Alcatel TCL A1 vs TCL LX: Specs Comparison

Specs comparison between Alcatel TCL A1 and TCL LX, two affordable phones from Alcatel entry-level line. Discover which one would be better for you.

Alcatel has plenty of options when it comes to affordable Android phones. Among the choices are Alcatel TCL A1 (A501DL) and TCL LX (A502DL). These two phones are released in 2018.

Although both phones can look similar on first impressions, they offer different specs. What’s easily noticeable is the bigger size of the TCL LX display.

Deep down, there are more differences in their hardware and software. TCL A1 has a better and faster processor, for example.

In this specs comparison between Alcatel TCL A1 and TCL LX, we’ll take a look at all the details. Therefore, you can make a better decision before purchasing one of them.

Specs Comparison

Specs comparison between Alcatel TCL A1 vs TCL LX:

	Alcatel TCL A1	Alcatel TCL LX
Weight	145g	152g
Dimensions	136.7 x 65 x 9.9mm	148.1 x 69.6 x 9.4mm
OS	Android 8.1	Android 8.1
Screen size	5-inch	5.34-inch
Resolution	854 x 480	960 x 480
CPU	1.1GHz Quad-core	1.1GHz Quad-core
RAM	2GB	2GB
Storage	16GB	16GB
Battery	2,200mAh	2,460mAh
Rear camera	5MP	8MP
Front camera	2MP	2MP

Design

The design of Alcatel TCL A1 and TCL LX are very similar. They both have black color casing with rectangular design and curved edges.

You might have guessed what materials this phone is using as a casing. They both use plastic. It comes as not surprising since these are very affordable phones.

The front part consists of a display with no physical buttons. Above it, you can see the speaker and the front-facing camera.

The back cover is also almost identical on both phones. Here we got cameras, the LED flash, and logos.

The back cover is textured on both TCL A1 and TCL LX. This rough surface on the back is perfect to avoid your phone slipping from your hand.

On the bottom of the back cover of TCL A1, you will see another speaker. But you won’t find any speaker on TCL LX’s back cover.

It’s one of the small differences in design between them. Another difference is their size.

TCL LX is a bit bigger since it houses a larger display. Its exact dimension is 148.1 x 69.6 x 9.4mm.

Meanwhile, TCL A1’s dimension is 136.7 x 65 x 9.9mm. You can see it that TCL LX is bigger but slimmer.

Overall, size is the major difference when it comes to design. And at this point, it still doesn’t make one phone better than the other.

Read also:

• Alcatel TCL A1 User Manual
• Alcatel TCL LX User Manual

Display

The main difference for the display between the two phones is their size. TCL A1 is the smaller one with a 5-inch display.

Meanwhile, TCL LX provides a bigger display at 5.34-inch. This way, browsing things is a lot more comfortable with TCL LX.

When you watch a video, you can see everything more clearly with LX. On the other hand, the 5-inch display of TCL A1 feels more limiting.

At this point, TCL LX sounds like a better phone. The next comparison will discuss the display quality.

TCL LX is equipped with an HD FWGA+ display. The screen resolution is 960 x 480 pixels. TCL A1 also has a similar type of display.

The aspect ratio on both phones is also identical at 18:9. On top of that, TCL A1 also offers pretty much the same resolution at 854 x 480  pixels.

It can be concluded that the size is the sole deciding factor. Especially since both phones also use the same Dragontrail glass material for the screen coating.

Camera

For the camera department, each phone has something different to offer. However, generally the camera specs here are pretty basic.

TCL A1 has a 5MP camera and a 2MP front-facing camera. This setup is considered below average for a smartphone released in 2018.

TCL LX has slightly better camera specs. On the back, you’ll find an 8MP rear camera along with the LED flash.

The front camera has the same resolution as TCL A1 at 2MP. It’s also a very minimal resolution for a selfie camera.

Generally, image quality taken by these phones is average. The cameras here are best used for pictures for social media and other just-for-fun occasions.

Since TCL LX has a larger camera result, the image quality is a lot better. The several megapixels difference can mean a lot for the photo result.

There are many features inside to help enhance your photo editing. For example, HDR, panorama, and instant collages. There is also a night mode.

For videos, you will be able to take 1080p results. Both phones can do this. Although for the video quality itself, there’s no stabilization feature to prevent shaky results.

All in all, TCL LX is the one with a better setup. Its 8MP camera is the better choice than TCL A1’s 5MP rear camera. Apart from the back camera resolution, everything else is almost the same.

Read also:

• Motorola Moto E5 vs LG Premier Pro: Specs Comparison
• Galaxy A10e vs Motorola Moto G7 Optimo: Specs Comparison

Storage

In the storage department, there is a total similarity here between TCL A1 and TCL LX. Each device is equipped with 16GB of storage.

We think that it’s enough space especially for basic users. Considering a user won’t install many apps more than the phone can handle.

Since the camera has low resolution, taking many pictures won’t easily take up a lot of storage. But if users feel the storage won’t be enough, they can add an SD card.

The maximum capacity for the external storage is 128GB on both phones. However, keep in mind that an SD card is not included in the box.

Performance

Both Alcatel TCL A1 and TCL LX have the exact same setup for their System of Chip (SoC). Yes, it means there will be little to compare here.

The chipset they use is Mediatek MT6739. It’s a Quad-core processor with a 1.1GHz frequency speed.

This is the chipset Alcatel often use for their affordable smartphone lines. TCL A1 and TCL LX are no exception.

The 1.1GHz speed is considered very low on a smartphone. Therefore it’s clear that both phones aim for low-key operations only.

The RAM is 2GB on each phone. Proportional to the CPU speed, the RAM isn’t anything remarkable either.

With this amount of RAM, you can do basic multitasking and apps navigation. Both phones have little difference in handling tasks.

Opening apps is fast but you will notice lags once in a while. It’s best to stay with basic tasks such as checking emails, texting, calling, and using light apps.

TCL A1 and TCL LX also use the same version of Android. They both run on the Android 8.1 Oreo operating system.

Android 8.1 is a capable OS. It is also very easy to use and power-efficient especially for phones with low specs.

This Android version was quite recent at the time the phones were launched. But unfortunately there’s no upgrade for the next version on TCL A1 and TCL LX.

The experience with the phones’ user interface feels different for one reason. It’s because TCL LX has a larger display, therefore it’s more comfortable to use the Android on it.

On TCL LX, texts can have a lot more room to be displayed. It’s also easy to zoom them so you can read more clearly.

But essentially, both phones deliver the same software specs. The Android on TCL A1 and TCL LX also stays without any modification.

You can find the same pre-installed app on both phones, such as Facebook. Features inside are completely identical, such as Hearing Aid compatibility and the Google apps.

Both phones are also not offering advanced features. For example, you won’t find any fingerprint sensor here. For security, there are only the usual PIN, password, and pattern.

For sensors, there’s also no specs comparison between Alcatel TCL A1 and TCL LX in this part. Both phones have similar setup for sensors.

Those sensors include accelerometer, proximity sensor, and ambient light sensor. There’s also the usual GPS sensor.

Connectivity

After performance, at this point the phone still offers technically the same spec. Both TCL A1 and TCL LX are 4G capable.

Being able to connect to a 4G LTE network is among the basic requirements of today’s smartphones. It’s not surprising that both phones have this capability despite cheap prices.

TCL A1 and TCL LX also pack Wi-Fi and Bluetooth as the other connecting method. You can also connect to a computer using the available MicroUSB port.

GPS is installed on both phones. The process of finding a location is decent enough on TCL A1 or LX. The only difference is that Google Maps looks better in TCL LX’s bigger display.

Battery

Battery is where TCL LX beats TCL A1 again. The former has a little bit more capacity than the latter.

While TCL A1 has a 2,200mAh battery, TCL LX offers more capacity at 2,460mAh. Both phones use the same Lithium-Ion type of battery.

The difference means TCL LX provides a longer period of usage on a single charge. For example, the talk time. While TCL A1 is only capable of 9 hours 4G calls, TCL LX will give you 12 hours of talk time.

Hence it’s evident that if you use your phone more frequently, TCL LX would be preferable.

Which is better Alcatel TCL A1 or TCL LX?

In some way, it’s safe to assume that Alcatel TCL LX (A502DL) is actually an upgrade to TCL A1 (A501DL). They have many similarities with TCL LX being better in several aspects.

It’s evident after looking at the specs comparison between Alcatel TCL A1 and TCL LX above. The aspects where TCL LX wins are the display size, the rear camera, and battery life.

That’s why it’s not surprising to find out that TCL LX is the more expensive one. TCL LX is 10-dollars more expensive at $39.99 versus $29.99, TCL A1’s retail price.

On discount, you can get TCL LX cheaper at $29.99. However, TCL A1 has an even cheaper price at $25.99 when discounted.

At the end of the day, it’s up to users to decide whether the extra dollars are worth the upgrade.