves and bends of the road are missed.

Telephony and Call Quality - Quiet conversations with the Alcatel 3X

The Alcatel 3X comes with the standard Android phone app. Therefore, making calls and finding contacts is easy. However, the speaker is not loud enough, which is why ambient noise can often drown out your call partner.

Things are similar in speaker mode. In this mode, the Alcatel 3X is also not loud enough. On the other end of the line, the Alcatel user sounds somewhat muffled, but intelligible. In addition, the Alcatel 3X supports VoLTE and VoWLAN. These functions can be enabled in the settings menu.

Cameras – Dual-camera for snapshots

The Alcatel 3X comes with a 13 and 5 MP dual-camera set-up with an f/2.0 and f/2.2 aperture. The front-facing camera has a 5 MP sensor and an f/2.4 aperture. This is why selfies look rather mediocre and suffer from noise even during daylight.

The photos taken with the main camera appear quite dim. Bright and dim areas are hard to distinguish from each other, and the images lack detail. When close to an object, the images taken with the Alcatel 3X appear more detailed and better resolved than the photos of distant objects. The low-light performance is good. The lack of sharpness is the only drawback here. The video quality is also good and the video recordings do not appear very shaky. There are a few filters and an LED flash for illuminating dark scenes. The Alcatel 3X’s camera does not offer any other features.

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.

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We use the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport to evaluate the color reproduction of the Alcatel 3X’s camera. This test confirms our impression that both the colors and the shades, such as shades of black and gray, are too dim.

Our test chart, which we photograph under controlled lighting conditions, is also too dim. The fine lines and details are well reproduced and there is only a slight loss of sharpness at the edges.

Accessories and Warranty – The Alcatel 3X comes with a stereo headset.

The box contains a USB charger with an appropriate USB cable and a stereo headset. Alcatel does not offer any other first-party accessories. Additional accessories can only be purchased from third parties.

The smartphone comes with a 24-month warranty. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices and Handling – Smartphone with good face recognition.

The Alcatel 3X uses Google’s GBoard as the default keyboard. Therefore, typing on the smartphone is fast and easy. The touchscreen responds promptly to inputs. Every touch is accompanied by a vibration. However, the motion sensor is not very responsive.

The Android smartphone can be easily unlocked with the fingerprint sensor on the back. The Alcatel 3X’s face recognition works even faster. This unlocks the device much faster than entering a PIN or drawing a pattern.

Display – Alcatel 3X with a good contrast ratio

The Alcatel 3X comes with a 5.7-inch IPS screen with an 18:9 aspect ratio. It has a native resolution of 1440x720. This kind of display is appropriate for a smartphone with such a price tag and is found in other similarly-priced devices. However, the average brightness of 421 cd/m² is well below average.


454 cd/m²	411 cd/m²	383 cd/m²
439 cd/m²	429 cd/m²	407 cd/m²
433 cd/m²	419 cd/m²	412 cd/m²

Distribution of brightness

tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2

Maximum: 454 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 420.8 cd/m² Minimum: 16.76 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 84 %
Center on Battery: 325 cd/m²
Contrast: 3300:1 (Black: 0.13 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.86 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.9
ΔE Greyscale 6 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
97.1% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.231

	Alcatel 3X IPS, 1440x720, 5.7"	Umidigi A1 Pro IPS, 1440x720, 5.5"	Motorola Moto G6 Play IPS, 1440x720, 5.7"	Huawei Y7 2018 IPS, 1440x720, 6"	Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 IPS, 2160x1080, 6"
Screen		-20%	-11%	-23%	-12%
Brightness middle	429	594 38%	614 43%	393 -8%	518 21%
Brightness	421	570 35%	593 41%	365 -13%	532 26%
Brightness Distribution	84	86 2%	90 7%	85 1%	94 12%
Black Level *	0.13	0.22 -69%	0.29 -123%	0.29 -123%	0.23 -77%
Contrast	3300	2700 -18%	2117 -36%	1355 -59%	2252 -32%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *	4.86	6.63 -36%	5.9 -21%	5.28 -9%	5.66 -16%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *	8.83	13.99 -58%	9.6 -9%	9 -2%	10.32 -17%
Greyscale dE 2000 *	6	9.2 -53%	5.5 8%	4.2 30%	6.8 -13%
Gamma	2.231 ^99%	2.24 ^98%	2.32 ^95%	2.6 ^85%	2.269 ^97%
CCT	8103 ^80%	8663 ^75%	7822 ^83%	7086 ^92%	8564 ^76%

* ... 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 8684 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured.

The Alcatel 3X compensates for the low brightness with an outstanding contrast ratio of 3300:1 and a very low black value of 0.13 cd/m². This is why the colors look very rich and the dark hues appear very deep.

We use a photo-spectrometer running SpectraCal's CalMAN software to evaluate the color accuracy. The color reproduction is average for a device in this price range.

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	↗ 13 ms rise
24 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 11 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. » 50 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (20.9 ms).
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
38 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 19 ms rise
38 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 19 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 52 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.8 ms).

The Alcatel 3X can be used outside despite its low display brightness. However, you will have to use it in the shade in order to avoid strong reflections of the environment.

The IPS panel of the Alcatel 3X offers very wide viewing angles. The screen content can be read from any angle and the colors never become distorted.

Performance – Alcatel 3X offers a modest level of performance

The Alcatel 3X features MediaTek’s MT6739 SoC and a PowerVR GE8100 graphics unit from Imagination. These components provide enough performance for the smooth operation of the OS. In addition, the Chinese smartphone has 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of eMMC flash memory. The Alcatel 3X is very similar to other devices in this price range in terms of both performance and storage. It achieves only mediocre results in the synthetic benchmarks.

The Alcatel 3X’s weak spot is the 3D performance. It is not powerful enough to complete some of our 3D benchmarks.

AnTuTu v6 - Total Score (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	31718 Points
Umidigi A1 Pro	36073 Points +14%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	46267 Points +46%
Huawei Y7 2018	45687 Points +44%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	92672 Points +192%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (25012 - 38060, n=13)	33655 Points +6%

AnTuTu v7 - Total Score (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	42032 Points
Umidigi A1 Pro	45868 Points +9%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	58511 Points +39%
Huawei Y7 2018	59421 Points +41%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	115654 Points +175%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (26874 - 46951, n=13)	41995 Points 0%

PCMark for Android
Work performance score (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	4711 Points
Umidigi A1 Pro	4330 Points -8%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	4590 Points -3%
Huawei Y7 2018	4918 Points +4%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (3742 - 5136, n=11)	4323 Points -8%
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	3210 Points
Umidigi A1 Pro	3159 Points -2%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	3624 Points +13%
Huawei Y7 2018	3874 Points +21%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	5642 Points +76%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (2467 - 5377, n=16)	3206 Points 0%

BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	206 Points
Umidigi A1 Pro	208 Points +1%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	923 Points +348%
Huawei Y7 2018	1020 Points +395%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (162 - 637, n=15)	291 Points +41%
Average of class Smartphone (1196 - 13729, n=162, last 2 years)	6450 Points +3031%
System (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	1302 Points
Umidigi A1 Pro	1318 Points +1%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	1531 Points +18%
Huawei Y7 2018	1906 Points +46%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (1103 - 1526, n=15)	1294 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone (2368 - 19891, n=162, last 2 years)	10302 Points +691%
Memory (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	982 Points
Umidigi A1 Pro	802 Points -18%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	741 Points -25%
Huawei Y7 2018	1144 Points +16%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (420 - 1039, n=15)	768 Points -22%
Average of class Smartphone (962 - 18911, n=162, last 2 years)	7004 Points +613%
Graphics (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	150 Points
Umidigi A1 Pro	184 Points +23%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	737 Points +391%
Huawei Y7 2018	739 Points +393%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (18 - 190, n=15)	160.5 Points +7%
Average of class Smartphone (1017 - 58651, n=162, last 2 years)	17913 Points +11842%
Web (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	9 Points
Umidigi A1 Pro	10 Points +11%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	866 Points +9522%
Huawei Y7 2018	673 Points +7378%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (7 - 624, n=15)	165.4 Points +1738%
Average of class Smartphone (841 - 2363, n=162, last 2 years)	1570 Points +17344%

Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	Points
Umidigi A1 Pro	665 Points
Motorola Moto G6 Play	643 Points
Huawei Y7 2018	676 Points
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	1339 Points
Average Mediatek MT6739 (571 - 675, n=14)	632 Points
Average of class Smartphone (844 - 9574, n=85, last 2 years)	5497 Points
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	Points
Umidigi A1 Pro	1852 Points
Motorola Moto G6 Play	2322 Points
Huawei Y7 2018	2889 Points
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	4943 Points
Average Mediatek MT6739 (1418 - 1896, n=14)	1733 Points
Average of class Smartphone (4134 - 34246, n=85, last 2 years)	15495 Points
Compute RenderScript Score (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	Points
Umidigi A1 Pro	1450 Points
Motorola Moto G6 Play	2224 Points
Huawei Y7 2018	2133 Points
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	4578 Points
Average Mediatek MT6739 (1125 - 1460, n=12)	1328 Points
Average of class Smartphone (5192 - 28121, n=61, last 2 years)	12368 Points

3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	3418 Points
Motorola Moto G6 Play	9585 Points +180%
Huawei Y7 2018	9583 Points +180%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	20033 Points +486%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (3392 - 4339, n=17)	3912 Points +14%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	2898 Points
Motorola Moto G6 Play	9713 Points +235%
Huawei Y7 2018	9713 Points +235%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	20909 Points +621%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (2878 - 4346, n=17)	3398 Points +17%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	9188 Points
Motorola Moto G6 Play	9162 Points 0%
Huawei Y7 2018	9153 Points 0%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	17471 Points +90%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (7103 - 10981, n=17)	9367 Points +2%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	151 Points
Umidigi A1 Pro	168 Points +11%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	600 Points +297%
Huawei Y7 2018	603 Points +299%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	1458 Points +866%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (120 - 211, n=17)	157.5 Points +4%
Average of class Smartphone (812 - 7285, n=25, last 2 years)	4239 Points +2707%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	125 Points
Umidigi A1 Pro	140 Points +12%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	522 Points +318%
Huawei Y7 2018	524 Points +319%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	1313 Points +950%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (102 - 185, n=17)	131.6 Points +5%
Average of class Smartphone (756 - 9451, n=25, last 2 years)	4795 Points +3736%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	538 Points
Umidigi A1 Pro	537 Points 0%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	1254 Points +133%
Huawei Y7 2018	1280 Points +138%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	2379 Points +342%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (445 - 690, n=17)	567 Points +5%
Average of class Smartphone (1093 - 4349, n=25, last 2 years)	3303 Points +514%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	94 Points
Umidigi A1 Pro	108 Points +15%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	309 Points +229%
Huawei Y7 2018	310 Points +230%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	934 Points +894%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (80 - 221, n=17)	104.9 Points +12%
Average of class Smartphone (435 - 17553, n=67, last 2 years)	3079 Points +3176%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	76 Points
Umidigi A1 Pro	88 Points +16%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	254 Points +234%
Huawei Y7 2018	255 Points +236%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	797 Points +949%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (65 - 185, n=17)	85.4 Points +12%
Average of class Smartphone (370 - 29890, n=67, last 2 years)	3251 Points +4178%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	546 Points
Umidigi A1 Pro	531 Points -3%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	1259 Points +131%
Huawei Y7 2018	1258 Points +130%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	2346 Points +330%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (486 - 690, n=17)	567 Points +4%
Average of class Smartphone (982 - 7180, n=67, last 2 years)	3312 Points +507%

GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	9 fps
Umidigi A1 Pro	9.7 fps +8%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	26 fps +189%
Huawei Y7 2018	27 fps +200%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	35 fps +289%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (8.2 - 15, n=17)	10.1 fps +12%
Average of class Smartphone (23 - 166, n=178, last 2 years)	86.4 fps +860%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	4.9 fps
Umidigi A1 Pro	6 fps +22%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	16 fps +227%
Huawei Y7 2018	16 fps +227%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	35 fps +614%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (4.9 - 6.1, n=17)	5.64 fps +15%
Average of class Smartphone (19 - 791, n=178, last 2 years)	296 fps +5941%

GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	5 fps
Umidigi A1 Pro	5.4 fps +8%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	14 fps +180%
Huawei Y7 2018	14 fps +180%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	15 fps +200%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (4.4 - 10, n=16)	5.61 fps +12%
Average of class Smartphone (6.8 - 166, n=178, last 2 years)	75.8 fps +1416%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	2.2 fps
Umidigi A1 Pro	2.7 fps +23%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	7.1 fps +223%
Huawei Y7 2018	7.1 fps +223%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	16 fps +627%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (2.2 - 2.8, n=14)	2.56 fps +16%
Average of class Smartphone (12 - 502, n=178, last 2 years)	174.8 fps +7845%

GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	3.1 fps
Umidigi A1 Pro	3.3 fps +6%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	10 fps +223%
Huawei Y7 2018	10 fps +223%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	10 fps +223%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (2.6 - 6.7, n=16)	3.51 fps +13%
Average of class Smartphone (3.7 - 166, n=178, last 2 years)	66.4 fps +2042%
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	1.3 fps
Umidigi A1 Pro	1.6 fps +23%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	4.6 fps +254%
Huawei Y7 2018	4.6 fps +254%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	9.8 fps +654%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (1.3 - 1.7, n=16)	1.494 fps +15%
Average of class Smartphone (8.3 - 365, n=178, last 2 years)	124.4 fps +9469%

GFXBench
on screen Car Chase Onscreen (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	1.6 fps
Umidigi A1 Pro	1.4 fps -12%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	5.3 fps +231%
Huawei Y7 2018	5.4 fps +238%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	6 fps +275%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (1.1 - 2.6, n=15)	1.553 fps -3%
Average of class Smartphone (5 - 154, n=179, last 2 years)	49.4 fps +2988%
1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen (sort by value)
Alcatel 3X	0.77 fps
Umidigi A1 Pro	0.9 fps +17%
Motorola Moto G6 Play	2.6 fps +238%
Huawei Y7 2018	2.6 fps +238%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	6.3 fps +718%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (0.6 - 0.91, n=14)	0.826 fps +7%
Average of class Smartphone (3.1 - 216, n=178, last 2 years)	75 fps +9640%

Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal - offscreen Overall Score (sort by value)
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	255 Points
Average of class Smartphone (205 - 7616, n=59, last 2 years)	2279 Points

Legend

Alcatel 3X Mediatek MT6739, PowerVR GE8100, 32 GB eMMC Flash

Umidigi A1 Pro Mediatek MT6739, PowerVR GE8100, 16 GB eMMC Flash

Motorola Moto G6 Play Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 (MSM8937), Qualcomm Adreno 505, 32 GB eMMC Flash

Huawei Y7 2018 Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 (MSM8937), Qualcomm Adreno 505, 16 GB eMMC Flash

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Qualcomm Snapdragon 636, Qualcomm Adreno 509, 32 GB eMMC Flash

Average Mediatek MT6739

Average of class Smartphone

The results of the browser benchmarks leave a rather mixed impression. While our review device takes last place in most cases, it takes the top spot in Mozilla Kraken 1.1. In day-to-day use, the websites load reasonably fast and only the media content takes a while to load.

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

JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 (Chrome 67)	44.32 Points +188%
Motorola Moto G6 Play (Chrome 66)	18.14 Points +18%
Huawei Y7 2018 (Chrome 66)	17.86 Points +16%
Umidigi A1 Pro (Chrome 66)	17.86 Points +16%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (13.4 - 18.5, n=14)	16.7 Points +8%
Alcatel 3X (Chrome 67)	15.41 Points

Octane V2 - Total Score
Average of class Smartphone (2228 - 100368, n=213, last 2 years)	38822 Points +1268%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 (Chrome 67)	8422 Points +197%
Huawei Y7 2018 (Chrome 66)	3363 Points +18%
Motorola Moto G6 Play (Chrome 66)	3296 Points +16%
Umidigi A1 Pro (Chrome 66)	3191 Points +12%
Average Mediatek MT6739 (2093 - 3386, n=15)	2945 Points +4%
Alcatel 3X (Chrome 67)	2838 Points

Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Alcatel 3X (Chrome 67)	17275 ms *
Average Mediatek MT6739 (13599 - 18154, n=16)	16427 ms * +5%
Umidigi A1 Pro (Chrome 66)	15718 ms * +9%
Motorola Moto G6 Play (Chrome 66)	13730 ms * +21%
Huawei Y7 2018 (Chrome 66)	13541 ms * +22%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 (Chrome 67)	4740 ms * +73%
Average of class Smartphone (277 - 28190, n=170, last 2 years)	1512 ms * +91%

WebXPRT 2015 - Overall
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 (Chrome 67)	158 Points +151%
Huawei Y7 2018 (Chrome 66)	82 Points +30%
Alcatel 3X (Chrome 67)	63 Points
Average Mediatek MT6739 (52 - 63, n=2)	57.5 Points -9%

* ... smaller is better

The Alcatel 3X’s internal memory offers mediocre speeds, which is not unusual for a device in this price range. Because of a reading error, we were unable to conduct the SD card benchmark with our reference-grade SD card Toshiba Exceria Pro M501. Instead, we had to use a 32 GB SD card from Kingston. Here the Alcatel 3X’s SD card reader offers the same level of performance as the rest of the competition.

	Alcatel 3X	Umidigi A1 Pro	Motorola Moto G6 Play	Huawei Y7 2018	Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	Average 32 GB eMMC Flash	Average of class Smartphone
AndroBench 3-5		-4%	119%	5%	31%	27%	1445%
Sequential Read 256KB	260.5	269.2 3%	243.7 -6%	256 -2%	287.6 10%	242 ?(25.8 - 452, n=248) -7%	1883 ?(226 - 4512, n=200, last 2 years) 623%
Sequential Write 256KB	127.7	44.4 -65%	135.8 6%	71.5 -44%	121.6 -5%	100.5 ?(14.8 - 196, n=248) -21%	1476 ?(57.5 - 3908, n=200, last 2 years) 1056%
Random Read 4KB	26.05	29.6 14%	65.9 153%	38.8 49%	48.9 88%	43.1 ?(3.59 - 117.2, n=248) 65%	278 ?(22.2 - 483, n=200, last 2 years) 967%
Random Write 4KB	9.62	10.2 6%	61.7 541%	9.5 -1%	16.3 69%	22.3 ?(0.75 - 91, n=248) 132%	311 ?(9.4 - 753, n=200, last 2 years) 3133%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard	79.7 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)	81 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) 2%	83.2 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) 4%	85 7%	83.4 5%	71.8 ?(8.2 - 96.5, n=178) -10%
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard	51.5 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)	58.8 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) 14%	60.7 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) 18%	61.5 19%	62.4 21%	52.9 ?(3.4 - 87.1, n=178) 3%

Gaming – Android smartphone for casual games

The Alcatel 3X can run most casual and older games smoothly. We did not observe any abnormalities while conducting our gaming benchmarks. The loading times proved longer than usual even in simple titles. Another complication is that the motion sensor reacts quite sluggishly in the games that use it. This complication should be taken into account when playing video games.

Emissions – Alcatel 3X with quiet speakers

Temperature

When idle, the Alcatel 3X reaches a maximum temperature of 30 °C (86 °F). Under load, the temperatures hover around the 40-°C (104 °F) mark. This is why the device feels warm. However, it never reaches critical temperatures. Therefore, drops in performance due to overheating are very unlikely.

Max. Load

Idle


40.8 °C 105 F	36.3 °C 97 F	35.1 °C 95 F
39.6 °C 103 F	36.5 °C 98 F	35.9 °C 97 F
38.3 °C 101 F	36.1 °C 97 F	35.5 °C 96 F

Maximum: 40.8 °C = 105 F
Average: 37.1 °C = 99 F


33.8 °C 93 F	36.5 °C 98 F	40.2 °C 104 F
34.2 °C 94 F	36.6 °C 98 F	39.4 °C 103 F
34.8 °C 95 F	36.6 °C 98 F	37.4 °C 99 F

Maximum: 40.2 °C = 104 F
Average: 36.6 °C = 98 F

Power Supply (max.) 37.6 °C = 100 F | Room Temperature 21.8 °C = 71 F | Voltcraft IR-260

(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 37.1 °C / 99 F, compared to the average of 32.8 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 40.8 °C / 105 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.7 °C for the class Smartphone.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 40.2 °C / 104 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.7 °C / 85 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.

Speakers

The speakers of the Alcatel 3X are not particularly loud. The sound reproduction is mediocre. Only the mid-highs are reproduced well. All other tones are not reproduced very faithfully. The sound quality is good enough for phone calls, but the volume is too low. Here the included stereo headset might come in handy. It has a high volume and is quite suitable for listening to music.

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

Alcatel 3X audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (73.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 37.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (7.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 6.4% lower than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.3% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (4.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (31.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 80% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 18% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 90% of all tested devices were better, 2% similar, 8% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Motorola Moto G6 Play audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (85.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 29.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (7.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6.3% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6.7% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (4.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (25.3% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 59% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 34% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 75% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 20% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Battery Life – Alcatel smartphone with good battery life

Energy Consumption

The power consumption of the Alcatel 3X is slightly elevated. However, it is within a normal range for a device with this price tag. The included 5-watt USB charger is not going to be able to charge the smartphone under full load, because the Alcatel smartphone draws 6.3 watts when fully taxed.

Power Consumption

Off / Standby	0.05 / 0.08 Watt
Idle	2 / 2.5 / 3.2 Watt
Load	5.2 / 6.3 Watt


Key: min: , med: , max: Metrahit Energy

	Alcatel 3X 3000 mAh	Umidigi A1 Pro 3150 mAh	Motorola Moto G6 Play 4000 mAh	Huawei Y7 2018 3000 mAh	Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 4000 mAh	Average Mediatek MT6739	Average of class Smartphone
Power Consumption		7%	36%	25%	6%	12%	12%
Idle Minimum *	2	1.8 10%	0.68 66%	0.9 55%	1 50%	1.522 ?(0.87 - 2.8, n=16) 24%	0.883 ?(0.4 - 2.37, n=160, last 2 years) 56%
Idle Average *	2.5	2.3 8%	1.8 28%	1.9 24%	2.6 -4%	2.17 ?(1.6 - 3.5, n=16) 13%	1.464 ?(0.6 - 4.36, n=160, last 2 years) 41%
Idle Maximum *	3.2	3.2 -0%	1.83 43%	2.3 28%	2.9 9%	2.86 ?(1.68 - 6.3, n=16) 11%	1.621 ?(0.83 - 4.46, n=160, last 2 years) 49%
Load Average *	5.2	4.7 10%	3.38 35%	4.7 10%	5 4%	4.73 ?(2.8 - 7, n=16) 9%	6.63 ?(2.3 - 16.5, n=154, last 2 years) -28%
Load Maximum *	6.3	6 5%	5.67 10%	5.7 10%	8.2 -30%	5.99 ?(3.5 - 11.9, n=16) 5%	9.96 ?(3.53 - 20.8, n=154, last 2 years) -58%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

The Alcatel 3X achieves a battery runtime of more than 11 hours in our practically oriented Wi-Fi test. Therefore, it takes a spot in the middle of our comparison chart. The 3000-mAh battery can be fully charged with the included fast charger within 2 hours.

Battery Runtime


WiFi Websurfing		11h 15min

	Alcatel 3X 3000 mAh	Umidigi A1 Pro 3150 mAh	Motorola Moto G6 Play 4000 mAh	Huawei Y7 2018 3000 mAh	Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 4000 mAh
Battery Runtime
WiFi v1.3	675	608 -10%	887 31%	624 -8%	872 29%

Pros

+ display with a great contrast ratio

+ low-light performance of the camera

Cons

- system performance

- Micro USB port

Verdict – mid-range smartphone without added value

In review: Alcatel 3X. Provided courtesy of: Alcatel Germany.

In our review, the Alcatel 3X reveals itself as a solid mid-range smartphone, which does not really offer enough performance to justify its 190-Euro ($222) price tag. With the Alcatel 3X, buyers get an Android smartphone that can perform all daily tasks. It also provides a decent user experience. The camera is suited for occasional snapshots and delivers usable images under good lighting conditions.

The Alcatel 3X shines with its contrast-rich display, but has nothing else to offer.

The Alcatel 3X does not bring anything special to the table when compared to the competing devices. The biggest draw is the high contrast ratio of its display. However, other manufacturers offer smartphones with the similar price and performance. Ultimately, each user will have to decide for themselves whether to buy or not to buy the Alcatel 3X based on their own personal preferences. In any case, the smartphone is suitable for simple apps such as WhatsApp or taking occasional photos.

Alcatel 3X - 07/04/2018 v6 ^(old)
Mike Wobker

Chassis

76%

Keyboard

67 / 75 → 89%

Pointing Device

86%

Connectivity

38 / 60 → 63%

Weight

93%

Battery

94%

Display

84%

Games Performance

6 / 63 → 9%

Application Performance

36 / 70 → 52%

Temperature

89%

Noise

100%

Audio

60 / 91 → 66%

Camera

66%

Average

69%

80%

Smartphone - Weighted Average

Price comparison

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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

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