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Alcatel One Touch Scribe HD a 5-inch, quad-core Android

The first smartphone to use Media Tek's quad-core chipset features a huge 5-inch display and Android 4.1.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
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LAS VEGAS--Alcatel isn't a brand that grabs a lot of U.S. headlines, but with the One Touch Scribe HD, it's keeping up with the Joneses all the same.

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The Scribe HD comes with a 5-inch HD screen, stock Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and a quad-core processor. In fact, it's the first announced smartphone to use MediaTek's 1.2GHz quad-core chipset (MT6589).

For background, the Taiwan-based MediaTek just announced its MT6589 quad-core chipset in December, making it the newest entrant into the ever-growing smartphone core war.

Alcatel One Touch Scribe HD
Alcatel's 5-inch One Touch Scribe HD is the first quad-core smartphone to use MediaTek's chipset. Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

The Scribe HD will also feature an 8-megapixel camera with a 720p HD front-facing camera. I didn't get a chance to test the camera, but I did really enjoy the look and feel of the Scribe HD. The model I saw was slick with a glossy black face and an equally smooth white back and sides. It's a thin phone, but doesn't feel too edgy or angular in the hands. There's no way, however, that I'm fitting it into my jeans.

Since the U.S.-bound handset will feature 3G speeds, it's likely coming as a high-end device to a 3G prepaid carrier like Cricket. For 4G, you'll need the Alcatel One Touch ScribeHD-LTE, which has not been announced for the U.S.

The One Touch HD is slated to arrive in China this month and in the U.S. in the second fiscal quarter, for about $400 unsubsidized.