The budget-friendly Alcatel 3V Android Oreo smartphone made its debut back at the Mobile World Congress 2018, and it's now ready to hit the United States at a $150 price point.

At that price it's obvious that the Alcatel 3V is no flagship smartphone, but it nonetheless has some impressive specifications for its price and category. It aims to offer good value for money, and could be a great fit for those looking for a capable and affordable smartphone.

Alcatel 3V Specs

For those unfamiliar with the handset, the Alcatel 3V features a 6-inch 2K FullView display with a resolution of 2,160 x 1,080 pixels and an 18:9 aspect ratio. It doesn't have thin bezels like most Android flagships do, but at $150 it's understandable. Some compromises are necessary to keep the cost low.

The smartphone further sports a plastic design that promises "handheld comfort," a 3D curved back, and "gleaming mirrored shine." The glossy plastic back is likely a fingerprint magnet, but it looks nice.

Under the hood, the Alcatel 3V features a quad-core processor from MediaTek, paired with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage space. Other specs include a 3,000 mAh battery, a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, a headphone jack, and Android 8.0 Oreo on board out of the box. The handset also comes with Face Key facial unlock technology for extra security.

More impressively, the smartphone comes with a dual rear camera setup consisting of a 12-megapixel sensor and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. This will allow users to refocus images after they've captured them, or to take bokeh photos that automatically blur the background. On the front, the Alcatel 3V features a 5-megapixel camera with a flash so that it can capture clear selfies even in low-light environments.

Alcatel 3V Availability

All in all, the Alcatel 3V is an affordable device with good specifications for its category, but it won't stand out in any way. It will launch in the United States soon enough at various retailers. Amazon has already started taking preorders for the smartphone and will start shipping it to customers on May 29. Walmart and Best Buy, meanwhile, will start offering the device in the next few weeks, with no specific launch date available yet.

What do you think about the affordable Alcatel 3V? Would you purchase this $150 smartphone when it officially launches? If so, what aspect appeals to you the most? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.