TCL brand Alcatel on Thursday expanded its A series[1] with the launch of the A5 LED and A7 smartphones. Both new models are targeted at young buyers and are touted to deliver unique experiences to take on the competition. The A5 LED is specifically designed to let users stand out from the crowd thanks to its modular rear. The company has also launched two modules to support this distinctive feature. We spent some time with the two new Alcatel smartphones following the launch event, and here are our first impressions.
In the growing space of smartphones with narrow screen borders, the Alcatel A5 LED and A7 still have thick bezels. Nevertheless, both models are compact enough to fit in your palm comfortably. The Alcatel A5 LED has a height and width of 146mm and 72mm respectively, and a thickness of 10mm. It weighs 159g with the default back cover, though attaching the additional modules will increase its weight to some extent. The Alcatel A7, on the other hand, measures 153x77x9mm. Both devices have plastic bodies and metallic back covers.
The Alcatel A5 LED has thick borders around its 5.2-inch HD IPS display panel. The fingerprint sensor below the screen is accompanied by capacitive Back and Overview buttons. Above the display there is an earpiece, a 5-megapixel front camera, and an LED flash. The volume rocker and power button are on the right, well within reach. At the bottom, the smartphone has a Micro-USB port, loudspeaker, and the primary microphone. The top has a 3.5mm audio jack and a secondary microphone. On the back, the A5 LED has a 13-megapixel primary camera with an LED flash. The default camera app on the A5 LED has features such as panorama and instant...