Cell phones, sold under the Alcatel brand, have long been familiar to domestic buyers. Recently, quite decent smartphones have appeared in their line, which can compete with devices from well-known manufacturers. For example, Alcatel One Touch Idol X.
It's no secret that these gadgets are produced by the Chinese company TCL. Whether this is an advantage or a disadvantage is a moot point. Currently, many smartphones produced in the Middle Kingdom are excellent, balanced devices running Android. Surprisingly, it is the gadgets of this manufacturer that can easily compete with brands such as HTC, Sony, Samsung.
Alcatel One Touch Idol X has a prototype that is being produced only for the domestic market. The Chinese sell it under their own name - TCL. However, within the framework of this article, we will consider the European version of the device, which is officially sold in Russia.
Equipment
The first impression of a gadget is formed by its packaging. Here the manufacturer did not skimp on advertising. The front panel of the box shows the smartphone from a favorable angle. Above it is the model name. Naturally, the manufacturer mentioned the brand affiliation.
When disassembling a set of accessories, the buyer will not encounter any unusual elements. Currently, all manufacturers use approximately the same configuration. Alcatel One Touch Idol X was no exception. Along with the device, a wired stereo headset, an AC adapter, a USB cable, and a 2000 mAh battery are sold. Looking at these elements, you can notice that they correspond to the segment entry level. Of course, there is documentation in which the user will find an instruction manual and a warranty card.
Those who have already purchased a smartphone noticed that the manufacturer did not include a case. Alcatel One Touch Idol X has a completely plastic body, so purchasing protective accessories is quite important. The use of impact-resistant glass - Dragontrail - was a bonus. Although it will protect the screen, it is still recommended to use a special film. It is not included in the kit, so you must purchase it additionally. Devices with integrated memory of 8 GB have a slot for a flash drive. However, the external storage does not come with the phone.
Design Features
Externally, the Alcatel One Touch Idol X smartphone looks solid and presentable. Its body consists of straight, clear lines with barely rounded corners. 80% of the front panel is occupied by the screen. The frame around it is quite narrow - 2.4 mm. The only thing is that there are black stripes at the top and bottom, which serve as a place to place important elements. For example, above the screen there is a front camera “eye”, a standard earpiece hole, and sensors. There are three control buttons at the bottom. They are sensory. And most importantly, the developers used backlighting, thanks to which the keys can be easily recognized even in the dark.
On the back cover at the top there is a main camera lens. Below it there is a single-position LED flash. The output speaker grille is located in the lower right corner.
As mentioned above, the body of the Alcatel One Touch Idol X is entirely made of plastic. Thanks to this, the weight of the gadget is only 130 g with dimensions of 141 × 68 × 6.9 mm.
As for the connectors and mechanical buttons, they are located on the side faces and ends. The USB cable port and microphone are on the bottom, and the headphone or speaker jack is on the top. The audio jack is standard; most equipment does not require an adapter. The lock and volume keys are located on the right side.
Hardware "stuffing"
What do most buyers pay attention to when buying Alcatel One Touch Idol X? Processor characteristics. This criterion is quite important, since the phone is a kind of mini-computer. The device is equipped with a MediaTek brand chipset that is quite good by modern standards. It is based on four cores.
The computing modules use the basic Cortex-A7 architecture. The MT-6589T processor provides high performance, during which the core can be overclocked to 1500 MHz. At the moment, in this segment, such indicators are considered quite high.
Considering that the gadget was released in 2013, it easily coped with the most complex tasks, running any resource-intensive applications and games. However, at the moment, the only thing it cannot do is software that is developed for 64-bit platforms. IN this smartphone The chipset is configured only for 32-bit computing. If the buyer sets tasks such as high-quality video display, music playback, surfing the Internet, then all of them are performed flawlessly by the device.
Graphics accelerator
An equally important indicator of the high functionality of a gadget is the video card. IN this device the developers used the Power VR SGX544MP model. Just three years ago she could cope with any task. But when it comes to modern games that require high performance, the graphics accelerator is simply not enough to run them. According to many users, nowadays a video card allows you to easily solve most tasks. The restrictions only apply to games, so you will have to be content with mid-level applications.
Memory
Conducting Alcatel review One Touch Idol X, you definitely need to pay attention to the memory characteristics. Despite the fact that there are several modifications of this model, the developers used the same amount of RAM in all of them. It is 2 GB. Initially, system processes occupy about 700 MB. The rest of the storage can be used to work with additional software.
As for the integrated memory, in the version with one SIM card its volume is only 8 GB. The developers have included a slot for a memory card. The device supports 32 GB flash drives. Models that work with two SIM cards have 16 gigabytes of built-in memory. In this modification there is a slot for external storage not provided.
Screen Features
What kind of image will Alcatel One Touch Idol X please? The display is made using modern OGS technology. Thanks to it, the picture is displayed on the screen in maximum quality. There are no complaints about the viewing angles, since the image is practically not distorted when tilted 180 degrees. Currently, such displays can rarely be found in mid-range devices, not to mention the budget segment.
The main element of the smartphone is its 5-inch screen. The display resolution is still relevant today. Even now there are few smartphones that can boast of 1920x1080 px.
To protect the screen, the manufacturer used an analogue of Gorilla Glass - Dragontrail. This is a protective glass that is not afraid of impacts and can withstand mechanical loads. different levels. You will also be pleased with the presence of an oleophobic coating. Thanks to it, owners will not have to constantly deal with fingerprints.
Alcatel One Touch Idol X: camera specifications
The Idol X gadget from Alcatel does not deserve any comments in matters with optics. The main chamber was made according to modern technologies. It is based on a 13-megapixel sensor. Its manufacturer is a leader in this field. We are talking about Sony. Most buyers have already dealt with its products, leaving only positive reviews. Additional features such as flash and auto focus. This camera can be used to record movies. The speed per second does not exceed 30 frames. The maximum resolution is 1080p.
Buyers did not have much interest in the front camera, since it is equipped with a 2-megapixel matrix. It can be used mainly only for video calls. For a high-quality selfie, this resolution is no longer enough.
Battery specifications
All the characteristics described above can only be considered advantages. However, it is worth talking about the weaknesses of the Alcatel One Touch Idol X. The battery installed by the developers will not please the owners. Its capacity is scanty according to modern requirements - only 2000 mAh. It is based on lithium-ion technology. If you study the battery indicators declared by the manufacturer, then according to them, when working with second-generation networks, the device will be discharged after 320 hours, and when connected to 3G, the time will decrease by 80 hours.
Users in their reviews claim that with maximum savings, the gadget can work for up to 2 days. If you use all its functionality to the maximum, then the battery life will only last for daylight hours. All owners are recommended to purchase an external battery. Thanks to it, you can avoid situations where the battery suddenly runs out completely at the most inopportune moment. It is important to understand that different functionality processes consume different amounts of energy.
Communications
The One Touch Idol X smartphone is equipped with all the necessary communications. Users are provided with Wi-Fi support as a priority method for sharing data. Used for wired information transmission USB cable. The device has a connector, thanks to which you can not only charge the device, but also connect to computers, laptops and other equipment. For use wireless methods Bluetooth is provided for data exchange. You can also use it with a special headset.
3G support provides not only making calls and sending messages, but also connecting to the Internet. In this case, mobile operators provide high-quality speed, thanks to which you can make video calls on the Alcatel One Touch Idol X (the front camera is designed for this purpose). The device also supports GSM standard. It is designed to quickly determine the location of the device. And of course, the developers have provided the ability to connect a wired speaker system. For this purpose, the gadget has a 3.5 mm port.
Software
The developers used the most common operating system as a platform. We're talking about Android. As for the version, the device runs on a rather outdated version - 4.2. Many users say that this causes some inconvenience, since there are restrictions on installing applications. But if we take into account that the processor runs on a 32-bit system, then this version is quite sufficient to ensure the operation of many non-resource-intensive programs. All owners, without exception, can use international social networks, all without exception Google services. And for installing additional content there is a special play store Market.
On top operating system the manufacturer used its own proprietary shell. It provides an initial set of applications - an organizer, calendar, alarm clock, calculator, etc. To expand the functionality of the gadget, the user can always download additional software from the Internet.
Problem solving
According to most users, this model smartphone boasts high level reliability. If there were any breakdowns, they constitute a very small percentage. Most often, users encounter freezes. In most cases, this is not typical for the Alcatel One Touch Idol X. The firmware of the original version, as a rule, works without failures. However, isolated cases still occur. To do this, users are advised to contact service center in order to update your device. The most “advanced” do it themselves. However, you need to understand that changing the firmware yourself can lead to complete failure of the gadget. Therefore, such actions are done at your own peril and risk.
Briefly about the price
Due to the fact that this phone model has already been discontinued, it can only be purchased from stock. As a rule, users choose online stores for this. Undoubtedly, you can make some pretty good purchases there. However, buyers are advised to be very careful as the Idol X is very similar to the Alcatel One Touch Idol X Mini. They have the same design, however latest version somewhat inferior in characteristics and size. Naturally, this is reflected in the price.
The full-fledged Idol X model started at a cost of about $250 (RUB 14,000). In three years, new devices have “pushed” the smartphone to the entry-level segment. However, it’s hard to say that the Alcatel One Touch Idol X has dropped significantly in price. The price is currently around $125-150 (RUB 7,000-9,000). When compared with competitors, there are devices in this price category that have better technical equipment, for example in the Sony and Xiaomi lines.
The ALCATEL One Touch Idol X smartphone is the manufacturer’s first device with a Full HD screen and a price of less than $400. Idol X is expected to hit store shelves in early November. Together with one of the best Full HD screens, the smartphone is able to offer the user a quad-core 1.5 GHz processor, 2 GB of RAM, the Android 4.2 operating system and, depending on the configuration, 8 GB of internal storage and a memory card slot, or 16 GB and two slots for SIM. In our case, we are dealing with a dual-SIM version equipped with 16 GB of memory.
Design and ergonomics
Let's start with the fact that Idol X is not just one of the most advanced smartphones based on MTK processors today, it also has the thinnest frames in the world. Their thickness is a record 1.75 mm, although taking into account the plastic framing the tempered glass, its size increases to 2.4 mm. However, this does not change the essence, ALCATEL One Touch Idol X remains the owner of the thinnest frames.
At first, you never cease to be amazed how the manufacturer managed to fit a 5-inch display into such a narrow case, and at the same time leave the mechanical keys on the sides and ends in their usual places. But that's not all. In addition to the thickness of the frames, the case itself is thin, only 7 mm, and the weight is 120 g. As a result, the combination of all these little things makes the ALCATEL One Touch Idol X a very unusual and attention-grabbing device. From November, three colors will be available to the user: dark gray, red and yellow. We had the opportunity to use the first option for two months, and the second for several weeks. In the case of a gray case, the user receives a more pleasant plastic rear panel, but a less bright color. In the case of red and probably yellow, the back of the case is also matte, but not as rough as in gray.
As for the rest of the materials, the front part is protected by Dragontrail glass with an oleophobic coating. In terms of reliability, the glass can easily compete with Gorilla from Corning. The glass is framed by a painted plastic frame with a hint of metal. Over time, the paint does not wear off, so you don’t have to worry about this, but the fact that there is black plastic underneath is not at all pleasing, especially if you have peeled off the top layer.
In addition to the 5-inch display, the front panel contains proximity and light sensors, a camera, a slot for the speaker grille, an LED notifying about missed events and battery charge level, as well as three touch keys, from left to right: “Back”, “Home”, "Menu". To call the dispatcher running applications you need to hold down the “Menu” key, Google Now called by holding “Home”. Keys and commands cannot be reassigned. The backlighting of the keys is uniform.
There are slots for microSIM on the left and right sides of the case, symmetrically to each other. Both are covered with magnetic folding curtains. A similar principle of attaching plugs could be found in Nokia N9, Nokia Lumia 800 is an elegant and convenient solution. On the right side, under the slot for SIM or memory card, depending on the configuration, there is a double volume key. The button has easy-to-feel edges, so finding it during a call is not difficult. Another use for the volume keys is to wake up from sleep mode. In view of the location of the power/lock key on the right edge of the top end, such care for users looks at least pleasant. In our sample, the keys worked very poorly, in other words, they were glitchy. For example, pressing the volume key could trigger three or four presses at once, and accordingly the volume would decrease by that much. The same applies to increasing the volume. Judging by the comments of some users from the 4pda.ru forum, this problem is also observed in the original model. In this regard, we strongly recommend checking the operation of the keys when purchasing.
Unlike the metal-patterned sides, the keys are glossy and made of black plastic. In addition to the power/lock button, there is a headphone jack on the top edge. At the bottom there is a microUSB connector and a hole for the main microphone.
On the back side of the case, attention is drawn to the protruding camera module framed by a silver rectangle above which you can see the hole for the second microphone at the top, the flash at the bottom, and the inscription FHD 13.1 MP on the right. Below is a metal inscription onetouch, and at the very bottom - ALCATEL with many holes for a multimedia speaker. On the edges of them there are small legs that prevent muffling of the speaker sound.
If we talk about the build quality, then after two months the smartphone body is still the same monolithic, not making any noise. extraneous sounds when squeezed. For a device of this class, this can be considered a compliment. Usually, after a few weeks, most smartphones begin to creak one way or another, this did not happen with the ALCATEL One Touch Idol X.
Operating system and shell
The smartphone runs the Android 4.2.2 operating system and, which is completely unusual for MTK models, has its own interface. The shell resembles a cross between the MIUI interface and what we saw in previous ALCATEL models.
The lock screen can accommodate up to nine widgets (only pre-installed ones are supported). They are all located at the top of the screen. To expand the selected application to full screen, you need to pull it down. If you do not do this, an icon with a lock enclosed in a circle will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. By clicking on it, four shortcuts will appear on the sides of the circle for calling messages, launching the camera, going to dialing or unlocking. The icon itself changes its location depending on how you hold the phone; if you tilt it to the left, it will roll to the left edge. An accelerometer is used to determine the location of the device in space. From the lock screen you can go to the notification panel, which, as in all smartphones on Android based 4.2, consists of two tabs: notifications and switches for various modes. You cannot select which of them will be displayed or change their location. The settings menu is divided into five groups. The first contains settings wireless networks and data transfer. In the second setting of the smartphone. In the third: location, security, language and keyboard, recovery and reset. In the fourth - Accounts. The fifth contains the date and time, on and off timer, as well as various legal information and information about the device, including a menu for updating software over the air.
The desktop consists of five windows, depending on the number installed applications the number of windows changes. The one on the far left contains only the image. The following houses several branded widgets. In order to see those that do not fit on the screen, you need to move the list up or down. To edit elements placed on the desktop, use the pinch-to-zoom gesture or hold your finger on a free part of the screen.
The amount of pre-installed software exceeds reasonable boundaries; the good news is that it can be removed and that among the abundance of applications there are programs for working with office documents and antivirus. It is likely that many of the users will never use them, but those who still need such applications will be grateful for the provision of them for free.
Folders are created by dragging shortcuts on top of each other. To delete an application, you need to hold your finger on it and then drag it to the upper left corner of the screen. Calling up on the desktop context menu you can remove windows with photo wallpapers and widgets, display hidden applications (you can hide an application using the same action as when deleting, only instead of the left corner, drag it to the right).
Among the unusual features, we note a menu with a choice of which applications will display notifications in the status bar, gestures - turning off the sound by turning the smartphone or switching to a new song by shaking, the ability to connect Flash drives (USB OTG is supported), as well as selecting the memory where applications will be installed (valid for the Idol X version with a memory card).
As for the smoothness of the interface, everything is typical here - moving between desktop windows is often accompanied by twitching, but scrolling in applications often works smoothly.
The digital dialing keypad contains letters from the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets. By default, SwiftKey is set as the text keyboard. In most cases the browser is fast. Among the problems noticed, including the original TCL Idol X model, we note the problem with scrolling photos up and down when the smartphone is held horizontally. The sensor doesn't always respond to user input if you're viewing photos at a larger scale and trying to move them up and down.
The operating principle of SIM cards is standard: in standby mode, both SIM cards are available for calls and messages; when accessing the Internet with one of them, both also remain available for calls and messages, but when the former arrive, the data transfer is interrupted; when talking on one of the SIMs, the second will be out of range.
Hardware platform
The smartphone is based on the MediaTek MT6589T hardware platform, equipped with 2 GB of RAM and 8 or 16 GB of ROM. Four Cortex-A7 processor cores run on clock frequency 1.5 GHz. The PowerVR SGX544MP accelerator is responsible for working with graphics.
Similar characteristics will be found in Chinese smartphones more and more often, but TCL Communication will remain the first to bring it to the masses in our country.
In terms of performance, the MT6589T shows itself to be a good average, at the level of last year's flagships, which in itself is not bad, especially considering the Full HD screen. You can get acquainted with the benchmark results below; as for impressions of smooth operation, we recommend that you refer to the previous section. The smartphone slows down when playing games. For example, in Real Racing 3, insufficient fps is often noticeable, especially in scenes with a large number of cars. However, unless you compare ALCATEL head to head with something based on Snapdragon 600/Snapdragon 800, only an experienced user will notice the lack of smoothness. That is, there is slowness, but this can only be understood by switching from or to a more productive device.
Playing video files
| Codec/Name | FinalDestination5.mp4 | Neudergimie.2.mkv | Gran Turismo 6.mp4 | Spartacus.mkv | ParallelUniverse.avi |
| Video | MPEG4 Video (H264) 1920×798 29.99fps | MPEG4 Video (H264) 1920×816 23.98fps | MPEG4 Video (H264) 1920×1080 60fps, 19.7Mbit/s | MPEG4 Video (H264) 1280×720 29.97fps | MPEG4 Video (H264) 1280×536 24.00fps 2726kbps |
| Audio | AAC 48000Hz stereo 96kbps | MPEG Audio Layer 3 44100Hz stereo | AAC 48000Hz stereo 48kbps | Dolby AC3 44100Hz stereo | MPEG Audio Layer 3 44100Hz stereo 256kbps |
In terms of the quality of GPS signal reception, WiFi work, 3G, ALCATEL One Touch Idol X does not bring any surprises. Although in one thing it is still better than many “Chinese” ones - searching for GPS satellites takes relatively little time, and it finds a smartphone a little more than others.
The volume of the ringing (multimedia) speaker is good, it can be heard under any circumstances. The quality of the speaker is not bad, the preset melodies do not cause wheezing even at maximum volume. The sound in the headphones also has a good volume reserve, but the quality is all standard. The situation can be somewhat improved by using third-party players and headphones, but ALCATEL is not up to par with Qualcomm-based smartphones. The sound volume of the earpiece is average, sufficient for most situations, but without reserve.
Having at its disposal a battery with a capacity of 2000 mAh, the smartphone is capable of quite decent operating time. Under the author's typical workload, I had to charge Idol X every second evening. During this time, there were 10-15 minutes of calls, 1.5-2 hours of reading social networks, work in WiFi and 3G networks, synchronize two accounts. Display brightness is automatic. With continuous load, the smartphone owner can count on 4-4.5 hours of screen operation. In two-hour tests, ALCATEL One Touch Idol X showed the following results.
| Operating time indicators | ||||
| Mode\Device | ALCATEL OT Idol X | Fly IQ4410 Phoenix | ALCATEL OT Idol Ultra | Fly IQ444 Diamond 2 |
| Music | 3% | 3% | 5% | 6% |
| Reading | 26% | 19% | 36% | 25% |
| Navigation | 31% | 24% | 32% | 33% |
| Watch HD video | 23% | 30% | 43% | 20% |
| Watching HD videos from Youtube | 31% | 29% | 39% | 21% |
| Antutu Tester (points) | 556 | 629 | 579 | 906 |
To listen to music, we used a standard player, volume at 12 out of 15 possible, MP3 files with a bitrate of 320 Kbps. In reading mode, all wireless communications are disabled, including data transfer to mobile network, and the display brightness is set to 50%. Navigation includes plotting a route in Google app Navigation. The brightness is set to 50%, all data communication modules are disabled. When playing a video, the display brightness is set to 50%, the sound volume in the headphones is at level 12 out of a possible 15. The video file format is MKV, resolution 1024x432 pixels, frame rate 24. When playing a video from Youtube, the display brightness is set to 50%, the sound volume in the headphones is at 12 out of 15 possible levels.
Display
There is an opinion that the display is the business card of a smartphone or tablet. The better the display, the more positive emotions the device as a whole evokes. Perhaps this is the key to the success of the ALCATEL One Touch Idol X, since the IPS display (Sharp) used in it is built using OGS technology (without an air gap) and has a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels (441 PPI). The viewing angles are maximum, in this parameter it is not only able to compete with the best displays today HTC smartphones, but at least be no worse. The colors are saturated and remain so even with maximum deviation from the perpendicular. The color temperature fits perfectly at 6500K, the color gamut is close to Adobe RGB, and only the gamma curve shows a noticeable oversaturation of light tones, which makes them indistinguishable.
The minimum display brightness is 58.3 cd/m2, the average is 217 cd/m2, the maximum is 420 cd/m2. The first value is too high, and without using applications to adjust the brightness, reading or simply working with the device in complete darkness is tiring for the eyes. A similar drawback on the TCL Idol X was solved by installing the Lux Dash application. It also leads to errors in the light sensor, for example, it does not turn on the display backlight when incoming call, while all functions remain working, including answering a call by sliding the lock to the right, but you have to do it at random. Therefore, Idol X users will either have to put up with the application's minor shortcomings or give up using their smartphone in the dark. It is the last factor that does not allow us to give the smartphone the highest possible rating for the screen, because, as we have already said, in everything else it showed itself excellently. Add to all this an ultra-sensitive sensor that can process touches even through cardboard, not to mention gloves, and you can see why we were so impressed with it.
Camera
It is quite possible that ALCATEL One Touch Idol X is the only smartphone not included in the A-brand category that uses Sony sensors. The main module is exactly the same as in - 13 MP Exmor RS ( IMX135). The front camera has a 2 MP sensor ( IMX132) with the ability to record Full HD video. To be fair, we note that the sensor is only one component of image quality. In addition to the sensor, there are also optics, software processing, and here ALCATEL does not show itself in the best way, although the results are superior to most of its classmates. The fast optics (f/2.0) partly help to be better, at least when shooting in poor lighting. You can evaluate examples of camera operation using the examples below. Since there weren't many sunny days during testing of ALCATEL One Touch Idol X, some of the photos were taken by TCL Idol X.
The viewfinder of the camera has a minimalistic design with a minimum of settings. On the right there is a mode switch: photo, video, below it is a large shutter key, illustrating which mode (HDR, panorama) is selected in this moment. On the left are three icons, from top to bottom: switching to the front camera, settings and flash mode. In the settings, you can enable full screen - photos with an aspect ratio of 16:9 (10 MP) and select HDR or panorama. When recording video there are no additional settings, only turn on the flash. Video recording can be paused and focused by touch. There is only one complaint about video recording - constant refocusing, which is noticeable even when shooting static scenes.
Examples of 13 MP photos taken by ALCATEL One Touch Idol X
Photos with HDR mode
Photos taken by TCL Idol X
Examples of Full HD video recording using the ALCATEL One Touch Idol X smartphone
Results
ALCATEL One Touch Idol X is another proof of how interesting “Chinese” smartphones are becoming. The TCL Idol X model was available for purchase at the end of July. At that time, it was the only smartphone with similar characteristics and capabilities that could be ordered from the Middle Kingdom. But even after three months, the relevance, now ALCATEL One Touch Idol X, does not become less. For 3,100 hryvnia, the user gets a smartphone with one of the best Full HD screens with a record thin frame, a good camera, a quad-core processor, 2 GB of RAM, the ability to choose between a single-SIM version with a memory card slot or a dual-SIM version with a 16 GB drive, high-quality build and good autonomy.
Liked
+ Dimensions relative to devices with a 5-inch screen
+ Weight
+ Build quality
+ Materials
+ Cost
+ Display
+ Camera
+ 2 GB RAM
+ Loud ringing speaker
+ Ultra-sensitive screen sensor
+ Ability to choose between single-SIM and dual-SIM versions
+ USB OTG support
Did not like
— Increased minimum screen brightness
— Jumping autofocus when recording video
— Features of the proximity sensor
— Incorrect work volume keys
The product was provided for testing by TCT Mobile Europe S.A.S. in Ukraine, www.alcatelonetouch.com.ua
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ALCATEL Idol X 6040D (Slate) |
| Type | Smartphone |
| Type of shell | monoblock |
| Standard | GSM 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA 900/2100 |
| GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA | |
| Dimensions (mm) | thickness 7.9 |
| Weight (g) | 120 |
| Processor (for smartphones) | MTK6589, 1.5 GHz (4 cores) + GPU PowerVR SGX544 |
| Memory | 2 GB RAM + 16 GB internal memory |
| Expansion slot | microSD (up to 32 GB) |
| Main screen | 5″, IPS, 1920×1080 pixels (441 ppi), 16.7 million colors, touch, capacitive, multi-touch support |
| Keyboard type | screen input |
| Accumulator battery | Li-Ion, 2000 mAh |
| Communications | USB 2.0 (micro-USB), Bluetooth 3.0+HS (A2DP), Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot |
| Supports 2 or more SIM cards | Yes |
| Photography | 13 MP, auto focus, digital zoom, Geo-tagging, 2 MP front-camera |
| Video shooting | 1920x1080 pixels |
| Flash | LED |
| operating system | Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) |
| Type | Smartphone |
| Pre-installed OS | Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) |
| RAM, GB | 2 |
| Built-in memory, GB | 16 |
| Expansion slot | - |
| SIM card type | Micro-SIM |
| Number of SIM cards | 2 |
| CPU | MediaTek MT6589T + GPU PowerVR SGX 544 |
| Number of Cores | 4 |
| Frequency, GHz | 1,5 |
| Accumulator battery | Li-Ion, 2000 mAh |
| Operating time (manufacturer's data) | Standby time: 320h (2G) / 240h (3G); talk time 20h (2G) / 12h (3G) |
| Diagonal, inches | 5 |
| Permission | 1920x1080 |
| Matrix type | IPS |
| PPI | 441 |
| Dimming sensor | + |
| Other | OGS, oleophobic coating, protective glass Dragontrail |
| Main camera, MP | 13 |
| Video shooting | 1920x1080 pixels |
| Flash | LED |
| Front camera, MP | 2 |
| High speed data transfer | GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA |
| WiFi | 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot, DLNA |
| Bluetooth | 3.0+HS (A2DP) |
| GPS | + |
| IrDA | - |
| FM radio | + |
| Audio jack | 3.5 mm |
| NFC | - |
| Interface connector | USB 2.0 (micro-USB) |
| Dimensions, mm | 140.4x67.5x6.9 |
| Weight, g | 130 |
| Protection from dust and moisture | - |
| Type of shell | monoblock |
| Housing material | plastic |
| Keyboard type | screen input |
| More | media player, video telephony, a-GPS receiver, G-sensor, Google and SPB applications, proximity and light sensors, applications for accessing social networks, viewing and editing text documents, SIM card type - Micro-SIM |
ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Idol Mini is a compact smartphone from the Idol line. It is not devoid of the company's corporate style, which makes it look great. Unfortunately, there were some simplifications; they affected the processor and RAM. Let's see what this smartphone is capable of.
Design and ergonomics
ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Idol Mini is made in a similar style to other ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Idol models and that’s good. The design of the smartphone is recognizable and original. The case is non-separable, perfectly assembled and very thin, by the way, the thickness is only 7.9 mm. The length of the smartphone is 127.1 mm, width 62 mm, and weight 97 grams. With these parameters, the smartphone is practically not felt in your pants pocket.
The location of the keys and interfaces is as follows: at the top of the front panel there is a light sensor, proximity sensor, voice speaker, 0.3 MP front camera and missed events indicator. At the bottom of the front panel there are three backlit hardware touch keys. At the ends of the smartphone there is a power button and a 3.5 mm jack (top), microUSB and the main microphone (bottom), a slot for micro-SIM and microSD (right) and a volume rocker on the left (left). On the back cover there is a camera lens, it protrudes slightly above the surface of the body and has a silver rim, a flash, a second microphone, a manufacturer’s logo and a multimedia speaker. The back cover is made of plastic simulating metal. Fingerprints on the lid are only visible from a certain angle and are easily erased.
In general, there are no critical comments about the ergonomics of the smartphone. The connector plugs fit securely and tightly. It is convenient to use the smartphone with one hand, even despite the location of the power button on the top end. Mechanical keys have a tight, but clearly distinguishable stroke. Thanks to the thin body, low weight and pleasant materials, the device is pleasant to use.
Operating system and shell
The smartphone runs Android 4.2.2 operating system using its own interface. The proprietary shell is pleasant to look at and is to some extent a symbiosis of MIUI and Android Jelly Bean.
The interface is almost completely the same as that of older models. The lock screen can accommodate up to nine widgets from which you can navigate to full screen mode. In addition to widgets, the lock screen has four icons (dialing, messages, camera and unlock), which are enclosed in a circle. Selecting icons and unlocking the smartphone is done using a small circle. It also changes its location relative to the tilt of the body thanks to the built-in accelerometer. This feature looks interesting and funny. By the way, during charging, the charge level is indicated in the middle of the circle. Without unlocking your smartphone, you can go to the notification panel and mode switches. It is impossible to change or move mode switching icons.
After unlocking, we find ourselves on one of five desktops, where widgets and program icons are located. For older models this is the main menu, but for Idol MINI it is just a desktop with widgets and program shortcuts. You can create folders on your desktop by dragging and dropping application shortcuts. When you long press on a widget, sliders appear that you can use to change the size of the widget.
By clicking on the icon located in the lower right corner, we get to the application menu. The application menu has three tabs: general programs, downloaded programs and widgets. Despite the refusal of some manufacturers more preinstalled programs ALCATEL ONE TOUCH did not follow this path and installed a large number of programs, fortunately, they can be easily removed. Among the preinstalled programs you can find an antivirus, an office application, a large number of social services and almost all services from Google. It is possible to block notifications from selected programs, as well as select the memory where applications will be installed.
The interface works well, twitching occurs rarely, but in cases where a heavy application is launched and then exited, the desktop shortcuts are redrawn.
SwiftKey is installed as the standard keyboard. The browser loads pages quickly and its performance is flawless.
I would like to note that some standard applications redrawn according to the general design style. Among them are a compass, calculator, flashlight and radio.
Hardware platform
It is worth noting that the smartphone can be presented in two versions: 6012X and 6012D. The first version with the index 6012X is distinguished by the presence of one SIM card, a microSD slot, and 4 GB of internal memory. The version with the index 6012D already has two slots for SIM cards, 8 GB of internal memory, but no microSD slot.
ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Idol Mini is powered by the budget SoC MT6572 from MediaTek. This processor built on a 28 nm process technology, has two Cortex A7 cores with a frequency of 1.3 GHz. The well-known Mali 400 MP acts as a video accelerator. Although this SoC is considered budget, it shows good results in synthetic tests. Volume random access memory modest by the standards of the end of 2013, and is 512 MB. During normal use, there was no more than 140MB of RAM remaining. The built-in storage capacity is 4 GB, of which about 2 GB is available to the user.
Playing video files
| Codec/Name | FinalDestination5.mp4 | Neudergimie.2.mkv | s.t.a.l.k.e.r.avi | Spartacus.mkv | ParallelUniverse.avi |
| Video | MPEG4 Video (H264) 1920×798 29.99fps | MPEG4 Video (H264) 1920×816 23.98fps | Xvid 712×400 25.00fps 1779kbps | MPEG4 Video (H264) 1280×720 29.97fps | MPEG4 Video (H264) 1280×536 24.00fps 2726kbps |
| Audio | AAC 48000Hz stereo 96kbps | MPEG Audio Layer 3 44100Hz stereo | MPEG Audio Layer 3 48000Hz stereo 128kbps | Dolby AC3 44100Hz stereo | MPEG Audio Layer 3 44100Hz stereo 256kbps |
This smartphone is not positioned as a gaming smartphone, but, nevertheless, the performance will be sufficient for undemanding games.
The volume and sound quality from the speakers is good. Thanks to the thoughtful placement of the speaker, it will be difficult to miss a call, since even when the phone is lying on the table, the speaker is not blocked. The microphone transmits speech qualitatively. The sound in the headphones is good.
During most tasks, the smartphone body did not heat up. Work in Wi-Fi networks did not raise any questions, everything works quickly and without interruptions in the connection. Searching for satellites is slightly faster than on other devices with MediaTek chipsets.
Autonomy
ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Idol Mini shows average battery life results. Hid inside the thin body accumulator battery capacity 1700mAh. Under average loads such as: about an hour of calls, with data transfer always on, the smartphone can last a day. If the device is used more actively, then it is likely that it will not last until the end of the working day. There is an energy saving mode. The results of autonomy tests can be found below.
| Operating time indicators | ||||
| Mode\Model | ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Idol Mini | Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 | ALCATEL OT SCRIBE HD | Fly IQ444 Diamond 2 |
| Music | 5% | 6% | 2% | 6% |
| Reading | 22% | 15% | 23% | 25% |
| Navigation | 27% | 22% | 26% | 33% |
| Watch HD video | 24% | 28% | 27% | 20% |
| Watching HD videos from Youtube | 25% | 30% | 30% | 21% |
| Antutu Tester (points) | 689 | 655 | 644 | 906 |
To listen to music, we used a standard player, volume at 12 out of 15 possible, MP3 files with a bitrate of 320 Kbps. In reading mode, all wireless communications are disabled, including data transmission on the mobile network, and the display brightness is set to 50%. Navigation includes getting directions in the Google Navigation app. The brightness is set to 50%, all data communication modules are disabled. When playing a video, the display brightness is set to 50%, the sound volume in the headphones is at level 12 out of a possible 15. The video file format is MKV, resolution 1024x432 pixels, frame rate 24. When playing a video from Youtube, the display brightness is set to 50%, the sound volume in the headphones is at 12 out of 15 possible levels.
Display and cameras
Currently even budget smartphones began to equip IPS displays. ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Idol Mini boasts a 4.3-inch IPS display with a resolution of 854x480 pixels and an automatic brightness control sensor. The display accepts up to five simultaneous presses. The viewing angles of the screen are close to maximum, the colors are rich, and the brightness is high. The display fades in the sun, but the information remains readable. The maximum brightness is 394 cd/m², the average brightness is 199 cd/m², and the minimum is 43 cd/m². Overpriced minimum value negatively affects the use of the device at night. The smartphone screen displays shades of gray that are slightly darker than they should be. The color gamut is only slightly larger than sRGB. But if you don’t find fault, the smartphone is equipped with an excellent display for its price category.
ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Idol Mini has two cameras of 5 MP and 0.3 MP. As mentioned above, you can call the camera from the lock screen. The camera interface is simple and intuitive. The video is recorded at 720p resolution.
The camera has HDR, panorama and night modes. In addition, in the settings you can change the flash mode, turn on the timer and select the photo size. Examples of photos can be found below.
Examples of photos taken with the ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Idol Mini smartphone
Examples of HDR photos taken with the ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Idol Mini smartphone
The camcorder settings are even simpler. They only have a choice of quality and flash mode.
Results
ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Idol Mini is a pleasant smartphone, which primarily differs from its competitors in its attractive design, high-quality display, good build and beautiful visual shell. The disadvantages include the small amount of RAM.
According to TCT Mobile, in Ukraine the smartphone will be sold in a version with two SIM cards. The recommended retail price will be 1399 UAH, and the start of sales is scheduled for December 2013.
Liked
+ Assembly
+ Design
+ Screen
Did not like
- Small amount of RAM
The product was provided for testing by TCT Mobile Europe S.A.S. in Ukraine, www.alcatelonetouch.com.ua
| Weight (g) | 96 | |
| Processor (for smartphones) | MediaTek MT6572 (2 Cortex-A7 cores, 1.3 GHz) + GPU Mali 400MP | |
| Memory | RAM 512 MB + 8 GB ROM | |
| Expansion slot | — | |
| Main screen | IPS, 4.3″, 854×480, oleophobic coating | |
| Keyboard type | screen input | |
| Accumulator battery | 1700 mAh | |
| Communications | USB 2.0 (microUSB), Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, point Wi-Fi access, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS + A-GPS | |
| Supports 2 or more SIM cards | + | |
| SIM card type | ALCATEL Idol Mini 6012D (Silver)||
| Type | Smartphone | |
| Pre-installed OS | Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) | |
| RAM, GB | 0,5 | |
| Built-in memory, GB | 8 | |
| Expansion slot | - | |
| SIM card type | Micro-SIM | |
| Number of SIM cards | 2 | |
| CPU | MediaTek MT6572 + GPU Mali 400MP | |
| Number of Cores | 2 | |
| Frequency, GHz | 1,3 | |
| Accumulator battery | 1700 mAh | |
| Operating time (manufacturer's data) | up to 20/9h talk time (2G/3G), up to 540/450h standby time (2G/3G) | |
| Diagonal, inches | 4,3 | |
| Permission | 854x480 | |
| Matrix type | IPS | |
| PPI | 228 | |
| Dimming sensor | + | |
| Other | oleophobic coating | |
| Main camera, MP | 5 | |
| Video shooting | 720p@30fps | |
| Flash | + | |
| Front camera, MP | 0,3 | |
| High speed data transfer | GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA/HSUPA | |
| WiFi | 802.11b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot | |
| Bluetooth | 4.0 | |
| GPS | + | |
| IrDA | - | |
| FM radio | + (RDS) | |
| Audio jack | 3.5mm | |
| NFC | - | |
| Interface connector | USB 2.0 (micro-USB) | |
| Dimensions, mm | 127.1x62x7.9 | |
| Weight, g | 96 | |
| Protection from dust and moisture | - | |
| Type of shell | monoblock | |
| Housing material | plastic | |
| Keyboard type | screen input | |
| More | Contents of delivery: charger,USB cable, headset, user manual |
The "Wow" effect has been achieved!
14.12.2013
Telephone and communications
The smartphone works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks and copes with it with a bang; there is no support for fourth generation networks (LTE). You can organize a wireless point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels; there is a Wi-Fi Direct mode; NFC and MHL are absent.
The implementation of working with two SIM cards is standard for the platform: there can be only one active conversation, any of the cards can work in both 3G and 2G modes. In a separate settings section, you can assign default conditions to each SIM card, so that, for example, voice communication Always carry out using the first one, and data transfer - through the second SIM card. In the case of the device officially sold on the Russian market, the first slot is locked to work only with MTS SIM cards, but users have already learned to bypass this limitation at the software level.
On the very first version of the firmware, clicks were detected that the interlocutor heard, but after the update on October 10, the clicks disappeared. Now during a conversation you can hear your interlocutor perfectly and he, in turn, hears you perfectly. The volume of the speaker is sufficient to freely hear the voice from the handset even in a noisy place.
It is also possible to record a conversation out of the box. Both talking parties are recorded, the recording of the conversation can be listened to by clicking on the icon with the image of a magnetic tape right in the call list opposite a specific call with time and date - everything is organized extremely conveniently.
The Internet works quickly both when connected via 3G and Wi-Fi. No crashes or slowdowns when scrolling.
Battery
The battery here is not of the highest capacity (alas). A total of 2000 mAh powers the smartphone with very intensive use for an average of about 8 hours. To be precise:
I did not test the device in talk mode, but the manufacturer claims up to 20 hours depending on the signal level of the cellular network.
In the “a few calls, SMS and twenty minutes a day Internet via Wi-Fi” mode, it will live for about three days and there is a screenshot from the screen as proof.
As you can see, it’s not three days, but there’s not much left, and there’s still 27% left.
Navigation
You can safely use your smartphone as a navigator. Finds satellites quickly enough and also quickly clings to them. In just 10-15 seconds, 13 satellites were found, and after another 30, eight of them already showed me my location. This was the result on the fifth floor balcony.
It leads accurately, it has not lost contact with satellites throughout the entire journey from Moscow to my native Kursk, during which I decided to give it a test. On the road, the device maintained contact with at least ten satellites. But it was possible to observe, since I was not driving.
In general, it was surprising to see such confident work with GPS on a smartphone with MediaTek, because before we had never done without “dancing with tambourines.”
Camera
The device, as I said at the beginning of the review, has a 13 MP main camera and a 2 MP front camera. Both cameras cope with their task, I would say, a solid four. Although the front one can be installed perfectly, since it is quite sufficient for video calls and the quality is quite appropriate. But the main camera received a 4 due to poor software photo processing, for which the MediaTek platform is to blame. In daylight there are no complaints and everything is fine (unless, of course, you are addicted to alcohol and your hands are not constantly shaking, I’m kidding of course), but in poor lighting and photos with flash have a lot of noise. But I want to say that for such a price you shouldn’t be so demanding of your smartphone camera. And, of course, examples of photos in daylight:
And in poor lighting:
Of course, the smartphone shoots video. Maximum resolution 1080p (Full HD) at 30 frames per second. The default container is 3GP, and you can only change it in third party application cameras. The manufacturer, in turn, promises to expand the functionality of the camera in future firmware.
Example video from the device camera:
At night
During the day
The flash can be used as a flashlight, and there is a separate application for this.
Bottom line
Alcatel's smartphone turned out to be gorgeous, not without its drawbacks, but they are insignificant and forgivable given its cost and available advantages. It has a gorgeous and large screen, but is still easy to use even with one hand, is made of quality materials and has enough performance for all the tasks you throw at it. The disadvantages include, perhaps, a weak video chip that cannot cope with Full HD in games and only in games, and even then in very rare cases, as well as a low-capacity battery for such a screen. The location of the power button is compensated by the ability to unlock with the volume keys, and the lack of a memory card slot is compensated by the presence of OTG support.
For me, the device turned out to be ideal, and for the first time I really experienced that “wow” when purchasing it, and even at such a price. There are, of course, negative reviews, but this is probably due to defects that probably exist in all manufacturers. If we do not take into account the defect, which, thank God, my copy avoided, then I experience only positive emotions from the device. For the existing disadvantages, I give Idol a solid nine out of ten possible points.
Thank you for your attention!
Contents of delivery:
- Telephone
- Charger with USB cable
- Instructions
- Wired stereo headset
Positioning
In the summer of 2013, Alcatel made a small breakthrough - they created a model that was almost ideal in terms of price/quality ratio, but at the same time offered maximum performance among all second-tier companies. Idol X combined a thin body with a high-quality screen, a 13-megapixel camera, and a fairly capacious battery. The device was released at a price of about 14,000 rubles, which became the most affordable offer in its class. An amazing situation arose, companies with large sales volumes, for example, Fly, were forced to adjust prices down and take Idol X into account.
Within six months, the cost of Idol X dropped to 12,000 rubles, which made it even more attractive. But the company decided that it was time to update the flagship, and carried out a number of cosmetic works - the new phone received an eight-core processor, a number of software changes and a price similar to its predecessor at launch. In my opinion, this device is suitable for those who are looking for productive solutions and understand why they are needed, and most importantly, how they plan to use this power. But there is no big difference with just Idol X; the average consumer should look at the old model - it is cheaper, more profitable and works almost the same. The company, realizing this, added software quite a bit of additional functions. But you can notice this only by deeply studying the device and delving into its settings. Currently this device is the flagship of Alcatel.
Design, dimensions, control elements
It has become a tradition for Alcatel to release several versions of the phone - for example, there is a single-SIM device with a memory card. A model with 32 GB of internal memory and two SIM cards will be supplied to Russia; there is no slot for memory cards. There is also a 16 GB version for this device, but they refused to launch it in Russia. This was the one in the review, but this device does not have any fundamental difference with what will be supplied. The difference in memory capacity does not in any way affect the performance of the device in use.
The first thing that catches your eye is the refusal to use matte and multi-colored plastic, as in Idol X. Here we see ordinary, glossy plastic, which is incredibly reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy S4. Of course, it was necessary to make the design a little different, but it was definitely not worth giving up the successful discovery of the previous device, which consisted of good, wear-resistant plastic. This is what the device and its back looked like.
Phone size – 140.4x69.1x7.9 mm, weight – 130 grams. The slim body fits well in the hand. The case is monolithic, and as a result, the battery cannot be replaced. On the left side there is a slot for SIM card number one; it has a microSIM form factor, just like the second one. I like the way the connector cover flips up, it's hinged and made of alloy. The design gives the impression of being reliable and durable, but the main thing is that it is convenient in everyday life.
On the right side there is a paired volume key. The bottom end is occupied by a microUSB connector, but at the top we see a 3.5 headset jack, as well as an on/off button.
On the front surface above the screen there is a light sensor, and a proximity indicator right there. There are no mechanical buttons, as on previous devices, these are three touch keys. For those who have used Samsung devices in recent years, it will be unusual that the return key is moved to the left, that is, the location is mirrored.
On the back surface there is a 13.1-megapixel camera lens, and there is also an LED flash that can be used as a flashlight. You can also see the speaker hole at the bottom.
Display
The phone has a 5-inch IPS matrix with FullHD resolution of 1080x1920 pixels, which is still atypical for most second-tier manufacturers. The screen is covered with DragonTrail glass, and an oleophobic coating is also applied to it; fingerprints are not so noticeable.
The viewing angles are maximum, the brightness is excessive, which forces you to turn it up to half, otherwise the white color will be overexposed. There is a light sensor that can adjust the backlight automatically. In the screen settings, you can select the color scheme, this is a fine adjustment of colors.
The screen fades in the sun, but not much, and remains readable. The screen type is capacitive, supports up to 5 simultaneous presses.
Alcatel emphasizes that this model has a very thin frame around the screen (zero frame). In fact, the distance is 2.4 mm, which is extremely small, and visually it seems that the screen occupies the entire space from edge to edge.
The screen is completely identical to that in Idol X, where there could be no complaints about it; it is a very high-quality matrix, and it remains one of the best in its segment.
Battery
The battery is non-removable, lithium polymer (Li-Pol), capacity – 2500 mAh. According to the manufacturer, the device operates on average 12 hours in talk mode in 3G and 20 hours in 2G, and in standby mode - up to 320 and 240 hours, respectively. Music playback time is 36 hours.
With normal use of the device (an hour of calls, two hours of music, about an hour of social networks, several photos), it is quite enough for daylight hours. With less load per day. In the most difficult scenario, it will work with two SIM cards until 5-6 pm. This is quite good, since the Galaxy S4 with a more capacious battery runs out much faster due to the gluttony of the processor; here it is not so powerful, but it lasts longer. The time to fully charge the battery is 2.5 hours (up to 90 percent - 1 hour 45 minutes).
Interestingly, the battery capacity has increased from 2000 to 2500 mAh, but this is impossible to notice. In all modes, the operating time remains the same.
Memory and memory card
The smartphone is equipped with 2 GB of RAM, on average about 1 GB is free after booting the device. The system occupies 3.3 GB of memory. The single-SIM model has a slot for a microSD memory card. The maximum volume is 32 GB.
Performance
It uses the MediaTek MT6592 chipset, eight-core processor, 2 GHz, ARM Cortex-A7. The graphics accelerator is Mali 450. This is quite productive system, but is by no means a record holder, even in synthetic tests.
You can run almost any complex toys or applications on your smartphone.
Information from various applications and performance tests:
Camera
The camera interface has been redesigned to simplify it; you can turn on HDR mode, get a panorama, turn off the flash, but that’s all. You can take pictures by pressing the screen, focusing occurs at the point of pressing, then the device takes a picture. Second-tier manufacturers do not yet have such camera modules, so it was interesting to compare it with the Galaxy S4. Unfortunately, no miracle happened - the quality of the matrix in Idol X+ is much worse, which can be seen in the detail of the photographs; they often turn out blurry even during the day. But when shooting indoors, the camera of this device completely floats, noise appears, when shooting with flash, the image is illuminated, and the focus is mercilessly mistaken, turning the image into soap. In a word, 13 megapixels here is more of a marketing ploy than a reality in comparison with the Galaxy S4 or Sony Xperia Z – the camera is much weaker. However, look for yourself at examples of pictures from this device.
Video recording is supported in 1080p resolution, up to 30 frames per second.
The final conclusion about the camera is that it is typical for budget devices; there are not enough stars in the sky. Many second-tier manufacturers offer high-quality 8-megapixel modules, which shoot very well, but in pursuit of digital they risked installing another module, which resulted in not very good photographs.
Communication capabilities
The phone operates in 2G (GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and 3G (850/900/2100 MHz) cellular networks. Available Bluetooth version 4.0 for file and voice transfer. Wireless available Wi-Fi connection IEEE 802.11 b/g/n. The devices, of course, can be used as an access point ( Wi-Fi Hotspot) or modem. USB 2.0 (High-Speed) is used for file transfer and data synchronization. There is a not very popular Wi-Fi Display function, when you can transmit a signal from your phone to another device via Wi-Fi. Traditionally, there is a Wi-Fi Direct function. There is also a remote Wi-Fi display option.
Software features – Android 4.2.2
In Idol X+, just like in its predecessor, Alcatel uses its own software shell, which can be perceived ambiguously by many, since people often prefer “bare” Android and are quite satisfied with its capabilities.
Many functions have been heavily redesigned; Alcatel has added a number of programs that can be downloaded for free anyway, but the fact that they are pre-installed makes the device more interesting for inexperienced users. Let's start talking about the shell with the lock screen.
Without unlocking the device, you can view the weather forecast for the current day. Let's scroll the screen to the right, there will be a calendar and a to-do list for the current day (entering to-dos or viewing another day will not work). You can also view the status bar; it is also available when the screen is locked, if there is no security key or digital code.
The fundamental difference between Alcatel's approach and other shells is that they decided to abandon a separate menu for all applications. On the main screen there is a weather widget and several icons. This is the starting point. We flip the screens to the left, and there will be widgets that you install. Let's go to the right, and these will be program icons, also some programs have already been put into folders, this was done by the manufacturer. You get used to such an organization instantly; it is somewhat logical and definitely has a right to life.
The settings menu now has its own settings, for example, a super saving mode for the battery. The menu itself has also been redesigned in white colors, which is quite nice. In our video, I talk about most of the applications that are in the device, and I don’t want to repeat what has changed compared to previous models.
Next, I could dwell on each program and describe it, but I don’t see much point in this. This is a smartphone, and this software, is generally known, or I touched on it in the video. So see the screenshots below.
Another part that I want to describe separately is multimedia capabilities. The device has support for unconverted video; the chipset plays 1080p perfectly, unlike its predecessor. In terms of music formats, there is support for FLAC, in addition to the usual MP3 and a number of others.
The HiFi Sound mode has appeared, it makes the sound in the headphones more voluminous. I liked him.
Impression
In terms of call quality, there are no complaints about the device, the call volume is excellent, you can hear it even from your bag. Due to the thickness of the case, the vibration alert feels unusual and you often don’t notice it. There are no complaints about the quality of speech transmission.
In March, the device will appear in Russia at a price of 14,990 rubles, it does not look extremely low, especially compared to the cost of the original Idol X, for which they are asking 12,000 rubles. Initially it was assumed that the cost would be 13,990 rubles, but the rise in the dollar exchange rate mixed up all the cards. The device is interesting because it corrects shortcomings in multimedia, plays 1080p video well, and plays music more pleasantly. But other than that, you won't notice any significant differences.
I didn’t like the abandonment of matte plastic in favor of glossy one at all, and the initial choice of white and black cases was also not encouraging. The disadvantages that may make you think is the lack of a memory card; many may need it, unlike the slot for a second SIM card. Good, high-quality screen, balanced functionality. In terms of price/quality ratio, this device does not stand out that much, unlike its predecessor. I would advise you to look at it, and keep this model in mind - it is not so interesting for the vast majority, rather, an object of adoration for geeks.