The selfie stick alternative: Alcatel 5 now available in some markets

The Alcatel 5 has a dual front camera setup with one being a 120-degree wide angle lens. (Source: Alcatel)

The Alcatel 5 has an advanced selfie setup with dual front facing cameras, automatic field of view switching based on the number of people detected in the shot, and quick launch options to get into social media applications. It remains to be seen whether the additional camera smarts can compete with more expensive phones.

by Craig Ward, 2018/06/14

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The previously announced Alcatel 5 is now available, but only for Europe so far. The Alcatel 5 is being promoted as a social media phone for the “trend-conscious user,” and contains several features intended to improve the experience for the connected generation.

While most manufacturers choose to place two lenses on the rear of the phone, the Alcatel 5 joins a much smaller group of devices that have two front-facing cameras. This is the main feature that attracts the “social media phone” moniker or the "selfie stick alternative" title. One of the lenses is a 120-degree wide angle shooter for larger group shots, and there is a low-light boost mode that should help with night time photos (but may still fall short of more expensive phones with better image processors). Alcatel has a unique trick that will automatically adjust the field of view based on how many faces it detects within the frame.

The fingerprint sensor also has app launcher functionality by registering additional fingers to open certain apps. For example, you might use your index finger to unlock the phone, but you could register your middle finger to launch Instagram to add to your story.

The screen is a 2:1 (18:9) 5.7-inch display with a fairly low 1440 x 720 HD+ resolution. The rear camera is 12 MP, and the dual front sensors are 13 MP f/2.0 and 5 MP, both with 1.4 μm pixels. The SoC is a MediaTek MT6750, the battery is 3000 mAh, there is 3 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of storage (plus a MicroSD card slot).

Pricing in Europe starts at 230 Euro (US$271).