TCL Communication announced its Alcatel 3V smartphone is headed to the US next week, offering consumers a budget-friendly option which mimics flagship design and features.

The device will be offered unlocked and initially be sold through Amazon priced $149.99, before rolling out at Best Buy and Walmart in the next few weeks.

Previewed at CES in January and unveiled at Mobile World Congress in February, the 3V includes dual rear cameras (12MP main and 2MP secondary), a fingerprint sensor, facial recognition and a 6-inch 2K display with an 18:9 aspect ratio, all housed in a glossy plastic casing. The device runs Android Oreo on a quadcore MediaTek processor and comes with 16GB of storage.

Christian Gatti, TCL EVP and Alcatel global president, noted in February the 3V is part of a broader revamp of the Alcatel range meant to showcase the company’s “renewed vision” to deliver accessible mobile technology.

Adoption challenges
Even with retail support from Best Buy and Walmart, however, Alcatel’s lack of presence on operator shelves could prove to be a handicap to adoption.

In the US, the vast majority of smartphone sales are through operators, making it difficult to achieve a meaningful market share without an operator partnership

Huawei, for example, retreated from the country after failing to secure expected deals with AT&T and Verizon earlier this year.

StatCounter Global Stats data placed the Alcatel brand’s current market share in the US at less than 1 per cent.