The smartphone is an interesting solution in terms of design, it has not the most advanced features and an excellent camera. However, it is difficult to talk briefly about this device, as the manufacturer has found something to surprise its buyer. When I first saw the packaging Alcatel One Touch Idol Alpha 6032X, I could not help exclaiming: “Well, wow!” When I picked up the device itself, a pleasant surprise was repeated. However, later in my head it started spinning: “Hey, wait!” and "It can't be!", and these were by no means positive exclamations. We read about all this and something else in our today's review.
The name of the smartphone is so big that I did not even dare to add anything from myself to the title of this article. Here and "one touch", and "idol", and "alpha" and even the letter "X", which, as is customary, means something special. In my opinion, there are so many pathos words for one title. However, the manufacturer did not stop at one name. Let's start with the configuration, since there is something to talk about here, and show it too.
Device kit
The packaging of Idol Alpha is fundamentally different from anything we've seen before. Usually, the manufacturer tries to save on the box, trying to reduce their costs and, thereby, make the price of the device the most attractive. Samsung, for example, makes recycled boxes for their devices. LG uses soy ink for printing. On the example of the latter, we see that here for the manufacturer there is still a chance to get into some fashionable rating of environmentally friendly companies. In the eyes of consumers, this is a definite plus. This is especially true for European countries, where the attitude towards ecology is somewhat different.
So, Idol Alpha crosses out all the above principles and comes in a metal tube with the appropriate marking. Down with savings and environmentally friendly production! But, you see, it looks cool! In this “pipe” there is a special stand made of black velvet, in which the smartphone itself rests peacefully. The unpacking system is quite tricky, because all the components are hidden in a special compartment of this holder.
The complete set of the device consists of the following: microUSB cable, Charger, headset with call control button, 3.5 mm adapter! (more on that later) and a SIM eject tool.
A special clip for opening the SIM card tray surprisingly resembles that of the iPhone. In general, the device itself clearly shows many similarities. It is clear where the designers drew inspiration from when developing the 6032X.
Design, materials and use
Even more impressive is the appearance. The first thing that catches your eye is the transparent plastic inserts at the top and bottom. Smooth, pleasant to the touch, rounded plastic does not carry any additional functionality. This is just an external "decoration" that looks really cool. In addition, inserts are illuminated by moonlight for any notification. Such illumination looks especially impressive in the dark.
The emblems of the system control keys are cut out on the lower plastic. The first thing I did was try to click on them, but nothing happened. These are just symbols, and the touch keys themselves are located on a dark strip below the screen. The buttons are not marked in any way, so you have to press somewhere here. There is no other way to express it. Unfortunately, the manufacturer did not bother to somehow allocate touch areas for the keys. Subsequently, I repeatedly caught myself trying to press these labels applied to the plastic. It turns out that the lower part of the smartphone looks very dignified, but the ergonomics are not fully thought out.
Along the entire contour of the device is a metal edging, painted in the color of the case. Obviously, the manufacturer killed two birds with one stone on this: he brought the antenna to the outer contour, thereby saving on internal space, and made it one of the main features of the device's appearance. This implementation of the antenna looks very good, but the idea is far from new. The style and performance are painfully familiar to us. If you haven't guessed yet, then everything will fall into place after a direct comparison of Idol Alpha and iPhone 5.
The screen is covered with a protective glass with an oleophobic coating. Thanks to the special design, the impression of a two-level case is created: as if a small black smartphone is enclosed in a metal ring. An interesting solution from all points of view. Above the display is a grid of the earpiece, to the left of which is the front camera peephole. To the right of the speaker, there is a proximity sensor and a light sensor. The latter, by the way, works correctly, but with some delay: the change in the backlight of the screen returns to normal with ambient lighting in about 5 seconds.
There are absolutely no elements on the upper and lower ends.
On the right side of the smartphone are metal volume buttons and below is the power button. The movement of the buttons is clear and moderately soft.
The left side contains a tray for an operator's card, which, by the way, is made of a slightly different material, and this is noticeable against the background of the phone's monophonic edge. At the very bottom, there is a microUSB port. And then I couldn't believe my eyes. I twisted the smartphone again and it turned out to be true.
Alcatel One Touch Idol Alpha 6032X does not have a 3.5 mm headphone hole!
For me it was a shock. In my memory, for 5 years now, almost everyone (even Sony a little later) abandoned their proprietary ports and began to build an audio output into their devices for connecting third-party headphones. And now, in 2014, when all devices have a certain gentleman's set of options (own shell over the OS, microUSB input, USB-Host, 3.5 mm jack for connecting third-party headsets), Alcatel launches one of its best devices on the market, which turns out to be without one leg.
For the sake of at least some convenience, the company included an adapter from microUSB to a 3.5 mm jack. Thank you, of course, but this crutch is far from the same as the initially available ability to connect any headphones. The adapter can be forgotten, broken, lost, and so on. And it is relatively difficult to buy a replacement now, since even budget models have a standard audio output in their arsenal. No demand - no supply. Unless, there is an opportunity to order through Ebay.com and wait about a month for the parcel, involuntarily refusing to listen to music on the phone for this period.
By the way, not a single flash drive could be connected to a smartphone, as he thought that an audio headset had been inserted into it.
Ostud suggests the conclusion that the OTG mode is not supported.
And this, by the way, is one of the main advantages of the entire Android system. In general, something the developers here are smart about.
Since we are talking about the shortcomings of the device, it is worth mentioning that the main speaker is located on the back cover. If the Idol Alpha 6032X lies on a flat surface with the screen up, then the sound is noticeably muffled. If you hold the device in your hand, the sound is muffled. If the smartphone is in a bag or in the front pocket of trousers, then forget about at least some audibility of a ringtone or other notification. Of course, the location of the components of any device in the case that the designers have drawn is a very difficult engineering task. And any user should understand this. The day will probably come when manufacturing companies will go out of their way to accommodate their consumers and put the convenience and experience of using their products at the forefront. An example of a company where such an ideology rules everything, we all already know.
The transparent insert with control button emblems has a recess for the first microphone. The second is located on the back, not far from the rear camera eye and LED flash.
Alcatel One Touch Idol Alpha 6032X is a very thin (7.5 mm), light (117 g) and ergonomic smartphone. Using the device is a pleasure. All controls are in convenient places and you do not need to intercept the phone to reach any button. In the pocket of trousers or jeans, it is almost invisible.
Coupled with an excellent appearance, interesting colors (two options are available: dark blue and beige), verified ergonomics - Idol Alpha 6032X makes a really very positive impression.
Yes, there are drawbacks, but there is no ideal, especially for the price of 13,990 rubles.
At the end of this section, I propose to compare the dimensions of the Idol Alpha 6032X with its closest competitors.
| Length | Width | Thickness | The weight | |
| Alcatel One Touch Idol Alpha 6032X | 138 | 66,6 | 7,5 | 117,4 |
| Samsung GALAXY S4 mini | 124,6 | 61,3 | 8,9 | 107 |
| Sony Xperia Compact Z1 | 127 | 64,9 | 9,5 | 137 |
| Fly IQ4410 Quad | 135,8 | 68,4 | 8 | 123 |
Display
The display perfectly reproduces colors thanks to the IPS matrix used in its basis. With a diagonal of 4.7 inches and a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, the viewing angles remain maximum. I propose to compare the color reproduction of a smartphone with the iPhone 5 (the one on top) in the photos below.
If there are no questions with the display of the picture display, then with regards to sensitivity, everything is not so simple. Supports up to 10 simultaneous touches, that is, a full-fledged Multitouch. During use, it turned out that the screen sensor does not always respond to touch. This is especially noticeable when surfing the Internet, the code requires you to click on some small link. For example, the hero of our previous review, LG G Flex, has a display with very good sensitivity: at times it is not even clear whether you touched the surface or not, but the smartphone has already reacted. You should not expect such sensitivity from Idol Alpha 6032X, and this can be attributed to disadvantages.
In addition, the corners of the display of the picture are not beveled, despite the fact that the phone itself has a rather rounded shape. Again, back to the iOS interface, where there are no right angles - everything adheres to the general concept. The example below shows what this is about. And although most users will not notice this, there will still be bores, like me, who will pay attention to this.
Specifications and performance
- Processor MediaTek MT6589 (4 cores) with a frequency of 1.2 GHz
- PowerVR SGX 544MP video chip
- RAM 1 GB
- storage memory 16 GB (actually available 12.64 GB)
- display 4.7" IPS screen with a resolution of 1280 × 720 pixels
- camera 13.1 megapixels (main) with LED flash, 1.3 megapixels (front)
- sensors: proximity sensor, light sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetic compass
- supported music formats WAV, MP3, MP2, AMR, MIDI, Vorbis, APE, AAC, AAC+, FLAC, WMA
- FM radio
- battery 2000 mAh
- operating system Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2
Networks and connections:
- quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900), UMTS 900/2100 (6032X)
- HSPA: DC-HSPA+
- Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), Wi-Fi direct, Wi-Fi Display, DLNABluetooth 4.0
- GPS with A-GPS technology
- Micro USB 2.0
- microSIM standard
As you can see, the smartphone has a processor from MediaTek, which provides sufficient performance for most tasks.
However, the proprietary shell has occasional twitches and subtle stutters.
There is no 100% smoothness of any interface animation. It's hard to say why this is happening. Perhaps the proprietary shell is not well optimized, or maybe the processor's performance leaves much to be desired.
For clarity, I give the results of testing in the AnTuTu program:
Nevertheless, the smartphone easily handled FullHD video playback. Most modern games are also supported, but, of course, at medium graphics settings.
A 13.1 megapixel matrix is used as the main module for photographs. The output photos have a resolution of 4224×3168 pixels. Of course, there is autofocus, which quickly captures the subject and almost never misses.
There are very few additional shooting scenarios: there is HDR support, the ability to create a horizontal panorama, sports mode and night shooting. For the front camera, the developers have added special settings that are suitable for selfie lovers - this is, first of all, automatic skin retouching and creating collages. In my opinion, this is the right approach when the manufacturer does not load the camera interface with many different add-ons. Still, almost no one uses it all. Those who need additional functionality can always download third-party photo apps from Google Play.
Let's take a look at some sample photos.
Obviously, the Alcatel One Touch Idol Alpha 6032X camera is one of the strongest points of the device. Detailing, color rendition - everything is at a very decent level. Sometimes the smartphone misses the choice of exposure, so it's always worth taking a few shots. In such cases, the HDR mode can also come to the rescue, but in order not to blur the picture, you need to hold the device with iron hands for quite a long time - about 3 seconds.
For some reason, the manufacturer did not provide the ability to go directly to the footage from the camera interface. But we all have long been accustomed to such functionality, since the days of 1.3 megapixel modules.
As for video shooting, the smartphone is capable of shooting video at a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels at 30 frames per second.
During video recording, the tracking focus is clearly visible, which instantly refocuses on any desired object. The output file format is the good old 3GP (H.263, MPEG4, H.264 codecs, depending on the quality preset in the settings). What can I say when you can see everything with your own eyes.
Sound and video
As mentioned earlier, the speaker in Idol Alpha 6032X is located on the back of the device. The sound through the speaker is quite quiet and, if we draw a parallel in terms of volume with the iPhone 5, the latter sounds about twice as loud as a smartphone from Alcatel. On a noisy street or in the subway, it is unrealistic to hear a call from the device. Even the relatively shrill notification ringtones preinstalled do not save the situation.
The quality of music playback through headphones leaves an extremely positive impression.
We are talking about using third-party headphones. The entire spectrum of sound, including bass, is clearly audible. For those who lack the standard sound, there is an equalizer with a lot of preset add-ons, as well as many other effects among other things. As a music player, Idol Alpha 6032X is also perfect because it supports many popular audio formats: WAV, MP3, MP2, AMR, MIDI, Vorbis, APE, AAC, AAC+, FLAC, WMA. If it would be possible to connect your headphones without any adapters there, it would be very good.
The bundled headset does not pull out low frequencies at all, although it does allow you to control playback and calls. For an undemanding user, it is quite suitable as the main headphones.
There is one more unpleasant feature. For some reason, the player stretches all the covers of songs and, accordingly, it looks sloppy.
There is also an FM radio that works via a headset used as an antenna. You can listen to the radio without headphones, but in this case, no one guarantees the stability of the signal.
Video playback does not raise any questions, except perhaps that the player itself is very ascetic: there is not even an opportunity to view information about the file.
Input method
In the phone settings, you can fine-tune the input methods using several pre-installed keyboards to choose from. A learning mode and two ways of typing words are available: for fast typing users and for those who prefer accuracy.
According to the manufacturer, Idol Alpha 6032X is able to last 24 hours on a single charge in music player mode. A non-removable battery with a capacity of 2,000 mAh allows the device to stay afloat for one light day with active use. For a day and a half, the smartphone is able to survive without being connected to a power source only with a fairly moderate load (20 minutes of calls per day, 10 pictures per camera, an hour of Internet surfing via Wi-Fi). On the face of the standard for Android-smartphone.
Outcome
Yes, Alcatel decided to save money on the processor and not install a top-end chip from Qualcomm. Nevertheless, the price of 13,990 rubles for a device in federal networks dictates its own rules. However, the smartphone is not positioned as a top device. The buyer has the right to count here on the image component, a pleasant screen and good camera- and all this, believe me, is already a lot. Yes, there are certain inconveniences: you can’t just connect any headphones and there is no support for OTG mode. Before purchasing, these points should definitely be considered.
Can Alcatel Idol Alpha 6032X be considered a purchase?
Yes, if not needed high performance, a second SIM card and passion as you want a fashion device, but the iPhone for one reason or another is not suitable.
Alcatel is slowly but steadily making a name for itself by selling affordable, well-made phones across the price range. This year, Idol X+ is the flagship of Alcatel, being an inexpensive but reliable product. Featuring an 8-core Mediatek MT6592 series processor, the X+ is capable of throttling as many processor cores as needed to balance performance and battery efficiency.
The Idol X+ features the same 5-inch, full-screen display of its predecessor Idol X, while also adding extra battery capacity (500mAh) and dual SIM support, while becoming only 1mm thicker. The LCD panel is so close to the surface that there is no glass between the fingers and the interface.
But, unfortunately, there are some shortcomings and omissions. To make room for an additional SIM slot, Idol X+ lost support microSD cards its predecessor and launches the old android version 4.2.1 Jelly Beans.
Below in this article is a detailed overview of the key features and disadvantages of the new flagship from Alcatel.
Key features:
- Dual SIM support;
- Quad-band GSM / GPRS / EDGE support and dual-band 3G with HSPA, for both SIM cards;
- 5 inch, 1080p, IPS, LCD, capacitive, touch screen;
- Operating system Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean;
- 8-core, 2.0 GHz Cortex-A7 processor with 2 GB random access memory, Mali-450MP4 GPU, MediaTek MT6592 chipset with eight full cores and individual throttling;
- 13MP autofocus camera with LED flash, 1080p, video recording @ 30fps, continuous autofocus and stereo sound;
- 2-megapixel front camera, 1080p resolution and video recording;
- Internal memory storage - 16 GB / 32 GB;
- microUSB port;
- Bluetooth 4.0;
- Wi-Fi a / b / g / n, Wi-Fi Direct;
- GPS with A-GPS;
- Standard, 3.5mm audio jack;
- Stereo FM radio, with RDS;
- Accelerometer and proximity sensor;
- Active noise cancellation with dedicated microphone
- Lithium-ion battery, 2,500 mAh;
- Comes with high quality JBL headphones;
- Additional fitness tracker Boom Band.
Disadvantages of Alcatel Idol X Plus
- The impossibility of replacing the battery;
- No microSD card slot;
- No LTE;
- A version not quite modern;
- Below average loudness;
- The surface of the back cover is easily smeared and scratched.
Until now, Alcatel's cost-cutting strategy has depended on low internal memory, which was offset by a microSD card. Our review unit has no microSD card slot and only 16GB of onboard storage, and we're curious how the 32GB version will perform and be as competitive as other products in Alcatel's portfolio.
The Alcatel Idol X+ measures 140.4 x 69.1 x 7.9mm, which is 1.6mm taller and 1mm wider than the Idol X while maintaining the same weight despite the increased battery capacity.
You can conveniently use the device with one hand, thanks to only 130 g of weight.
As with the Idol X, Alcatel has taken design decisions from a variety of devices. For example, the front of the phone looks like the Nexus 5 from , and the speaker grills at the bottom look like on devices. The texture of the battery cover is reminiscent of ASUS Zenbook. In any case, the end result is not bad, and the similarity with other devices should be taken as a compliment and not as a criticism of Idol X +.
The minimal gap between the LCD panel and the front glass surface brings the screen image as close to your fingers as possible.
The glossy back panel is not our favorite feature. The attractive base texture is very prone to fingerprints and has a surface that many manufacturers have moved away from using lately for this very reason.
The capacitive keys below the display provide a nice contrast against the black front bezel, while the physical power/lock and volume buttons are well resisted and solidly built into the case.
Fitness Boom Band With Idol X+, Alcatel has also released a fitness band called Boom Band, aiming to profitably promote new trends in smart wearables that complement . By default, the band tracks steps, distance, and calories burned.
More advanced features include sleep tracking, alarms, and incoming call notifications. Alcatel is designed for a maximum waiting period of 3-5 days. It pairs with the built-in Boom Band Life, which we'll cover in detail in the Apps section.
Control
The Alcatel Idol X+ has a bright white LED battery status indicator located to the left of the display, along with an assortment of sensors and a 2MP, 1080p front-facing camera to the right.
There are two SIM card slots on either side of the device, and the loudspeaker is located to the right of the display. The top of the case has a 3.5mm audio jack and a power/lock button, while the bottom side has a microUSB port and two iPhone-style microphone arrays on either side. On the back of the phone, the main attraction is a 13-megapixel camera, accompanied by an LED flash and a microphone.
The back is made of smooth, glossy plastic that is very prone to fingerprints and scratches very easily, so buy some protection for your phone in the form of a case. The panel can be removed without the use of special tools, although the SIM card slot covers will fall out of their hinges. So make sure you don't lose them.
By the way, the removable cover serves no real purpose because the 2,500 mAh battery is not user replaceable and there is not a single slot hidden underneath.
Display
The Alcatel Idol X+ features a 5-inch IPS LCD screen, 1080p resolution, 441ppi pixel density. It has a screen protector to minimize dirt and Gorilla Glass 2 to resist scratches.
The screen is quite sharp and has good viewing angles, despite some slight shift in contrast when viewed from an angle. Colors aren't the most punchy we've seen before, but a lot of people are choosing this screen against the oversaturated AMOLED display, so you might like it too.
Battery life
We ran the traditional battery test on the Alcatel Idol X+ and the results were good. Alcatel Idol X+ received an overall rating of 45 hours. The phone performed very well in all tasks that did not require the screen to be turned on, such as making calls and in standby mode. When running in a web browser and playing video, the results were far from ideal.
User interface
Alcatel Idol X+ runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, with some custom additions from Alcatel. The most notable of these are two dedicated home screens: one that can be scrolled vertically and another that displays your gallery photos in a rotating fashion.
The color scheme and icons have changed from the base version, but in most cases, they are expected to be similar. In previous versions of Alcatel phones, there was support for the lockscreen widget. By default, Idol X+ still displays weather and event notifications, but there is no way to interact with them like it used to be.
There are also face, model, contact and even voice unlock or the ability to turn off the lock screen completely. Alcatel's custom widgets (clock, calendar, weather, music player) do not change in size and are standard, from .
All applications can be filtered by name or installation date. The app switcher is equally simple and accessible from anywhere by holding down the context button. To remove apps, there is a "clear all" button, but more than half of the screen is left unused, which is a slightly odd choice of custom design by Alcatel.
The Google Now app, when you press the power button, allows you to use voice commands and integrate with your account Google to provide all kinds of information from internet searches, to your daily routine, localized traffic and current weather conditions.
The application can also perform organizational activities, such as directing you to places you have recently searched, etc.
Dual SIM Phonebook
The phone book on Idol X+ looks pretty basic and contains a list of all contacts, complete with photos. Alphabetical list, on the right, can help you navigate to a specific email, or just use the search function.
In any case, if the call comes from one of the two SIM cards, and not from an online service (Google, Facebook, etc.), the icon of the SIM card on which the particular contact is located will appear on the contact's photo.
Telephony
Alcatel Idol X+ supports two SIM cards, both of which are interchangeable, which is a great opportunity to switch between SIM cards multiple times. One more useful feature- this is the ability to bind a specific contact, for constant dialing from a specific card, which allows you to set a number on a specific network and not worry about it in the future.
Nice looking dialer is also functional and includes smart search, video call and even IP dialing by default. This feature allows you to send calls directly over voice protocol over IP.
The SIM card management tool is available from the Settings menu and allows you to enable or disable SIM cards, individually. Also, it is possible to customize the assignment of individual SIM cards to perform specific tasks (for example, to make calls), as well as customize the names and color of a specific SIM card.
Message exchange
The Messages app doesn't have any surprises. Messages are organized into threads, and each thread shows a contact photo and two lines of text from the last message. A small logo at the bottom of each bubble shows which SIM sent/received the message.
You can switch to MMS by clicking the plus sign to the left of the text box. Attaching photos, videos, audio recordings, etc. generates a more sophisticated post editor.
Alcatel Idol X+ also comes with Hangouts, which is another way of word processing. However, it's not a multi-SIM, so you lose some of the finer controls of the Alcatel app, but you can still rely on pin-to-SIM mappings.
For Email, gmail app includes four inbox options (primary, social, promotions, updates) that Google recently introduced in its online interface. By default, the email application is similar to GMail, except that it can handle multiple POP or IMAP cells, which is useful when you want to keep track of multiple accounts from a single location.
Alcatel Idol X + touch keyboard SwiftKey Touch input is easy, and the integration with the SwiftKey feature gives you many ways to do it. You get unlocked, split or one-handed keyboard types, as well as the ability to change the size of the keys to your liking and even customize input using the current keys. Of course, SwiftKey also provides the ability to quickly enter text, as well as Google voice input, with offline language packs.
Custom Gallery
The layout, by default, in the gallery is albums, the first of which is always the camera album, which also has a camera overlay icon. Unfortunately, there is no support for online albums.
You can view photos in a rectangular grid that scrolls horizontally. An alternative to the grid view is the film strip view, which is more suitable for landscape viewing as it shows larger thumbnails. A nice feature here is that the thumbnails for the video files are animated, although they do take some time to load.
There is a built-in editor that covers the basics of editing, i.e. cropping, rotating and sharpening, but you can also use a more advanced editor that includes beauty tools, image controls, special effects, frames, text labels and modeling effects. scene depth.
The Movie Studio app is also included so you can edit videos as well as photos. To make a video, just create a new project, add videos or photos to the timeline, and add music. Videos can be trimmed if they are too long, and you can also add text titles, transitions, and special effects.
Video player
The video player has a simple interface - no animated thumbnails from the gallery. You can adjust the location of the video on the screen, but there is no subtitle support.
Alcatel Idol X+ video player Codec support is quite good and includes all major codecs, including MOV files, which is rare on Android devices. You can stream videos for free using Wi-Fi Direct directly from the video player.
Music player
While the video player is a little disappointing, the music player makes up for it by complete list own functions. It has a tabbed interface that sorts music by artist, album, lists all songs, or shows playlists.
Now's interface is now generic and shows a giant vinyl record when there are no albums available to play. It includes basic features like repeat activation and shuffling, including a partial shuffle that simply shuffles your entire audio library. There's an equalizer that lets you make adjustments, though some require a connected headset.
While you're listening to a song, the lockscreen displays a full-frame snapshot of the album art, along with simple playback controls. The notification area also lets you control playback via an expandable notification.
FM radio with broadcast recording
Listening to FM radio is pretty easy. You need to plug in your headphones to act as an antenna and the app will start playing. Audio can be played through a headset or loudspeaker. The RDS function is available and you can even record broadcasts.
Camera
The Alcatel Idol X+ is equipped with a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel camera on the front. The main, rear camera has an LED flash that helps when shooting in low light.
With Alcatel Idol X+, we got some beautiful photos. At 100% magnification, they seem to be overly bright, even in daylight shots, but the overall level of detail resolved is pleasing. At times, the camera distorted the exposure when the contrast was high. Quite often, we had to use touch focus to get the camera to read its tonal characteristics and provide a more balanced overall exposure.
Camcorder
The camcorder is turned on with a simple click, on the switching mode. The 13-megapixel camera can shoot video at 1080p (Superfine), while the front camera is limited to 720p (Fine mode). The main camera can use LED flash as video light.
Alcatel Idol X+ records video in 3GP format, which we haven't seen in a long time. It records video at 17Mbps and audio at 129Kbps, but the 3GP codec is quite outdated and is not optimal format, to record full HD video.
Alcatel Idol X+ videos are not as good as the pictures taken with the camera. They come out smooth, but don't have the level of detail we're used to getting from flagship smartphone cameras. However, they are not a complete disappointment and may suit you perfectly.
Connection set
The Alcatel Idol X+ has a quad-band GSM and a dual-band 3G interface for both SIMs. There is no LTE antenna available as it is not supported by the MT6592 processor. Its 3G supports DC-HSPA+ and speeds up to 42Mbps and 11Mbps, while dual-band Wi-Fi supports a/b/g/n standards as well as Wi-Fi Direct.
The good news is that any SIM card can be used to connect to the database, so you can match your carriers' plans for maximum cost savings. If your carrier supports this feature, then the smartphone will also use HD Voice, which offers higher quality sound during a call than standard, and there is also an IP Dial option for VOIP calls.
Wi-Fi, also used for wireless display mirroring on a Miracast-enabled TV. Other connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.0 and A-GPS. A dedicated media sharing app can take care of this feature or you can use it directly from the video player.
You can also use the Wi-Fi transfer app to quickly send images, videos, and other files via Wi-Fi Direct, and let another phone quickly transfer the app from Idol X+ via Bluetooth if it doesn't have one.
Browser
Alcatel Idol X+ has both an Android browser and . Both of them are very similar in functionality.
Problem solved
Pros: 1. The screen is gorgeous. 2. The sound using the built-in headphone amplifier and low-impedance headphones (eg SoundMagic e30) is just fire. Detailed, loud, deep bass pumping. 3. Design. There are no inscriptions on the front panel. We put on a matte black plastic bumper, and the view is 5 +++. 4. The performance is sufficient for all currently existing applications. 5. Interesting headphones from the notorious JBL company included. They play well. 6. Compact. 7. 2 gigs of RAM is good. 8. USB OTG - as it turned out to be very convenient. 9. 2.0 aperture camera = good shots. 10. Two-symbolism. Good sometimes helps. Disadvantages: 1. He would have a little more battery. 2. Sometimes does not respond to navigation buttons. Decides to block/unblock. 3. The back cover is the standard of "scratching". Solved by a plastic overlay from Aliexpress "a. 4. The flash LED is really yellow. 5. The built-in headphone amplifier does not pump high-impedance headphones at all. 6. There is no slot for memory cards. 7. Rare software updates. Android 5 is extremely unlikely. 8. Absence even on Aliexpress, the choice is poor.Comment: Despite my "geek disease" = changing phones once a month, this worthy device has lasted in my collection for more than six months, and for its cost of 12,990 rubles, a competitor still has I don't see it. Neither in terms of characteristics, nor in terms of the screen, nor in terms of sound, nor in terms of design. A very worthy device. I strongly recommend paying attention to it.
ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Idol Mini is compact smartphone from the Idol line. He is not deprived corporate identity company, which makes it look great. Unfortunately, not without simplification, they affected the processor and RAM. Let's see what this smartphone is capable of.
ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Idol Mini is made in a style similar to other ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Idol models, which is 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 smartphone is 127.1 mm long, 62 mm wide and weighs 97 grams. With such parameters, the smartphone is practically not felt in your pants pocket.
The layout of the keys and interfaces is as follows: at the top of the front panel there is a light sensor, proximity, a voice speaker, a 0.3 MP front camera and an indicator of missed events. At the bottom of the front panel 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 a main microphone (bottom), a slot for micro-SIM and microSD (right) and a volume rocker on the left (left). The camera lens is located on the back cover, it protrudes somewhat above the surface of the case and has a silver rim, a flash, a second microphone, the manufacturer's logo and a multimedia speaker. The back cover is made of plastic imitating metal. The prints on the lid are only visible at certain angles and can be easily erased.
In general, there are no criticisms of the ergonomics of the smartphone. Plugs of connectors sit 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. The mechanical keys have a tight but distinct travel. Thanks to the slim body, light weight and pleasant materials, the device is pleasant to use.
Operating system and shell
The smartphone is running operating system Android 4.2.2 using native 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 the older models. The lock screen can hold up to nine widgets from which you can switch to full screen mode. In addition to widgets, the lock screen has four icons (dial, messages, camera, and unlock) that are enclosed in a circle. The choice of icons and unlocking the smartphone is carried out using a small circle. It also changes its location relative to the tilt of the case 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 the smartphone, you can go to the notification panel and mode switches. It is impossible to change and move the mode switching icons.
After unlocking, we get to one of the five desktops, where there are widgets and program icons. For older models, this is the main menu, while for Idol MINI, it is just a desktop with widgets and program shortcuts. You can create folders on the desktop by dragging and dropping application shortcuts. With a long press on the widget, sliders appear, with which you can 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: common programs, downloaded programs and widgets. Despite the refusal of some manufacturers from more pre-installed programs, ALCATEL ONE TOUCH did not follow this path and installed a large number of programs, fortunately, they can be easily removed. Among the pre-installed programs, you can find an antivirus, an office application, a large number of social services and almost all services from Google. There is the possibility of blocking alerts from selected programs, as well as choosing the memory where applications will be installed.
The interface works well, twitching is rare, but in cases of launching a heavy application and then exiting it, the desktop shortcuts are redrawn.
The default keyboard is SwiftKey. The browser loads pages quickly, its work is not satisfactory.
I would like to note that some standard applications are redrawn according to the general design style. Among them are a compass, a calculator, a flashlight and a radio.
Hardware platform
It is worth noting that the smartphone can be presented in two versions 6012X and 6012D. The first version with the 6012X index is distinguished by the presence of one SIM card, microSD slot, as well as 4 GB of internal memory. The 6012D version already has two slots for SIM cards, 8 GB of internal memory, but there is no microSD slot.
ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Idol Mini is based on the budget SoC MT6572 from MediaTek. This processor is 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 a budget one, it shows good results in synthetic tests. The amount of RAM is modest by the standards of the end of 2013, and is 512 MB. During normal use, no more than 140 MB of RAM remained. The built-in storage is 4 GB, of which about 2 GB is available to the user.
Video file playback
| 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 712x400 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 game, but, nevertheless, the performance will be enough for undemanding games.
The volume and sound quality of the speakers is good. Thanks to the thoughtful placement of the speaker, it will be hard to miss a call, because even when the phone is on the table, the speaker does not overlap. The microphone transmits speech with high quality. The sound in the headphones is good.
During most tasks, the smartphone case did not heat up. Work in WiFi networks did not raise questions, everything works quickly and without interruptions in the connection. The search for satellites is somewhat faster than on other devices with MediaTek chipsets.
autonomy
ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Idol Mini shows average autonomy results. Hidden inside a thin body accumulator battery 1700mAh capacity. With medium loads, such as: about an hour of calls, always-on data transfer, the smartphone is able to 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 a power 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% |
| Watching HD video | 24% | 28% | 27% | 20% |
| Watch HD video from Youtube | 25% | 30% | 30% | 21% |
| Antutu Tester (points) | 689 | 655 | 644 | 906 |
To listen to music, a standard player was used, the volume was set to 12 out of 15 possible, MP3 files with a bitrate of 320 Kbps. In reading mode, all wireless communications are disabled, including data transmission in the mobile network, and the display brightness is set to 50%. Navigation includes route planning in the Google Navigation app. The brightness is set to 50%, all communication 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 possible 15. The video file format is MKV, the resolution is 1024x432 pixels, the frame rate is 24. When playing videos 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
At present, even budget smartphones began to equip IPS displays. ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Idol Mini boasts a 4.3-inch IPS display with a resolution of 854 × 480 pixels, there is an automatic brightness control sensor. The display accepts up to five simultaneous keystrokes. The viewing angles of the screen are close to the maximum, the colors are juicy, the brightness is high. In the sun, the display fades, 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. An overestimated minimum value adversely affects the use of the device at night. The smartphone screen displays shades of gray a little darker than they should be. The color gamut is only slightly larger than sRGB. But if you do not find fault, then the smartphone is equipped with an excellent display, as 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. Video is recorded at 720p resolution.
The camera has HDR mode, panorama and night. In addition, in the settings you can change the flash mode, turn on the timer and select the size of photos. See sample photos 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
Camcorder settings are even simpler. In them there is only a choice of quality and flash mode.
Results
ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Idol Mini is a pleasant smartphone, which, first of all, differs from its competitors in its attractive design, high-quality display, good assembly and beautiful visual shell. The disadvantages include a 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 UAH 1399, and the start of sales is scheduled for December 2013.
Liked
+ Assembly
+ Design
+ Screen
Did not like
- Small amount of RAM
The product is provided for testing by TCT Mobile Europe S.A.S. in Ukraine, www.alcatelonetouch.com.ua Standard
High speed data transfer GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA/HSUPA
Dimensions (mm) 127.1x62x7.9
Weight (g) 96
Processor (for smartphones) MediaTek MT6572 (2x Cortex-A7, 1.3GHz) + GPU Mali 400MP
Memory RAM 512MB + 8GB ROM
Expansion slot —
Main screen IPS, 4.3″, 854×480, oleophobic coating
Keyboard type screen input
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) Micro SIMNumber of SIM cards 2
CPU MediaTek MT6572 + GPU Mali 400MP
Number of Cores 2
Frequency, GHz 1,3
Battery 1700 mAh
Diagonal, inches 4,3
Permission 854x480
Matrix type IPS
PPI 228
Brightness sensor +
Display features oleophobic coating
Main camera, Mp 5
Video filming [email protected]
Flash +
Front camera, Mp 0,3
Communication standards GSM 850/900/1800/1900, UMTS 900/2100
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)
Height, mm 127.1x62x7.9
Weight, g 96
Protection against dust and moisture -
Type of shell monoblock
Housing material plastic
Keyboard type screen input
More Scope of delivery: charger, USB cable, headset, user manual
Mobile phones sold under the Alcatel brand have long been familiar to domestic buyers. Recently, quite worthy smartphones have appeared in their lineup that can compete with devices from well-known manufacturers. For example, Alcatel One Touch Idol X.
It's no secret that the Chinese company TCL is engaged in the release of these gadgets. Whether this is an advantage or a disadvantage is debatable. Currently, a lot of smartphones produced in the Middle Kingdom are excellent balanced Android devices. Surprisingly, it is the gadgets of this manufacturer that can easily compete with such brands as HTC, Sony, Samsung.
Alcatel One Touch Idol X has a prototype, which is produced only for the domestic market. The Chinese sell it under their own name - TCL. However, within the framework of this article, the European-style version of the device, which is officially sold in Russia, will be considered.
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 presents a smartphone in a favorable perspective. Above it is the name of the model. Naturally, the manufacturer mentioned belonging to the brand.
When disassembling a set of accessories, the buyer will not find unusual elements. Currently, all manufacturers use approximately the same equipment. Alcatel One Touch Idol X is no exception. Together with the device, a wired stereo headset, a network adapter, a USB cable, and a 2000 mAh battery are sold. Considering these elements, you can pay attention to the fact that they correspond to the entry-level segment. Of course, there is documentation in which the user will find the instruction manual and warranty card.
Those who have already purchased a smartphone noticed that the manufacturer did not include a case in the kit. Alcatel One Touch Idol X has a completely plastic case, so the purchase of protective accessories is quite relevant. A bonus was the use of impact-resistant glass - Dragontrail. Although it will protect the screen, it is still recommended to use a special film. It is not included in the kit, so you need to purchase it separately. In devices with integrated memory of 8 GB, a slot for a flash drive is provided. However, an external drive is not included 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 slightly 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 in the upper and lower parts, which serve as a place to place important elements. For example, above the screen there is a "peephole" of the front camera, a standard earpiece hole, and sensors. There are three control buttons at the bottom. They are sensory. And most importantly, the developers used a backlight, thanks to which even in the dark the keys are easily recognized.
On the back cover in the upper part flaunts the lens of the main camera. Below it is a single-position LED flash. The output speaker grille is displayed in the lower right corner.
As mentioned above, the body of Alcatel One Touch Idol X is completely made of plastic. Thanks to this, the weight of the gadget turned out to be 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, while the headphone or speaker jack is on the top. The audio jack is standard; for most equipment, an adapter is not needed. The lock and volume keys are placed 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 not bad by modern standards. It is based on four cores.
For computing modules is used basic architecture Cortex-A7. The MT-6589T processor provides high performance, during which the core can be overclocked up 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, launching any resource-intensive applications and games. However, at the moment, the only thing that it cannot do is software that is designed for 64-bit platforms. AT this smartphone the chipset is configured for 32-bit computing only. If the buyer sets tasks such as high-quality video display, music playback, surfing the Internet, then all of them are performed by the device flawlessly.
graphics accelerator
An equally important indicator of the high functionality of the gadget is the video card. In this device, the developers used the Power VR SGX544MP model. 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, at present, the video card allows you to easily solve most problems. The restrictions only apply to games, so you'll have to settle for mid-range apps.
Memory
When reviewing Alcatel One Touch Idol X, it is imperative to pay attention to memory characteristics. Despite the fact that there are several modifications of this model, the developers used the same amount of "RAM" in all. 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 modification with one SIM card, its volume is only 8 GB. The developers have provided in it a slot for a memory card. The device supports 32 GB flash drives. Models that work with two SIM cards have 16 gigabytes of internal memory. In this modification, a slot for an external drive is not provided.
Screen Features
What image will please Alcatel One Touch Idol X? The display is made using modern OGS technology. Thanks to her, 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 at 180 degrees. Currently, such displays are rarely found in mid-range devices, not to mention the budget segment.
The main element of the smartphone is its 5-inch screen. Display resolution is relevant to this day. Even now, there are few smartphones that can boast 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 withstands mechanical loads of different levels. Pleased with the presence of an oleophobic coating. Thanks to him, the 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 comments in matters of optics either. The main chamber was manufactured using modern technologies. It is based on a 13-megapixel sensor. Its manufacturer is a leader in this field. It's about Sony. Most buyers have already dealt with its products, leaving only positive feedback. Additional features such as flash and auto focus have been used to increase the quality. This camera can be used to record movies. The speed per second does not exceed 30 frames. The maximum resolution is 1080p.
To front camera buyers did not have much interest, since it is equipped with a 2-megapixel matrix. You can use it mainly only for video calls. For a high-quality selfie, this resolution is no longer enough.
Battery specifications
All of the above characteristics can only be attributed to the benefits. However, it is worth talking about the weaknesses of 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. 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 in 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 will be able to work up to 2 days. If you make the most of all its functionality, then the battery life is enough only for daylight hours. All owners are advised to purchase an external battery. Thanks to him, you can avoid situations when the battery is suddenly completely discharged at the most inopportune moment. It is important to understand that different processes of functionality consume the amount of energy in different ways.
Communications
Smartphone One Touch Idol X is equipped with all the necessary communications. Wi-Fi support is provided to users as a priority method for data exchange. For wired transmission information using a 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. Bluetooth is provided for wireless communication. You can also use a special headset with it.
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 Alcatel One Touch Idol X (the front camera is designed for this purpose). The device also supports the 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, the gadget has a 3.5 mm port.
Soft
As a platform, the developers used the most common operating system. It's about Android. As for the version, the device runs on a rather outdated version - 4.2. Many users report that this is a bit of an inconvenience as there are restrictions on installing apps. But if we consider that the processor runs on a 32-bit system, then this version is quite enough to ensure the operation of many non-resource-intensive programs. All owners, without exception, can use international social networks, all Google services without exception. And to install additional content, a special Play Market store is intended.
On top of the operating system, the manufacturer used his proprietary shell. It provides the initial set of applications - organizer, calendar, alarm clock, calculator and more. To expand the functionality of the gadget, the user can always download additional software from the Internet.
Solution of problems
According to most users, this model smartphone boasts a high level of reliability. If there were breakdowns, they make up a very small percentage. Most often, users experience freezes. In most cases, this is not typical of Alcatel One Touch Idol X. The firmware of the original version, as a rule, works without failures. However, there are isolated cases. To do this, users are advised to contact service center to update your device. The most "advanced" do it themselves. However, you need to understand that changing the firmware on your own can lead to a 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, they can make quite profitable purchases. 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 dimensions. Naturally, this is reflected in the price.
A full-fledged model of Idol X started with a cost of about $ 250 (14,000 rubles). For three years, new devices have “pushed” the smartphone to the entry-level segment. However, it's hard to say that Alcatel One Touch Idol X has fallen in price. The price is currently around $125-150 (7000-9000 rubles). Compared to competitors, there are devices in this price category that have the best technical equipment, for example, in the Sony and Xiaomi lines.
