Coming off of its recent launches of the Idol 4 and 4S, Alcatel returns to its ultra-affordable ways with the MetroPCS-bound Tru.
On the outside, the Tru features a 5-inch, 854 x 480p resolution display, with a 2-megapixel camera above it and a 5MP unit with LED flash around back. Below the display sits a home capacitive button, though we assume it is flanked by another capacitive button on either side. Meanwhile, the back cover is 100 percent plastic, but its use of faux leather should make it feel nice in the hands.
Under the hood, a 1.1GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 chipset and 1GB RAM power the Tru, with the anemic 8GB of native storage bolstered by up to an additional 32GB through the MicroSD card slot. The 2,000mAh battery that keeps the lights on may not seem like much, but thanks to the meager specifications of the Tru, odds are you will not be hunting for a charger by the end of the day.
Unfortunately, the Tru runs the aging Android Lollipop out of the box, with an update to either Marshmallow or the upcoming Nougat highly unlikely.
You might not want to look at the Tru if timely software updates are your thing. Rather, you turn to the Tru for a phone that will give you the basics and nothing more, though the inclusion of 4G LTE support at its price point is a nice add-on.
Speaking of which, the Tru only costs $29 after mail-in rebate, making the phone one of the most affordable MetroPCS has to offer. For that price, you can buy 22 units for the price of a 16GB iPhone 6S and still have some money left over for a snack or two. If you just want to buy one, however, the Tru is now available online.
