Alcatel A7 phone review: The easy-on-the-pocket premium handset

Priced at Rs 13,999, its power pack of features include a rear fingerprint sensor, gesture recognition and camera features such as the Panorama (PANO) mode

TCL Communication Technology Holdings Limited, the maker of Alcatel phones, launched two phones last week- A5 LED and A7. Priced at Rs 13,999, the Alcatel A7 smartphone is aimed at providing premium features at an affordable price.

“The A7 smartphone is the epitome of Alcatel’s brand philosophy in India. With the most modern exquisite features, A7 has all the features a customer looks forward to for a premium experience, however, at a price that is easy on the pocket,” said Praveen Valecha, Regional Director, TCL Communications Technology Holding Limited.

The black-bodied phone has a spin-effect textured cover and there are golden touches running along the rims of the camera and the fingerprint sensor on the rear end of the phone. The brand’s name is also inscribed in gold on the removable back cover. On the front end, the phone flaunts a black-and-gold look.

A16 megapixel (MP) rear camera and an 8-MP front/selfie camera work well under dim-light conditions as there are two LED flashlights, positioned close to the cameras on either sides of the phone. Images clicked however may be a little blurry and the autofocus feature is not very impressive.

The 5.5-inch display screen offers a decent viewing space; the touch experience is smooth; and the audio experience is also good, ensuring a loud yet clear sound with no instances of voice-breaking. The earphones that come along with the handset also provide a good audio experience.

The 4000mAh battery with 9V1.67A fast charging support gets charged quite fast .  It took me around 1 hour and 30 minutes (approximately) to charge the phone to full capacity- and lasted for around a day-and-a-half.

The A7 smartphone powers an Android 7.0 and has an internal storage of 32GB. The dual-SIM phone also has a third slot for a microSD card of up to 128GB.

Interested buyers may look forward to a host of offers that are up for grabs such as the Reliance Jio offer that promises an additional 20GB data on Alcatel A5 and A7 phones. There is a one-time free screen replacement offer for those purchasing the phones today. You can also get a TCL Moveband (Rs 2,499), if you buy an Alcatel A7 today. There is also an exchange and a ‘no cost EMI’ offer for handsets purchased from the online retailer Amazon.

The phone’s power pack of premium features include a rear fingerprint sensor, gesture recognition options and camera features such as the Panorama (PANO) mode. Considering the offers and the overall product package, the phone comes across as a good buy in the sub- Rs 15,000 segment.