Alcatel will reportedly introduce not one, or two, or three, but five smartphones at this year's Mobile World Congress, according to a new report which cites "reliable sources" for provenance.
Details about these five smartphone are thin, if not largely nonexistent, although word has apparently been circulating that out of the five handsets, one is poised to deliver a modular scheme, although the extent of its modularity remains to be speculated — will it be more like Google's ill-fated Project Ara, or the LG G5?
Alcatel Modular Phone
Early rumors, as reported by Android Headlines, point to something that parallels Motorola's Mods schtick, in which different add-ons can be strapped onto the back of the device for extra functionality. What's more, it's also being passed around that the modular phone will rock a 13-megapixel rear camera that comes with a dual-tone LED flash. Finally, the phone will be powered by a MediaTek octa-core processor, according to the report.
It's unclear whether these brand new set of — alleged, keep in mind — smartphones will be a brand-new Alcatel lineup, or whether they'd be added to the presently existing Alcatel A-series, which was launched at CES 2017 earlier this year.
The report, which comes from Hungarian site Tech2 (translated), suggests that the alleged modular Alcatel smartphone will cost at least 100,000 HUF, which, by virtue of a rough conversion, translates a little under $350 when it hits stateside. At that price point, the smartphone looks to be a mid-range offering, although if it ends up delivering on its alleged promise of a modular concept, then this could be the perfect price point for users who want to hop onto the modular bandwagon at a fair price.
Alcatel's Four Other Rumored Smartphones
As mentioned, there are virtually no details surrounding the four other smartphones Alcatel will reportedly unveil at the MWC, which will happen late February in Barcelona, Spain. Notably, the original report states that there will be "five models," which could easily mean five variants of the same smartphone, instead of five separate and standalone models. Also, it's unclear whether the other four will sport modular features as well. At any rate, Tech2 was able to provide what's purportedly a screenshot of the modular device, which showcases one of the modular features available.
The phone's particular back panel is said to make use of LEDs to offer a sort of "pulse" effect when music is playing. The report makes mention of the JBL Pulse line as an example of the effect, although it's not clear whether the back panel will be manufactured by a third-party audio company.
Modularity in smartphones is quite a risk, as exemplified by Project Ara's struggle to come into fruition, or even the LG G5, replete with its numerous issues and eventual layoffs LG had to perform just to offset the handset's poor sales.
Anyhow, we'll see how Alcatel takes a crack at it, if the alleged modular device ends up being true. Alcatel is poised to unveil the phone on Feb. 26 during its press conference.
Would you buy a modular phone from Alcatel? Does modularity have a future in the smartphone industry? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
