[CES 2013] Alcatel One Touch Scribe HD a 5-inch, quad-core Android

Alcatel isn't a brand that grabs a lot of U.S. headlines, but with the One Touch Scribe HD, it's keeping up with the Joneses all the same.

The Scribe HD comes with a 5-inch HD screen, stock Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and a quad-core processor. In fact, it's the first announced smartphone to use MediaTek's 1.2GHz quad-core chipset (MT6589).

For background, the Taiwan-based MediaTek just announced its MT6589 quad-core chipset in December, making it the newest entrant into the ever-growing smartphone core war.

The Scribe HD will also feature an 8-megapixel camera with a 720p HD front-facing camera. I didn't get a chance to test the camera, but I did really enjoy the look and feel of the Scribe HD. The model I saw was slick with a glossy black face and an equally smooth white back and sides. It's a thin phone, but doesn't feel too edgy or angular in the hands. There's no way, however, that I'm fitting it into my jeans.

Since the U.S.-bound handset will feature 3G speeds, it's likely coming as a high-end device to a 3G prepaid carrier like Cricket. For 4G, you'll need the Alcatel One Touch ScribeHD-LTE, which has not been announced for the U.S.

The One Touch HD is slated to arrive in China this month and in the U.S. in the second fiscal quarter, for about $400 unsubsidized.