You'll often find the screen is where some costs have been saved on cheaper handsets, and that's the case with the Alcatel 3L (2020). Its 6.22-inch, 720 x 1520, 19:9 aspect ratio IPS LCD display is noticeably duller and less sharp than the very best flagship phones or even the best mid-rangers in the business.

Alcatel 10.68 Review | Asda mobile

We even put a few games on the Alcatel 3L (2020) and again there were no major problems. You'll be able to tell this is a cheaper display panel, but at the same time you're not going to be disappointed if you buy this handset, considering the price you're paying – and the price is all-important when it comes to a budget phone like this. If we were to make a case against the phone it's that the mid-range market is so strong at the moment, with the likes of Google, Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Nokia, and Motorola all jostling for room. Just about every phone manufacturer has a very decent mid-range phone on the market now, which means if you can spend a bit more then you should do. Around the front you've got the 6.22-inch LCD display with a teardrop notch, and although the chin at the bottom is bigger than the bezels round the rest of the screen, it doesn't look too bad. Power and volume controls are on the right as you look at the handset, with the (dual) SIM slot and a dedicated Google Assistant button on the left.There's no danger of the Alcatel 3L (2020) blowing you away in terms of its design and aesthetics, but it has a perfectly respectable look for a budget phone. It's a little on the chunky side at 8.45mm, but the edges and corners are nicely rounded, and it's comfortable and light to hold. Even under heavy use, this phone will make it to the end of the day and then some, and if you don't use it much at all you might even make it through a second day – the phone seems to be particularly good at holding its charge while you aren't doing anything with it. Battery life is always an important consideration for anyone buying a phone, and one of the benefits of going with a cheaper handset is that the lower-res screens and less powerful components will typically use up less battery life during the day. That's the case with the Alcatel 3L (2020), which impressed us with its longevity. A two-hour video streaming test at maximum brightness saw the battery drop from 100 percent to 84 percent, which isn't outstanding but is above average – you're looking at 12 hours or so of video watching between charges, it would seem, and probably significantly more if you dial down the brightness a bit.

Alcatel 3L (2020) review: a very capable cheap camera phone Alcatel 3L (2020) review: a very capable cheap camera phone

It’s important to note that when shopping for gadgets and technology products, it can be tempting to go for the lowest price possible. However, be wary of retailers that offer prices that seem too good to be true. Some less reputable retailers may sell counterfeit or low-quality products, which can be dangerous and not perform as well as the genuine product. Another important factor to consider is longevity. When you buy a high-quality ALCATEL 1068, you’re making an investment that is likely to last longer. Cheaper products may seem like a good deal at the time, but they are often made with lower-quality materials and are not designed to last as long. This means that you may end up having to replace your device sooner, which can end up costing you more in the long run. In our days with the Alcatel 3L (2020) we always had plenty of juice left from the 4,000mAh battery – sometimes as much as 40-50%, though it's fair to say that our test phones don't always get the vigorous workout of the handsets we own and use more frequently. The casing itself is distinctly plastic and it feels like a cheaper phone, but it doesn't in any way feel badly built or fragile. In fact this feels like the sort of phone you don't have to be too careful with, though that's only our impression rather than anything we've been told officially: the phone isn't rated as waterproof or dustproof. As for the camera, the Alcatel 1068 has a 2-megapixel rear camera and a VGA front-facing camera. It also supports 3G connectivity, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM radio, and GPS. The device is fueled by a 1500mAh battery, which should last for a day on a single charge.

The Alcatel 3L (2020) is one of the best budget phones around

The Alcatel 3L (2020) wouldn't claim to be at the cutting edge of phone performance – in fact it's a long, long way from the edge, and that's evident in the specs you get inside the handset. of internal storage isn't great but it's enough for most people to get by with so much of our digital media libraries stored in the cloud these days. The SIM slot doubles up as a microSD card reader, so it's reassuring to know you can add up to 128GB of extra storage if you find that you need it. A lot of phones don't offer expandable storage these days, but we always like to see it. We've got no major complaints about the design or the build quality of the Alcatel 3L (2020), and like everything else about the phone, you have to weigh up its looks against the price you're paying to get it.