Alcatel he is a touch idol alpha. Miss Android. Alcatel OneTouch Idol Alpha review. How often do you have to charge

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 rushed to the middle price segment. At the same time, the technical characteristics of the latest models of smartphones are not too far behind the flagships of the TOP-4 manufacturers, and in appearance they even surpass the products of Korean brands. Well, the price, as always, is minimal. One such recent memory device from TCL is. We will tell you about it.

The latest model is the freshest. It was she who was at my disposal. Its sales began less than two weeks ago.

In 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. There is a quad-core MTK6589 processor, 1.2 GHz, 1 GB of RAM, a large 4.7-inch screen with an IPS matrix, a resolution of 720x1280 pixels, a 13 megapixel camera from Sony. The device runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. Well, the price of the issue is 11,990 rubles.

Dimensions. Contents of delivery

First, as usual, about appearance and usability. The device turned out to be very thin and light enough. It measures 138 x 66.6 x 7.5 mm and weighs 117 grams. The gadget fits easily into your hand. It is comfortable to work with him.

The build quality is in no way inferior to flagship models from other manufacturers. During two weeks of testing, I did not notice any creaking or backlash. On the positive side, I can mention the 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 clothing, then there are no problems here. Wear it wherever you want and with what you want.

The delivery set includes:

  • USB charger adapter
  • Computer sync cable
  • Stereo headset with 3.5mm mini-jack
  • Instructions

The packaging of this smartphone deserves a special mention. It is a metal tube, inside of which the apparatus is located. To protect against mechanical stress, there are soft cardboard and soft pillows inside the tube.

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 tight, there are no removable parts. but appearance Alcatel Idol Alpha is not original. This is a kind of mixture of the iPhone 5 and. From the first he got the metal frame of the case with beveled chamfers and minimum thickness, and from the second - transparent inserts with LED backlighting from the bottom and top. Rear part the device is made of matte and slightly rough plastic under soft-touch. For this reason, as well as because of the monolithic design of the case, everyone who took the device in their hands 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 various elements, then almost the entire front of the device is occupied by a touchscreen display with a diagonal of 4.7 inches. Above it is the speaker hole. To the left is located front-camera, on the right - all kinds of sensors and sensors: motion sensor, light sensor, G-sensor. In the upper transparent part of the case, there are LEDs that light up when charging, receiving an incoming SMS or a missed call.

Touch control buttons are located above the transparent panel, like the Sony Xperia SP. They are quite convenient, but there are no additional settings related to transparent insertion in the menu. On the Sony model, it was possible to select the backlight color, for example, the color of notifications when incoming call or unread SMS. Everything is simple right there.

On the right side there is a button for turning on, turning off and locking 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. There is a microUSB connector just below. It is versatile as it connects to a 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 13MP camera with autofocus and LED flash. Below you can see a speaker for external calls and sound playback. The sound here is good and quite loud. Incoming call, if it is set at maximum volume, it is impossible to miss.

Due to the design features, the battery is not removable here.

Screen. Graphics capabilities

The Alcatel Idol Alpha uses a 4.7-inch screen with HD 720x1280 resolution. The matrix here is IPS, which boasts good color rendering, colorful and contrasting images. High quality Dragontrail glass is used to protect the display, which reliably protects the screen from damage. By the way, during the two weeks of the test, no scratches appeared on the screen.

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 as they are. Watching the video is a pleasure. The only complaint was the sensitivity of the screen. For example, it seemed to me that it handles clicks with some delay. Well, if you have frozen hands, then the presses will go through once.

Menu. Interface and navigation

Alcatel Idol Alpha runs an operating room Android systems 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. Alcatel's custom skin is installed on top of the operating system, which styles the Android interfaces for Windows Phone... At least I got this feeling because of the square icons and style of the menu design.

Otherwise, we have good old Android. In standby mode, multiple desktops are available to the user. By default, one of them is completely empty, the other displays shortcuts for individual applications and widgets, the rest - calendar, bookmarks, music player. Each desktop is customizable.

Of the distinctive features Alcatel Idol Alpha I will note the preinstalled applications, including the navigation and reference 2Gis, the service for the selection of air tickets Aviasales, Evernote, Facebook, Twitter, OfficeSuite, Opera mini, PicSay, Skype, WatsApp, Yandex.Taxi, barcode scanner and others.

In terms of the number of applications running on a smartphone out of the box, the device can be praised. The most you need to already eat. The rest can be downloaded from Google Play.

Multimedia capabilities

The application 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 a sorting by artist, album, genre, composer. A regular headset is included in the package.

The "Video" item displays videos taken both by the camera of the device 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. There are very few manual settings. At the same time, the device offers such popular modes as HDR and panorama shooting, and can also record video in a resolution of 1920x1080. The quality of the pictures is average, the noise is clearly visible in low light, sometimes the autofocus behaves in a strange way, you have to focus again.

Filming is made in Full HD format with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The device supports unconverted video, but the chipset does not handle 1080p well, often there is an out-of-sync sound, or there is none at all. In terms of music formats, there is FLAC support in addition to regular mp3 and a number of others.

Memory and speed

A version of the smartphone with built-in memory of 16 GB is available in stores. This volume cannot be expanded. This smartphone does not have a memory card slot.

The hardware is typical of most mid-range smartphones price category... It has a MediaTek MT6589 chipset with a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor. 1 GB is reserved for RAM.

You can watch HD videos on your smartphone without any glitches. Nevertheless, if you run several "heavy applications" at the same time, the interfaces will start to dull.

Communication capabilities

The device works in 2G (GSM / GPRS / EDGE, 850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and 3G (900/2100 MHz) networks. There is no LTE support.

In addition, there is Bluetooth version 4.0 for file and voice transfer. There is Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b / g / n here. 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 support for Wi-Fi Display.

The smartphone has GPS navigator, A-GPS. "Cold" start - 5-6 minutes, "hot" - up to 15 seconds. To work with maps, the device has installed programs: "Maps" and "Navigator". Personally, I had no problems with the navigator.

Duration of work

The smartphone has a 2000mAh Li-ion battery. In testing conditions, with the number of calls 10 - 15 minutes a day, Wi-FI always on, 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. Is charging accumulator battery in 1.5 hours. These are the standard metrics for an Android smartphone.

The smartphone offers a built-in power saving function that will help to extend the operating time, especially when the device has been in standby mode for a long time. Activation of this mode, according to my own feelings, does not affect the operating time.

Outcomes

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 lightweight interface complete the image. Nevertheless, the camera, despite the status of the module itself, shoots averagely, and the usual support for 2 SIM-cards is not here. Another disadvantage is the lack of the ability to increase the amount of memory for storing data, and the absence 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 being asked for it now.

Advantages

  • Attractive design
  • Large IPS screen
  • Slim body
  • Good build

disadvantages

  • There is no way to expand the built-in memory
  • No 3.5mm headset jack
    • Absent fast charging

    Great 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
    Heats up a lot in games

    A model for those who do not play top-end games in terms of graphics and are not fanatical about selfies. The rest of the characteristics are at their best. Especially the performance of the apparatus. And the display.

The Chinese company TCL Communication, which owns the ALCATEL ONETOUCH brand, continues to actively conquer the world market of mobile devices, introducing new and rather interesting smartphones and other smart products that are characterized not only by relevant technical characteristics, but also boast a rather interesting appearance. A striking example of this is the recently tested models ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL X + and ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL MINI, which left a lot of positive impressions.

This time we have a smartphone for testing, which received a high-quality 4.7-inch HD IPS-display, a fairly productive 4-core MediaTek processor MT6589 and 13MP main camera module. But about everything in turn. We suggest starting a review of new items with technical characteristics:

Manufacturer

TCL Communication

Type, form factor

Smartphone, candy bar

Communication standards

850/900/1800/1900 MHz

900/2100 MHz

High speed data transfer

GPRS (32-48 Kbps), EDGE (236 Kbps), HSDPA + (up to 42 Mbps), HSUPA (up to 5.76 Mbps)

SIM card type

CPU

MediaTek MT6589: 4 ARM Cortex-A7 cores, up to 1.2 GHz, 1MB L2 cache

Graphics adapter

IT PowerVR SGX544MP, up to 286 MHz

IPS, 4.7 ", 1280 x 720 pixels (312 ppi), touchscreen, capacitive, multi-touch up to 5 touches, protective glass

RAM

Persistent memory

Card reader

Interfaces

Multimedia

Acoustics

Microphone

Additionally

wideband audio (HD Voice)

The main

13 MP, autofocus, electronic stabilization, HDR, face and smile detection, LED flash, video recording in 1080p (30 FPS)

Frontal

1.3 MP, 720p video recording

Communication capabilities

802.11 b / g / n (Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Display)

Proximity sensor, light sensor, led indicator, G-sensor

Battery

Li-ion: 2000 mAh

Charger

Input: 100 ~ 240VAC ex. at 50/60 Hz

Output: DC 5V e.g. 1 A

138 x 66.6 x 7.5mm

Operating system

Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean + proprietary shell

Official guarantee

12 months

Products webpage

Delivery and packaging

The novelty comes in a very unusual and rather original package, which is made of anodized aluminum in the form of a large tube. The brand and model name is printed on the case. Inside, the smartphone and the delivery set are securely housed in a cylindrical plastic box, which is additionally protected by soft black velor. Thus, ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL ALPHA packaging combines the original design and good protective properties of the product itself. If a novelty is bought as a gift, then there is no need to worry about holiday packaging.

The set includes the following accessories:

  • user guide;
  • warranty card;
  • charger 1 W (5V, 1A);
  • micro-USB↔USB cable;
  • micro-USB↔mini-jack 3.5 mm adapter;
  • a clip for the SIM card tray;
  • a headset with headphones of a vacuum design.

Appearance, arrangement of elements

V recent times smartphone manufacturers have ceased to amaze customers with really interesting and extraordinary design innovations, trying to draw attention to their devices by improving their technical characteristics and software component. Basically, we are faced with classic rectangular monoblocks with sharp or rounded ends. But the same cannot be said about the hero of this review.

ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL ALPHA can rightfully be called a rather interesting design solution with an attractive and memorable appearance. This became possible thanks to the use of unusual transparent elements with integrated lighting and an aluminum frame with diamond cut edges. The smartphone looks pretty good and expensive, especially in the golden (beige, according to the manufacturer's terminology) version, where the back cover and frame are polished in the corresponding color. We got a version in gray-blue (black, according to the manufacturer's terminology) for testing.

The metal frame that surrounds the smartphone around the entire contour consists of two parts. The metal is processed very qualitatively: during testing, no chips or abrasions appeared. The device is assembled quite well, but unfortunately not perfect.

So, between the main plastic case and the aluminum frame, you can see minor gaps that can clog up with dust over time. Otherwise, there are no complaints. The body is characterized by excellent rigidity. There are no backlashes or creaks at moderate torsion, and the glass does not squeeze (streaks and other artifacts are not observed on the screen).

The front side is made in dark colors and is almost completely covered with protective glass (the name of which is not disclosed by the manufacturer), which is additionally protected along the contour with a seal placed next to the aluminum frame. It rises slightly above the screen to protect it when placing the smartphone on the table with the display down. The bezels around the display are rather thin. There are no logos, which is typical for this manufacturer. At the very top, a transparent plastic insert, which has a white backlight and serves as an indicator, attracts attention. It can be controlled or completely turned off using the "Lighting" item in the settings menu. Above the display are located: front camera, earpiece mesh, proximity / lighting sensors.

Below is the main microphone and three touch buttons, which are mirrored relative to the stock Android design: Back, Home (when held down, Google Now is called), and Menu (when held down, it calls up the "Launched Application Manager"). The buttons themselves are located under the display, and their designations are located on the lower transparent insert. Because of this arrangement, it is intuitive and I want to click on the applied icons (highlighted in white), and not on an empty area of ​​the screen.

On the right side there is a volume rocker and a power / lock button, which are easily found blindly and have a short stroke. On the left side there is a tray for a SIM-card of the Micro-SIM format and a micro-USB port. The top and bottom ends are empty. “Where is the universal audio jack (mini-jack 3.5 mm)” - you ask? He is not here. And to connect the headset, you will have to use the complete micro-USB↔mini-jack 3.5 mm adapter. The solution is rather controversial and not very practical, especially if the adapter breaks or gets lost. Alternatively, it would be possible to equip the complete headset with a micro-USB connector. Note that even in the ultra-thin (6.18 mm) Huawei Ascend P6 there was room for a 3.5 mm mini-jack.

The rear non-separable side is made of matte gray-blue plastic with a "spark" that shimmers pleasantly depending on the lighting conditions. The plastic is absolutely not smear and is quite pleasant to the touch. Above are located: one-section LED-flash (software flashlight is present); the main camera peephole, slightly out of the general style of the novelty; additional microphone. Below is the ALCATEL ONETOUCH logo (the first part of which is painted, and the second is represented by a chrome insert). At the very bottom there is a large information sticker and a wide perforated area for the multimedia speaker with small protrusions along the edges.

In general, ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL ALPHA is characterized by a rather fresh and interesting appearance, which leaves a pleasant impression. And thanks to its modest dimensions (138 x 66.6 mm) and small thickness (7.5 mm), the smartphone fits comfortably in the average hand. True, due to its small thickness, it is not so easy to lift it off the table: it just strives to slip out of your hands. A distinctive feature of the novelty is its rather low weight (117 g), the effect of which is further enhanced by transparent elements - the smartphone seems to be weightless.

ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL ALPHA is equipped with a 4.7-inch touchscreen IPS-display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. At the same time, the pixel density is 312 ppi, which is quite high. The resulting picture is characterized by good detail, but if you really want to, you can see individual pixels, which are completely invisible in real operating conditions.

The color reproduction is quite pleasant, although subjectively it seems that some shades are somewhat oversaturated. At the same time, the white balance looks correct and the contrast is at a high level. The display is protected by tempered glass with a good anti-reflective and fairly simple oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (prints appear quickly, but can be easily removed with a microfiber or a regular napkin). Sliding your fingers across the display is quite light and pleasant.

The brightness of the screen can be adjusted manually or activated automatically. The maximum brightness is a little lacking on a sunny day, so the image fades a little, but it is possible to see it. But the minimum brightness level is quite comfortable for working in the dark. The proximity sensor locks the screen when you bring your smartphone to your ear.

Multi-touch technology here allows you to handle up to 5 simultaneous touches. It has a pretty good sensitivity, but does not respond to pressing with gloves. Sometimes false positives occur or actions need to be pressed again. This happens quite rarely and, perhaps, is only a feature of the test sample. Note that the new product is devoid of customization options color temperature, which we met in the flagship model ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL X +.

In general, we have a fairly high-quality IPS-display with excellent viewing angles and pleasant color rendering, albeit with some oversaturated individual shades.

As already mentioned, the ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL ALPHA smartphone is equipped with only one speaker located at the bottom of the rear of the case. Due to this placement, the sound is somewhat muffled if the gadget is lying on a horizontal surface. But thanks to the relevant speeches, this is not critical.

The multimedia speaker is quite loud and delivers quality sound across almost the entire frequency range. Only when approaching maximum volume there is slight distortion in the sound. In general, its capabilities are quite enough for games, watching videos, calls and notifications.

The bundled in-ear headphones are quite comfortable and boast pleasant sound with the ability to reproduce a fairly wide frequency range. Depending on the composition, you can hear the presence low frequencies... The stock player "Music" has a number of useful settings to improve the quality of music playback, including an equalizer.

Once again, we note that using a micro-USB↔mini-jack 3.5 mm adapter is not very convenient and aesthetically unattractive. For example, if the smartphone is in your pocket, then the probability of mechanical damage to the adapter itself increases. Therefore, music lovers should get a high-quality wireless headset, which should improve the situation.

ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL ALPHA has a built-in radio module that allows you to listen to and record FM radio stations that operate in the frequency range from 87.5 to 108 MHz. Traditionally, to turn on the radio, it is necessary to connect a headset, which is used as an antenna.

During testing of the spoken dynamics, no shortcomings were found: the quality of speech transmission is clear, moderately loud (depending on the operator and the interlocutor's phone) and with a rather pleasant sound transmission.

Camera

The novelty is equipped with two digital camera modules. The front one has a 1.3 megapixel sensor and an f / 2.4 lens. It is capable of capturing photos and videos with a resolution of 1280 x 720, that is, in HD quality.

Under favorable conditions, the camera gives an image of a fairly good quality, which is useful not only for video calls, but also for self-portraits. The focus is fixed here. The image detail is good. The viewing angle is not very large, but it is sufficient and does not cause complaints.

The main camera received a 13 megapixel module and a fairly fast lens with an f / 2.0 aperture. Also available is a one-section flash, autofocus, face and smile detection, geotagging. And among the available modes we will highlight HDR ("Dynamic mode"), "Panorama", "Night" and "Sports". In addition, digital image stabilization is always on. When taking a photo, it reduces the likelihood of getting a blurry frame, but when recording a video, it reduces the effect of hand shake and improves the smoothness of the video. Photos have a resolution of 4224 x 3168 at a 4: 3 ratio and 4096 x 2304 at a 16: 9 ratio. The video is shot at 1920 × 1080 (30 FPS) and has a 3gp format.

In general, the photo quality is at a high level. Photos are characterized by fairly good detail. However, the automation does not always correctly select the white balance, which leads to a shift in the picture in warm shades, so there is no need to talk about the exact reproduction of colors. In low light, there is a shift in the picture in pronounced red tones. But this can be partially corrected by setting the value of white balance and ISO in manual mode. The details of the photos in the foreground are pretty good, and the edges fall off or blur in the background. The video quality is sufficient and does not cause any particular complaints: focusing is fast and details are average.

The camera software is proprietary and has a very simple and concise appearance, made in the same style as the entire OS shell. There are few functions compared to smartphones of A-brands. But the application itself works pretty quickly.

Examples of photography

Examples of filming

An example of daytime shooting from a smartphone ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL ALPHA at a resolution of 1080p with basic settings

User interface

ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL ALPHA comes with a preinstalled Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 operating system, in which a proprietary shell is installed, which has not received its own name. Visually, it is very pleasant, and thanks to the use of rather stylish translucent graphic elements under the "frosted glass" brings a certain lightness to the interface. Unfortunately, nothing is known for sure about future OS updates to version 4.4 or at least 4.3.

It is interesting to note that the functionality of the shell is slightly lower than in ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL X +, but higher than in ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL MINI. So, on the lock screen, in addition to quickly calling the camera and direct unlocking, you can view the weather, time and calendar (called by waving to the side). The solution with the division of desktops also looks quite interesting. On the left of home screen- a desktop for widgets, equipped with vertically scrolling. It makes it possible to place a lot of elements (in principle, they can be taken out on other screens, but there the free space is fixed and there is no scrolling). To the right of the initial screen are program icons, some of which have been carefully put into folders by the manufacturer. The leftmost desktop is reserved for the "Gallery", where pictures and photos are displayed. New desktops are added automatically when there is no more free space on others. When you wave from bottom to top on the initial desktop and tables with applications, a menu with icons of all programs installed on the smartphone opens slightly.

As we already wrote at the beginning of the review, to call the "Manager of running applications" is used to hold down the "Menu" button, and not "Home". At first you can get a little confused, but over time you get used to it. To close running applications that have a preview, just swipe up from the bottom of the corresponding program.

A large number of pre-installed applications and games should be noted. For more experienced users who are used to installing everything they need on their own, this is a rather controversial decision. But for beginners and beginners who are just getting acquainted with the Android OS, this is an advantage. In any case, most of the unnecessary programs and games.

The settings menu has a sufficient number of intuitive items. It is good news for the updated and more pleasant white design, which should please the majority of users. Among the settings, I would like to note the item "Lighting", where the controls for the light indication of the smartphone are concentrated, including turning it off.

Note that the novelty recognizes gesture control well. In the standard Music application, you can switch tracks by simply shaking off your smartphone. And to mute the input signal, just turn it upside down. The alarm signal is also delayed in the same way.

Overall, the user interface looks nice and colorful. It works pretty quickly and smoothly enough.

Hardware platform and performance

ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL ALPHA is built on the basis of the widely used single-chip system (SoC) MediaTek MT6589. It includes a fairly powerful 4-core processor, created on a 28-nm process technology using the ARM Cortex-A7 design. Maximum clock frequency processor cores is 1.2 GHz, and the L2 cache reaches 1 MB. The integrated graphics solution is IT PowerVR SGX544MP with maximum clock frequency 286 MHz. It received support for OpenGL ES 2.0, OpenCL 1.1 and DirectX 9.0c.

The amount of RAM is only 1 GB, and the permanent memory is 16 GB, of which 12.64 GB is available to the user. This space cannot be expanded as there is no support for memory cards. Also, it will not be possible to connect an external USB-drive, due to the lack of OTG support by this platform.

If we talk about the performance of a smartphone, then it is quite enough for most everyday mobile tasks, including relatively complex games. For example, GTA Vice City and Dead Trigger 2 work without any complaints at high graphics settings. But the more demanding Asphalt 8: Airborne and GTA San andreas with similar settings, they start to slow down. However, you should only reduce the quality of the picture and you can get a comfortable level of frame rate and continue to enjoy the gameplay. Simpler tasks are done without any problem.

It should be noted that this system is very similar to the California-based Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 platform. The only difference is the weaker IT PowerVR SGX 544MP GPU, which is inferior in computing power to the Qualcomm Adreno 305.

The heating of the smartphone body under active load is present, but it is insignificant and does not cause any discomfort.

Communication and communications

The ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL ALPHA model works in modern GSM and WCDMA / HSPA + mobile networks. There is only one radio module, exactly like the number of SIM-cards. Use the supplied paper clip to open the Micro SIM card tray. The quality of calls is at a high level: there are no interruptions or independent drops, and the voice transmission is clear, but depends on the location of the user and the quality of the network itself.

The set of communication capabilities is represented by Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi modules. The latter has support for 802.11 b / g / n and Wi-Fi functions Direct, Wi-Fi Hotspot and Wi-Fi Display, but only capable of operating in the 2.4GHz band. Traditionally, there is DLNA support.

The speed of wireless data transmission in the home network was fixed at 35-40 Mbps when receiving and about 25 Mbps when sending information (with a total wired line of 100 Mbps). Work of modules wireless networks does not cause any complaints: everything connects quickly and keeps the connection well.

The smartphone has a GPS module with A-GPS support. The quality of its work is at a good level: in an open area in about half a minute, it detects about 10-12 satellites. After connecting, the connection is stable with most of them.

Autonomous work

ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL ALPHA is powered by a non-replaceable lithium ion battery... The battery capacity is 2000 mAh, which is a fairly predictable value, given the light weight and thickness of the new product. With an average load, such a charge should be enough for a day and a half of work without recharging. In a more rational mode, you can safely count on uninterrupted operation for two days. This became possible thanks to the use of a not the brightest display and an energy efficient platform. According to the manufacturer, the smartphone can work in music player (headset) mode for up to 24 hours. And the talk time is up to 20 hours in the 2G network and up to 10 hours in the 3G network. In addition, the standby time of the novelty can reach 720/360 hours in 2G / 3G networks.

Test results: viewing HD video at 50% display brightness and enabled Wi-Fi and GPS modules - almost 9 hours; in-game simulation using Epic Citadel app ("Guided Tour" mode) with 100% display brightness and Wi-Fi and GPS modules turned on - 4.5 hours. The estimated runtime of the smartphone according to the GFXBench benchmark is 450 minutes, that is, 7.5 hours.

The battery charging time from a complete 1 W (5V, 1A) power supply is about 2.5 hours.

Outcomes

Immediately I would like to praise the designers of TCL Communication, who did a great job on the appearance. They managed to create an extremely interesting and original, and most importantly, unusual design. The novelty stands out pleasantly from a number of rather monotonous smartphones, which became possible thanks to the use of unusual transparent elements with integrated backlighting and an aluminum frame with diamond-cut edges.

As a result, we have a kind of gem in a metal frame, which is characterized by good workmanship and excellent ergonomics. In addition, the novelty boasts a high-quality 4.7-inch IPS-display, good photo and video quality under favorable conditions, a relatively productive 4-core MediaTek MT6589 processor (which is quite enough for most everyday mobile tasks, including relatively complex games) and pretty good autonomy. As befits a modern smartphone, all the necessary network modules are in place and work properly.

But, unfortunately, there were some drawbacks. The thought immediately comes to the absence of a conventional audio jack and, as a consequence, the need to use a micro-USB-mini-jack 3.5 mm adapter. Therefore, we advise music lovers to immediately acquire a high-quality wireless stereo headset. And for those who are used to carrying a lot of different content with them in their smartphone, they will have to put up with only 16 GB of internal memory, without the possibility of its expansion.

Generally speaking, ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL ALPHA will appeal to those users who want to get quality smartphone with an unusual and striking design that looks quite stylish and expensive.

Advantages:

  • interesting and unusual design;
  • good ergonomics;
  • high build quality of the case;
  • high-quality 4.7-inch HD IPS-display with excellent viewing angles and pleasant color reproduction;
  • good photographic ability of the main 13-megapixel camera module;

The tendencies of modern smartphone building are reduced to increasing technical characteristics and improving software. At the same time, less and less attention is paid to the appearance. The statements of some vendors that their smartphone has the thinnest bezels or that the display of the novelty 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 would like to get to know better each smartphone with its own face. ALCATEL ONETOUCH Idol Alpha is just such a device.


Let's make a few clarifications right away. We got an engineering sample with firmware intended for Russia, where this smartphone has been on sale for some time. His appearance on the shelves Ukrainian stores expected in late May and 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: a front camera lens, a small slot for the earpiece, a set of sensors. Below the screen: three touch-sensitive keys, the location of which is identified by small silvery dots. Bottom and top of the protective glass - transparent plastic inserts. The bottom insert contains pictograms explaining the functionality of the touch keys. Holding the Home button is responsible for calling the Google Now assistant, Menu - a list of recently launched applications. The microphone is hidden between the protective glass of the screen and the transparent insert. The ends are empty. On the left side there is a tray for Micro-SIM cards and a Micro-USB connector, on the right - the volume rocker and power key. On the back we see a small camera lens, a flash, a second microphone hole, a ringing speaker mesh and some service information.








The materials used are of interest. For example, metal sidewalls strongly resemble those in the latest generations of Apple iPhone. The edges are unpainted and allow the natural color of the metal to be seen. The chamfer is smooth and does not cut the palm, allowing the smartphone to fit comfortably in the hand. If the ends evoke associations with one specific product, then clear plastic inserts can evoke more memories. Oldest - LG GD900 Crystal, slider with transparent keyboard, from recent - 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 is on during charging. Such illumination 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 on your desk, you will not miss the notification.

The build quality is commendable. Metal sidewalls completely encircle the body of the smartphone and exclude creaks or backlash. Bending test revealed that the smartphone does not deform 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, you will feel a slight difference in height.



The Idol Alpha smartphone 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 travel, 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 doesn't 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 look at wireless headphones or refuse to personally listen to music from a smartphone.


Summing up the familiarity with the appearance of ALCATEL ONETOUCH Idol Alpha, I would like to say that most people who held a smartphone, noted the unusual and attractiveness of its appearance, although there were those who called it "an 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, average - 230 cd / m2, maximum - 325 cd / m2. Judging by the quality of the factory calibration, a matrix of a sufficiently high quality is used, most of the parameters are close to the reference values.





Speaking of subjective impressions, it is worth noting the large viewing angles and some oversaturation of shades, vaguely reminiscent of the color rendering 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 glare. Sensor automatic adjustment brightness works correctly. The manufacturer's website says about the presence of an oleophobic coating, but we did not notice it. The screen quickly becomes covered with fingerprints. They can be easily removed, but literally after a minute of use, there is no trace of the clean surface, which does not add any advantages to the appearance of the smartphone. Also, when working with the Fleksy keyboard in our sample, we observed occasional false alarms of the sensor, which can be attributed to the peculiarities of the sample.




Not the highest minimum brightness does not interfere with the readability of the display in sunny weather. In the conditions of the relatively warm Kiev spring, the information remains distinguishable, we can say that in this parameter the display is similar to most of its classmates. In general, the screen looks high-quality, not least due to the "flashy" colors, because of this same feature, it may not appeal to those who prefer more natural color reproduction.

Interface

The smartphone runs on Android 4.2.2 operating system with a 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. The first is the presence of a menu of installed applications, which was not there before. The second is an unusual mechanism for dragging icons from one desktop to another. Pulling the icon to the edge of the screen, first, you get into the preview of thumbnails of all desktops and only after that you can place the application icon on the selected one.

Calls and multimedia

We did not have the opportunity to fully assess the multimedia capabilities 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, Idol Alpha does not surprise, it does an excellent job of playing a set of test files, but not playing AC3 sound like most other smartphones.

Playing video files

Codec / Name FinalDestination5.mp4 Neudergimie.2.mkv Gran Turismo 6.mp4 Spartacus.mkv ParallelUniverse.avi
Video MPEG4 Video (H264) 1920 × 798 29.99fps MPEG4 Video (H264) 1920 × 816 23.98fps MPEG4 Video (H264) 1920 × 1080 60fps, 19.7Mbit / s MPEG4 Video (H264) 1280 × 720 29.97fps MPEG4 Video (H264) 1280 × 536 24.00fps 2726kbps
Audio AAC 48000Hz stereo 96kbps MPEG Audio Layer 3 44100Hz stereo AAC 48000Hz stereo 48kbps Dolby AC3 44100Hz stereo MPEG Audio Layer 3 44100Hz stereo 256kbps





The loudness of the ringing loudspeaker 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 the pocket. The vibration alert is average in strength. The earpiece is loud, its volume is noticeably higher than that of many modern smartphones. There were no complaints about the quality of voice transmission during testing.

Performance and memory

ALCATEL ONETOUCH Idol Alpha is built on the familiar Mediatek MT6589 platform, which includes four Cortex-A7 cores operating at 1.2 GHz and a Power SGX 544MP video core. The amount of RAM is 1 GB, the built-in memory is 16 GB, without the possibility of expansion. Of this volume, 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 Wi-Fi and GPS modules work well, the device quickly finds satellites.

Below you can see the results of some benchmarks.

Cameras

The smartphone has two cameras: the main one with 13 megapixels with autofocus and the front one with 1.3 megapixels. The front camera is of sufficient quality, in the presence of good lighting it is suitable not only for chatting on Skype, but also for selfies. The main camera also allows you to take good pictures. Using the examples of the photos presented below, you can independently draw conclusions about his photographic abilities.

Sample photos taken in automatic mode filming





HDR photo examples





An example of a Full HD-video shot by a smartphone ALCATEL ONETOUCH Idol Alpha

The camera app features a minimalist interface with quick access to multiple shooting modes. Launching, focusing and saving a photo is quick, unlike creating HDR photos. This will take three to four seconds, while moving objects are blurred.




Autonomy

The built-in 2000 mAh battery lasts for about a day and a half with the data transfer modules turned on, geolocation, synchronization of one Google account, reading news and social media feeds, listening to music via a Bluetooth headset and a minimum number of voice calls. Like other smartphones based on MediaTek chipsets, the Idol Alpha is weakly discharged in standby mode, so the battery life may vary depending on the specific usage profile.

Runtime indicators
Mode \ Device ALCATEL OT Idol Alpha Fly IQ4412 Coral (economy mode) Nokia Lumia 925 Huawei Ascend P6
Music 4% 3% 9% 6%
Reading 22% 19% 25% 16%
Navigation 29% 24% 35% 46%
Viewing HD video 22% 30% 20% 23%
Watching HD Videos 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 of the battery is discharged in 2 hours of testing. In the mode reading all wireless communications are disabled, including data transmission to mobile network and the display brightness is set to 50%. While listening music automatic data synchronization and data transmission worked. Headphone volume at 12 out of 15 possible levels. All music files in MP3 format, bit rate 320 Kbps. Navigation includes laying a route to google app Navigation. Brightness is set to 50%, all communication modules are disabled. WP smartphones use the Nokia HERE app. During playback video data transmission in the mobile network is active, the display brightness is set to 50%, the sound volume in the headphones is at level 12 out of a possible 15. The video file format is MKV, the resolution is 1024x432 pixels, the frame rate is 24. Playing videos from Youtube was accompanied not only by work in the Wi-Fi network, but also by active data transfer. Display brightness is set to 50%, 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.

Outcomes

ALCATEL ONETOUCH Idol Alpha is a smartphone, where the main role is played by its appearance. Although some solutions are borrowed from other manufacturers, 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, are important to you, good camera- this smartphone is worth paying attention to. Taking into account the available data on the expected cost and timing of entering the Ukrainian market, it seems a little overvalued, but it is better to check these promises in practice.

Battery Li-Ion, 2000 mAh Diagonal, inches 4,7 Permission 1280x720 Matrix type IPS PPI 312 Brightness adjustment sensor + Main camera, MP 13 Filming 1920x1080 pixels, 30fps Flash LED Front camera, MP 1,3 Communication standards GSM 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA 900/2100 Wi-Fi 802.11n Bluetooth 4.0 Gps + IrDA - FM radio + Audio jack + NFC - Interface connector micro-USB Height, mm 138 Width, mm 67 Thickness, mm 8 Weight, g 117 Dust and moisture protection - Type of shell monoblock Body material plastic Keyboard type screen input

Over the past year, TCL Communications (a trademark of Alcatel One touch) has radically revised its strategy. If earlier the vendor produced exclusively cheap mobile phones, now it rushed to the middle price segment. At the same time, the technical characteristics of the latest models of smartphones are not too far behind the flagships of the TOP-4 manufacturers, and in appearance they even surpass the products of Korean brands. Well, the price, as always, is minimal. One of these recent memorable devices from TCL is the Alcatel Idol Alpha smartphone. We will tell you about it.

Sales of Alcatel smartphones in Russia in the first quarter of 2014 came close to the indicators of such brands as Sony, Fly and LG. This was largely due to the successful launch of the Idol line, which included Idol X (flagship), Idol S (with LTE support), Idol mini(typical middling) and Idol Alpha (a la design version).

The latest model is the freshest. It was she who was at my disposal. Its sales began less than two weeks ago.

In 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. There is a quad-core MTK6589 processor, 1.2 GHz, 1 GB of RAM, a large 4.7-inch screen with an IPS matrix, a resolution of 720x1280 pixels, a 13 megapixel camera from Sony. The device runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. Well, the price of the issue is 11,990 rubles.

Dimensions. Contents of delivery

id = "sub0">

First, as usual, about appearance and usability. The device turned out to be very thin and light enough. It measures 138 x 66.6 x 7.5 mm and weighs 117 grams. The gadget fits easily into your hand. It is comfortable to work with him.

The build quality is in no way inferior to flagship models from other manufacturers. During two weeks of testing, I did not notice any creaking or backlash. On the positive side, I can mention the 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 clothing, then there are no problems here. Wear it wherever you want and with what you want.

The delivery set includes:

  • Alcatel 6032X Idol Alpha phone
  • USB charger adapter
  • Computer sync cable
  • Stereo headset with 3.5mm mini-jack
  • Instructions

The packaging of this smartphone deserves a special mention. It is a metal tube, inside of which the apparatus is located. To protect against mechanical stress, there are soft cardboard and soft pillows inside the tube.

Design, construction

id = "sub1">

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 tight, there are no removable parts. However, the appearance of the Alcatel Idol Alpha is unoriginal. This is a kind of mixture of and. From the first he got the metal frame of the case with beveled chamfers and the minimum thickness, and from the second - transparent inserts with LED backlighting from the top and bottom. The back of the device is made of matte and slightly rough plastic under soft-touch. For this reason, as well as because of the monolithic design of the case, everyone who took the device in their hands 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 various elements, then almost the entire front of the device is occupied by a touchscreen display with a diagonal of 4.7 inches. Above it is the speaker hole. To the left is the front camera, to the right - all kinds of sensors and sensors: motion sensor, light sensor, G-sensor. In the upper transparent part of the case, there are LEDs that light up when charging, receiving an incoming SMS or a missed call.

Touch control buttons are located above the transparent panel, like the. They are quite convenient, but there are no additional settings related to transparent insertion in the menu. On the Sony model, you could choose the backlight color, for example, the color of notifications for an incoming call or an unread SMS. Everything is simple right there.

On the right side there is a button for turning on, turning off and locking 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. There is a microUSB connector just below. It is versatile as it connects to a 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 13MP camera with autofocus and LED flash. Below you can see a speaker for external calls and sound playback. The sound here is good and quite loud. An incoming call, if it is set to maximum volume, cannot be missed.

Due to the design features, the battery is not removable here.

Screen. Graphics capabilities

id = "sub2">

The Alcatel Idol Alpha uses a 4.7-inch screen with HD 720x1280 resolution. The matrix here is IPS, which boasts good color rendering, colorful and contrasting images. High quality Dragontrail glass is used to protect the display, which reliably protects the screen from damage. By the way, during the two weeks of the test, no scratches appeared on the screen.

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 as they are. Watching the video is a pleasure. The only complaint was the sensitivity of the screen. For example, it seemed to me that it handles clicks with some delay. Well, if you have frozen hands, then the presses will go through once.

Menu. Interface and navigation

id = "sub3">

Alcatel Idol Alpha runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean operating system. On top of the operating system is a custom Alcatel skin that stylizes Android interfaces for Windows Phone. At least I got this feeling because of the square icons and style of the menu design.

Otherwise, we have good old Android. In standby mode, multiple desktops are available to the user. By default, one of them is completely empty, the other displays shortcuts for individual applications and widgets, the rest - calendar, bookmarks, music player. Each desktop is customizable.

Among the distinctive features of Alcatel Idol Alpha, I would like to note the pre-installed applications, among which the navigation and reference 2Gis, the service for the selection of air tickets Aviasales, Evernote, Facebook, Twitter, OfficeSuite, Opera mini, PicSay, Skype, WatsApp, Yandex.Taxi, barcode scanner and others.

In terms of the number of applications running on a smartphone out of the box, the device can be praised. The most you need to already eat. The rest can be downloaded from Google Play.

Multimedia capabilities

id = "sub4">

The application 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 a sorting by artist, album, genre, composer. A regular headset is included in the package.

The "Video" item displays videos taken both by the camera of the device and downloaded from the Internet.

Camera. Photo and video capabilities

id = "sub5">

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. There are very few manual settings. At the same time, the device offers such popular modes as HDR and panorama shooting, and can also record video in a resolution of 1920x1080. The quality of the pictures is average, the noise is clearly visible in low light, sometimes the autofocus behaves in a strange way, you have to focus again.

Filming is made in Full HD format with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The device supports unconverted video, but the chipset does not handle 1080p well, often there is an out-of-sync sound, or there is none at all. In terms of music formats, there is FLAC support in addition to regular mp3 and a number of others.

Memory and speed

id = "sub6">

A version of the smartphone with built-in memory of 16 GB is available in stores. 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 1.2 GHz quad-core processor. 1 GB is reserved for RAM.

You can watch HD videos on your smartphone without any glitches. Nevertheless, if you run several "heavy applications" at the same time, the interfaces will start to dull.

Communication capabilities

id = "sub7">

The device works in 2G (GSM / GPRS / EDGE, 850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and 3G (900/2100 MHz) networks. There is no LTE support.

In addition, there is Bluetooth version 4.0 for file and voice transfer. There is Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b / g / n here. 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 support for Wi-Fi Display.

The smartphone has a GPS navigator, A-GPS. "Cold" start - 5-6 minutes, "hot" - up to 15 seconds. To work with maps, the device has installed programs: "Maps" and "Navigator". Personally, I had no problems with the navigator.

Duration of work

id = "sub8">

The smartphone has a 2000mAh Li-ion battery. In testing conditions, with the number of calls 10 - 15 minutes a day, Wi-FI always on, 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. The battery is charged in 1.5 hours. These are the standard metrics for an Android smartphone.

The smartphone offers a built-in power saving function that will help to extend the operating time, especially when the device has been in standby mode for a long time. Activation of this mode, according to my own feelings, does not affect the operating time.

TFT IPS- High quality liquid crystal matrix. Has wide viewing angles, one of the best indicators of color and contrast quality among all that are used in the production of displays for portable equipment.
Super AMOLED- if a conventional AMOLED screen uses several layers, between which there is an air gap, then in Super AMOLED there is only one such touch layer without air gaps. This allows you to achieve a brighter screen for the same power consumption.
Super AMOLED HD- differs from Super AMOLED in high resolution, thanks to which it is possible to achieve a size of 1280x720 pixels on the screen of a mobile phone.
Super AMOLED plus- This is a new generation of Super AMOLED displays, which differs from the previous one by using more subpixels in a conventional RGB matrix. The new displays are 18% thinner and brighter than the older PenTile technology.
AMOLED- an improved version of OLED technology. The main advantages of the technology are significantly reduced power consumption, the ability to display a wider color gamut, smaller thickness and the ability of the display to bend slightly without the risk of breaking.
Retina-display with high pixel density, designed specifically for Apple technology. Pixel density per Retina displays is such that individual pixels are indistinguishable to the eye at the normal distance from the screen. This provides the highest picture detail and dramatically improves the overall viewing experience.
Super Retina HD- the display is made using OLED technology. The pixel density is 458 PPI, the contrast ratio reaches 1,000,000: 1. The display has a wide color gamut and unrivaled color accuracy. Pixels in the corners of the display are anti-aliased at the sub-pixel level, so the edges stay flat and look flat. 50% thicker Super Retina HD gain layer. It will be harder to break the screen.
Super LCD is the next generation of LCD technology and offers improved performance over earlier LCD displays. The screens have not only wide viewing angles and better color reproduction, but also lower power consumption.
TFT- A common type of liquid crystal displays. The active matrix, controlled by TFTs, significantly improves display performance, as well as image contrast and clarity.
OLED- organic electroluminescent display. Consists of a special thin-film polymer that emits light under the action of an electric field. This type of display has a large margin of brightness and consumes very little power.