Are Alcatel, ZTE or TCL Smartphones from Tracfone Any Good?

Security, Privacy and Quality Issues with ZTE, Alcatel and TCL Smartphones

Tracfone offers a wide variety of smartphones, especially budget devices, and some of those manufacturers include ZTE, Alcatel and TCL. Over the last few years, some of these brands and others, have been running into possible concerns regarding privacy and security.

Phones from TCL, Alcatel and ZTE are generally very inexpensive, but still sometimes offer enticing features. 

We have generally avoided recommending most phones from these brands simply because of a history of low quality. But now, we want to share more information about why phones form these brands might not be such a great deal.

We will cover a little more information about each of these companies and then go into details about possible problems consumers should be aware of relating to security and privacy, so let's get straight to it.

Background on ZTE, TCL and Alcatel Brands

ZTE
Founded in 1985, ZTE is a Chinese technology company that specializes in telecommunications. They are involved in manufacturing a wide variety of telecommunications related technology, including transmission equipment, communications hardware and software, and mobile devices.  They sell products under their own brand, and as an OEM.

ZTE is partially state-owned by the Chinese government, which has led to concerns and criticism from several countries, including the USA. Concerns have culminated with the FCC actually designating ZTE a national security threat in 2020. While this is more related to their internet hardware and software and 5G technologies, their mobile phones may also have security risks.

TCL
Telephone Communications Limited (TCL) is a Chinese electronics company that specializes in TV's, air conditioners, refrigerators, mobile phones, and many other electronics and appliances. They are best known for their TV's, and in 2019, they become the second-largest TV manufacturer.

TCL launched a joint venture with Alcatel in 2005, and continues to license the brand. They also manufacture and sell smartphones under their own brand, TCL, with the most recent being the TCL 30 series of smartphones. 

TCL has close ties with the Chinese government, and ran into hot water a few years ago when researchers discovered possible 'backdoors' to their Android TV's that allowed access. TCL responded by saying they would develop patches for the issues. 

Alcatel
Alcatel is a French brand owned by Nokia, the Finnish telecommunications company. The Alcatel brand has been licensed to TCL since 2005 and the current contract ends in 2024.

Security Concerns about Some Companies based in China

Just because devices or components are manufactured in China doesn't automatically mean there are security issues or risks. Apple iPhone's, for example, are assembled in China using components form all over the world. Many other major phone makers source components from China, or assemble devices there.

However, there have been concerns about security and privacy issues with Chinese-manufactured smartphones, particularly those produced by companies such as Huawei and Xiaomi, in the last few years. TCL and especially ZTE are also known to have close ties with the Chinese government.

Here are some of the potential privacy and security issues::

• Backdoors and spyware: There have been allegations that these smartphones come with pre-installed spyware and backdoors that allow the Chinese government to access user data, even if the user is located outside of China.
• Data privacy: Chinese law requires companies to provide the government with access to their data upon request, and there are concerns that Chinese smartphone manufacturers may be collecting and sharing user data with the government without their knowledge or consent.
• Software vulnerabilities: Some security experts have identified vulnerabilities in the software of Chinese-manufactured smartphones that could allow hackers to access user data or control the phone remotely.
• Supply chain security: There are concerns about the security of the supply chain for Chinese-manufactured smartphones, as some of the components used in these phones may be produced by companies with ties to the Chinese government.

It's worth noting that many of these concerns are not unique to Chinese-manufactured smartphones, and can apply to smartphones from other countries as well. However, the geopolitical tensions between China and other countries have brought these issues to the forefront of public attention in recent years.

Huawei and Xiaomi are two phone manufacturers that have been banned or blacklisted in the US for some of the above concerns. ZTE was temporarily banned in 2019. 

Tracfone offered a few different Huawei devices in the past, but does not offer any currently. They do offer a number of devices from both ZTE and TCL (Alcatel).

While there has not been widespread discoveries or evidence of privacy or security issues in smartphones from TCL or ZTE, there are a host of concerning situations, ranging from preinstalled malware on some phones, military and government leaders recommending to avoid them, and company leaders closely tied to Chinese government officials. 

The safest way to ensure you don't get spied on or tracked, is to not have a phone. For the majority of us, that's not an option, so the next best way is to be aware of possible risks, and make the best choice from there.

Quality Concerns with TCL, Alcatel and ZTE Phones from Tracfone

As we have mentioned before, we have typically avoided recommending these brands of phones from Tracfone mostly due to their lack of quality and durability. Simply put, we just don't think they are a great deal compared to other options and brands.

The Quality Concerns Generally Consist of:

• Lower quality processor/other components
• Lack of Android OS updates
• Lack of security updates
• Much lower resale potential

Many of the more well known brands, such as Samsung, Motorola, Apple and others, seem to have a 'baseline' quality where they simply don't release anything under that threshold. Even with budget phones from Samsung or Motorola, they still tend to do basic tasks well, and often get at least a few security and OS updates. 

This isn't always true for TCL/Alcatel and ZTE phones. These brands have offered phones that quickly start to struggle with even the most basic functionality, and are even bogged down by custom UI skins or bloatware.

More recently, TCL has released several unlocked phones for US markets, with the TCL 30 series the latest. These phones offer a pretty good value for included features, but again, run into issues with a pretty poor processor, and a lack of planned Android OS updates among other things.

For those that use their phone for minimal tasks such as texting, calling and some web browsing, most of the above issues might not be a big deal. But the lack of Android and security updates are an important factor for everyone.

Should You Buy a TCL/Alcatel or ZTE Phone from Tracfone?

The short answer is, probably not.

Beyond the potential security and privacy concerns about these brands, they are also usually lower quality, don't get Android OS updates very often, and have a much lower potential resale value.

So whether you are more concerned about security of your phone, or are just looking for a quality smartphone, TCL/Alcatel and ZTE aren't generally worth it when compared to other devices Tracfone offers like Samsung, Motorola and Apple.

That being said, for Tracfone customers who use their phone minimally for things like calling and texting, or use it as a backup device, ZTE and TCL devices will do the job, and the possible privacy or security risks might not be high enough for some.

Our goal with sharing this information is to make our readers aware of possible risks, and make their own decision from it. Leave a comment with your questions, thoughts or opinions.

If you're new to Tracfone, Start Here with our beginners guide. Also take a look at our List of the Best Tracfone Smartphones under $100!

Take a look at the Latest Deals and Sales on Tracfone devices and also our Tracfone Promo Code page!

Join our Facebook page where we post the latest news, deals and other information. Plus, if you have specific questions you can send us a message.

Finally, learn how to Make your Airtime Last Longer and also check out our recent post on How Data works with Tracfone.

Thanks for visiting!