Ausdroid has mentioned recently that the Alcatel A3 XL running Android 7.0 was headed to Vodafone soon for sub $200, making it incredible value for a 720p 6-inch screen device with 2GB RAM, 16GB storage and a fingerprint sensor on the rear.
This morning, I’ve just been tipped off by mcrazza85 on Whirlpool that the initial pricing is better than expected, starting at $179 including a $30 credit via a Vodafone Starter Pack.
Alcatel Australia says a future update to Android 7.1 is possible but not guaranteed, but Android 8 is definitely not going to happen. They have also confirmed to me that the A3 XL will be updated in the future with regular quarterly Android Security Patches.
The 4G and 3G frequencies the Vodafone Alcatel A3 XL supports are as follows, noting that if you want to use it on Telstra or Optus you’ll need to pay Vodafone a fee to network unlock:
3G: 1/2/5/8
4G: B1/3/5/7/8/28/38/40
I have just received a review unit with Australian firmware and Vodafone branding and am aiming to have a review written within a fortnight.
Note: Earlier coverage advised the Alcatel A3 XL featured 1GB RAM and 8GB storage, with dual-SIM. It seems that this variant is not intended for Australia, and instead, Vodafone will range a single-SIM 2GB RAM / 16GB storage model. We’ve sought clarification from Alcatel, and will update our coverage as needed.
