Miss Android. Alcatel OneTouch Idol Alpha review
29 / 07 / 2014
Over the past year, TCL Communications (trademark Alcatel One Touch) has radically revised its strategy. If earlier the vendor produced exclusively cheap mobile phones, now it has rushed to the middle price segment. At the same time, the technical specifications latest models smartphones are not too far behind the flagships of the TOP-4 manufacturers, and even surpass the products of Korean brands in appearance. Well, the price, as always, is minimal. One of these latest memory devices from TCL is the . We will tell about it.
The latest model is the latest. It was she who was at my disposal. Its sales began less than two weeks ago.
AT technical terms the device is a typical average. Idol Alpha is a simplified version of Idol X, with a slightly smaller screen size and resolution, but a brighter and more interesting design. It has a quad-core processor MTK6589, 1.2 GHz, 1 GB random access memory, a large 4.7-inch screen with an IPS-matrix, a resolution of 720x1280 pixels, a 13 megapixel camera from Sony. The device operates under Android control 4.2.2 Jelly Beans. Well, the issue price is 11,990 rubles.
Dimensions. Contents of delivery
First, as usual, about appearance and usability. The device turned out to be very thin and quite light. Its dimensions are 138 x 66.6 x 7.5 mm and it weighs 117 grams. The gadget fits easily in your hand. It is comfortable to work with him.
The build quality is in no way inferior to flagship models from other manufacturers. During the two-week testing, I did not notice any creaking or backlash. The positive aspects include velvety plastic, from which the back of the device is made.
If we talk about the convenience of carrying a smartphone in the pockets of tight clothes, then there are no problems here. Wear where you want and with what you want.
Delivery set includes:
- charger adapter USB devices
- PC synchronization cable
- Stereo headset with 3.5 mm mini-jack
- Instruction
The packaging of this smartphone deserves special mention. It is a metal tube, inside of which the apparatus is located. For protection against mechanical influences inside the tube there is a soft cardboard and soft pillows.
Design, construction
The smartphone looks great, it is pleasant to take it in hand, it is liked by a lot of people. At the same time, Idol Alpha looks clearly more expensive than its cost. This is a big plus of the device. The assembly is monolithic, very dense, there are no removable parts. However appearance Alcatel Idol Alpha non-original. This is a kind of mixture from the iPhone 5 and. From the first, he got a metal case frame with beveled chamfers and a minimum thickness, and from the second - transparent inserts with LED backlight bottom and top. Rear end The device is made of matte and slightly rough plastic for soft-touch. For this reason, and also because of the monolithic design of the case, everyone who picked up the device had a feeling of reliability and High Quality. In addition, the soft-touch coating prevents the device from slipping out of the hands, which is a plus.
If we talk about the placement of different elements, then almost the entire front of the device is occupied by a touch screen with a diagonal of 4.7 inches. Above it is a speaker hole. To the left is the front camera, to the right are all kinds of sensors and sensors: motion sensor, light sensor, G-sensor. In the upper transparent part of the case there are LEDs that glow during charging, incoming SMS or a missed call.
Touch control buttons are located above the transparent panel, as in Sony Xperia SP. They are quite convenient, but the menu does not contain any advanced settings associated with the transparent insert. With the Sony model, you could choose the color of the backlight, for example, the color of notifications when incoming call or unread SMS. Here everything is simple.
On the right side there is a button to turn on, turn off and lock the phone, as well as a volume rocker. The microSIM slot can be found on the left side. There is support for hot swapping memory. Just below there is a microUSB connector. It is universal because it connects to Charger, sync cable and audio headphones. There is no standard audio jack, which is disappointing. Alternatively, you can connect a wired headset via a micro-USB adapter.
On the back is a 13 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash. At the bottom you can see the speaker for external calls and audio playback. The sound is good and quite loud. Incoming call, if it is set to maximum volume, it is impossible to miss.
Due to the design features, the battery is non-removable here.
Screen. Graphic features
Alcatel Idol Alpha uses a 4.7-inch screen with HD resolution - 720x1280. The matrix here is IPS, which boasts good color reproduction, colorful and contrasting images. The display is protected by high-quality Dragontrail glass, which reliably protects the screen from damage. For two weeks of the test, scratches on the screen, by the way, did not appear.
The pixel density here is 320 ppi, so both the font and the pictures look very advantageous, there is no hint of graininess.
The display resolution allows you to comfortably view websites in their original form. Watching videos is a pleasure. The only criticism was the sensitivity of the screen. For example, it seemed to me that it processes pressing with some delay. Well, if you have frozen hands, then pressing will go through once.
Menu. Interface and navigation
Alcatel Idol Alpha running operating system Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. A custom Alcatel shell is installed on top of the operating system, which stylizes Android interfaces under Windows phone. At least that's how it felt to me because of the square icons and menu styling.
Otherwise, we have good old Android. In standby mode, several desktops are available to the user. By default, one of them is completely empty, the other displays shortcuts for individual applications and widgets, on the rest - a calendar, bookmarks, music player. Each desktop can be customized.
Of the distinguishing features Alcatel Idol Alpha I would like to note the pre-installed applications, including 2Gis navigation and reference, Aviasales ticket selection service, Evernote, Facebook, Twitter, OfficeSuite, Opera mini, PicSay, Skype, WatsApp, Yandex.Taxi, barcode scanner and others.
By the number of applications running on a smartphone out of the box, the device can be praised. Most need to be eaten. The rest can be downloaded from Google Play.
Multimedia features
The app for playing music is called "Music" . Here you can view and listen to audio tracks. The following file formats are supported: MP3, AMR, AAC, AAC+, e-AAC+. There is sorting by artists, albums, genres, composers. The package includes a regular headset.
The "Video" item displays videos made both by the device's camera and downloaded from the Internet.
Camera. Photo and video capabilities
The Alcatel Idol Alpha has a 13-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash. The model offers a very concise menu with settings, a minimum of parameters is offered. Manual settings very little. At the same time, the device offers such popular modes as HDR and panorama shooting, and can also record video at a resolution of 1920x1080. The image quality is average, noise is clearly visible in low light, sometimes autofocus behaves strangely, you have to focus again.
Movies are shot in Full HD with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The handset has support for unconverted video, but the chipset doesn't handle 1080p well, the sound often goes out of sync, or it doesn't exist at all. In terms of music formats, there is FLAC support in addition to regular mp3 and a number of others.
Memory and speed
In stores, a version of the smartphone with built-in memory of 16 GB is available. This volume cannot be expanded. This smartphone does not have a memory card slot.
The hardware is typical for most mid-range smartphones. It has a MediaTek MT6589 chipset with a 1.2GHz quad-core processor. 1 GB allocated for RAM.
You can watch HD video on your smartphone without any glitches. However, if you run several "heavy applications" at the same time, the interfaces will start to become dull.
Communication options
The device works in 2G (GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and 3G (900/2100 MHz) networks. There is no support for LTE.
In addition, there is Bluetooth version 4.0 for file and voice transfer. There is Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n. The device, of course, can be used as an access point or modem. In the settings, this item is listed as "Modem mode" (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz for 802.11n mode). There is WiFi support display.
The smartphone has GPS navigator, A-GPS. "Cold" start - 5-6 minutes, "hot" - up to 15 seconds. To work with maps, the following programs are installed in the device: "Maps" and "Navigator". Personally, I had no problems with the navigator.
Working time
The smartphone has a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 2000 mAh. Under testing conditions, with the number of calls 10 - 15 minutes a day, always on Wi-FI, browsing the Internet via 3G for 1.5 hours, listening to an mp3 player through a headset for about 2 hours, the device worked for about a day. If you use the device more intensively, then the operating time will decrease. Charging accumulator battery for 1.5 hours. These are standard indicators for a smartphone on Android.
Your smartphone offers a built-in power saving feature that will help extend the battery life, especially when the device is in standby mode for a long time. Activating this mode, according to my own feelings, does not affect the operating time.
Results
It turned out to be a very interesting device. It looks expensive, stylish and reliable. The metal frame and transparent inserts make it stand out from the crowd of competitors, and the excellent screen, 13 megapixel camera and easy interface complete the image. Nevertheless, the camera, despite the status of the module itself, shoots medium, and there is no usual support for 2 SIM cards. Another of the minuses, I note the lack of the ability to increase the amount of memory for data storage, and the lack of a 3.5 mm jack for a wired headset.
Another thing is that, taking into account all these restrictions, the device could be a little cheaper than what is now being asked for it.
Advantages
- Attractive design
- Large IPS screen
- Slim body
- Good build
Flaws
- No option to expand internal memory
- No 3.5mm headset jack Missing fast charging
Excellent smartphone in its price range. Screen with good color reproduction, large battery capacity, high performance.
Vernee Thor video review
Fingerprint scanner
Fast 4G
Design
Price
Non-removable battery
Weak cameras
Gets hot in games
A model for those who do not play top graphics games and are not a fan of selfies. The rest of the features are top notch. Especially the performance of the device. And the display.
But the manufacturer managed to think about the fact that the backlight can become a source of discomfort - in the smartphone settings, you can choose which events the model will respond to with light, as well as reduce or increase the brightness of the illumination. Well, or just choose a schedule for turning off your smartphone for the night. Light sleepers will have to hide the device under their pillow or get rid of the backlight.
The third thing that attracts attention is the metal edging. Thanks to her, the smartphone is pleasant to hold. In terms of design, the model is beautiful. But it caused some shortcomings.
First, it is the lack of an audio output. Due to the presence of an adapter in the kit, this does not result in a problem, but listening to music or watching a movie with headphones during charging will not work. And here is what the package looks like.
The box in which the smartphone is delivered deserves special attention. It's metal and so unique. It looks nice, but I can imagine how much inconvenience it causes during transportation.
Secondly, specifically in our (already “boxed”) copy, there were gaps between the case and the metal edging. Small, but still.
In general, the body of the Alcatel smartphone One Touch Idol Alpha seemed to me very attractive and worthy of attention. Attracts the views of others. But two copies passed through our editorial office - one beautiful and almost untouched. And the second - which was specially used for wear. The transparent plastic inserts were so scratched that it was painful to look at. It turns out that this model will need to be handled more carefully so that it pleases the eye with its appearance for a long time.
And what about his screen?
I rate the quality of the Alcatel OneTouch Idol Alpha screen highly. It is perfectly calibrated: the color temperature is close (compared to the average IPS display mobile device) to the reference 6500K, although the color gamut does not perfectly match the sRGB space (that is, comfortable for viewing images), it still will not cause discomfort for most users. The brightness is enough for use on a summer day. The display has two typical “Chinese” problems - a weak oleophobic coating and the dubious operation of the light sensor. In the sun, you have to manually twist the brightness to the maximum.
For those who want to know more
In the gallery below I provide screenshots of the Alcatel OneTouch Idol Alpha screen measurements with a colorimeter, from which experts in the matter can get a good display result in terms of color temperature, a decently low ΔE value for a smartphone screen, color gamut. And from the comparative table - that the brightness of the backlight and the contrast of the screen did not disappoint.
| Device name | Brightness of the white field, cd/m2 | Black field brightness cd/m2 | Contrast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alcatel One Touch Idol Alpha | 384.37 | 0.36 | 1068:1 |
| Samsung Galaxy Alpha | 352.5 | 0 | ∞ |
| Huawei Ascend P7 | 400.69 | 0.82 | 489:1 |
| Samsung Galaxy S5 | 370.3 | 0 | ∞ |
| HTC One M8 | 459.44 | 0.22 | 2088:1 |
| LG G2 | 336.41 | 0.4 | 840:1 |
| Sony Xperia Z1 | 400.81 | 0.75 | 534:1 |
| Huawei Ascend D2 | 310.52 | 0.30 | 1037:1 |
| iPhone 4S | 434 | 0.53 | 818:1 |
How often do you have to recharge
The standard mode of this model is charging once a day. Of course, if you do not stop reading news or books from the smartphone screen, then you will have to do everything one and a half (3 times in two days), or even two, and if you use it mainly as a dialer with occasional access to mail, then once every one and a half days .
What's with his performance?
The smartphone is equipped with a quad-core MTK6589 processor and 1 GB of RAM. Geeks will say that for the money these are ridiculous characteristics. Indeed, a year and a half ago, a Fly smartphone with similar equipment and without design cost 2000-2500 UAH. How so? In general, with the “stuffing” of the device, it turns out interesting story. Firstly, at the time of the announcement of the model, it was quite typical for its class (the middle and older segment of the “Chinese”). Secondly, at first we saw a lot of inexpensive smartphones on the MTK6589 (and its modifications M and T). And brand lovers gradually complained that the graphics were supposedly weak, active users of navigation (runners and drivers) - that the GPS was lame. But then MTK6589 gradually began to force out its more budgetary tribesman MTK6582 from new products. With even less powerful graphics, incomprehensible speed of work (suspiciously all devices on this processor were distinguished by twitches and slowdowns of the interface). In the novelties of Chinese manufacturers (middle and senior segment) in the first half of 2014, the MTK6582 was installed mainly. At the bottom is a dual-core MTK6572. The eight-core MTK6592 has been found in units of devices presented on the Ukrainian market since its release. At IFA 2014, there were noticeably more announcements of smartphones with this processor. Apparently, the next flagships and sub-flagships of Alcatel OneTouch, Lenovo, Huawei, and after them other manufacturers will be equipped with it. But in the absence of fish - when the new interesting MTK6592 is not yet widely used, and the old and ugly MTK6582 does not make you want to pick up the device at all, MTK6589 looks like an excellent compromise. Moreover, the model is not chasing the title of technological leader. Her goal is to win the beauty pageant. The smartphone has an average performance by the standards of the first half of 2014 (and then it went on sale), comfortable interface smoothness. It copes with most games (especially since the display resolution here is HD), and with FullHD video playback. We would like to see 2 GB of RAM inside (as Huawei does with some of its especially beloved devices). But on the other hand, for a person who does not behave like a techno-maniac, the difference will not be very visible, and for the one who does, this model is clearly not ideologically suitable.
What's with his connection?
The presence of metal frames around the perimeter of the case causes some people to fear that the smartphone will have communication problems. So, with GSM, I didn’t have any excesses, but the Wi-Fi module worked weaker than in most devices. Well, there was a weakness of the GPS signal, traditional for the MTK6589 processor. However, not in its most clinical form.
What is interesting about the interface?
There are many similarities between the appearance of Alcatel OneTouch, Huawei and Lenovo smartphone interfaces. They are very bright and colorful, even in different (and there are usually a lot of them in the settings menu) preset design themes. Until recently, Alcatel OneTouch™ smartphones lacked a separate menu with all applications. Now it has appeared. Yes, it happened so unexpectedly that I did not notice this fact on the first day. Out of the box, the device runs Android 4.2 (largely old version The OS is explained by the date of the announcement of the model). Since there have been no changes since the review of last year's flagship Idol X, I invite those who are curious to learn more about the interface from this text.
Is the camera good?
The smartphone is equipped with a 13-megapixel module, camera characteristics are identical to Alcatel OneTouch Idol X Plus. She does not shine with photographic abilities compared to the stars of the market - Samsung, LG, Apple, but also does not lag behind with nameless heroes under the brands Fly, Prestigio, Highscreen and so on. In poor lighting, the pictures will be guaranteed to be soapy, in any light, even in the daytime on the street - noisy, and most likely to experience exposure problems. You can look at examples of photos in the original resolution in a separate gallery on Torba. Preview - below.
Are there any competitors?
The competitors of this model can be conditionally divided into two groups: smart and beautiful. To the “beautiful” I would include both Huawei P7 and samsung galaxy Alpha and HTC One Mini. In each of the devices, case materials and design play a significant role. Alcatel OneTouch Idol Alpha is the most affordable of the “beautiful” ones. Samsung Galaxy Alpha costs more than all. But he has a superior camera, more compact body, twice the memory and flagship performance. In a word, even though he has the most immodest price tag, he deserves his money. HTC One Mini is equipped with a screen with a smaller diagonal (4.5 inches), but the smartphone has an all-metal body and the best autonomy in the list - you can count on a day and a half of work. But the cameras that he has, that of Alpha, both failed and are inferior to all competitors. Huawei P7 is also completely metal. The smartphone is very thin, even thinner than the Samsung Galaxy Alpha, equipped with a 5-inch FullHD display and 2 GB of RAM. The processor is installed own design Huawei. It cannot be said that it fully meets the requirements of FullHD resolution: when heated, the smartphone starts to slow down. For Idol Alpha, however, this was not noticed. The price and performance of all models is comparable. Only Galaxy Alpha surpasses its competitors in these two parameters by one and a half times.
To “smart” competitors, I would include the ageless LG G2 and Nexus 5, which have maximum performance for their UAH 5.5 thousand (Idol Alpha will cost UAH 5 thousand). Snapdragon 800 processor, FullHD display with correctly working auto-backlight adjustment, the best cameras on the market, latest OS versions, and in the case of LG G2, even a day and a half battery life. If all these words are dearer to you than metal cases and beautiful colors, then you should definitely look towards these models.
In the dry matter
Alcatel OneTouch Idol Alpha - never a leader in production, and for those who want to grab good performance and a million hours of battery life at a delicious price, obviously not here. But this is a beautiful model with a recognizable design, which until now was a rarity among Android smartphones, but is about to become commonplace. The model should be chosen for those people who do not need advanced characteristics, but who will appreciate the bright appearance. Moreover, among the “beautiful” smartphones, this one is one of the most affordable. The lack of an audio output, which had to be sacrificed in the name of design, I would not call a big problem, it can be simply solved with the help of a complete adapter. But if the potential owner of the device lives in places with a weak Wi-Fi signal or indulges in jogging with applications on a smartphone, then Alcatel OneTouch Idol Alpha will not be a good choice. Also, when choosing a device, it is worth making sure that there are no extra gaps and cracks on the case, as our sample showed, the model has such problems.
2 reasons to buy Alcatel OneTouch Idol Alpha:
- beautiful design, metal ends;
- lower price compared to most "beautiful" models;
2 reasons not to buy Alcatel OneTouch Idol Alpha:
- weak Wi-Fi and GPS module;
- mediocre autonomy.
Trends in modern smartphone construction come down to increasing specifications and improvement software. At the same time, less and less attention is paid to the appearance. Statements by some vendors that their smartphone has the thinnest frames or the new display occupies 85% of the front panel area hint that in the future we are just waiting for “screens in rectangular cases”. In such conditions, I want to get to know each smartphone that has its own face. Such a device is ALCATEL ONETOUCH Idol Alpha.
Let's make a few clarifications. We got an engineering sample with firmware intended for Russia, where this smartphone has been on sale for some time. Its appearance on the shelves of Ukrainian stores is expected in late May early June at an estimated cost of $450-470.
Most of the front panel is occupied by a screen located exactly in the center. Above it are: the front camera lens, a small slot of the earpiece, a set of sensors. Under the screen: three touch keys, the location of which is identified by small silver dots. Above and below the protective glass - transparent plastic inserts. On the bottom insert there are pictograms explaining the functionality of the touch keys. Holding the "Home" button is responsible for calling the Google Now assistant, "Menu" - the list of recent running applications. The microphone is hidden between protective glass screen and transparent insert. The stalls are empty. On the left side is a tray for Micro-SIM cards and a Micro-USB connector, on the right - a volume rocker and a power key. On the back we see a small camera lens, a flash, a second microphone hole, a ringing speaker grid and some service information.
The materials used are of interest. For example, the sidewalls are metal, strongly reminiscent of those in recent generations. Apple iPhone. The edges are not painted, and allow you to see the natural color of the metal. The chamfer is smooth and does not cut the palm, allowing the smartphone to lie comfortably in the hand. If the ends are associated with one specific product, then transparent plastic inserts can evoke more memories. The oldest is LG GD900 Crystal, a slider with a transparent keyboard, from fresh ones - Sony smartphones. Three white LEDs are built into the opaque part of the case at the top and bottom. The three lower ones light up when you touch any touch key, if there are missed notifications, the upper ones slowly pulsate, the central upper diode lights up during charging. Such a backlight looks especially impressive in the dark, while it does not hurt the eyes. In the daytime, its glow is clearly visible. If the phone is in silent mode lies in front of you on the table, you will not miss the notification.
The build quality is commendable. Metal sidewalls completely encircle the body of the smartphone and eliminate squeaks or backlash. A bending test revealed that the smartphone is not deformable under such an impact. The only thing you can find fault with is the imperfect fit of the back to the transparent inserts. If you run your finger over it, there is a slight difference in height.
Smartphone Idol Alpha lies comfortably in the hand, the side keys are always under the thumb. Although they do not protrude very much above the body and have a short stroke, they are convenient to use. This is facilitated by the fact that any of them can turn on the screen, so in the end it does not matter which one you press when you take your smartphone out of your pocket.
But you have to pay for everything. In particular, for an impressive 7.5 mm thickness, I had to pay with a 3.5 mm jack. Together with the smartphone, a special adapter from Micro-USB to mini-jack will be supplied, which will allow you to connect your headphones. Given the location of the interface connector, this is likely to force users to take a closer look at wireless headphones or give up personal listening to music from your smartphone.
Summing up the acquaintance with the appearance of ALCATEL ONETOUCH Idol Alpha, I would like to say that most people who held a smartphone noted the unusual and attractive appearance of its appearance, although there were those who called it “imitation of the iPhone”.
Screen
The smartphone has a 4.7-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. Its minimum brightness is 40 cd/m2, the average is 230 cd/m2, and the maximum is 325 cd/m2. Judging by the quality of the factory calibration, a sufficiently high quality matrix is used, most of the parameters are close to the reference values.
Speaking about subjective impressions, it is worth noting the large viewing angles and some oversaturation of shades, vaguely reminiscent of the color reproduction of AMOLED screens. In particular, green looks unnatural, acid-green. There is a small air gap, when viewed from the side, you can see minimal light. The auto brightness sensor is working correctly. The manufacturer's website says about the presence of an oleophobic coating, but we did not notice it. The screen is quickly covered with fingerprints. They are easily removed, but literally after a minute of use there is no trace left of a clean surface, which does not add any pluses to the appearance of the smartphone. Also, when working with the Fleksy keyboard in our sample, episodic false sensor responses were observed, which can be attributed to sample features.
Not the highest minimum brightness does not interfere with the readability of the display in sunny weather. In the conditions of a relatively warm Kyiv spring, the information remains distinguishable, we can say that in this parameter the display is similar to most classmates. In general, the screen appears to be of good quality, not least thanks to the "flashy" colors, because of the same feature, it may not appeal to those who prefer a more natural color reproduction.
Interface
Smartphone running operating system Android systems 4.2.2 with proprietary interface. Its appearance and capabilities almost completely repeat the interface of the Alcatel Idol X smartphone, we invite you to recall the corresponding one, and we will focus only on the identified differences. First, there is a menu. installed applications which didn't exist before. The second is an unusual mechanism for dragging icons from one desktop to another. By dragging the icon to the edge of the screen, you first get to the thumbnail preview of all desktops, and only after that you can place the application icon on the selected one.
Calls and multimedia
fully appreciate multimedia capabilities we did not have the opportunity due to the lack of an adapter for headphones, we will only talk about some of them. In terms of support for various video codecs, the Idol Alpha is no surprise, doing a great job playing a set of test files but not playing AC3 audio like most other smartphones.
Video file playback
| 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 |
The volume of the ringing speaker is at an average level, it is of sufficient quality, there are no wheezing. Its location is such that the sound can be significantly muffled in a pocket. The vibrating alert is average in strength. The speaker is loud, its volume is noticeably higher than that of many modern smartphones. There were no complaints about voice quality during testing.
Performance and memory
ALCATEL ONETOUCH Idol Alpha is built on the well-known Mediatek MT6589 platform, which includes four Cortex-A7 cores operating at a frequency of 1.2 GHz and a Power SGX 544MP video core. The amount of RAM is 1 GB, built-in - 16 GB, not expandable. Of this amount, 12.64 GB is available to the user.
In general, the performance of the smartphone can be described as sufficient for a device of this class. By these words, we mean that desktops scroll smoothly, heavy games run normally, overall performance and responsiveness to user actions are at a good level. We can say that the combination of this SoC with an HD screen and 1 GB of RAM still allows you to create smartphones that are comfortable to use.
The work of the Wi-Fi and GPS modules does not raise any complaints, the device quickly finds satellites.
Below you can see the results of some benchmarks
cameras
The smartphone has two cameras: a 13-megapixel main camera with autofocus and a 1.3-megapixel front camera. Front-camera enough quality, in the presence of good lighting is suitable not only for chatting on Skype, but also for selfies. The main camera also allows you to take good pictures. Using the photo examples below, you can independently draw conclusions about his photographic abilities.
Sample photos taken in automatic mode shooting
Examples of HDR photos
An example of a Full HD video shot with an ALCATEL ONETOUCH Idol Alpha smartphone
The camera app features a minimalistic interface with quick access to several shooting modes. Starting, focusing, and saving a snapshot is quick, unlike HDR photography. This will take three to four seconds, while moving objects are blurred.
autonomy
The built-in 2000 mAh battery is enough for about a day and a half of work with the included modules for data transfer, geolocation, synchronization of one Google account, reading news and feeds social networks, listening to music through a Bluetooth headset, and making fewer voice calls. Like other smartphones based on MediaTek chipsets, the Idol Alpha has little battery life in standby mode, so battery life may vary depending on the specific usage profile.
| Operating time indicators | ||||
| Mode\Device | ALCATEL OT Idol Alpha | Fly IQ4412 Coral (eco mode) | Nokia Lumia 925 | Huawei Ascend P6 |
| Music | 4% | 3% | 9% | 6% |
| Reading | 22% | 19% | 25% | 16% |
| Navigation | 29% | 24% | 35% | 46% |
| Watching HD video | 22% | 30% | 20% | 23% |
| Watch HD video from Youtube | 34% | 29% | 37% | 41% |
| Antutu Tester (points) | 605 | 820 | — | 450 |
| GFXBench (minutes) | 353 | — | — | — |
| GFXBench (points) | 259 (4.6 fps) | — | — | — |
The % value displays how much the battery is discharged in 2 hours of testing. In mode reading all disabled wireless communications, including data transfer to mobile network, and the display brightness is set to 50%. When listening music automatic data synchronization, data transfer worked. Headphone volume at 12 out of 15 possible levels. All music files in MP3 format, bitrate 320 Kbps. Navigation includes routing in google app Navigation. The brightness is set to 50%, all communication communication modules are disabled. WP smartphones use the Nokia HERE app. When playing video data transfer is active in the mobile network, the display brightness is set to 50%, the sound volume in the headphones is at level 12 out of a possible 15. Video file format MKV, resolution 1024x432 pixels, frame rate 24. Video playback from Youtube accompanied not only by work in WiFi networks, but also active data transfer. The display brightness is set to 50%, the headphone volume is set to 12 out of 15 possible levels. For WP-smartphones, the Metro Tube application is used, and the sound is set to 24 out of 30 possible levels.
Results
ALCATEL ONETOUCH Idol Alpha is a smartphone where looks play the main role. Let individual solutions be borrowed from other manufacturers, but here we see their qualitative rethinking. If you are not confused by the lack of a 3.5 mm audio jack, support for memory cards or two SIM cards, the design and materials of the case, normal autonomy, good camera- this smartphone is worth paying attention to. Given the available data on the expected cost and timing of entry into the Ukrainian market, it seems a little overpriced, but it is better to check these promises in practice.
At the time of purchase, I was interested in design, the only +
3 years ago
Beautiful design Good screen resolution, you can watch movies in high quality. I really liked the backlight in the glass inserts, it is convenient to determine, without turning on the screen, the presence of missed messages, notifications from social networks, etc.
3 years ago
Stylish, thin.
3 years ago
1. Pretty nice design. 2. Many write that a small battery. I had enough for the whole day. Perhaps because the screen was used at minimum brightness and was turned off mobile transmission data.
3 years ago
Very beautiful design. The gold color looks great
4 years ago
Juiciest photos with the right lighting during the day, at night it’s not an option at all. Excellent camera - look for another one from budget models. The screen is bright for HD.
4 years ago
Original appearance, display, thin
4 years ago
Transparent inserts
5 years ago
Cute design, smart, does not hang, does not bug, does not lag, excellent value for money, bright display.
5 years ago
1) Lightweight 2) Cameras are good 3) Bright display 4) Excellent touch screen 5) Good case, with a metal rim 6) Very good stuffing
Lags, the speaker broke terribly quickly and the screen sat down. battery lasts for 3 hours.Purchase=error
3 years ago
The speaker sat down very quickly, literally a month later it was no longer audible calls. Under warranty they did repairs, but a week later everything was back as it was. After 1.5 years of use, the speaker did not work at all. Intermittent freezes Gets hot after prolonged use
3 years ago
It discharges quickly, gets very hot, the OS has a lot of superfluous. Weak speaker, weak antenna. The camera is not the best.
3 years ago
1. There is no 3.5 mini jack. If you are a fan of listening to music, but you do not have a player, then I believe this will be a critical point for you, because. for headphones, you need to use an adapter (from mini jack to micro-usb), which is not only difficult to find, but also this adapter will often break. 2. I did not like the design of the launcher and icons. For this reason, I had to install the Yandex shell, and therefore I had to sacrifice the speed of the phone. In general, 1 GB of RAM for a phone (and for a tablet) is very small. (This item is my subjective opinion). 3. Every time you turn on wifi phone starts to slow down terribly. And yes, it slows down intermittently.
3 years ago
The battery is very weak does not last until the evening and the processor is very weak
4 years ago
The battery drains quickly. Slow and dumb.
4 years ago
No 3.5 jack (headphone output)
4 years ago
1. Battery for 4-6 hours of work 2. After a week, the screen stopped turning off during a conversation, that is, if you bring it to your ear, the buttons are randomly pressed. You can only speak in speaker mode. 3. Inhibits wasps. 4. The notebook is messy, the interface leaves much to be desired. To remove the contact will have to strain your brains. 5. Literally everything is buggy.
5 years ago
The speaker is not loud, the headset Low quality, it keeps charging for about 2 days, I expected a little more for a new phone, the camera, in my opinion, does not justify the declared 13.1, the settings show 10 megapixels, in my opinion no more than 8 megapixels., but this is purely subjective, for whom the photos are not so important feel free to take it, because for the money that it costs you simply cannot find the best, again IMHO. Yes, I almost forgot there is no 3.5 mm jack. The headset is connected via an adapter to micro usb, + I'm used to the lock button on top and it's on the side (not immediately located) but these are all trifles)
5 years ago
1) Sound, quiet rear speaker 2) Battery, with active use, half a day.
