Alcatel V3 Ultra review: This affordable phone feels like magic, and you should take note of it

India Today

4 days ago

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 19,999.advertisementAt 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 SIM.Bold 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 striking.The 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 bit.On 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 modes.On 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 it.The 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 videos.The 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 transition.Decent 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 slowdowns.advertisementThe 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 issues.The 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 performance.As 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 content.advertisementAs 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 noticeably.Average 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 appearance.That 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 look.However, 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 focus.The front camera needs work. It produces grainy selfies with limited detail even when you give it lots of light.Overall, the V3 Ultra is fine for casual snaps, but don't expect anything special.Alcatel 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 decent.However, 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 disappointing.That 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.