In keeping with the company's confusing naming scheme tradition, the
"10" at the end of its model number stems from the 10-inch diagonal
of the 800 x 1280 pixel IPS display. So that would probably mean "T"
is for a tablet, as opposed to " V" and "X", which are
already in use by alcatel phones. But we digress.
The alcatel 3T 10 actually looks pretty intriguing.
Its body measures 260 x 156.6 x 8.95mm and tips the scale at 440 grams. For
that, you get the aforementioned display, along with a 4,080 mAh battery. TCL
didn't really deem it necessary to disclose the actual chipset inside the 3T
10, but it does apparently include a 4G modem, which you can make use of with a
nanoSIM card. Memory is set at 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage. Other
connectivity options include Wi-Fi b/g/n, a microUSB port and 3.5mm audio jack.
Speaking of audio though, you probably won't be
using that 3.5mm jack too often since the 3T 10 is positioned as a loudspeaker
device in more ways than one. First, it has two speakers and an AW8737
amplifier. Then there is DSP far-field voice recognition up to 3 meters. TCL is
offering this as a home automation solution, powered by Google Assistant.
What makes it even more intriguing though is the
optional SK8088G speaker/dock. The 3T simply slides on top of it and connects
via a set of pogo pins on one side. Having done that, it can leverage a feature
called Fast-Access Display and act as sort of a home automation and multimedia
hub. Not unlike what Amazon has been doing with its Fire tablets and docks.
As for the speaker, it measures 185 x 67mm covered
in a nice fabric, has a 2,000 mAh battery of its own, Bluetooth 4.2 and a 3.5mm
jack. This makes it fairly versatile as a speaker on its own merits. By the
way, it packs two 5W, 40mm driver speakers.
The alcatel 3T 10 tablet will be available later
this year, starting at EUR 179. There will also be a bundle with the audio
station, starting at EUR 229.
