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Time of India
14-07-2025
- Time of India
Alcatel V3 Ultra review: A ‘Note'-worthy comeback
Rating -- 3.5/5 Alcatel is returning to the Indian smartphone market, and it's doing so with an offering in the budget segment. While the Indian smartphone space is crowded with brands focusing on performance and cameras, Alcatel is taking a different approach. With a dual-mode matte display that can switch between colour and black-and-white (much like an e-reader), and a bundled stylus at no extra cost, the Alcatel V3 Ultra aims to carve out a niche of its own. The smartphone carries a price tag of Rs 19,999 (onwards). Is the V3 Ultra just another smartphone fighting for attention, or does it manage to make a place for itself? Let's find out. Design and display by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Book Your Daily Profit By 11 AM With This Superclass By Mr. Bala TradeWise Learn More Undo Alcatel V3 Ultra doesn't try too hard to look different, yet it manages to stand out. With flat 2.5D edges and a weight of around 196 grams, the phone feels sturdy but not bulky. We received the Hyper Blue variant for review, and it's quite eye-catching—thanks to its mix of matte and glossy finishes on the back and a subtle starry shimmer that catches the light. The circular camera module adds a bit of flair without going overboard (though we have this camera module design on multiple smartphones). On the right edge are the volume up and down buttons. Below them is the power button which doubles as a fingerprint sensor, followed by Nxtpaper shortcut slider (we'll discuss its functionality shortly). On the top-left edge is the SIM card tray. At the bottom are the USB Type-C port, 3.5mm headphone jack, mic and speakers. There's also a stylus tucked neatly into the case which, notably, is included in the box. It can be used for doodling, note-taking, or simply navigating the screen. It's passive—no Bluetooth or battery—but works well enough for casual use. But the real star here is the display. Alcatel V3 Ultra features a 6.78-inch Nxtpaper panel that brings something truly unique to the table—a dual-mode screen. With a simple flick of the Nxtpaper slider on the side, the display transforms from a vibrant colour mode into a matte black-and-white interface, similar to what you'd see on a Kindle or other e-reader. This isn't just a gimmick—it's genuinely useful if you like to read on your phone. The matte finish makes the screen easier on the eyes, especially for long reading sessions. It also cuts down glare and resists fingerprints far better than regular glossy panels. If you're someone who reads a lot on your phone, or just wants a distraction-free mode for writing or browsing, this feature might become your new favourite. The 1080 x 2460 resolution ensures decent sharpness, and the 120Hz refresh rate helps make scrolling feel smooth, whether you're in colour or monochrome mode. While colours in standard mode are not the most vibrant (partly due to the matte coating), the trade-off is worth it for the versatility and eye comfort. Overall, this is one of the few phones in the sub-Rs 20,000 category that dares to do something different with its display—and pulls it off quite well. Performance Alcatel V3 Ultra is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor, paired with Android 14 layered with Alcatel's custom UI. On paper, this is a mid-tier chipset that's designed more for efficiency than raw power—and that shows in everyday use. In daily tasks like texting, calling, browsing social media, or watching YouTube, the phone performs well. App switching is mostly smooth, and scrolling feels fluid thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate. Even casual games like Subway Surfers run just fine. The user interface is clean and relatively light, which helps keep things moving without unnecessary bloat. Alcatel V3 Ultra Unboxing & Hands-on | Dual Display Mode, Sleek Design & More! However, the phone does struggle under pressure. Try multitasking with several heavy apps or playing graphically demanding games and you'll notice occasional stutters or frame drops. It's not unusable, but it's clear that this device isn't made for power users or gamers. During our testing, the phone also got noticeably warm while charging or using GPS outdoors. That said, we didn't face any major overheating or performance throttling. If your usage revolves around basic day-to-day activities with the occasional burst of creativity or entertainment, the V3 Ultra holds its own. But if you're expecting flagship-level speed or heavy gaming performance, you'll probably need to look elsewhere. Camera On paper, Alcatel V3 Ultra boasts a 108MP main camera, 8MP ultra-wide, and a 2MP macro lens. At the front, there is a 32MP camera for selfies. While the specs sound impressive, real-world results are fairly average. Photos taken in daylight are passable but often lack sharp details and tend to soften skin tones. Low-light and indoor shots struggle with clarity, and the front camera delivers grainy selfies even under good lighting. The macro lens, like on most phones in this segment, is mostly forgettable. Simply put, the V3 Ultra's cameras are fine for casual shots and social media, but if photography is a priority, this phone won't blow you away. Battery life The smartphone houses a 5,010mAh battery, which sounds promising on paper. In everyday use, it mostly delivers. During our testing, we found that the phone comfortably lasts a full day with moderate use - social media, messaging, some video streaming, and occasional camera use. In our experience, the phone gave around 10 to 12 hours of screen time, depending on how often we used the colour vs black-and-white display modes. The monochrome mode, in particular, helps stretch the battery life significantly, especially during reading or long browsing sessions. The box comes with a 33watt charger which takes about an hour and some minutes to go from 0% to 100%. Verdict At Rs 19,999, Alcatel V3 Ultra dares to be different in a segment crowded with lookalikes. Its dual-mode matte display is genuinely refreshing, the bundled stylus adds value, and the clean UI makes day-to-day use pleasant. However, with average cameras and a processor that's not meant for heavy lifting, it won't suit those chasing top-tier performance. If you're someone who values eye comfort, reads a lot, or simply wants a phone that doesn't follow the crowd—this one might just earn a place in your pocket. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
CNET
04-07-2025
- Business
- CNET
Save Up to 14% on These TCL 14 Tablet Bundles That Are Sure to Take Your Productivity to the Next Level
Tablets can be a sweet middle ground for when your phone feels too cramped and you can't be bothered to take your laptop with you, but all that screen time? Not exactly eye-friendly. Lenovo's Nxtpaper series tackles this issue by offering a screen that mimics paper, specifically designed for eye comfort and we just spotted a limited-time opportunity for you to upgrade for less. Thanks to Amazon Prime Day, you can currently grab the TCL Nxtpaper 14 tablet bundled with a T-pen stylus for just $382 -- that's a 13% drop from its usual $440. If you want the full setup, there's also a bundle that includes the flip case, bringing the price to $402 after a 14% discount. That's a solid chance to upgrade your screen while keeping eye strain away and also saving a decent amount. This TCL 14 tablet comes with Nxtpaper 3.0 technology, featuring a 2.4K anti-glare screen (14.3 inches) that automatically filters blue light and adjusts the brightness based on your surroundings. You can choose between three viewing modes: Regular mode, Color paper, and Ink paper. The paper modes reduce the strain on your eyes; you won't be dealing with a headache by the end of the day. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. No compromises on the performance, either. The MediaTek Helio G99 processor is great for everyday tasks, multitasking, gaming, and entertainment. Speaking of multitasking, you'll have room for all your apps, thanks to 256GB of storage and up to 16GB of RAM. Plus, the impressive 10,000mAh battery can be fully recharged in up to 2 hours, and lasts you all day. Pair all this with the efficient T-Pen stylus, and you have a productivity partner that is going to make all your creative and study sessions much more fun. There's a lot more to like about the TCL 14 tablet, but you might want to hurry -- discounted bundles this good don't last that long. Best July 4th Sales 2025 You can save time and cash by letting our shopping experts locate all of the best July 4th deals on everything from kitchen appliances and outdoor furniture to laptops and AirPods. See Now Why this deal matters Investing in a high-quality tablet can take your productivity to the next level, especially if you're out and about often. These bundles get you a high-performing tablet with a paper-like display, a smooth pen, and a protective case for a lot less, making it one of those rare, not-be-missed deals.
WIRED
24-06-2025
- WIRED
I Can't Believe How Much I Like the Matte Screen on TCL's Budget Android Phone
Everyone wants to filter out blue light. Whether through your glasses, laptop, or smartphone, companies have hopped on the bandwagon to integrate blue light blockers to cut the wavelength from reaching your eyes. The claim is to help improve sleep and reduce eyestrain, even though studies have yet to find these blockers effective. TCL is one such company. It has been manufacturing phones and tablets with its 'Nxtpaper' LCD technology for a few years, and the third generation in the TCL 60 XE Nxtpaper 5G smartphone is good enough to block 61 percent more blue light than a normal tablet to 'protect your eyes and reduce eye fatigue.' I've used this $250 Android phone for more than a week, and I don't think the claims hold up, but I've still come to enjoy the matte paperlike screen. Don't buy it for the blue-light blocking promises; buy it because the matte screen looks and feels nice. Matte Screen Photograph: Julian Chokkattu The 60 XE's main attraction is the Nxtpaper matte LCD. It has a pleasing paperlike texture and isn't reflective. Colors are a smidge more muted than phones with OLED screens, and text and app icons can appear a little fuzzy—I only really noticed this when comparing it side by side with another handset. The phone's back has a similar matte texture, though with a marble pattern for a luxe look, complete with a glossy, round camera module. A friend said it looked 'fancy," though I find it teeters on tacky. I don't mind the marble pattern, but the camera module isn't symmetrical and feels a little out of place. Still, it doesn't look like any other $250 smartphone. That's a plus. Back to the Nxtpaper display, though. On the right edge of the phone is the Nxtpaper switch, and flicking it up lets you choose from three display modes: Color Paper Mode, Ink Paper Mode, and Max Ink Mode. I'll get to what these modes do, but I want to point out that the switch feels cheap and has a slight rattle. Switching modes also takes a beat—it plays a little tune and animation each time, and I can't find a way to disable this. (You can at least set it so that it enters a specific mode when you flip the switch instead of having to choose every time.) Color Paper Mode desaturates and softens the colors, almost like a color E Ink ebook reader. Ink Paper Mode strips away all color and goes black and white, and the color temperature of the screen is less blue. This is still an LCD, but to my eyes it's better than Android phones that try to use E Ink. You get a similar paperlike reading experience and a matte screen, but unlike the Minimal Phone or the Boox Palma 2, it's not frustrating or slow. The 120-Hz screen refresh rate and decent onboard CPU make it perform like a normal phone.
India Today
27-05-2025
- India Today
Alcatel V3 Ultra review: This affordable phone feels like magic, and you should take note of it
Alcatel is making a comeback in India, and it is kicking off its fresh foray with three new phones: the V3 Classic, V3 Pro, and V3 Ultra. The V3 Ultra, as you can tell from the naming, is the most feature-packed of the lot with a bunch of cool and exciting tech including a 2-in-1 matte display that gives you both colour and black-and-white (think Kindle) options in the same package. To top it all, it also has a stylus which Alcatel is giving free of charge. While Samsung will charge you upwards of 1 lakh for its Galaxy S25 Ultra with the same set of features, the Alcatel V3 Ultra gets you all this at a starting price of just Rs 19, first glance, the Alcatel V3 Ultra looks like just another phone in the market, offering basic features given its affordable pricing. But things change when you turn it on. While many phones in this segment are betting on cameras, performance, and battery capacity, the V3 Ultra stands out with its unique display. The display, which also has a matte finish on top, can be turned into a black-and-white screen—something like a Kindle—with a flick of a slider. It feels like magic! As cool as it sounds, this feature is also helpful in many ways. Before we get into the details, here's a quick look at the specs:The V3 Ultra features a 6.78-inch Nxtpaper display with 1080 x 2460 resolution and up to 120Hz refresh rate. It is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset. Software is Android 14 with Alcatel's custom UI skin on top. The phone is fuelled by a 5,010 mAh battery with support for 33W charging. At the back, the phone features a triple camera setup with a 108-megapixel main sensor. On the front, there is a 32-megapixel selfie shooter. It has dual SIM with an option to use eSIM as second and beautifuladvertisement The Alcatel V3 Ultra sports a candybar design with flat 2.5D edges. It weighs 196 grams. Alcatel sent us the Hyper Blue variant which is loud and visually back panel has a mix of glossy and matte bits that adds a unique touch. There's also a starry element that adds a distinct vibe and breaks monotony giving you a surface that feels hyper-active with lots going on at the same time. The cameras are laid out on a circular assembly that juts out little the sides, you will find all the essential buttons. On the right are the power and volume buttons, with the power button doubling as a fingerprint sensor. There is also a slider to switch the screen between vibrant colour and black-and-white the other side is the SIM tray, which fits one SIM and an micro-SD card. The phone also offers multiple SIM support with e-SIM (which is unheard of at this price). At the bottom, you get a USB Type-C port, speaker grille, and a 3.5mm audio jack. 2-in-1 display like no otherThe highlight of the Alcatel V3 Ultra is undoubtedly its display. Its unique—something you won't find on any other mainstream phone in India. Alcatel built this display in collaboration with Nxtpaper, giving it a matte finish that feels like paper. The matte display attracts significantly fewer fingerprints and virtually no glare over regular screens. What truly sets it apart, though, is its ability to switch into black-and-white mode, making it feel like a Kindle or reMarkable tablet. This paper-like mode also helps reduce distractions and is easier on the eyes during long reading sessions.I used the black-and-white mode for reading e-books and even for general use to save battery. The apps adapt to the monochrome UI well, which gives the phone a unique and minimalist look when you want phone also comes with a stylus, which fits neatly behind the phone cover—also provided in the box. The stylus doesn't have any battery and Bluetooth (like Samsung's S-Pen in Galaxy S25 Ultra). And in case you lose it, Alcatel says replacements will be available for purchase.I used the stylus for some random doodling, note taking and even as a fidget to kill time. advertisementIn terms of experience, the matte display feels premium and unique. Whether I was scrolling, writing, or reading, it delivered a smooth and refined touch, while also reducing strain on the eyes. That said, the matte finish does affect colour reproduction slightly—especially when viewing photos or watching display is bright enough indoors, but under harsh sunlight, it can look a bit dim. For regular use, though, I had no issues.I found myself using the phone more often in paper mode. It's like the screen transforms into a notepad with a cool performance overallAs much as I loved switching between the display modes, the performance left me wanting more. The Dimensity 6300 chipset and Android 14 combination feels a bit dated—I wish Alcatel had used a newer chip. Still, for everyday stuff like multitasking, using the camera, scrolling, and even a bit of light gaming, the processor keeps things smooth. I used the phone for about a week and didn't face any major hiccups or back does get a bit warm during charging or heavy tasks, especially outdoors in the Delhi heat, but I didn't encounter any serious overheating V3 Ultra scored 729 in Geekbench single-core and 1905 in multi-core. It is fine for day-to-day tasks but not suited for heavy-duty use. At this price point, phones like the CMF Phone 2 Pro, Poco X7 5G offer better chipsets and overall for the V3 Ultra, what helps maintain a smooth experience is also the clean UI. However, the phone ships with Android 14, which feels a bit old since Android 16 is around the corner. One thing I did appreciate, though, is that most apps are compatible with the black-and-white display mode. They transform into a 2D outline design when the mode is activated, and even apps that aren't fully optimised adapt a muted, grey-toned look that fits the aesthetic. Coming to the speakers, the phone features dual stereo speakers that are fairly loud and clear. However, at high volumes, the sound can get slightly sharp or screechy, especially with treble-heavy for the battery, the phone packs a 5,010mAh unit—which looks solid on paper. In real-world usage, it lasted me for about 12 hours. In our battery test, the phone clocked 9 hours and 43 minutes. It's decent, if not great. While other phones in this segment offer larger 6,000mAh batteries, and even flagships like the Galaxy S24 Edge get by with 3,900mAh due to better optimisation, the V3 Ultra's battery performance felt a bit underwhelming. However, in black-and-white mode, battery life improved camerasThe phone packs a 108-megapixel main sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and a 2-megapixel macro camera. I snapped a bunch of photos in both good lighting and indoors. In bright light, the V3 Ultra captures fairly natural-looking shots, but the level of detail is lacking—and the matte display makes it harder to spot those details directly on the phone. Skin tones also tend to lean toward slightly pink, and overall, the images have a soft said, in certain instances—especially when manually tapping to focus and shooting in ideal lighting—the phone can deliver fairly good photos with decent colour accuracy and a balanced the autofocus is unreliable at times. The phone occasionally struggles to lock focus, which results in blurry photos. The macro mode is also not impressive. It frequently faces difficulty in locking front camera needs work. It produces grainy selfies with limited detail even when you give it lots of the V3 Ultra is fine for casual snaps, but don't expect anything V3 Ultra review: Should you buy itThe Alcatel V3 Ultra offers a unique experience with its dual matte display. The ability to switch between a full-colour screen and a black-and-white mode makes it both fun to use and a bit of a conversation starter. The display is particularly good for reading e-books and showing off something different. The user interface is clean, and the battery life is reasonably the chipset feels a bit dated, as does the Android 14 software. While the chip and clean UI handles everyday tasks reasonably well, it lacks the power needed for more demanding tasks like gaming. The camera performance is also underwhelming overall, with the front camera being particularly said, if you're after something different, the Alcatel V3 Ultra definitely has a quirky charm. It looks cool, features a standout display, and delivers overall decent day-to-day performance. However, if camera quality and strong performance are your top priorities, you may want to skip this one.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Yahoo
I Wore the TCL RayNeo X3 Pros at MWC 2025. This Is What AR Smart Glasses Should Be
The bread and butter of Mobile World Congress" target="_blank in Barcelona is the slew of new phones that companies unveil at the show every year. But MWC is also a popular place for companies creating wearable tech to show off their latest innovations. This includes companies like TCL, which is best known for its TVs (and is increasingly becoming known for its Nxtpaper phones" target="_blank and tablets), but that also makes smart glasses. When it comes to smart glasses, competition is really heating up, and TCL's RayNeo X3 Pro AR glasses, first announced at CES, provide a compelling alternative to more-basic smart glasses, such as the Meta Ray-Bans. Meta's smart glasses don't have displays in the lenses, but the X3 Pro glasses do -- thanks to projections onto the glass using wave guides. Read more: MWC 2025 Products You Can Buy Right Now Based on the smallest micro-LED light engine, the 2,500-nit, full-color display is visible while you're wearing the glasses, even in bright sunlight. I tried on the X3 Pros at MWC, but unfortunately it was inside a dark convention center hall, so I couldn't test out the screens in different conditions. But I could see them clearly, and they seemed to sit just at the right height to provide me with an easy viewing experience without obscuring anything. In a demo at MWC, I saw how the glasses used a front-facing camera to examine the signs around me and automatically translate the words and phrases into French using AI (other languages are also available). This was effective, but I couldn't judge how well the AI live conversation translation works, because the hall was too noisy to pick up individual voices. I also couldn't try the built-in AI agent, as it's currently working only in Chinese. It should be ready to go in English by the time the X3 Pro hits the international market in mid-May (for around $2,000). Read more: All the Strange, Bizarre and Wonderful Gadgets and Concepts at MWC The X3 Pro is less weighty and bulky than its predecessors. At just 3 ounces, the glasses were light enough to wear without feeling uncomfortable, but they still looked comically large on my fairly average head -- a problem with most smart glasses. As for the gesture controls on the arms of the glasses, they were easy to pick up and seemed to work pretty much flawlessly, which is a rare feat. Many companies are aiming to strike the right balance between aesthetics, wearability and functionality, and TCL has come pretty darn close. The X3 Pros are ultimately a well-executed vision of what AR glasses should be, where you can see both a screen and the world beyond and around it. One thing we're curious about but couldn't test on the show floor is battery life, which could be a deal-breaker as to whether we'd recommend this product.
