Alcatel 7 lands at MetroPCS for $180

Big battery, low price.

Lori Grunin Senior Editor / Advice

I've been reviewing hardware and software, devising testing methodology and handed out buying advice for what seems like forever; I'm currently absorbed by computers and gaming hardware, but previously spent many years concentrating on cameras. I've also volunteered with a cat rescue for over 15 years doing adoptions, designing marketing materials, managing volunteers and, of course, photographing cats.

Expertise Photography, PCs and laptops, gaming and gaming accessories

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Lori Grunin

Aug. 13, 2018 9:07 a.m. PT

alcatel7-metropcs-spectrum-black-hero-image — Alcatel

Although Alcatel released a legion of budget phones earlier this year, the Alcatel 7 was not among them; clearly eight is not too many. Now the company brings a MetroPCS-specific model of a 6-inch phone with a big 4,000mAh battery to market at a bargain price of $180 -- $130 if you fulfill the fine-print conditions.

On the surface it looks like a huge bargain, with a list of the must-have features for 2018. Dual rear cameras, face unlock and an octocore processor, plus a claim of 28 hours of talk time.

But the rear cameras are a 12MP and 2MP, the processor is an old, midtier model and the 28-hour rating is for 3G. And face unlock is hard to get right in a flagship model, much less a budget one.

That's not to say it's not a great deal for $180, just that specs can be deceptive.

It also comes with Alcatel's CloserTV, a remote control app for streaming and cable services.

The specs include: