Key features, price, availability – Firstpost

Popular French brand Alcatel re-entered the phones segment in India with the launch of the V3 Series. The lineup includes three smartphones: V3 Ultra, V3 Pro and V3 Classic, to cater to different budgets and use cases. The USP of this series is the patented NXTPaper Display technology (powered by TCL) that claims to reduce eye strain and provides various viewing modes on the fly.

This technology offers a 4-in-1 display mode that can combine vibrant colour reproduction with paper-like readability and eye comfort across all lighting conditions. Designed to adapt to diverse user needs, the display features four viewing modes – Regular mode, Ink Paper mode, Colour Paper mode and Max Ink mode, which can be toggled on the fly with just a click for a personalised viewing experience whether you are reading or watching videos.

In addition to the display, each of the phones in this series are NFC enabled, which let you tap and pay with the phone using your preferred and permissible payment methods. You also get eSIM functionality on the V3 Ultra. Both these features are typically available in more expensive phones and it’s good to see them in this price band. Let’s take a quick look at what the new phones bring to the table.

Alcatel V3 Ultra

As you may have guessed, the V3 Ultra is the flagship model of this series. And continuing on features generally limited to premium smartphones, this one offers stylus compatibility. The company also bundles one along for taking notes, sketching and on-the-go productivity. The phone features the aforementioned 6.8-inch Full HD+ 120 Hz patented NXTPaper display with dynamic light adaptation for optimal brightness and colour temperature.

We got our hands on the phones for a few minutes and the display implementation does look interesting. The lighting at the venue wasn’t optimal to test the dynamic adaptation part but switching display modes was easy. The standard mode does look vibrant and colours pop nicely. We will reserve our opinion on the colour accuracy once we have the phone for review. As for the other three modes, they turn the display into something that resembles an ink paper display, or simply put, something like an ebook reader display (think Kindle). In the short span of time, it was hard to pinpoint the subtle differences between the three modes.

Moving on, all three V3 series phones are powered by a Mediatek Dimensity 6300 SoC. The V3 Ultra gets either 6 GB or 8 GB RAM options along with 128 GB internal storage. There is no 256 GB variant of the phone available yet; probably an oversight by the company that may be corrected in the near future. However, all V3 series phones support expandable memory up to 2 TB using a microSD card.

The Alcatel V3 Ultra gets a triple-camera system at the back comprising a 108MP main sensor, 8MP ultra-wide shooter and a 2MP macro camera. It boasts of features like horizon lock and ultra-steady video capture. A 32MP front camera with built-in filters should excite the selfie enthusiasts.

Keeping the phone powered is a 5020 mAh battery, and the company bundles a 33W fast charger to juice it up briskly. The phone runs Android 14 currently, with Android 15 update expected shortly. The company has also committed to 3 years of Android updates for this device. The Alcatel V3 Ultra is priced at Rs 19,999 and available in Hyper Blue, Champagne Gold and Ocean Grey colour options.

Alcatel V3 Pro and V3 Classic

Both these phones are also powered by the Mediatek Dimensity 6300 chip and are graced with the NXTPaper display, however, with a lower HD+ resolution. The 120 Hz refresh rate has been retained. Interestingly, the Alcatel V3 Pro does have an 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage variant which its flagship sibling lacks. The V3 Classic gets 128 GB storage with 4 GB and 6 GB RAM options. These phones also have a larger 5200 mAh battery but come with a slower 18W charger in the box. Just like the Ultra, these two run bloat-free Android 14 with 3 more Android updates promised.

Both phones have 50MP primary cameras, and while the Pro gets a 5MP ultra-wide camera, the Classic has a depth sensor to aid the primary shooter. You get 8MP front cameras on both devices. Both these phones are NFC enabled, which is great at this price point, especially for the Classic, but they lack eSIM support. The Alcatel V3 Pro is priced at Rs 17,999 and is available in Matcha Green and Metallic Grey colour options. The Alcatel V3 Classic comes in Halo White and Cosmic Grey starting at Rs 12,999.

All three 5G-ready Alcatel phones are now available via Flipkart with special launch offers during the initial sale period. The company plans to enter the tablets segment in India shortly where the NXTPaper Display tech can be put to even better use. Stay tuned for more details.