This smartphone’s claim to fame is its back side
dubai — How many times has a smartphone been introduced with its rear? Alcatel probably just did it for the first time.
The French brand unveiled its newest Alcatel A5 LED mobile in the UAE, which it calls the “world’s first interactive LEDcovered smartphone” and is aimed at young consumers with its “fun” features.
The A5 LED is produced by China’s TCL — the same manufacturer of BlackBerry devices. Its LED-covered back cover is customisable; users can select light patterns for specific calls, messages, alarms or notifications. It can even be used as a light show to go along with audio tracks, and can be easily changed by shaking the device.
Users can also customise up to five different fingerprints to launch specific tasks.
“This could be the first time a smartphone was unveiled by showing its back side first,” Ruediger Odenbach, vice-president at Alcatel Middle East and Africa, said at the event in Dubai late on Monday.
“And we’re here not to talk about crazy specs or high prices. That’s not what we want to do; we want to create for everyone.”
Later, he told Khaleej Times that the Middle East fits in perfectly with Alcatel’s strategy. “The Middle East has a huge young population, and this is an opportunity for us,” Odenbach pointed out. “We’re determined to bring a product that would appeal to everyone, but especially to millennials.”
Odenbach also guaranteed the smartphone’s security, with security patches to be immediately made rolled out for the device once they’re available.
The Alcatel A5 LED comes with 5.2-inch HD IPS display, an octacore CPU, 32GB of expandable storage, 3GB of RAM and 13MP/5MP cameras. It will be available in mid-August.
— alvin@khaleejtimes.com