Alcatel’s new Pixi 3 line can run Android, Windows or Firefox OS; smartwatch also planned

Alcatel doesn’t exactly excite the pants off us whenever they announce a new phone, but there’s reason to take notice of their latest lineup of affordable smartphones. It’s being called PIXI 3, a series of phones that come in either 3.5-inches with 3G connectivity, or 4-inch, 4.5-inch or 5-inch options all with 4G LTE.

Alcatel didn’t have anything particularly noteworthy to mention about device features and software, though they did make a lot of noise about the Pixi 3 being platform agnostic (that is, it can run more than one operating system). It’ll come in Android, Firefox OS or Windows Phone flavors, a healthy selection to choose from if we do say so ourselves.

Unfortunately it’s not as you’d expect: you won’t be able to push a button and load into whichever OS you want at a moment’s notice. In fact, you might not even be able to choose which OS you want at time of purchase depending on who you buy the phone through.

Alcatel made it a point to note that it’s up to carriers to offer the Pixi 3 with whichever operating system they prefer. We’d love it if users can buy the device with an OS of their choosing unlocked, but we’ll have to wait to hear about their launch plans before seeing what, exactly, is planned.

Also on the company’s list of things to talk about is a new smartwatch — simply dubbed Alcatel WATCH — that’ll be compatible with Android phones, though the company seemingly won’t be using Android Wear.

The wearable is expected to come in at a super affordable price point compared to the standard $200-$300 we’ve seen out of most standard options currently available. We’re not sure a low price tag alone will be enough to grab some attention away from the Motorolas and LGs of the smart watch world, but that’s their angle and they’re sticking to it.

We’ll be expecting to see these devices as we roll into CES next week so we’ll be sure to bring you our first impressions once we hit the show floor running. In the meantime, let us know how you feel about this interesting twist from an otherwise quiet company in the comments below.