Alcatel Pop 4, we have tested it

It is clear that not everyone can spend 700, 800 or 900 euros on a phone. Nor do all users need a high-end terminal with dozens of features that they will not use. For those cases, Alcatel has released the Pop 4 .

It is a simple, compact and very economical mobile. It has a screen 5 inches , processor of eight cores fed with 1 GB of memory RAM and a main chamber (the back) of 8 megapixels.  In short, a decent screen, design, camera and battery for 130 euros worth of nothing . We have been able to test this Alcatel device and this has been the result of our analysis.

Slim, curved design with 5-inch IPS screen

One of the aspects that we liked the most about this Alcatel Pop 4 is the exterior .  It comes with a  5 - inch screen with IPS technology and resolution HD 1280 x 720 pixels , which leaves a density of 293 pixels per inch . This IPS technology allows the image to be seen clearly from any angle. In addition, it has an oleophobic coating that, in theory, prevents fingerprints from being marked on the screen.

As for the design, this  Alcatel Pop 4 is quite simple but pleasing to the eye. Finished in hard plastic and a slightly curved back shell, it gives a very elegant look to be reckoned with for a value of 130 euros. Its dimensions are  151 x 77 x 7.99 millimeters and it weighs 156 grams , which makes it a light, slim terminal capable of fitting in any pocket.

On the front, completely black, we find the start button and the front camera. The rear is a removable and removable housing, allowing the battery to be removed. This case can be black or gray and white with an interesting brushed aluminum effect, even if it is made of plastic. In it is the rear camera, which does not protrude excessively, with the LED flash attached and the names of both the brand ( Alcatel ) and this family ( Pop ) engraved. Below is the stereo audio output.

On the sides of this terminal we only find control buttons on the right side, finding the on and off button and the volume button. The headphone audio miniJack port is located at the top, and the microUSB port is located at the bottom for charging the phone or connecting to other devices.

As a curiosity, it has caught my attention that to block the terminal it is not necessary to press the off button as it happens in most mobiles. Making double contact at any empty point on the screen automatically locks it. In the same way, if it is locked, a double tap on the screen unlocks it on the spot.

A limited technical set

When talking about the technical features that this Alcatel Pop 4 brings inside , one realizes why it is worth 130 euros. The terminal integrates a Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 4-core processor that runs at a speed of 1.3 GHz . This chip is combined with an Adreno 304 graphics processor and a RAM of only 1 GB . Quite restrained features that in our tests with AnTuTu Benchmark or Geekbench 4 have been reflected with more than discreet results. His scores have been 21,789 points and 4,962 points, respectively.

As for its internal memory, its 8 GB can cause us the odd headache to save photos and videos, not to mention games or apps ... It is true that in case of need it can be expanded through a card. microSD memory of up to 32 GB or through an online storage system such as Dropbox or Google Drive, but reality indicates that we are facing an entry-level terminal.

Two cameras to cover file

The Alcatel Pop 4 cameras are not exactly intended for professionals. They are simple, without much fanfare. If you are one of those people who only wants the camera to take a sporadic photo and you are not looking for strange effects or modes, this will not be a problem for you, since its automatic mode takes quite decent photos. But if the camera is the first of your demands when buying a mobile, you better look for another model of a higher category.

Even with everything, we find an 8 megapixel rear camera, with LED flash and automatic focus . It is capable of recording 720p HD video counting among its curiosities with zoom video . As for its front camera, it is 5 megapixels, it has a flash that allows more or less decent selfies and it also records. In this sense, although the brand does not specify the quality of the videos it makes, it is clear that it is not the same with the rear camera.

It is appreciated in the photos, taken with the camera of this Alcatel Pop 4, the quality that they can offer. The fruits are in HDR mode, and the next one in panoramic mode ...

As for the modes that we find in this photographic equipment, as we said at the beginning of this section there are not many and they are not aimed at professionals. There is the automatic mode , which in good light conditions makes photos more than acceptable for users who are not very demanding. A point in its favor is the HDR mode , which enhances the colors or the 84 degrees of wide angle in its panoramic mode . It also provides the helpful beauty mode , very common already in almost all terminals and a scanner mode that allows us to read QR codes directly from the camera application, and then redirect us to the browser if we want to open the link.

Serial operating system, connections and applications

Despite being an entry-level phone, Alcatel has made a good decision by including the latest version of the Android 6 Marshmallow operating system in this Pop 4 . This will allow us to enjoy the latest news and security updates for this popular platform. Now, we must not forget that we are facing a terminal with limited benefits. This means that we can run most games and simple apps, but we will have more problems with powerful games or squeezing too much of the team.

In the connection section, the truth is that we cannot complain. Of course, it  is compatible with 3G and 4G / LTE networks, has 802.11b / g / n WiFi, WiFi Direct, has wireless FM Radio, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS with A-GPS, or a high-speed Micro USB 2.0 connector . The SIM card is of the MicroSIM type and there is the option of doing it DualSIM , a very useful feature if you want to carry two different SIM cards in the same terminal and thus, for example, avoid having a second phone for the professional world.

As for the applications that come standard in this Alcatel Pop 4 , logically we find the great set of Google applications (Chrome, Gmail, Google Drive, YouTube, Google Maps, Hangouts , etc ...) that are almost never missing in a governed terminal for Android . On the other hand, the phone also includes the entire series of basic applications for handling the terminal: Clock, Settings, File Manager, Camera, Gallery, Downloads, Sound Recorder, Messages, Telephone, Contacts or Calculator. In the case of this Alcatel Pop 4 we also find a built-in compass, as well as FM radio.

The phone is completed by other applications that can be uninstalled if desired, although they are quite interesting:

• Social networking and messaging : when we use the phone for the first time find default installed apps  Facebook and  Facebook Messenger , besides recommending the download of other networks such as Instagram , Twitter or  WhatsApp .
• To protect the privacy and security of the phone, we will find AVG AntiVirus installed .
• Weather , with meteorological information, which uses information from AccuWeather .

A sufficient battery for this type of terminal

This Alcatel Pop 4 comes equipped with a 2,500 milliamp-hour battery, a fairly humble power but which should work quite well for a 4-core processor and 1GB of RAM. According to official data, it will hold us in rest for up to 420 hours without going through the current and 5 hours of conversation. The translation of this data comes to be that if we give it a normal use, it should last us all day without too many problems. If the battery runs out, it takes four hours to fully charge. In the AnTutu Tester tests that we have submitted, we have obtained a score of 5,280 points.

Availability, price and opinions

The truth is that this Alcatel Pop 4 is an ideal input terminal for those people who are not ambitious and who simply settle for a mobile that works well, that is simple to handle and meets without much fanfare with what is asked of a telephone. Sleek, thin and light design, a 5-inch screen with IPS technology for greater clarity, a camera that meets the record without too many overtones, and a pretty decent battery. It also has the main connections that the market demands, it is governed by version 6.0 of Android , it has the possibility of DualSIM and it comes standard with quite a few applications that will be useful. For the functions it offers,130 euros is a very competitive price .

ALCATEL POP 4

screen

Design

Camera

Multimedia

software

Power

Memory

Connections

Autonomy

+ info

Price: 130 euros