Alcatel OneTouch Evolve Pro Reviews

At just under $100, the Alcatel One Touch Evolve is a pretty good Android smartphone. Its 4-inch display isn't going to turn heads, but it's a good choice for first-time smartphone users on T-Mobile.

There is nothing evolved about the Alcatel One Touch Evolve. That's largely due to the fact that Alcatel had to make trade-offs when making this entry-level budget phone, and couldn't include the newest and best specs. For its price, I wasn't expecting a quad-core processor, outstanding camera, or brilliant screen, but the lack of 4G support and the fixed focus camera are deal breakers. The only worthwhile feature of this device is its bargain-basement price, $99 off contract or $28 down and $3 monthly payments for two years, making it the one of the cheapest phones on T-Mobile, as of October 2013. But even with that low price tag, it's still a disappointing device thanks its old version of Android, fixed focus camera that can only take decent shots outdoors with sufficient light, and slow performance that anyone, not just someone who reviews phones for a living, can notice. For those reasons, I don't recommend it. At the moment, there are no other Android phones at the $100 level that I can recommend, including the One Touch Fierce. If your heart is set on Android, you're a T-Mobile customer, and you can scrape together another $100, look at the LG Optimus F3 for $200 all-in. You'll get a faster processor, LTE, and a better camera. The Optimus F3 is also available on MetroPCS, which T-Mobile now owns, for only $50 more than the Evolve. An alternative budget phone is the Nokia Lumia 521, which is running Windows Phone 8 and bests the Evolve with a nicer camera and 4G support. It's only $140 off contract with T-Mobile ($40 more expensive than the Evolve).