The Alcatel Onetouch smartwatch, which was unveiled at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show, looks like a classic watch with a circular design similar to Motorola's Moto 360. It has a brushed metal look with an overall thin and sleek design, but it only comes in one shape, size and color that severely limit customization options for users in comparison to the multitude of models and options for the Apple Watch.
However, the best thing that the Alcatel Onetouch Watch has going for it is the price, with the device coming in at only $150 compared to the $349 starting price of the Apple Watch. It also works with both iOS and Android devices as a low-price smartwatch and a good-looking fitness tracker.
Reviews from all over the Internet have come in for the device. How does it compare to other devices in the suddenly packed smartwatch market?
The Verge: "After wearing the Onetouch Watch for the past week, I've found that it's not a great smartwatch, nor is it a great fitness tracker...The Onetouch Watch is slimmer, cheaper, and lasts longer between charges than most other smartwatches... Notifications on the Onetouch Watch are where its smartwatch leanings start to fall apart... The other smartwatch things you might look for - third-party apps, custom watch faces, and voice control - aren't available on the Onetouch Watch... The Onetouch Watch is cheap, and it looks good, but that's where its appeal ends as a smartwatch."
PCWorld: "The Alcatel Onetouch Watch isn't snazzy-beautiful, and it's not packed with features. But at only $150, it's one of the cheapest smartwatches you can buy - and that might seal the deal if you're merely smartwatch-curious instead of smartwatch-confirmed... After five days of testing, I found myself appreciating Alcatel's battery life, but not much else... (The Onetouch) might be an interesting choice for iPhone users who want a low-commitment taste of what smartwatch notifications are all about."
Engadget: "Despite the goal of delivering a polished, attractive smartwatch with a reasonable price tag, the Alcatel OneTouch Watch feels eagerly amateurish at best and just poorly thought out at worst... Questionable design aside, the Watch does most of what it set out to do without too much fuss... It's not the most handsome, nor the most thoughtfully designed wearable, but at least it's functional."
PCMag: "With an affordable $149.99 price, a battery that lasts several days, and support for both Android and iOS devices, the OneTouch Watch is a decent gateway device for anyone looking to get in on the exploding wearable craze... It only has a small number of predetermined apps, its fitness sensors could be more accurate, and its rigid rubber strap won't win over the hirsute... At this price, though, you'll probably be better served by the Pebble or the Pebble Steel."
Tom's Guide: "The Alcatel Onetouch Watch is an affordable color smartwatch and fitness tracker in one that works with iPhone and Android, but it's held back by limited features... Because it runs a proprietary OS, the Onetouch Watch offers significantly fewer apps than the Apple Watch or the Pebble. And some other frustrating trade-offs and rookie mistakes prevent it from being a top pick... It looks deceptively simple, but in many ways, the Onetouch Watch is one of the more handsome smartwatches around... The Alcatel Onetouch is a relative smartwatch bargain, but you need to be willing to make some trade-offs."
Venture Beat: "The OneTouch Watch delivers a smart, sophisticated-looking design... At $149, the Alcatel OneTouch Watch is an attractively priced, good-looking, cross-platform smartwatch with a competitive set of features and a battery that can last several days on a charge... However, the OneTouch's big drawback at the moment is the software. With too few customizations for how notifications work and how watch faces are displayed, potential buyers may want to wait until revisions to the code make these more usable and reliable."
The limitations of the Alcatel Onetouch Watch may hold back the device from becoming a massively popular one, but its low price could attract users to try it out and see what the smartwatch hype is all about.
