Alcatel makes budget smartphone with metal housing and fingerprint scanner

Alcatel presented the Shine Lite at the IFA. The smartphone has a metal housing and a fingerprint scanner. There is also a flash on the front next to the selfie camera. The device will be on the market in November for 199 euros.

In the press release, Alcatel does not disclose which soc the Shine Lite uses, but according to Frandroid, it is a MediaTek MT6737. That’s a quad-core with Cortex A53 cores at 1.3GHz. There is 2GB of RAM and the 5″ screen has an HD resolution of 1280×720 pixels.

The frame is made of metal and the glass is rounded at the edges. Alcatel provides the Shine Lite with a fingerprint scanner and a 13-megapixel camera on the back. There is a dual-tone flash, which should ensure natural reproduction in flash photos. The 5-megapixel front camera of the device is also accompanied by a flash.

Alcatel provides the device with Android 6.0 and provides a number of its own apps. For example, there is Safebox, in which users can store files, which can then only be accessed by unlocking the app with the fingerprint scanner. It is also possible to link prints of five different fingers to the launch of an app. After setting these preferences, the apps can be started with a fingerprint, even if the device is locked.

The device will be available in gold and white from the beginning of November. The suggested retail price is 199 euros.