In pictures: the Alcatel OT-980 Android phone

The Android-based Alcatel OT-980
The Android-based Alcatel OT-980

Alcatel has sprung something of a surprise by releasing an Android phone when it's so traditionally ploughing the bottom end of the market.

In fact, we were so surprised by its presence that we didn't get to see the full Alcatel Android experience - we were only able to get hooked up to a dummy model.

The alcatel android

The phone feels pretty plasticky and flimsy in the hand - much like you'd expect with a budget Android offering.

The alcatel android

There's a full QWERTY keyboard in portrait mode - we might start calling this the Pre's long lost, poorer cousin.

The alcatel android

The buttons on the front actually have a decent enough travel, although they're jolly hard to hit.

The alcatel android

It's not the most flattering of phone chassis you'll ever see, and it's not the most pocket friendly either.

The alcatel android

However, it is packing all the power of Android 1.6 and 2.1 (we're not sure if this is an upgrade strategy or telling us there will be two different models.

The alcatel android

There's a camera on the back, as mandated by the Open Handset Alliance who helped created Android with Google.

The alcatel android

The spec sheet is here for all to see - just don't go getting excited about a phone that could cost less than £150 over here.

Gareth Beavis
Formerly Global Editor in Chief

Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grown with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.