Alcatel IDOL 4 and IDOL 4S
Alcatel has announced its new flagship
IDOL 4 and IDOL 4S models at the MWC venue.
The styling is quite similar and Alcatel
has made sure to include its signature reversible design one again. This time,
however, it has been taken one step beyond with three way reversibility - the
phone can operate in both vertical orientations, horizontally and even when you
turn it around the stereo sound orientation remains correct. And while we are
on the topic of sound, both IDOL handsets promise a superb experience, thanks
to the collaboration with JBL and Waves. This includes two powerful 3.6 watt
speakers, Hi-Fi surround-sound for the headset, and optimization of audio
presets both automatically and manually.
The new Alcatel premium line comes in
two main varieties. The basic IDOL 4, measures 147 x 72.5 x 7.1 mm and is
equipped with a 5.2” FHD (1080 x 1920), IPS LTPS display.
Underneath the hood is one of Qualcomm's
new mid-range chips - the Snapdragon 617, along with 3 GB of RAM and 16 GB of
storage (10 GB user-accessible) with a microSD slot. The camera setup consists
of a 13 MP main shooter, with touch focus, auto HDR and the promise of ultrafast
auto-focus (0.1-0.3 seconds). It is complemented by an 8 MP front camera with a
flash. Other features include Cat.6 LTE, as well as a dual-mic noise-canceling
setup and dual 3.6W speakers.
The more premium Alcatel IDOL 4S ups the
stakes even further with a 5.5-inch QHD AMOLED display inside its 153.9 x 75.4
x 6.99 mm body. The processor is also improved - the Snapdragon 652. Storage is
bumped up from the core model to 32 GB (25 GB accessible) and so is the battery 3,000 mAh, instead of the 2,610 mAh, inside the IDOL 4.
Another innovation to the series, which
Alcatel made sure to stress upon is a new physical button, dubbed the BoomKey.
It is mapped to do a whole bunch of interesting things across the Android 6.0
Marshmallow OS, some admittedly more logical than others. "Boom my
camera" for instance is a quick way to shoot photos from standby and
"Boom my music" promises audio optimization, no matter what is
playing (although it raises the question why would you want to have it off).
"Boom my videos", introduces "surprising effects in existing
videos", "Boom my game" releases Nitro in Asphalt games and
"Boom my view" intensifies the 3D parallax effect in the launcher.
And while we are on the topic of 3D, a
nice little addition to the IDOL 4 mix, comes courtesy of its retail box. It
can be easily transformed into a Google Cardboard-style headset for an entry
level VR experience.
Last, but not least, as part of this
year's announcement Alcatel OneTouch decided it is time to simplify the moniker
and shorten in to Alcatel. The company still remains part of the TCL
Communications family, so only the branding is changing, along with a new logo
design.
