Alcatel V3 Series: Paper display, stylus, gaming at budget price

Alcatel has launched the V3 Series, three smartphones designed for the digital-first youth of India. With a paper-like display, stylus, 120 FPS gaming, and battery life that keeps going and going, Alcatel is looking beyond specs. We spoke with Atul Vivek, Chief Business Officer of Nxtcell India, to find out why this might be the most practical smartphone series of the season.

A screen that reads like a book and lasts like a Kindle

Smartphones are not evolving; they are upgrading. “What has really changed? Megapixels, processor speeds! But how you use the phone stays the same. That’s where our patented Next Paper technology comes into play,” Atul Vivek said.

Alcatel’s NXTPAPER display technology, launched with the V3 Series, turns the whole screen usage on its head. The NXTPAPER display is designed to act like paper and the comfort it gives for reading. The display has four modes: Color Paper, Ink Paper, Regular, and Max Ink. Depending on what you are doing on your phone, whether reading a book, taking snaps for Instagram, or saving battery, you can switch modes with just one click of a button.

“You read a book on a normal phone, and it fries your eyes. This display lets you read for hours,” Vivek said. “And in Max Ink mode, it turns monochrome and sips power. We’ve hit 26 days of standby time while still letting you scroll and read.”

Gaming for the budget-conscious

The V3 Series isn’t loaded with RGB lights or aggressive branding, but for Gen Z gamers, it checks the boxes.

“Our processor supports 120 FPS. That’s more than enough for casual gaming,” said Vivek. The phone also has DTS stereo speakers and a 3.5 mm headphone jack, which many brands are now removing. “A lot of young users still want wired earphones, especially during long gaming sessions. Some even worry about Bluetooth radiation.”

Cooling is done silently with a vapor cooling system built into the SoC. Android’s built-in game mode is also supported. “We didn’t try to reinvent the gaming dashboard,” Vivek added. “But what we offer is clean, reliable performance that won’t throttle after 20 minutes.”

You’re in control

With data privacy on everyone’s mind, the V3 Series gives you more control. “Most apps ask for access to your mic and camera as soon as you install them. On our UI, you can manage those permissions yourself. Nothing runs without your say,” Vivek said.

It also has NFC, tested and certified for Google Pay. So contactless payments work out of the box. “Google tests the hardware before giving access. The software takes care of the rest.”

And as a bonus, eSIM setup is super fast. “In 15 minutes you can activate an eSIM. Great for travel and less chance of SIM theft,” Vivek said.

Flipkart's first strategy and pricing play at the masses

Priced between Rs 12,999 and Rs 19,999, the V3 Series is targeting a wide range of users—content people, stylus doodlers, and casual gamers.

The V3 Ultra comes with a stylus, 108MP UltraPixel camera, and Horizon Lock for shake-free videos. For RAM-heavy usage, the V3 Pro offers up to 18GB RAM and a 5200 mAh battery. The V3 Classic is simple and to the point but has a segment-first NFC feature.

Flipkart will be the launch partner, and the phones will be available from June 2, 2025. “We are targeting consumers who want technology to work, not numbers,” Vivek said. “Consumers today trust e-commerce. Flipkart gives us scale and speed.”

But for those who buy offline, “we have price parity with offline,” he confirmed.

Why it matters

In a world of spec wars and design clones, the Alcatel V3 Series has the guts to be different. It’s not the most cores or a crazy number of megapixels; it’s how consumers actually use their phones.

 As Vivek said, “This is for users who want technology to work, not numbers.”

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