TCL has been busy over the last few years as it becomes a bigger player in the Android market with the Alcatel brand and a partnership with BlackBerry. In fact, it’s now the fourth largest phone maker in North America. Now, the company has turned to KaiOS to bring the first “dumb” phones with Google services to the United States.
Essentially, Alcatel offers the same device as two variants: The GO FLIP 3 and the SMARTFLIP. The GO FLIP 3 will be destined for store shelves at T-Mobile and Metro while the SMARTFLIP will be sold by ATT and Cricket Wireless.
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Go Hands-Free with Google Assistant: With Google Assistant, you can dictate text messages, make phone calls, and open and navigate apps like YouTube, Google Maps and Google Search, all using your voice.
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Accessibility and speed for all: The GO FLIP 3/SMARTFLIP is powered by a quad-core processor and 4G LTE speeds on an easy-to-read 2.8-inch internal display. Both devices also include a host of accessibility features such as oversized buttons, Real-Time-Text (RTT) for conversational texting, Text Telephone (TTY) mode for the hearing impaired, and a Readout feature for the visually impaired.
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Reliable performance: Users can enjoy up to 6.8 hours of continuous talk time on a single charge with 8GB of built-in storage and a microSD expandable memory slot supporting up to 32GB.
The GO FLIP 3 will be on sale sometime in October with a firm release date to come later. The SMARTFLIP will be available to purchase on September 27.
Joy Tab
In addition to the KaiOS announcement, TCL is also launching a new Android tablet under the Alcatel name. The JOY TAB is an 8-inch tablet that will be available from T-Mobile and Metro on October 4th. The features on this one are nothing special but will make for a nice offering for those looking for a simple tablet solution with LTE capabilities.
- Search for what you see: The JOY TAB’s camera is equipped with Google Lens to run a Google search of the world around you by taking photos of what you see. You can also take advantage of Android 9 Pie’s Google Assistant integration to manage hundreds of tasks and services hands-free with the power of your voice.
- Closer to your entertainment: The JOY TAB is powered by a 4,080mAh battery to bring you uninterrupted streaming, reading, and gaming for up to 8.5 hours over Wi-Fi or 8 hours over LTE. The tablet also features CloserTV, which gathers all of your favorite streaming services, such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video, cable and satellite TV in one spot.
- Easy on the eyes: The JOY TAB’s Night Light filter helps to relieve visual fatigue by reducing blue light and optimizing the screen’s brightness and tonality in even the most extreme lighting conditions, day and night.
