The specs comparison between Alcatel TCL A1 and ZTE Blade T2 Lite covering differences in performance, design, and more. Discover which one is better.
Alcatel TCL A1 (A501DL) and ZTE Blade T2 Lite (Z559DL) are two affordable models offered by Tracfone. The carrier sells them for under $30.
It’s perfect for anybody who seeks cheap but capable phones. Although cheap, they pack all the basics needed for calling, texting, and internet browsing.
As an overview, Alcatel TCL A1 features a 5-inch display and a 1.1GHz Quad-core processor. ZTE Blade T2 Lite also offers a 5-inch display and same processor clock speed.
Alcatel TCL A1 is released in 2018. ZTE Blade T2 Lite is newer coming out in 2019.
For more, continue reading this specs comparison between Alcatel TCL A1 and ZTE Blade T2 Lite. We try to provide detailed information so it’s easy for you to decide.
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Main Differences
There are some key points to pay attention to when comparing these two devices. First, it’s the display on each phone.
Alcatel TCL A1 installed Dragontrail Asahi coating on its display. You won’t find this display protection on ZTE Blade T2 Lite.
Both phones also use a different processor. Alcatel TCL A1 runs on a Mediatek processor while ZTE Blade T2 Lite uses a Snapdragon 210 processor.
ZTE Blade T2 Lite also has some other minor advantages. One of them is a larger expandable storage. You can add more SD card capacity with the phone.
However, ZTE Blade T2 Lite is relatively newer, being released in 2019. It also has a cheaper price tag.
Specs Comparison
Specs comparison between Alcatel TCL A1 (A501DL) vs ZTE Blade T2 Lite (Z559DL):
| Alcatel TCL A1 | ZTE Blade T2 Lite | |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 145g | 141.7g |
| Dimensions | 136.7 x 65 x 9.9mm | 145.5 x 71.1 x 9.1mm |
| OS | Android 8.1 | Android 8.1 |
| Screen size | 5-inch | 5-inch |
| Resolution | 854 x 480 | 854 x 480 |
| CPU | 1.1GHz Quad-core | 1.1GHz Quad-core |
| RAM | 2GB | 2GB |
| Storage | 16GB | 16GB |
| Battery | 2,200mAh | 2,200mAh |
| Rear camera | 5MP | 5MP |
| Front camera | 2MP | 2MP |
Design
The dimension of Alcatel TCL A1 is 136.6 x 65 x 9.9mm. The phone weighs only at 145g.
On the other hand, the ZTE Blade T2 Lite form factor is 145.5 x 71.1 x 9.1mm. It weighs almost similar to Alcatel TCL A1 at 141.7g.
From the dimension, we can conclude that Alcatel TCL A1 is significantly smaller. But it’s chunkier than the ZTE Blade T2 Lite that’s a bit slimmer.
They both have the same weight because they use the same body material. In this case, both models use plastic.
There’s one significant difference in design. It can be seen easily on the front part.
Alcatel TCL A1 got rid of all kinds of Android physical buttons. The front part of the phone looks clean. There is only the display, the camera, and the speaker.
But ZTE Blade T2 Lite still uses the physical touch buttons. You will see the Home key, Back key, and the App switch key.
We like the Alcatel TCL A1 design more. It’s simpler and keeps up with the trend. ZTE Blade T2 Lite is a little bit old school.
Other than that, the two phones share a lot of similarities. One of the examples is the textured back casing.
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Display
Alcatel TCL A1 and ZTE Blade T2 Lite both feature the same display size at 5-inch. They also have the same 854 x 480 resolution.
It means you get the exact same quality for the display. At this point, we have little to compare.
The display itself has acceptable specs. It’s spacious for users to browse apps with ease.
The screen on both phones present colors relatively well. Colors are sharp and vibrant with a nice contrast.
As a touchscreen, the display responds to gestures well. Although there’s a slight difference in speed.
But it’s because of the processor rather than the display itself. We will talk about it in the next section.
The display on either phone is considered to be a low-resolution one. Therefore, sharp pixels is a common occurrence.
You can find it on icons and pictures with tricky corners. If you look closely, you will see that these corners aren’t exactly smooth.
This is what we call pixelated. And on a phone like Alcatel TCL A1 and ZTE Blade T2 Lite, we expected this to be normal.
Although the specs of the display are similar, there’s one difference. It is about the glass protection for the display.
In this case, Alcatel TCL A1 is winning because its display has Asahi Glass protection. It makes the phone more resistant to daily scratch than the ZTE Blade T2 Lite’s display.
You can find out more about the display quality in this detailed review of Alcatel TCL A1.
Camera
Alcatel TCL A1 has a 5MP camera on the back. Coincidentally, ZTE Blade T2 Lite also has the exact same 5MP resolution for the rear camera.
The similarity also continues for the front-facing camera. Both phones provide a 2MP lens for selfies and video calls.
Since they share the same specs, there’s not much difference in quality. The picture results from both phones are average at best.
It’s no surprise as these phones’ cameras are not their main selling point. For starter phones, it’s more important to have cameras that simply work.
The camera on either device offers features that help users get better results. For example, HDR mode and Panorama.
Alcatel TCL A1 has social features that allow you to quickly edit and share photos to social media. Meanwhile, ZTE Blade T2 Lite has Macro Mode and Face Detection.
The front cameras have a simple setup too. At 2MP, they work well providing quick selfies when you need them.
It won’t give you the best output when video calling. But you won’t find any trouble communicating through video using the camera.
Hence we have relatively nothing to complain about. In addition to that, both Alcatel TCL A1 and ZTE Blade T2 Lite are capable of taking HD videos. We consider it as a delightful bonus.
Storage
Alcatel TCL A1 packs a 16GB memory for internal storage. ZTE Blade T2 Lite also follows the same suit by providing exactly the same capacity.
Again, we see nothing special here. A 16GB storage is typical in this smartphone range.
Whether it’s enough capacity or not, it depends on the user. That’s why manufacturers add external storage for more flexibility.
For that reason, Alcatel TCL A1 allows you to install a 128GB SD card. ZTE Blade T2 Lite gives more freedom by allowing a larger capacity at 256GB.
Hence more avid users can pick the latter. You will get twice as much of external storage potential by choosing ZTE Blade T2 Lite.
But if you’re a casual user, Alcatel TCL A1 is more than enough. The combo of the internal and external storage capacity will go a long way.
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Performance
Alcatel TCL A1 runs on a 1.1GHz Quad-core Mediatek MT6739 processor. ZTE Blade T2 Lite features a 1.1GHz Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 210.
Both phones share similar RAM spec at 2GB. Hence the key comparison here is the processor type.
Personally, our experience showed that a Snapdragon processor is usually better than its Mediatek counterpart. On paper, as shown above they have the same 1.1GHz clock speed.
In our test, one thing is clear. Both phones deliver roughly the same performance on basic tasks only.
Basic tasks here means callings, textings, and light internet browsing. Both phones proved themselves to be reliable.
But when things get more complicated, such as photo editing, here when imperfection arises. Neither phone is built for any more demanding tasks.
Hence our recommendation is, only pick these phones if you are a basic user too. There are starter phones for a reason.
If you want to know another similar device that matches their level of performance, read the review of Alcatel TCL LX.
Moving to the software, both phones feature Android 8.1 Oreo. It’s a bit disappointing for ZTE Blade T2 Lite.
Launched in 2019, we hoped it runs on the newer Android 9.0 Pie. But the phone still decides to use an older version.
Android 8.1 itself is a decent operating system. It’s relatively new, has an intuitive design, and easy to use.
On both devices, the Android comes without additions like theme and launcher. Thus the software feels lightweight.
It’s good for the minimal hardware setup. It makes sure everything still runs smoothly.
Users can find the most common apps here. In addition to the usual Phone or Messaging app, you have a folder full of Google apps.
If you’re a Facebook user, you’d be happy to find this app is pre-installed on Alcatel TCL A1. ZTE Blade T2 Lite apparently also pre-installed the Facebook app too.
Beyond that, there are not many third-party apps available. But you can always download more apps via Google Play Store later.
Overall, the Android similarity means one less deciding factor. It makes it easy to decide what to focus on in this specs comparison between Alcatel TCL A1 and ZTE Blade T2 Lite.
Especially since the two phones also share similar sensor setup. Both phones have Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, and Proximity sensor.
They also support extra accessibility features such as Hearing Aid Compatibility. Lastly, as starter phones, it’s no surprise to find out lacking features.
For example, a fingerprint sensor or Face Unlock feature. Instead, users can use the usual password or PIN as a security feature.
Connectivity
Both Alcatel TCL A1 and ZTE Blade T2 Lite support 4G LTE. On top of that, they provide Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.
The general specs between the two phones are similar. What’s left to us to review is the quality.
With Alcatel TCL A1, the call quality is reasonably well. However, the sound quality is not what we hope for.
The volume can be so low sometimes. Meanwhile, ZTE Blade T2 Lite gives less trouble with calls overall.
There wasn’t any particular trouble when connecting to Wi-Fi. In fact, we think it’s faster and lighter to the phone than using mobile data.
Using Wi-Fi saves your data balance. It’s one of the ways to make your data balance last longer.
For data transfer, you can use the MicroUSB port on the bottom of each phone. Lastly, neither phone has NFC features.
Battery
Alcatel TCL A1 packs a 2,200 mAh battery. Once again ZTE Blade T2 Lite also has a similar spec.
Both phones use the same type too. Each installed a Lithium-Ion battery that’s removable.
There’s the difference in manufacturer’s claim for talk time. On 4G, Alcatel TCL A1 can handle 9 hours phone calls. With ZTE Blade T2 Lite, the talk time is 12 hours.
However, battery performance doesn’t differ much in general. There are several reasons for this.
First, both phones have the same display resolution that’s requiring pretty much the same energy. The processor and the Android also roughly use a similar amount of battery power.
In our opinion, either phone would do well when it comes to durability. Considering the battery alone, no phone is better than another.
Which is better: Alcatel TCL A1 or ZTE Blade T2 Lite?
If we take a look at our detailed specs comparison between Alcatel TCL A1 and ZTE Blade T2 Lite above, one conclusion can be made. These are almost identical phones.
The main differences lie in the processor type. Alcatel TCL A1 uses a CPU from Mediatek while ZTE Blade T2 Lite uses the Snapdragon one. In this case, we found they share similar performance levels.
Other than that, we consider every other difference in the spec as minor. Such as the bigger expandable storage on ZTE Blade T2 Lite. Also, the Asahi glass protection on Alcatel TCL A1.
For the price, you can get Alcatel TCL A1 at $29.99 (discounted price is $24.99). Meanwhile, ZTE Blade T2 Lite is cheaper at $19.99, discounted from $29.99 retail price.
In our opinion, we think it’s recommended to choose ZTE Blade T2 Lite. It’s newer, has larger expandable storage, and a more affordable price.
Don’t forget to read this ultimate Tracfone guide. Therefore, you can find the best plan that’s also affordable and simply suits your need.
Alcatel TCL A1 Pros
- Faster processor
- Asahi Glass display protection
- Better design
ZTE Blade T2 Lite Pros
- Cheaper price
- Larger expandable storage
- Newer (launched more recently)
