alcatel U5

  • Released 2017, July
    10mm thickness
    Android 6.0
    8GB storage, microSD slot
  • 0.1% 464,753 hits
  • 15 Become a fan
  • 5.0"
    480x854 pixels
  • 5MP
    720p
  • 1GB RAM
    MT6737M
  • 2050mAh
    Li-Ion

alcatel U5 - Specs

Network Technology GSM / HSPA / LTE
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G bands HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
4G bands LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800)
Speed HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE Cat4 150/50 Mbps
Launch Announced 2017, February
Status Available. Released 2017, July
Body Dimensions 140.7 x 71.8 x 10 mm (5.54 x 2.83 x 0.39 in)
Weight -
SIM Single SIM (Micro-SIM) or Dual SIM (Micro-SIM, dual stand-by)
Display Type IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 5.0 inches, 68.9 cm2 (~68.2% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 480 x 854 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~196 ppi density)
Platform OS Android 6.0 (Marshmallow)
Chipset Mediatek MT6737M (28 nm)
CPU Quad-core 1.1 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU Mali-T720MP2
Memory Card slot microSD, up to 32 GB
Internal 8GB 1GB RAM
Main Camera Single 5 MP
Features LED flash, HDR, panorama
Video 720p@30fps
Selfie camera Single 2 MP
Features LED flash
Video
Sound Loudspeaker Yes
3.5mm jack Yes
Comms WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth 4.2, A2DP, LE
GPS Yes, with A-GPS
Radio FM radio, RDS
USB microUSB 2.0
Features Sensors Accelerometer
Battery   Non-removable Li-Ion 2050 mAh battery
Misc Colors Black, White
Models 4047D, 5044Y, 5044D, 4047X, 5044A, 5044T, 5044O
Price About 100 EUR

alcatel U5 - User Reviews

  • Only for sms, or calling. Its trash for things other than that.

  • I realise you get what you pay for but I wouldn't have paid for all the stress and frustration had I known what I was in for when I purchased this heap of rubbish.

  • I've owned this phone for a month now, and sometimes the battery drains within 1 hour! The camera is honestly worse than a 2010 phone, it's slow. Not worth it.

  • In Oz, was on special for $19 at Target many months ago. Got one simply for a backup phone for calls and a select few important apps. WOW!! At $19 it is still $18 more than you should pay. This phone should only be used for calls/sms. Use it for anything else and expect anger levels to rise. This phone is garbage, and it retails still for $99. Crap.

  • An awful phone, don't buy it! especially from the 3 UK network. This already dire offering was made worse by 3 removing the native FM radio function and installing their unwanted Three App Cloud bloatware, as if being stuck with the non-renovable Alcatel apps weren't bad enough! The U5 manages its limited memory badly, and will only allow SD card storage if the card is formatted specifically for the device. After eleven months of constant frustration the phone went into a death spiral, losing its battery charge even as I looked at it on a number of occasions. Enraged by its refusal not to allow any attempt to use it as it recharged I smashed it against a wall and put an end to this farce once and for all. If this is an example of what Alcatel priduces, this company is certain to go out of business - the sooner the better!

  • U5 is abysmally SLOW transferring data via pc.come on lads, wake up.good cure for insomnia...........................

  • Yes I recommend buying it if you are just looking for a phone to make and receive calls but other than that the Alcatel U5 is more on the slow side. So if your looking to do other things on this phone I don't recommend buying this phone. :)

  • i doesn"t like this phone

  • What a waste of money! In training & it won't hook up to wi-fi-am told it's because phone is too slow. Cheap yes but if I just wanted something to simply make & accept calls I could have gotten much cheaper. Total fizzer in my books,

  • It's the best phone , and I would say that anyone should buy it.

  • I am sorry to say that I regret owning one. Screen freezes every now and then, phone becomes warm. I will advice you get a better phone. Very poor technology

  • im sorry but alcatel is a budget phone company of course the phones are gonna be horrible like their new one that just released last month with 500MB of ram! and 4 gigs of storage plus a 2MP Camera just for 50 bucks!

  • I wouldn't give this phone to my dog this has to be the worst phone I have ever owned in my life . first of all it hardly has any memory for you to download any apps so you have spend more money on SD card . which eventually as to be Convented into internal memory which is hard because find yourself having to delete lot of the apps for this to happen. the basic function of the phone is very slow and continues crash especially when using apps battery life is OK but does run out quickly. DO NOT BUY THIS PHONE £35 pound down the drain

  • Camera wants to make and manage phone calls? Excuse me? Doesn't open without allowing that- why the hell should I allow that! ok need another camera app!

  • I so don't recommend! Awful phone!! Don't buy this. It sucks. It has no storage for anything, the camera is awful and who would have a 5 megapixel camera IN 2019? LIKE WHO? The screen has those black lines on edges, lags & bugs a lot. The battery is horrible, you can only use up to 50% of the battery, when you reach 50%/40%, you will be able to see your battery going 1% off every 5 seconds!! Not handy, made out of cheap plastic, you can break it really easily. The back and home button stopped working after 3 months of usage, and I have to exit with the square button, and I can't do half of the things because of that! Awful, awwwwwwwwful!! Don't buy it, you will be dissapointed!!

  • I would recommend this for work. For photography & gaming, it can't do much. Even if you download a HD camera app, it only enhances the image by 5%. Most apps these days run with lag, or don't run at all. My thing is, it has a good battery, but when the battery gets to 30%, it dies almost instantly. It's been happening since I got the phone, which it was brand new. I would recommend this phone if its not for everyday use. If you want a phone for everyday use, I wouldn't recommend this sadly. -Alex Paws

  • For a $60 phone, you can't expect much.

  • You can download the application from the apkpure store.

  • Hi, I would recomend the phone. I used it for everyday and I love it, it's good for the price and $60 is a good deal. I paid $80. Wouldn't pay more for it than that. I play pokemon go and use all the social media apps without any issues.

  • So I've seen this phone in catalogues and stuff and i'm just looking for a cheap phone for people to ring me on is it worth buying for $60 with 40 % off at coles? Please let me know asap Thank you so much xx

  • My U5 is slightly different. It has a replaceable battery. This phone is not as powerful and doesn't have as nice a screen as my cubot x15. However the cubot's bluetooth cuts out sometimes when the phone is in my pocket. The alcatel U5 is superior on the bluetooth front for whatever reason and this will become my main phone because of it.

  • There seem to be different versions available. I have the "4047A" which I can't find on this website. It features a single Micro-SIM slot, 3G network, 16 GB storage, Android 7, 2050 mAh battery is removeable, fingerprint scanner on back, true 8 MP front camera (13 MP interpolated), true 5 MP front camera (8 MP interpolated). I like that it has GPS, which some other phones at this price point do not have. However it lacks a compass, which means when using it for navigation you can't see in what direction you are currently looking. Which is a shame, because this could have been a unique selling point (cheap smartphone with above average navigation options). All in all it is a very basic smartphone, as indicated by the low price, and for that it works good enough. So if you are a beginner or an infrequent user, who is using simple apps, this phone is o.k. Other than that, there is really nothing special. It is rather thick, the screen resolution is low, the camera is definetely not a replacement for a dedicated digital camera and the battery is average. This device is not meant for gaming, installing hundreds of apps, streaming video over 3G/4G, prolonged usage on battery, like surfing the internet for hours, recording video and so on. If you want to do that, then don't bother with this one.

  • If you think this is bad, oh boy, wait till you get the Sony Ericsson W205 and/or Sony Ericsson Spiro.

  • Worst price of shit I have ever owned. It was such a price of shit I smashed it with a hammer before I had a replacement. It was very satisfying to watch it explode. It didn't even matter that it cost $112.00 at Walmart.

  • Bought a 4047D and love it. The sound quality knocks socks off the iphone 6s i had before. Pics however iphone every time but Alcatel ok. Get shut of 'JOY LAUNCHER' though. Battery good life and better than iphone and more comfy to hold. Great for the money

  • can this phone make voice calls

  • Cant seem to find joy launcher in the play store any suggestions?

  • I've seen this unit in the mall, looks bang for the buck at lessthan 3,000php...is it worth it? Thanks!

  • Format the SD in a computer and then put it in the phone. It would not format in the phone.

  • what alcatel unit did you buy? it's u5 hd?

  • Joy Launcher is a common thing on Alcatel Phones and it tries to install itself and drains your battery fast. It’s a pain because it uses loads of resources like your RAM and slows your phone down. You can get rid of it by doing the following: First go on to Play Store. When it opens go to the 3 lines one on top of the other (usually top left or right corner) tap on the 3 lines and then scroll down to settings, tap on settings, on the next screen tap on Auto-Update Apps, you will then get 3 options, tap on the Do Not auto-update Apps. You need to do this otherwise when its removed it will download and install itself again when you remove it if you let Play Store Auto Update. Now to Remove it. Go back to Play Store and in the Seach Box type in Joy Launcher. It will then search for it. When you find it, tap on it and it will usually give you 2 options which are Uninstall and Update, Click on Uninstall. It will then Uninstall and that’s it gone

  • Apps keep on crashing like even the already installed ones, they keep on saying "Browser keeps stopping" with an option to open the app again but it still keeps on stopping. Other problems are overheating and slow charging.

  • Worst phone I've ever had. Has to be charged twice a day and I rarely use it. Mobile data keeps switching on and costing me money because I am over my limit. Be glad to get rid of it

  • I cant remember my password has any one any suggestions. They want me to send it back to repair it but they will wipe all my memory off!! Sorry now i put any security on it.

  • I paid $99 for this phone and it is the shittest phone I have ever owned. As soon as I hit 15% battery it's completely flat in not even a minute. It resets itself a few times a day and it lags really bad. I really regret buying this phone and unfortunately I'm stuck with it for a while because I can't afford to buy another phone.....

  • will not let me use the phone or top-up HELP?

  • I am really impressed with this phone. It's very easy to use and the graphic quality is amazing. I love the screen size it's just right and the choice of wallpapers etc are endless. It's the cheaper choice of phone but the quality actually far out weighs the price. I would really recommend this phone if you don't want to pay to much but want a phone that looks more expensive with simple versatility and great HD quality. 10/10

  • There are indeed two versions, 3g/4g and maybe that covers the difference in battery longevity too.

  • What a mixed bag this phone is, battery life is non existent, even on minimal brightness, and background apps turned off. In built speaker reasonably loud, audio from headphone socket non existent. Screen good for standard, LCD, but you need constant mains charging. As for the inbuilt FB client, it fails to download update, even if you update manually, it works until you power off phone. Camera, well no auto focus and tragic, oddly front facing camera although probably only in reality 2mp seems to fare reasonably well. Not much lag in most use, but shows when you play games, even video stutters on occasions. Only major issue I guess for price is battery. Agree with another here who said Pixi 4 better, yet probably has better build quality than Pixi. An odd mix of semi good and downright inferior components me thinks.

  • My Alcatel U5 has the platform Android 7.0 (Nougat)

  • Joy Launcher is a common thing on Alcatel Phones and it tries to install itsel. It’s a pain because it uses loads of resources like your RAM and slows your phone down. You can get rid of it by doing the following: First go on to ‘Play Store’ App. When it opens go to the 3 lines one on top of the other (usually top left or right corner) tap on the 3 lines and then scroll down to settings, tap on settings, on the next screen tap on ‘Auto-Update Apps’, you will then get 3 options, tap on the ‘Do Not auto-update Apps’. You need to do this otherwise when its removed it will download and install itself again when you remove it if you let Play Store Auto Update. Now to Remove it. Go back to Play Store and in the Seach Box type in ‘Joy Launcher’. It will then search for it. When you find it, tap on it and it will usually give you 2 options which are ‘Uninstall’ and ‘Update’, Click on ‘Uninstall’. It will then Uninstall and that’s it gone. Hope that helps.

  • Alcatel U5 has to be the most annoying handset I've ever owned ... Left overnight it just switches itself off and is highly temperamental in when / whether to boot back up. Sound volume too low (even at maximum). Bought it as a short term measure and it can't be short enough in my opinion .... My advice, don't bother - pay a bit more and get something decent.

  • Joy launcher keeps coming up on my phone when I don't want it how do I get rid of it

  • Good phone but need to toughen front screen like gorilla glass no battery over heating like HTC one has improvements as well needs a slight change to front off phone plus double front speaker there isn't many problems with the phone except make it unbreakable like cat phones shock proof and water proof then 100 out off 100 vast improvement on alcatel 4

  • Is anyone having problems with formatting their simcard in the phone?

  • Yes you can use generic chargers it safe

  • Mine does

  • I've used both and it still takes aeons to charge, runs out quicker than charges.

  • Mine too I'm really disappointed with it. Not as good as pixi 4.

  • I have the optus version of this phone. It is called the Optus X Spirit. Has anyone tried to use this phone with Chromecast? I just want to know if I can mirror this device with my TV if I was to purchase Chromecast.

  • Very poor battery performance. Way too long to charge and way too quick to empty. Fortunately, it was cheap but won't buy it again.

  • very good fone does a gd job plus you can get your apps ect without no lag and that highly recoommend this fone :)

  • Have just got this phone (on a cheap plan) and it's taking forever to charge with the supplied charger. Is it safe to use a generic usb plug/charger? Is it the charger or the battery that's the issue?

  • Does it support the newest version of Facebook and Facebook messenger ( not f.b. lite or messenger lite ) ??

  • My daughter got this as her first phone at Christmas. Very, very pleased with the phone. Great battery life, easy to use, camera pretty good too. Great value for money!!

  • Brilliant phone fast n easy to use battery doesn't drain quickly as many people have said n it charges fast aswell memory is pretty good on it long as you don't download apps with big storage plus if you have sd card you can add memory to what's already on the phone it's cheap n cheerful Ive gone through 7 cheap nasty phones till I got this n I'm very happy finally ignore the negative reviews it's a great phone for a great price

  • Works fine. Good phone with 4g support. Battery life is reasonable. Last a day with normal use. Charging speed is improved with a 1amp charger.

  • I have just purchased the ALcatel U5 mobile phone. I wanted to know if anyone could help me in telling me how long the battery lasts when it is fully charged.

  • I cannot delete an update from google ...was trying download

  • alcatel is owned by nokia and has been for quite a while also it appears that there are two seperate versions of this phone according to argos a 3G and a 4G version everywhere else ive been say argos are mistaken its a 4G phone there isnt two versions of it 😒

  • have you tried swapping the SIM card to that slot, and putting the memory card where you now have the SIM ?

  • hard to use, easy to drain, takes like years when charging

  • Has anyone had problems with the SD card as mine is not recognising it as storage all together? Brand new 16GB SD card, formatted as internal storage and cannot for the life of me install anything as i have no storage available. The SD port does look damaged but how would i go about fixing it? Go back to where i bought it, phone repair or just scrapping the phone?

  • This phone is a total waste of money, don't even consider owning one of this. This phone albeit heavily advertized as the cheapest 4G capable Smartphone in the market, cannot sustain it in more than 10 minutes of 4G usage before it starts to heat up, lag, and freeze. Also, this phone is basically a chinese phone because Alcatel is owned and operated by TCL. TL;DR: Don't even bother to buy this if you have other options.

  • I find I am charging battery for 6 to 8 hours to get 4 hours battery life. Am going back to shop tomorrow to see if there is some problem with it. Also after a week and a half it just decided to reject sd card. Sorry I bought it but you get what you pay for. Overall a big piece of c--p and I won't have it long

  • Why does this phone takes too long to charge even though this is only 2050 mah? I have tried fast chargers and noticed a slightly long charging time compared to my other phones.

  • right i have one of these 3g works fine but i had a similar problem with 4g signal, best thing to try is to download an mtk engineering app to access the mtk hidden menu , select "MTK Settings" then "SIM1" then "Band Mode" then go to the UMTS area untick all of them except "WCDMA-IMT-2000" then press "SET"

  • Is u5 has a dedicated sd card & 2 slot sim card ? pls, tell. i mean separate sd and 2 slot sim card

  • Load of sh*t bought it because I needed a cheap android phone for 4g browsing. Barely gets 3g despite being the 4g model. Speed tests show an average of 1mb downloads but when I put the SIM in my Google XL I get 80+mbs. Serious problems with this phone and I completely regret buying it. Do not waste your money

  • I've got this and it's a pile of chap the memory is shine even after I've put an sd card in its still telling me not enough memory when by theirs nearly 7gb free. The wish I'd never bought it cant wait to buy a new one!!

  • I have this phone too and all though i have had another smartphones before it is indeed an excellent phone its fast works well and is a good price, i have alll my music and games i use on it among other things, it seems bit better battery life than other network smart i had which went down fast. I would say its a great start or long term phone if you dont want too spend too much.

  • will android7 de available for this phone??

  • well its a good phone for the price it doesnt stuck or freeze like no name phones with the same price range have a nice finish and dont look cheap works with 4g downside :very thick , its even thicker than iphone 4 but its an alcatel so its normal werid big button icons screen to body ratio is very low battery is small for a device of this size

  • it's look great this phone im using in 3days from now. i'll get this phone a plan in sun cellular and i don't know what the price of alcatel u5 now.

  • Gday all, My first smartphone ever, upgrade from 2G was done promptly in the shop (*). Easy to learn, easy to use, easy to connect up to my PC, easy to install an app - and it did the task I needed it for, as well as the expected features. I'm happy, although I have no real comparison. (*) When I first started as a tech geek, a PC upgrade meant an order from abroad, weeks, then soldering it onto the PC board.

  • I really like Alcatel brand and when I tried this Alcatel U5 I was little bit puzzled, and possibly expect too much on this unit just for a week of using it. The battery life is easily drained just after 6 hours on standby mode, I already checked and optimized all the apps just to maximize the life span of the battery. However I was amazed on how fast the connection between WIFI and Data Connection. It really nailed to core for those who wants fast and reliable connection. Well, for me, that's it... :-)

  • I bought this phone 2weeks ago and its really great and affordable. I really enjoy this phone. long battery life and very fast processor and clear camera.

  • Why is this phone 10mm's thick? It doesn't have the battery to back that up nor does it have any other specs to make it that thick. I don't get it alcatel.