CES 2015: Alcatel promises its OneTouch smartwatch will be affordable

Every company seems to be releasing a smartwatch these days, and Alcatel is no exception. But in true Alcatel style, the company has promised that its newly announced OneTouch smartwatch will be affordable — costing only a fraction of the competition.

Features wise, the OneTouch is pretty much the same as the other smartwatches out there. It functions as an activity tracker, tracks sleep quality, and receives notification alerts from your smartphone. It also has a built-in heart-rate monitor, which is rather surprising for a budget device. Not that we’re complaining of course.

What does set it apart from the competition, however, is that it’s compatible with both iOS and Android. That comes with the downside that it won’t be able to take advantage of the many Android Wear apps available, but that makes it a valid alternative for people who don’t want to splash out for an Apple Watch (or don’t like rectangular watchfaces).

The battery apparently has a 210 mAh capacity, and Alcatel promises that it will last 2-5 days on a single charge. Recharging it from empty will only take an hour. Two days isn’t amazing, but if it can last up to five without serious battery saving tactics then that certainly gives Alcatel a significant advantage.

How affordable the OnTouch will be has not been revealed, but presumably that means it’ll be cheaper than the Moto 360 and LG G Watch R — both of which cost £200. It will be interesting to see how different the price is from the Pebble, which ranges from £95-£100 depending on the colour.

We’ll likely here a bit more as CES goes on, so we’ll update you if any new information becomes available.

This week we’re bringing you all the latest news, videos and gossip from CES 2015 in Las Vegas. Check out the CES 2015 page to keep up to date and subscribe to our YouTube channel to see hands-on news with our editor Holly Brockwell from the show floor.