When Flash kicked off their “Life with Metal” competition last month, the theme was curiously about metal. It seemed incongruent with the fact that the Flash 2 smartphone did not have a metal build.
Interestingly, the contest prize was listed simply as “the latest Flash smartphone“, instead of the Flash 2 smartphone, which is currently the latest Flash smartphone…
A New Flash Is On The Horizon
That got us thinking… and remembering what we heard at the exclusive Flash briefing back in January. At the event, they hinted that the next Flash smartphone (which we will imaginatively call Flash 3!) will have a metal chassis.
You don’t need us to help you put two and two together. It was obvious that Alcatel, or as they are now known – Flash, left two Easter eggs in that contest :
that the new Flash 3 smartphone is going to have a metal body,
and it is going to be revealed VERY SOON!
After all, the contest is over, and it’s time to reward the winners with “the latest Flash smartphone”!
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When Is The Flash 3 Coming?
The contest details only hints that the Flash 3 is coming soon. It doesn’t really tell us when. But we can draw a clue from past Flash launch cycles.
The original Flash smartphone was launched in September 2014, followed by the Flash Plus in May 2015. The Flash 2 was released in September 2015.
If we follow their 8 month + 4 month trend, it looks like they will likely release the Flash 3 in May 2016. But hey, don’t quote us on that! 😀
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As our review of the Alcatel Flash 2 noted, it is a hidden gem that offers a great deal of features and capabilities. Designed around the Alcatel mobigraphy concept, the Alcatel Flash 2 (Lazada / Amazon) has a great main camera with a dual-tone flash, as well as a high-resolution selfie camera with its own flash. That’s why we know this would make a great prize for our first giveaway contest of 2016 – the Alcatel Flash 2 Giveaway Contest!
What’s At Stake?
The prize is our Alcatel Flash 2 (Lazada / Amazon) review sample. This is a full retail set that includes the Alcatel Flash 2 flip case and screen protector, as well as a pair of hands-free earphones.
Tag 2 friends in the comments below the Contest Post.
Share the Contest Post (REMEMBER to set it to Public so we can track!)
Method #2 : Email
Subscribe to our mailing list. You will find it on the right side bar of our articles.
Email a link to Tech ARP, or any of our articles to your friends
CC or BCC contest @ techarp.com in your email so we can track
That’s it! It’s that simple. You don’t need to think of any slogans, dance for us, or do any funny shit. Just click, click, click from the comfort of your chair and you are done! 😀
You may participate as many times as you wish, using either or both methods. But make sure you read and follow the instructions.
The Alcatel Flash 2 Giveaway Contest ends at midnight, the 31st of January 2015 (GMT+8), so make sure you complete either (or both) methods before then to qualify!
At the end of the contest, we will collate all of the results (both Facebook and email methods) and randomly select one winner from the combined pool.
Flash 2 Giveaway Contest Terms & Conditions
Contestants are allowed to participate using either (or both) the Facebook and email methods as many times as they wish, but repetitions will not be counted.
Facebook users must use their personal Facebook account. Corporate and contest gaming accounts will be automatically disqualified.[adrotate banner=”4″]
Email users will be automatically disqualified if they send emails to fake email accounts.
Once the winner is announced, the contest winner will have 7 days to provide Tech ARP with the mailing details. Failing to do so will result in the nullification of the results, and a new winner will be selected instead.
Tech ARP will deliver the prize through mail or courier service to the winner. Tech ARP will, however, not be responsible for any loss or damage that occurs during the delivery of the prize.
In the event where a winner gives up the prize(s), either intentionally or by neglect or refusal to provide his/her details in a timely fashion, his/her rights to the prize will be rendered null and void.
Under unexpected circumstances where the prize(s) is not available, Tech ARP has the right to substitute the prize(s) with another prize of similar value.
Tech ARP has the right to disqualify any participant who violates the terms of this contest. The rules and regulations are subject to change by Tech ARP without prior notice. Complaints will not be entertained.
Tech ARP reserves the right to amend or delay or even cancel the contest due to any unexpected circumstances.
Flash 2 Giveaway Contest Privacy Policy
Any personal information that you submit will only be used by Tech ARP for promotional and communications purposes only.
Any personal information that you submit will not be sold or used or shared with a third-party, without your prior consent.
Contest Results!
We are very excited to announce the Alcatel Flash 2 contest results! This time, a total of 442 contestants participated. Thank you for making it such a success!
We have not only selected the winner of the Alcatel Flash 2, we have also pre-selected a backup winner, in case the first winner does not get back to us on time. Let’s see who won!
The winner must PM or email us with your details within 7 days of this announcement, or the prize will go to the backup winner, and so on.
Full Name
Mobile / Telephone Number
Full Address
If you did not win this time, don’t worry – our sister website has a contest running right now! Check out the EXMobile iCute Plus Giveaway Contest!
Help Us Help You!
Tech ARP will be sponsoring many of these prizes and delivery of all prizes at substantial cost to the team. If you would like to help us defray our costs, you can do so by visiting more of our sponsors or participating in our forums. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
During the Chinese New Year of 2016, Flash 2 will join hands with Lazada, the largest e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia, to launch a promotion event under the theme of “No Excuse to Miss Flash 2”, which offers to buyers at only RM499!
“Through this attractive price promotion, we want to express thanks to our customers and hope that Flash 2 will help them capture and share wonderful moments they spend with their dearest ones during the Chinese New Year,” said Yogi Babria, E-commerce Operations Director, Mobile Internet Group, TCL Communication. “Meanwhile, in order to meet consumers’ need to color up their phones, we will soon release two covers, one in Rose Gold and the other in Mica White, for Flash 2 to bring new joy to users.”
Flash 2 has become a hot-selling star product in Southeast Asia markets by virtue of its powerful camera features, much loved stock Android UI, and superior cost performance which cherished by local consumers, and has set a number of sales records. The first batch of Flash 2 was sold out in ten minutes after launch.
It became the bestselling smartphone at the USD150 price level in the entire Southeast Asia. In the just-ended Double 12 shopping festival at Lazada, Flash 2 became the bestselling smartphone at the USD150 price level and ranked second among products in all categories in terms of sales volume. “I believe that this big promotion for the Chinese New Year will push the popularity of Flash 2 to a new height in Southeast Asia,” added Yogi Babria.
[adrotate banner=”4″]Flash 2 is the third product of the Flash series, with the other two being Flash and Flash Plus. So far, the three products have shipped nearly 200,000 units in combined sales. Flash entered the Southeast Asia markets in 2013 and built a considerable user base within a short time. For a time in 2014, Flash Plus made a phenomenal success in the e-commerce platforms in Southeast Asia, setting the record of selling 1,000 units in one minute for four consecutive times in Indonesia and the Philippines.
Flash 2, launched less than half a year ago, has become one of the most popular smartphones in Southeast Asia. Recently TCL Communication announced that it sold 83.55 million mobile phones and other products in 2015, noting that 90% of the sales were contributed by overseas markets. And among the overseas sales, the strong sales performance of the Flash series in the Southeast Asia markets was one of the major drivers of TCL Communication’s overseas expansion.
How has Flash made its rise in the Southeast Asia in a short two years and became one of the most popular brands? In addition to its advantages in mobile photography and performance, one important reason is that Flash has successfully capitalized on the golden age of smartphones in Southeast Asia. According to statistics, since smartphones in Southeast Asia have already outnumbered the local population with many people owning more than one phone, there is a significant demand for smartphones.
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If you like our work, you can help support out work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Yesterday, we were invited to an Alcatel media briefing on the future roadmap of the Alcatel Flash 2 smartphone we reviewed earlier. If you recall, we pegged it as a hidden gem that delivers a whole lot of features and capabilities at a highly affordableprice. Well, Alcatel just announced a bunch of Flash 2 upgrades!
In this video, Yogi Babria, the Flash E-Commerce Operations Director, revealed the new Alcatel Flash 2 upgrades in both hardware and software. Check it out!
Hardware Flash 2 Upgrades
Alcatel will offer two new back covers – a semi-translucent Mica White back cover, and a Rose Gold back cover. These back covers will be sold offline in stores, and will offer users the ability to change the look of their Alcatel Flash 2 smartphones.
Alcatel will also extend the Flash 2‘s mobile photography capabilities with the introduction of two lens upgrades.
The Flash 2 lens kit will consist of a fisheye lens and a macro lens, offering greater creative opportunities with the Alcatel Flash 2 smartphone.
The new lenses require the installation of a new back cover with a new lens cap. The lens cap not only ensures that the lenses are firmly attached, it also ensures maximum image quality using the two lenses.
Software Flash 2 Upgrades
[adrotate banner=”4″]On the software front, the biggest news is Alcatel’s announcement of an Android Marshmallow upgrade for the Flash 2 smartphone. They expect the Marshmallow update to be ready by March. This rather early upgrade is thanks to the fact that the Alcatel Flash 2 uses pure Android, instead of a customised Android operating system.
You don’t have to wait until March for a software upgrade though. Coming up next week is a major firmware upgrade that will greatly improve the Flash 2‘s photographic capabilities. It will improve the autofocus accuracy in selfies, as well as its macro performance. So watch out for the upgrade next week!
The winner of our Alcatel Flash 2 Giveaway Contest won’t have to worry though. We will upgrade it to Android Marshmallow before we ship it out! 😀
If you like our work, you can help support out work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
In the highly-competitive smartphone market, Alcatel aims to differentiate themselves by focusing on mobile photography. Today, we are going to take an in-depth look at their latest effort, the Alcatel Flash 2 smartphone. Alcatel promised that it will deliver the ultimate mobile photographic experience, which they call mobigraphy. Let’s take a look!
The Alcatel Flash 2 (Lazada / Amazon) comes in a large 2-piece cardboard box. This is a generic box, so be sure to check the side label for the correct colour. This is the Volcanic Grey model. A Mica White version is also available. Unlike some smartphone manufacturers, Alcatel has no qualms pointing out that they use MediaTek chips in their smartphones.
Once you remove the white outer sleeve, you will need to cut a single security seal on the green box to gain access inside. The box is big because Alcatel provides a complete set of accessories, including a flip case!
You can take a look at our unboxing video here :
[adrotate banner=”4″]Once you remove everything, you will find the following items :
The Alcatel Flash 2 (Lazada / Amazon) smartphone has a 5″ IPS display with a resolution of 1280 x 720. It is powered by the MediaTek MT6753 SoC that features a 1.3 GHz octa-core ARM Cortex-A53 processor and the ARM Mali-T720MP4 GPU.
Its main features are its front and rear cameras. The front camera boasts not just a larger 1/4″ sensor and autofocus capability, it even comes with an LED flash. The main gSight camera at the back has a 13 MP Samsung ISOCELL sensor with a f/2.0 lens and a dual-tone LED flash.
The Alcatel Flash 2 (Lazada / Amazon) only has buttons on the right side – a Power button at the top, with a Volume rocker switch below it, and a dedicated camera shutter button all the way at the bottom. Although this may seem like a weird position, it actually works great if you are taking photos horizontally. If you are taking pictures virtually though, it works better for left-handed users.
The Alcatel Flash 2 (Lazada / Amazon) is a dual-SIM, dual-standby smartphone. This is a pretty nice feature to have at this price point. The dual-SIM, dual-standby capability means you can install and use two SIM cards. The only difference from dual-active smartphones is that all calls and messages to the other SIM card will be temporarily ignored when you receive a call from one SIM card.
Finally, the Alcatel Flash 2 (Lazada / Amazon) comes with 2 GB of LPDDR3SDRAM to run the pure Android 5.1 operating system and apps. It also comes with 16 GB of internal flash storage. That’s expandable to 128 GB via a microSD card.
Flip Case & Screen Protector
The Alcatel Flash 2 (Lazada / Amazon) comes with a free flip case and screen protector. They are both necessary as it will be quite hard, if not impossible, to find compatible cases and screen protectors. The flip case is made from PVC with a faux leather feel and a clear plastic window.
Take a look at this video to see how the back cover is removed to access the SIM and microSD card slots. It will also show you how to install this flip case. The flip case actually replaces the original back cover, so once installed, it becomes one with the Flash 2 smartphone.
Unfortunately, the cover of this flip case feels thin and flimsy. It also doesn’t magnetically lock to the Flash 2 when you close it. Still, it is a free flip case, so we can’t really complain…
The Other Accessories
The Alcatel Flash 2 (Lazada / Amazon) comes with a 5W travel adaptor, which can be used with any power outlet worldwide. The microUSB cable they provided, however, is rather dodgy-looking.
The hands-free earphones are also of rather poor quality. They will do in a pinch (hey, they’re free!), but if you want quality audio, you need to switch to a better pair of earbuds.
Camera Performance – Photos
The Alcatel Flash 2’s emphasis on mobile photography is really obvious. Its main gSight camera uses a 13 megapixel Samsung ISOCELL sensor with a fast f/2.0 lens. That allows it to take high-resolution photos (4096 x 2304) in relatively poor lighting.
Despite their best efforts, the Alcatel Flash 2 (Lazada / Amazon) is not going to be a replacement for a dedicated DSLR or a higher-end smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy S6 (for example). The Samsung ISOCELL sensor is relatively noisy. If you blow up the picture on a desktop, you can see consistent noise (speckling and artifacts). However, they are only of real concern if you are going to make large prints of these photos.
The sensor also produced rather unsaturated photos. We would have liked them to be more vivid. That said, the gSight main camera takes very good pictures for a smartphone at this price point. In fact, you will probably only find the same photographic capability in smartphones that cost twice as much.
Camera Performance – Video Recording
The Alcatel Flash 2 (Lazada / Amazon) can record full HD (1080p) videos – a real feat for a smartphone at this price point. You won’t get any optical image stabilisation, but it supports EIS (electronic image stabilisation). Here is a sample video we recorded of a piano performance by Mr. Yang I-Deun.
The Alcatel Flash 2 (Lazada / Amazon) did a reasonably good job of controlling the exposure of the scene, although the bright areas were overexposed. Overall, it was rather exceptional performance for a smartphone at this price point.
Work Performance – PCMark
We tested the Alcatel Flash 2’s performance using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.
Alcatel Flash 2
ASUS
ZenFone 2 Laser
Samsung
Galaxy S6
Work Performance Score
(Average)
3816
3539
5078
Web Browsing
4623
3829
6788
Video Playback
2905
3835
3091
Writing
4151
4085
5918
Photo Editing
3804
2614
5357
The Alcatel Flash 2 (Lazada / Amazon) may be powered by a MediaTek chip, but it is a powerful 8-core MT6753 chip. It beat the ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser with its quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor in all aspects but video playback.
Battery Performance – PCMark
We then tested the Alcatel Flash 2’s battery performance using PCMark. It basically ran the PCMark work tests until its battery capacity dropped to 20%.
The Alcatel Flash 2 (Lazada / Amazon) lasted just over 8 hours on the PCMark stress test. This is a stress test that simulates the worst possible workload using work apps. In our real world experience, we had no problem using it for 12-14 hours with light loads, although its battery life dropped to about 6 hours while playing games.
Battery Recharging Performance
The Alcatel Flash 2 (Lazada / Amazon) has a large 3,000 mAh lithium-ion battery, but it does not have Fast Charging capability. Even so, it was able to recharge its battery really quickly.
Our tests showed that the Alcatel Flash 2 (Lazada / Amazon) will recharge from 17% to 100% in just 165 minutes (2 hours 45 minutes).
Overall Performance – AnTuTu Benchmark
AnTuTu is a nice benchmark for testing various performance aspects of Android devices.
Alcatel Flash 2
ASUS
ZenFone 2 Laser
Samsung
Galaxy S6
TOTAL SCORE
36345
23644
68885
Multitask
4306
4162
9298
Runtime
2535
2395
4250
CPU Integer
5651
2913
10596
CPU Float-Point
4266
2327
6307
Single-Thread Integer
1253
1218
2537
Single-Thread Float-Point
1026
981
2223
RAM Operation
2109
1148
3259
RAM Speed
2039
1724
4316
2D Graphics
1615
1022
1631
3D Graphics
8994
3656
21162
Storage I/O
1861
1433
2571
Database I/O
690
665
735
Although MediaTek chips are not as powerful or efficient as Qualcomm chips, Alcatel made up for that by using the 8-core MediaTek MT6753. The result? It beat the more expensive ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser by 53.7%!
Gaming Performance – 3DMark
We tested the Alcatel Flash 2’s gaming performance using 3DMark, using the Ice Storm Extreme test.
Alcatel Flash 2
ASUS
ZenFone 2 Laser
Samsung
Galaxy S6
Gaming Score
4549
2686
Maxed out!
Graphics
3966
2240
Maxed out!
Physics
9365
8876
Maxed out!
Graphics Test 1
22.3 fps
12.6 fps
59.6 fps
Graphics Test 2
14.0 fps
7.9 fps
49.6 fps<
Physics
29.7 fps
28.2 fps
39.6 fps
Despite its modest price, the Alcatel Flash 2 (Lazada / Amazon) did surprisingly well in this test. It was almost 70% faster than the ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser!
Our Verdict On The Alcatel Flash 2
We are very impressed with the Alcatel Flash 2 smartphone. At first, we doubted they could really achieve the level of performance they promised, but it looks like they really pulled it off.
The Alcatel Flash 2 (Lazada / Amazon) delivers much better camera performance than we have seen in other smartphones with the same price point. It can take 13 MP pictures with dual-tone flash, with a 5 MP selfie camera that even has its own flash! On top of that, its main camera can record full HD videos, something that many similar smartphones cannot do.
Alcatel didn’t skimp in the performance department either, opting for an 8-core MediaTek processor. That made it much faster than more expensive smartphones out there. The Alcatel Flash 2 also has a generous 2 GB of RAM, with 16 GB of internal storage. Since it runs on pure Android 5.1 Lollipop, that is more than adequate for most users.
[adrotate banner=”4″]The downside though is a shorter battery life, because the 8-core processor does sap more battery than a quad-core processor. It should last a good 8 hours though. The good news is, even though it doesn’t support Fast Charging, you can fully charge it in less than 3 hours.
Although it comes with a complete set of accessories, their quality leaves much to be desired. Probably the most useful is the screen protector. Still, we are glad that they spent the real money on the Flash 2’s hardware, instead of those accessories.
The Alcatel Flash 2 (Lazada / Amazon) is a hidden gem. It delivers a whole lot of features and capabilities at the highly affordable price of just RM 549 (Lazada) / ~US$ 129 (Amazon). If you are on a budget but want a smartphone that can double as a good camera, the Alcatel Flash 2 is definitely worth your serious consideration.
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The Alcatel One Touch Flash Mini smartphone is now available on Lazada for a low, LOW price of just RM 189 (~US$ 44)! This is a 14% discount off its list price of RM 219 (~US$ 51). On top of that, you get to stack it with Lazada coupon codes, if you have any.
At this price point, you would expect the Alcatel One Touch Flash Mini to be a feature phone. No, this is an Android smartphone, with a 4″ display, a dual-core processor and dual-SIM, dual standby capability. It even comes with a 5 MP rear camera with HDR capability and an LED flash.
That is a whole lot of hardware for an Android smartphone that costs under RM 190 / USD 45. The only downside we can see right now – it ships with Android 4.4 and has limited RAM and internal storage. Of course, it comes with a micro SD card slot, so you can add up to 32 GB of additional storage. Check out its key specifications below :
Alcatel One Touch Flash Mini Specifications
Display Type
4.0" TFT Display
Display Resolution
400 x 800 Pixels
Touch Screen
Multi-touch, capacitive
Size
64.4 mm wide
123 mm tall
9.9 mm thick
Operating System
Android 4.4 KitKat
System Chip
MediaTek MT6572M
Processor
1.0 GHz ARM Cortex-A7 (dual-core) processor
Memory
512 MB
Internal Storage
4 GB
Additional Storage
micro SD slot (up to 32 GB)
Connectivity
3G + HSPA
Dual SIM, Dual Standby
WiFi 802.11b/g/n
Micro USB 2.0 port
3.5 mm earphone port
Bluetooth 4.0
