Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 (4.7 inches), we have tested it

The mid-range mobile phone is getting really interesting. Alcatel is one of the most recent companies to try to open a gap in this competitive sector, and it does so by launching in Spain -and in many other parts of the world- the new Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 , a smartphone available in two screen sizes ( 4.7 and 5.5 inches ). The OneTouch Idol 3 is now available in stores for an official price of 250 and 310 euros , respectively, and in our case we had the opportunity to test the 4.7-inch Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 .

Version 4.7 inches of the OneTouch Idol 3 of Alcatel has slightly lower specifications to version 5.5 inches , so that the differences between both beyond the screen size. For version 4.7 inches , we are talking about features including a processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 , 1 gigabyte of RAM , eight gigabytes of memory (expandable microSD ), 13 megapixels main camera, Android 5.0 .2 Lollipop and a battery of2,000 mAh . But are these features enough for a user looking for a mid-range mobile? Let's proceed to find out in this Spanish test of the Alcatel Idol 3 .

Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 analysis, in video

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DESIGN

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134.6 x 65.9 x 7.6 millimeters, 110 grams of weight. Available in black, gray and bronze. Non-removable housing. Chromed side edges, plastic shell .

The design of the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 is striking, and presents some differences with respect to the rest of the mid-range mobiles. In a category in which manufacturers increasingly have to try harder to stand out from the competition, Alcatel has decided to introduce some interesting features to this mobile: a plastic finish that seeks to imitate the look of metal , chrome edges , two speakers on the front , 7.6 millimeters thick ... on paper, the design is striking.

But what about holding the mobile in your hand? The Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 feels comfortable and firm in the hand , which we assume is influenced by the moderate size of the screen of this mobile (remember, 4.7 inches). The side buttons, despite having a somewhat different arrangement than usual, are accessible for one hand without major problems. Since we have not had the opportunity to test the 5.5-inch version, we cannot confirm that these sensations are also repeated in the larger variant of this mobile.

¿ What about the design of the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 ? At first glance, the Idol 3 can even convey the feeling of being a mobile of a higher range . Especially at the rear, where Alcatel has managed to make the plastic convey a slightly brushed metal look. The side edges, despite being chrome, can also convey that same metallic sensation mainly due to the fact that they are joined by a strip of plastic that also has a brushed metal look. In short, Alcatel has made the Idol 3 look really interesting without causing an increase in the launch price.

If we take a look at the physical connectivity of the Idol 3 , we will see that the power button is located at the top of the left side, and just below we find the port for the microSIM and microSD cards (in the same slot that is extracted using a metal tip, included with the mobile). On the opposite side, in the upper part of the right side, we have the volume button . To find the audio output we have to look at the top of the terminal, while the microUSB port is located at the bottom.

The section of the design that we liked the most about the Idol 3 -with regard to the differentiation with respect to mobile phones of similar ranges- is on the front of the mobile, where it turns out that the screen panel has a certain height difference with respect to to the strip containing the speakers. A really curious finish, of course. At the same time, it should also be noted that both the top and the bottom of the front panel of the Idol 3 have exactly the same design (symmetrical design), which is justified by the reversible feature of this mobile. But we'll talk about that later, in the " Screen " section.

SCREEN

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4.7-inch IPS LCD screen, with 1,280 x 720 pixels resolution. 312 ppi pixel density on screen. Technicolor Color Enhance technology. Protection against bumps and scratches through Dragontrail technology .

A panel IPS LCD , 4.7 inches in size, resolution HD ( 1,280 x 720 pixels ) ... Alcatel has decided to be conservative in appearance screen the OneTouch Idol 3 , and this decision leads to a screen easy to use with a hand, balanced in terms of image quality and with a brightness high enough to use the mobile outdoors . Obviously, the bezels that surround the screen at the top and at the bottom are quite a bit larger than we would like, but this is a practically unavoidable feature considering the size of the screen and the range at which this mobile belongs.

But the screen of the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 hides something that goes beyond its image quality or its brightness. It turns out that the Idol 3 is a reversible smartphone , and what does this mean? The screen can be used both up and down; that is, if we take the mobile with one hand and turn it over - leaving the microUSB port on the upper side, while it is normally on the lower side - the screen also turns around and allows us to use the interface normally. We always ask that manufacturers bet on new features in ranges as competitive as the mid-range and, of course, we cannot deny that the idea of Alcatel in the Idol 3 It is original.

And is the Idol 3's reversible screen feature of any use in everyday use? It depends on what we mean by everyday use. In our test we have seen two situations in which this feature can be especially useful: first, when having the mobile connected to the microUSB cable , since if we have problems using the screen with the connector at the bottom we can give it the turn so that the connector is at the top; second, when taking the mobile from the table , since we save ourselves having to turn the terminal over if we have taken it upside down.

In the event that we are not interested in the feature of the reversible screen of the Idol 3 , from the notification center we can deactivate this functionality by clicking on the " Reversible " button.

The Android operating system buttons (three; Backspace , Home and Menu ) are virtual and are integrated into the screen, which means that they take up some space when using the interface. Even so, these virtual buttons are automatically hidden the moment we view full-screen content (videos or games, for example).

Cí MARA AND MULTIMEDIA

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13 megapixel main camera, with LED Flash. Includes autofocus. Maximum resolution for photos 4,128 x 3,096 pixels, maximum resolution for videos 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (at 30 frames per second). Five - megapixel front camera .

The Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 incorporates two cameras, one of 13 megapixels (the principal) and a five - megapixel (front). The main camera is accompanied by an LED Flash , and allows taking pictures with a resolution set at 4,128 x 3,096 pixels ( in the case that we are going to take pictures in 4: 3 format, the size of the images is 13 megapixels; but if we choose the format 16: 9 , the size is reduced to ten megapixels ). Video recording through the main camera reaches a maximum resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, at a speed of30 frames per second .

All these figures, translated to use in a real environment, result in a camera that defends itself well in photographs taken outdoors in bright sunlight . To our surprise, in interior shots the camera is also up to par, and allows taking snapshots with a more than acceptable quality for a mobile of these characteristics. All this talking about ideal light conditions, of course, since at night and in scenes with little lighting the camera has it really difficult to avoid noise.

Click on the thumbnails to see the photos in full size

The Camera application of the Idol 3 is quite simple, and has a simple interface that will make no difficulty even for less advanced users in mobile telephony. In addition to the Auto Mode , the application also allows you to take pictures through the HDR Mode , Panorama Mode , Manual Mode , Interval Mode , Scan Mode and Beauty Mode . In the application settings we can customize settings such as image size, exposure or video quality.

By the way, the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 has FM Radio , and allows you to tune in to radio stations with headphones connected to the mobile. And, speaking of headphones, it should be mentioned that the Idol 3 is accompanied by headphones from the JBL brand that, for a mobile of this price, have a more than acceptable quality.

POWER AND MEMORY

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Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor (model MSM8916) with four cores (Cortex-A53), with a clock speed of 1.2 GHz. Adreno 306 graphics processor. 1 GigaByte of RAM. 8 GigaBytes of internal memory, expandable by microSD card up to 128 GigaBytes .

The OneTouch Idol 3 of Alcatel , in version 4.7 inches , a processor feeds Snadpragon 410 of four cores together with a memory RAM of 1 gigabyte . In short, standard figures that we are quite used to within the mid-range of mobile telephony. And the same is true in practice, as the Idol 3 is a smartphone that moves smoothly and fluently in any everyday situation , and in our tests we did not see any performance-related issues. Of course, we were left wanting to test the performance of the Idol 3 of5.5 inches , which incorporates a Snapdragon 615 processor .

But of course there are palpable differences between the performance of this smartphone and the performance of a flagship. For example, although games like Asphalt 8 or Real Racing 3 run with good fluidity, it is enough that we compare their graphics with the graphics that run on a high-end mobile for us to realize the difference in performance. For these games to run smoothly on the Idol 3 , the graphics need to be of a lower quality, and that can be seen simply by comparing the same game on two different mobiles. But, at the level of conventional applications such as YouTube , Gmail or Chrome, the differences in fluency are practically negligible.

As to the internal storage space is concerned, the Idol 3 of Alcatel comes with an internal memory of 8 gigabytes (apparently is also available in a Dual-SIM variant with 16 gigabytes), which results in a useful space 4.74 GigaBytes . And here we have to give Alcatel a little slap on the wrist ; Today, 8 Gigabytes of internal memory is not enough , especially when you consider the space that is lost due to factory installed files. As soon as we install some applications (a couple of games, for example) and take some photos, we will realize that we begin to have storage problems.The Idol 3 is a terminal that , due to its performance, deserves a greater storage capacity . At least the memory can be expanded via an external microSD card of up to 128 GigaBytes .

OPERATING SYSTEM AND APPLICATIONS

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Android version 5.0.2 Lollipop. Alcatel customization layer .

The Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 comes from the factory with the Android version 5.0.2 Lollipop of the Android operating system . The customization layer has some design touches from Alcatel , and in the Phone , Contacts or Calculator applications we can find interface designs that have been customized by the brand. Still, Alcatel has respected much of the features of Lollipop , and that includes -for example- the option of user profiles.

In the operating system section we also have to give Alcatel another little pull on the wrist . 2020: My Country , Boyaa Texas Poker , Currency , Puzzle Pets … does the Idol 3 really need to bring this huge list of applications installed as standard, considering that they are completely expendable for everyday use? The list of factory installed applications on this mobile is disproportionate, and in a terminal of these characteristics it is much more interesting that it is the user who can take advantage of the internal memory by installing the applications he prefers. Regarding the personalization layer itself, we have no specific complaints, neither for its design nor for its operation.

The applications installed as standard in the OneTouch Idol 3 are the following: 2020: My Country , System Update , Settings , Google Settings , AntiVirus , Apps , Boyaa Texas Poker , Compass , Voice Search , Calculator , Calendar , Camera , Cars Racing , Game Center , Chrome , Contacts , Currency , Deezer , Downloads ,Drive , Dropbox , Weather , Email , Tags , Evernote , Facebook , Facetune , Flipboard , Photos , Gallery , File Management , Gmail , Google , Google+ , Sound Recorder , Hangouts , Kingdoms & Lords , Maps , Messages , Music , Browser , Notes ,Screen Wi-Fi , Play Games , Play Newsstand , Play Books , Play Music , Play Movies , Play Store , Puzzle Pets , Radio , Real Football 2015 , Clock , Shazam , Smart Suite , Spider-Man Ultimate Power , keyboard SwiftKey , Telephone , Wi-Fi transfer , Twitter , Viber , WhatsApp , WPS Office and YouTube .

In addition, the screen located to the left of the main screen also corresponds to an Alcatel application that responds to the name OneTouch Stream . We are talking about a screen similar to the one that manufacturers such as Samsung or HTC incorporate in their mobile phones , and it shows the time, the calendar, different wallpapers, different featured applications and the news.

BATTERY A AND AUTONOMY A

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2,000 mAh capacity battery. Non-removable .

The Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 has a battery with a capacity set at 2,000 mAh . Taking into account the size of the screen, we found the battery capacity sufficient, and we have not had to make any effort to reach - and exceed - five hours of screen with moderate use. During our tests we did not notice any of the battery drain issues that have accompanied the Lollipop update in recent months.

The Idol 3 incorporates Battery Saver integrating standard version of Lollipop of the operating system Android . This mode automatically reduces the performance of the device to save battery, and can be activated or deactivated manually from the mobile settings.

PRICE AND CONCLUSIONS

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The Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 , in its 4.7-inch version , is now available in stores for a price of 250 euros . In the in-depth test that we have been able to make of this mobile we have concluded that Alcatel wants to mark its own territory within the mid-range market and, of course, the Idol 3 is a bet that has many ballots to become a winner . A balanced screen (with the curious characteristic that it is reversible ), a design that conveys a sense of quality , optimal performance and the wide range of connectivity ( NFC, WiFi Direct , WiFi Display , USB On-The-Go (OTG) , 4G LTE , etc.) are the hallmarks of this smartphone.

Alcatel still has some unfinished business, like re-organizing its customization layer or seriously considering the issue of internal storage capacity, but we have no doubt that it is on the right track. The Idol 3 , in its 4.7-inch version (it is the one that we have been able to test), is a recommended mobile for anyone who is looking for a low-mid-range terminal at a contained price.

Now, and is it worth stretching our budget a little more - up to 310 euros , specifically - to acquire the 5.5-inch version of the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 ? If we are willing to use a mobile of this size on a daily basis, at least on paper it seems that the answer is a "yes". Version 5.5 inches of the Idol 3 reaches a resolution set screen in  1,920 x 1,080 pixels , and incorporates a processor Snapdragon 615 , 2 gigabytes of RAM , 16 gigabytes of internal memory and a battery with 2910 mAh. This version, at least, guarantees that we will not have storage problems with internal memory.

Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 datasheet

screen

Design

Camera

Multimedia

software

Power

Memory

Connections

Autonomy

+ info

Price: From 250/310 euros