Smartphone Alcatel One Touch Idol X: description, specifications, reviews. Alcatel One Touch Idol X: specifications, reviews, photos. Comparison with competitors Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. used mater

Introduction

At the international exhibition Mobile World Congress (MWC) in 2013, Alcatel, which produces products in China under the TCL Communication brand, introduced two original smartphones: Alcatel One Touch Idol and Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra. The originality lies in the fact that they have a very thin body and low weight. For example, the thickness of the younger Idol model is 7.9 mm, and the older one is only 6.45 mm, which makes the Idol Ultra the thinnest smartphone in the world. Both gadgets weigh less than 110 grams, provided that the size of the diagonals is more than 4.5 inches.

As for the technical characteristics, they, from my point of view, are this moment quite ordinary: equipped dual core processor and MediaTek MT6577 chipset, Idol and Idol Ultra have one gigabyte each random access memory; both devices have 8 MP cameras and two microphones. The essential difference is that in Ultra the screen is made using SuperAMOLED technology and the resolution is 720x1280 pixels (HD), while in the simplified version it is IPS and the screen resolution is 540x960 pixels (qHD).

The cost of the devices is already known. Smartphone Alcatel Idol will be sold for 10,000 rubles, Alcatel Idol Ultra for 13,000 rubles. They will go on sale at the end of the first quarter of this year.

Since I had non-commercial models on my hands, I decided to write this text in the style of a first acquaintance. As soon as it becomes possible to take sales samples and there will be more time for research, then I will try to write a full review.

Design, dimensions, controls

Both devices are made of plastic. different kind. For example, the edging and the back side of Idol are made of semi-gloss plastic (in my case, gray), while the Idol Ultra has a thin chrome edging around the perimeter of the front panel, the sides and back side are plastic (in my case, black), covered with “soft -touch".

Dimensions "idol" - 133x67.5x7.9 mm, weight - 109 grams. The dimensions of "Idol Ultra" are 134.4x68.5x6.45 mm, the weight, unfortunately, is not indicated, but it feels about the same as in Idol. In the hand, the devices lie equally well, the difference in thickness, frankly, is leveled. The screens are probably protected by glass, as not a single scratch appeared after a couple of days of active use.

Since the cases of gadgets are monolithic, and the assembly is good, there are no backlashes or creaks. The back panels do not flex to the battery.

Top on the front panel: front cameras, light and proximity sensors, speakers. Below the screens are touch buttons. If they are barely visible on Idol, they are not visible on Idol Ultra. Next, I will write the arrangement of the elements separately, because in each of the devices it is different.

Alcatel Idol. At the bottom are microUSB and a microphone, at the top there is a standard 3.5 mm audio jack and an on/off button almost recessed into the case. On the left under the retractable cover is a slot for a microSD memory card, on the right is the same type of micro-SIM card slot and a thin volume rocker key. On the back side there is a slightly raised camera module, framed by a chrome ring, a second microphone and a flash.

Idol and iPhone 4s

Idol and Samsung S III

Alcatel Idol Ultra. The microphone is on the bottom end, on the top there is an on / off button for the phone and microUSM under a plastic cap. A thin and long rocker key is on the left, and on the right is the same type of micro-SIM card slot as on Idol. The camera module, microphone and LED light are located on the back of the smartphone.

Idol and Idol Ultra (left)

Displays

The Alcatel Idol smartphone has a 4.7-inch screen diagonal, the resolution is 540x960 pixels, the density is 234 pixels per inch. The matrix is ​​made using IPS technology and is capable of displaying 16 million shades of color. The quality of the screen, in my opinion, is very good: large viewing angles, no purple and yellow tints at certain display tilts. At the corners, the brightness of the picture slightly decreases. The touch layer is of a capacitive type, supports "multi-touch" up to 5 simultaneous touches.

The Alcatel Idol Ultra device uses a higher quality screen: diagonal - 4.65 inches, resolution 720x1280 (HD), density - 315 pixels per inch. If the first Idol is IPS matrix, then in Ultra - SuperAMOLED with the notorious PenTile.

Matrix Idol Ultra

Naturally, such a matrix gives the maximum black color, but slightly distorts other colors due to higher saturation, which cannot be set here, unlike Samsung smartphones. As a fan of SuperAMOLED, I would choose Idol Ultra. The touch layer is also capacitive, but supports 6 simultaneous touches.

Idol Screen Viewing Angles

Idol Ultra screen viewing angles

Battery

Both devices have the same lithium-ion (Li-Ion) battery with a capacity of 1820 mAh. It is worth paying tribute to the developers who were able to fit such batteries into the body thickness of 7.9 and 6.45 mm.

The official numbers are as follows:

• Idol - 7 hours of talk time, 415 hours of standby time, 45 hours of music and 2.5 hours of charging
• Idol Ultra - 16 hours of talk time, 700 hours of standby time, 20 hours of music and 4 hours of charging

I wonder where such sickly results from "Ultra" came from? Is it really such a non-gluttonous SuperAMOLED screen? Unfortunately, I could not test it, but received data from Idol: video (HD at maximum brightness and on maximum volume headphones) - about 3 hours, music - just over 30 hours. The average time for most Android smartphones is about 9-10 hours.

Communication options

Phones work in cellular networks 2G (GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and 3G (850/900/2100 MHz). Available Bluetooth version 4.0 for file and voice transfer. There is wireless Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n. The devices, of course, can be used as an access point (Wi-Fi Hotspot) or a modem. USB 2.0 (High-Speed) is used for file transfer and data synchronization.

Settings

Memory and memory card

Both the older and younger models have 1 GB of RAM (it was previously said that Idol has 512 MB of RAM). About 600 MB free. Since Idol Ultra does not have a memory card slot, it uses a 16 GB flash, about 13 GB is available. From my point of view, for this class of devices, 16 GB should be enough for most purposes. Idol has a 4 GB flash drive, 2.5 GB is free, plus there is a microSDHC slot.

cameras

Both smartphones are equipped with two camera modules: 8 MP main and front - 2 MP for Idol and 1.3 MP for Idol Ultra. The quality of the cameras is the same: good detail, natural colors, wide enough dynamic range, relatively fast focus. In the light, the photos come out cool, indoors the small matrix of the camera makes itself felt - color noise comes out. At night, the camera performs even better outdoors than indoors with lighting. By the way, the lens aperture in both gadgets is f2.2!

Video smartphones record mediocre - almost like all devices on the MTK6577: low detail, poor sound.

Sample photos on Idol:

Photo examples on Idol Ultra:

Performance

When I found out that these new products contain the outdated MediaTek MT6577 chipset, I was overwhelmed with sadness... There is no point in talking about it in detail, since every second review on our website for the past six months has been dedicated to smartphones based on this particular chip. I refer you to the following texts:

All the enthusiasm of users about the appearance of Alcatel OneTouch IDOL X has already subsided, now new impressions are needed. They are promptly provided by the Chinese company TCL, which produces devices under the Alcatel brand. In January 2014, it announced the release of a new flagship - Alcatel OneTouch IDOL X +, which received high marks at an exhibition in Los Angeles.

Since this model has not yet appeared in stores in Russia, it is difficult to say exactly what its packaging will be. However, with a high degree of probability, we can assume that it will not differ from the packages of its older brothers: a white box that shows the device and modest inscriptions.

Options, most likely, also will not surprise. But in addition to the standard set, the manufacturers decided to offer a special Boom Band fitness bracelet, which is designed to track the wearer's physical activity and sleep phases. All this (by data transmission via Bluetooth) is analyzed using a special application in the smartphone. In addition, the bracelet will record the removal of the user from the device, as well as report new notifications.

Outwardly, Alcatel One Touch Idol X +, of course, looks like a popular predecessor, but due to the fact that X + has a more capacious battery, its thickness is somewhat larger than that of X. Back cover- glossy, the ends are made of metal.

What body colors will be presented on the Russian market, time will tell, but we can already say that there should be more than 2.

The device lies pleasantly in the hand, as its body has a streamlined shape, the corners are rounded. At the bottom there is a micro-USB slot and 2 earpieces, at the top there is a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack and a power button. This device supports 2 SIM-cards, the slot for one of them is on the left, for the second - on the right, in the same place as the volume.

In general, when they saw the smartphone at an exhibition in Los Angeles, everyone noted the absolute similarity of TCL Idol X + and Alcatel One Touch Idol X +. The characteristics of its screen are the same - 5 inches, Full HD IPS. The display occupies almost the entire front panel of the smartphone, the thickness of the frames is only 1.3 mm. It also has an anti-scratch coating, making it easy to remove fingerprints.

Brightness, contrast and viewing angles (over 170 degrees) are as good as any device that has such a display.

Its android nature (Android Jelly Bean 4.2) is visible throughout its interface. 5 desktops that scroll horizontally, just like the application menu; below - 4 main icons; on desktops - the necessary widgets that can be installed at your discretion.

It will be possible to assess how fast applications work very soon, but disappointments can hardly be expected, since at the heart of the device is an 8-core MediaTek processor with a frequency of 2 GHz. Yes, and 2 GB of RAM promise good performance.

The 13 megapixel camera with optical stabilizer is launched through the application menu, there is no separate button to turn it on. Her settings are the same as in Idol X, and the test shots showed how good she is.

It will probably be a little longer to enjoy the process of shooting photos and videos than when using Alcatel One Touch Idol X, simply because the battery capacity of the novelty is 2500 mAh, which is significantly larger than that of the previous model. True, this led to a heavier and thicker device, but these few grams and centimeters are unlikely to be noticed by those whom the phone will truly delight.

Surprisingly, the price of the Alcatel One Touch IDOL X+, whose review shows it shouldn't be cheap, is now around $330 in China. And this is only 12,000 rubles. And if everything is really as the manufacturers promise, then this model will sell like hot cakes!

Information about the make, model, and alternative names of a particular device, if any.

Design

Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Used materials, suggested colors, certificates.

SIM card

The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.

Mobile networks

A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.

Mobile technologies and data rates

Communication between devices in mobile networks is carried out through technologies that provide different data transfer rates.

Operating system

The operating system is the system software that manages and coordinates the operation of the hardware components in the device.

SoC (System on a Chip)

System on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device in one chip.

Built-in memory

Each mobile device has a built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed amount.

Memory cards

Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage capacity for storing data.

Screen

The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.

Sensors

Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that are recognized by the mobile device.

rear camera

The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on its rear panel and can be combined with one or more additional cameras.

Front-camera

Smartphones have one or more front cameras of various designs - a pop-up camera, a PTZ camera, a cutout or hole in the display, a camera under the display.

Audio

Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.

Radio

The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.

Location determination

Information about navigation and location technologies supported by the device.

WiFi

Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for short distance data transmission between different devices.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between different types of devices over short distances.

USB

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to communicate.

Headphone jack

This is an audio connector, which is also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Connecting devices

Information about other important connection technologies supported by the device.

Browser

A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.

Battery

Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge they need to function.

Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)

SAR levels refer to the amount of electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the human body while using a mobile device.

In 2004, the French telecommunications company Alcatel-Lucent, or rather its division that dealt with mobile devices, merged with a similar division of the Chinese company TCL Communication, creating a joint venture TCL & Alcatel Mobile Phones Limited (TAMP), where 55% of the shares belonged to TCL and 45 % - Alcatel-Lucent. All telephone factories were moved to China. And already in 2005, TCL completely bought out TAMP shares and renamed the company TCT Mobile, concluding license agreement, which allows it to produce phones under the Alcatel brand. The company is currently developing smartphones for trademarks TCL and ALCATEL ONETOUCH for Asia, Latin America, Europe and other markets. It actively cooperates with large operators and distributors. TCL Communication is one of the top ten fastest growing mobile phone companies.

We are testing a smartphone that rightfully bears the title of flagship and meets all the canons of the market. The novelty boasts the latest MediaTek MT6592 platform, 5-inch Full HD IPS display, Hi-Fi ES9018 progressive audio decoder and a number of other equally interesting features, which we will discuss in detail below. We suggest starting the review of new items with technical characteristics:

Appearance, arrangement of elements

Generally speaking, the ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL X+ smartphone has a rather pleasant, well-remembered appearance. First of all, this impression is due to the extremely small bezels around the display, the size of which is less than 2 mm on the sides and 14 mm at the top and bottom. In fact, they are a little thicker, given the black border, which is only visible when the screen is active, but this still does not change the essence. The smartphone is dominated by angular shapes with rounded corners.

A visual addition to the strict style is a one-piece plastic edging "under the metal" (the lower half is chrome-plated, the upper half is polished), encircling the case along the contour and thereby adding sophistication to the novelty. No less interesting is the concentric pattern on the back, diverging from the camera module.

In addition, the smartphone came out quite thin (7.9 mm) and quite light (only 125 g), although it is somewhat longer than the LG Nexus 5. Therefore, despite the rather large diagonal of the display, it lies well in the average hand and absolutely does not feel bulky. The novelty is available in black and white color variations.

The entire front of the smartphone is covered with tempered glass. The manufacturer on the official page indicates Corning Gorilla Glass 2 / NEG, but there is also a mention of Asahi DragonTrail on the Internet. Along its contour there is a thin frame in the color of the case, slightly rising above the glass.

Above the display are: a grid of the earpiece, a round LED event indicator, proximity sensors / lighting and front-camera. Under the display - three touch buttons, which are mirrored from the "stock" Android design: Back, Home (holding, invokes Google Now) and Menu (by holding down, the Dispatcher is called running applications). They have a uniform white backlight and are displayed only when the screen is active. There is no way to adjust the brightness or duration of the backlight, but you can turn it off.

At the top end there is an on/off button and a universal audio jack (mini-jack 3.5 mm). The bottom end contains a micro-USB connector and two rather large perforated areas, under which, it would seem, stereo speakers are located. However, there is only one speaker, and it is hidden under the left grille, while the main microphone is located under the right one.

On the side faces, there are symmetrical slots for Micro-SIM cards, covered with metal plugs. Their fixation is carried out with the help of magnets and is quite reliable. To open the plug, you need to click on the area with a special rounded bulge. On the right side, next to the SIM card slot, there is a dual volume rocker, which is easy to find blindly.

By the way, the smartphone is available in two versions: with one SIM card and support for microSD memory cards (model index 6043) and with two SIM cards, but without support for memory cards (model index 6043D). In addition, the differences lie in the amount of internal memory: 16 GB for the first option and 32 GB for the second. Note that we got an engineering sample for testing, so the memory in it, despite the support of two SIM-cards, is only 16 GB.

On the rear non-separable side are located: the peephole of the main camera, which barely rises above the body and has a chrome edging; single-section LED flash (software flashlight included) and mirrored ALCATEL ONETOUCH logo. The rest of the space is empty. Only at the bottom there are barely visible technical and certification logos (white on a white background).

It should be noted that the back of the previous model (ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL X) was made of resistant to fingerprints and scratches and more pleasant to the touch matte plastic. The novelty is made of a less practical and somewhat slippery gloss, which actively collects prints and scuffs during active use (in the white model, this is not as noticeable as in the black one).

In general, the smartphone has a pleasant appearance and fits well in the hand, but the location of the power / lock button on the upper end is somewhat inconvenient with such a diagonal display. More successful, in our opinion, would be to place it on the right side, and the volume rocker on the left. And so every time you have to reach for this button or use another hand.

In general, ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL X+ is assembled very well: without any gaps or backlashes. And thanks to the non-separable body, the novelty feels solid, does not bend or change its geometry with moderate torsion. Divorces appear on the display, but for this you need to press the glass quite hard.

The ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL X+ smartphone is equipped with an IPS touch matrix (manufactured by Sharp) made using OGS technology (no air gap between components), so that the image is as if on the surface itself. The display is protected by tempered glass, which has a relatively good oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating. Additionally, this ensures a fairly good and easy sliding of fingers and the absence of accumulation of fingerprints, and those that appear are easily removed.

The resolution of the 5-inch screen is 1920 × 1080 (Full HD). At the same time, the pixel density is 440 ppi, which is more than enough to display very smooth fonts and get a fairly detailed image in general. It is hardly possible to consider individual pixels, even with a strong desire.

The display brightness can be adjusted manually, or automatic adjustment can be enabled. The proximity sensor blocks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. The multi-touch technology here allows you to process up to 10 simultaneous touches. Overall, she shows good sensitivity even with light touches (does not respond to pressure when wearing gloves).

In general, the ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL X+ display is very bright, quite contrasty, with maximum viewing angles and pleasant color reproduction. It should be noted that in the settings you can adjust the color temperature and saturation according to personal tastes. The maximum brightness is more than enough to view information on a bright sunny day, and the minimum brightness is enough for comfortable work in the dark, although the latter is somewhat higher than we would like. Summing up all of the above, we note that the display leaves a very pleasant impression and is an indisputable advantage of the novelty.

As already mentioned, the smartphone is equipped with only one speaker, which is located on the bottom. Thanks to this placement, the sound is not muffled if the gadget is lying on a horizontal surface.

The multimedia speaker is quite loud and delivers clear sound over almost the entire frequency range. Only when approaching the maximum volume there is a slight distortion of the sound. In general, its capabilities are quite enough for games, watching videos, calls and notifications. In principle, it is enough for listening to music. However, it is much more pleasant to do it with headphones. The fact is that the use of the ES9018 progressive Hi-Fi decoder and the Maxim9720 headphone amplifier with SACD 24 bit/192 kHz playback support noticeably improves the sound.

Activation of the Hi-Fi mode is possible only when headphones are connected and using the installed application Music. The latter has a number of useful settings, including an equalizer. The playback experience really gets better: the sound of compositions (of any genre) becomes more voluminous and rich, the detailing of individual instruments in the sound part improves.

The smartphone has a built-in radio module that allows you to listen to and record the air of FM radio stations operating 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. A regular voice recorder is useful not only for creating audio notes, but can also record telephone conversations.

By the way, the retail version of the smartphone comes with a pretty good JBL stereo headset with in-ear headphones.

The novelty supports the connection of wireless audio systems via Wi-Fi, which is quite convenient and eliminates the need to tangle in wires.

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

Camera

ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL X+, as befits a flagship, is equipped with two digital cameras. The front module has a 2 megapixel sensor (Sony IMX132) and a lens with an aperture of F2.2. It is capable of creating photos and videos at 1792×1008 and Full HD respectively. At the same time, you cannot create photos when shooting a video here.

The camera produces images of sufficient quality, which is useful for self-portraits and video calls, but its main drawback is the lack of autofocus (it is fixed here). Image detail is good. The viewing angle is quite sufficient and does not cause complaints. Of the modes, there are Auto-retouch, Collage (from 4 photos it makes one, as in Photobooths) and a set of filters.

The main camera received a 13-megapixel module (Sony IMX135) and a fairly fast lens with an aperture of F2.0. Also available is a single-section flash, autofocus, face detection, geotagging and HDR (Dynamic Mode). When shooting EIS movies, digital image stabilization is activated. Photos have a resolution of 4096 × 2304. Videos are shot at 1920 × 1080 (30 FPS) and are in 3gp format.

In general, the quality of the photo is pleasantly pleasing. Good detail (although sometimes there are small blurs even under very good shooting conditions), natural color reproduction, correct white balance. However, night and evening shots without using a flash come out dark and with a fairly high amount of noise: the camera's automation simply does not raise the ISO above 1096 units. In manual mode, you can set the ISO value to 1600 units, but then there is a greater certainty of getting a blurry frame, since the smartphone processes the image from the camera with a slight delay.

As for video recording, under favorable conditions it can boast of very good quality, both in terms of detail and color reproduction. However, it’s hardly possible to shoot something acceptable in low light and without using backlighting, and you can’t manually raise the ISO when shooting a video. In general, the video quality is sufficient and does not cause any particular complaints: focusing is fast; details at the middle level; stereo sound. True, the camera is somewhat lacking in dynamic range.

The camera software is proprietary and is very simple and concise appearance, made in the same style as the entire shell of the OS. There are few functions compared to A-brand smartphones. But the app itself is pretty fast.

Shooting examples

Movie examples

An example of a day shot with smartphone ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL X+ at 1080p with basic settings

User interface

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

It should be noted that not only the visual component has undergone significant changes, but also a certain number of functions. So, on the lock screen, in addition to quickly calling the camera and directly unlocking, you can view the weather. The solution with the division of desktops also looks quite interesting. To the left of the home screen is a desktop for widgets, equipped with vertical scrolling and making it possible to place a lot of elements (in principle, they can be moved to other screens, but there is a fixed free space and there is no scrolling). To the right of the initial screen are program icons, some of which have been carefully removed by the manufacturer into folders. The far left desktop is reserved for the Gallery, where pictures and photos are displayed. New desktops are added automatically when there is no free space on others. When you swipe up from the bottom on the initial desktop and tables with applications, a menu with icons of all applications installed on your smartphone opens slightly.

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

It should be noted that a large number preinstalled apps and games. For more experienced users who are used to installing everything themselves, 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, in the standard way, you can easily remove most of unnecessary programs and games.

The settings menu has a sufficient number of intuitive items. We can not but rejoice at the updated and more pleasant white design, which should appeal to most users. So, in the SIM management item, you can assign a SIM card that will be used for the Internet, calls or SMS. There is the ability to adjust the type and volume of various kinds of signals: from input to alert signals, turning on and blocking the smartphone, which is much more than in the "stock" version of the OS.

Note that the novelty recognizes gesture control well. IN standard application Music can switch tracks by simply shaking off the smartphone, and to mute the input signal, just turn it upside down. Turning ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL X+ also snoozes the alarm.

Once again, we note the possibility of activating Hi-Fi mode only in headphones and when using the Music application, as well as support for connecting a smartphone to wireless speakers via Wi-Fi. Additionally, there is the possibility of over-the-air software updates (FOTA) and updates from USB-drives, since there is support for the OTG specification.

In general, the user interface subjectively has a pleasant and colorful appearance. It works quite fast and quite smoothly.

Hardware platform and performance

The ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL X+ is based on the high-performance 8-core MediaTek MT6592 processor, based on the 28-nm HPM process technology using the ARM Cortex-A7 design. The maximum clock speed of its processor cores is 2 GHz, and the amount of L2 cache reaches 1 MB. The ARM Mali-450MP solution is used as integrated graphics - four clusters (cores) with a maximum clock frequency of 700 MHz. It received support for OpenGL ES 2.0 and OpenVG 1.1.

The amount of RAM is 2 GB, and the internal memory is 16 GB (this is only true for the test sample, since the retail version with two SIM cards will have 32 GB of internal memory). It is noteworthy that 12.3 GB of them are available to the user. And in the retail version with 32 GB of memory, as much as 26.3 GB is available to the user, which in both cases is one of the largest values ​​among Android smartphones. This platform supports OTG mode, which makes it possible to connect an external USB drive, keyboard and mouse using the appropriate adapter.

Thanks to increased clock frequency processor cores (2.0 GHz versus 1.7 GHz), the new product was able to outperform the recently tested Impression ImSmart 2.50, built on an identical platform. Moreover, it came close to last year's flagships based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800. Note that this is only possible in applications optimized for multithreading. In other cases, the more powerful ARM Cortex-A9 and Cortex-A15 cores show a noticeable lead. Considering all of the above, we can safely state that this smartphone is one of the fastest decisions based on the MediaTek MT6592 platform.

In general, its performance is more than enough for almost all mobile tasks, including quite demanding resource-intensive applications and games. Dead Trigger 2 and Asphalt 8: Airborne at maximum settings work without any complaints.

Note that for a long active use an unpleasant heating of the case becomes noticeable, although according to subjective sensations it cannot be called critical.

Communication and communications

The smartphone works in modern mobile networks GSM, WCDMA / HSPA+ (LTE is not available on this MediaTek platform). Work with two SIM-cards is implemented according to the Dual standard SIM Dual Standby. There is only one radio module here, so when talking with one SIM card, the second one will be temporarily unavailable. It should be noted that both slots for SIM-cards are equivalent and can work in 3G networks, but not simultaneously. That is, when one SIM card works in 3G, the other is transferred to 2G. Call quality is at a high level: there are no interruptions or self-drops, and voice transmission is clear, although it depends on the user's location.

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

Wi-Fi data transfer rate ( wired connection 100Mbps, 802.11n router) achieves 50Mbps downstream and up to 47Mbps upstream. Module operation wireless networks pretty standard: everything connects quickly and keeps the connection well.

The smartphone has a GPS module with A-GPS support. The quality of its work is not satisfactory: in an open area it quickly determines about 9 satellites, or even more. Connecting to them takes a little more than half a minute, and the connection is stable with most of them.

Offline work

The ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL X+ is powered by a non-replaceable lithium-ion battery with a fairly good capacity - 2500 mAh. Such a charge at an average load should be enough for a day and a half of work without recharging. According to the manufacturer, the smartphone is able to work in music player mode (headset) up to 36 hours. And the talk time is up to 20 hours on 2G and up to 12 hours on 3G.

Watching HD video with MX Player (50% display brightness, Wi-Fi and GPS enabled) ran the device down in just over 5.5 hours (5 hours and 38 minutes to be exact). A game simulation using the Epic Citadel app (Guided Tour mode) with 100% display brightness and Wi-Fi and GPS turned on was repeated for almost 3 hours until the battery ran out. The estimated operating time of the smartphone according to the GFXBench benchmark is 171 minutes, which is almost 3 hours.

The battery charging time from the supplied power supply is unknown (because we received a test copy without a delivery set). Charging from USB port with a base current of 1 A is about 2.5 hours.

came out as a classic representative of the "top" segment with a pleasant and refined appearance, combined with high build quality. The novelty can offer an excellent Full HD IPS display with maximum viewing angles and natural color reproduction, high quality sound (which became possible due to the use of a progressive Hi-Fi decoder ES9018 and a headphone amplifier Maxim9720 with support for playback in SACD 24 bit / 192 kHz mode), good autonomy (considering the platform used), as well as a bright and quite functional proprietary OS shell. In addition, as befits a flagship, the novelty boasts a fairly productive 8-core MediaTek MT6592 processor and 2 GB of RAM. Thanks to this, the smartphone is one of the fastest on this platform and is close in performance to last year's flagships based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800. We should not forget about the support of two SIM cards in Dual SIM Dual Standby mode and the USB OTG specification, which makes it possible to connect an external flash drive, keyboard and mouse.

With all this, you will have to put up with the use of glossy plastic in the case with its inherent shortcomings and not the newest version of the Android OS. In addition, this smartphone is not cheap, which should be noted, but for fans of the brand and true geeks, this will not be an obstacle.

Advantages:

• interesting and stylish design;
• high-quality body assembly;
• excellent Full HD IPS display with narrow side frames, protective glass and oleophobic coating;
• productive hardware platform;
• pretty good autonomy;

• the ability to choose a model with one or two SIM-cards;
• high-quality sound subsystem;
• USB OTG specification support;

• bright and quite functional branded OS shell.

Flaws:

• easily soiled glossy body;
• lack of microSD support in the version with two SIM cards;
• not the most a new version Android OS.

We express our gratitude to TCL Communication for the smartphone provided for testing.

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22.04.2014

Lyrical introduction

A smartphone inside of which eight processor cores do nothing very quickly? No longer news, nothing unusual, already commonplace - thanks to the well-known company MediaTek.

Competitors

Well, firstly, for 15 thousand you can buy a "gray" Galaxy S4 ... Will we continue to look for competitors?

Okay, let's continue. What else do we have similar? Similar screen and same chipset.

My tests, all sorts of trivial actions like opening pages or launching programs.

Sensors - all the main ones are there. Excesses - thermometers and barometers - alas, no. But here is the gyroscope, accelerometer and compass in place. Not to mention the light and proximity sensors.

Communication with the outside world

3G internet is present and works fine. 4G (LTE), alas, no. We look forward to when, finally, MediaTek will start churning out low-cost LTE chips.

Wi-Fi - yes, of course. The sensitivity is good, the speed is also good, 35 Mbit / s squeezes out without problems. There are references that it is dual-band here. But something is doubtful to me. Unfortunately, I can’t check it myself, I haven’t started a dual-band router yet.

Of course, there is Bluetooth, where without it. But there is no NFC.

Connecting to a computer via USB - only in MTP mode. There is no ideologically correct Mass Storage.

There is no possibility to connect external devices (USB-OTG).

There is also no possibility to output a signal to a TV or monitor (MHL or HDMI) via a wire. But there is a "Wireless Screen", that is, Miracast - that is. you can output a signal to a TV without wires (if, of course, the TV supports this technology).

Screen

Five-inch IPS screen with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels (i.e. FullHD).

The screen deserves extremely warm words. Very high quality, very slippery, excellent viewing angles, oleophobic coating, decent behavior in the sun. Do not be greedy, what can you say.

The sensor is also completely problem-free, clear. For ten simultaneous touches.

The maximum brightness is under 400 cd/m2 with a contrast ratio of 770:1. Excellent result. I sometimes met screens that were both brighter (Huawei Honor 3) and more contrasting (Sony Xperia Z Ultra), but infrequently, not at all often.

It is possible to adjust the white point in the range from 6100K to 7000K (6700K is considered ideal by British scientists). It is possible to adjust the color saturation. What is funny, in the photo, which is proposed to judge how the colors change with such adjustments, something is depicted that looks suspiciously like an orange eared Cossack.

Color gamut - 98% sRGB.

Operating system and other software

On a smartphone is operating system Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, on top of which Alcatel has piled its proprietary shell. It turned out beautifully, but in places it is strange. For example, the leftmost screen - what is it? Image viewer? Why does he need a separate screen? It seems to be for nothing but pictures, it is not suitable.

Second screen. Also unusual. Widget Wall. It may have only widgets. Those. widgets can be on any screen in general, but on the second screen they can be them and only they, application shortcuts cannot be there. For what??? Mysterious Chinese soul. Fortunately, the first two screens can be safely hidden so as not to get in the way. You can admire the first or second screens in the video "Demonstration of work".

The rest of the branded shell is quite common. Labels, folders, etc. The review on Mobile-Review says that there is no general list of all applications. At the same time, they have a specific icon (bottom right, four by four squares), they have in the screenshots. So. I have it too. And lives behind her full list all applications.

Well, and so - Android and Android. Nothing unusual.

Mount preset third party applications. Fortunately, almost everything is removed without problems. Except for Deezer, Facebook and Flashlight. For some reason, these three received the status of inviolable.

Battery

Battery capacity, although not a record, but not bad - 2500 mAh. Averaged over my many battery tests - 125% of the Galaxy S4 results. Very worthy.

Full charge time average charger(5V, 1A) - a little less than three hours.

Video device can shoot in "full HD", 30 frames per second. The quality is reasonable, examples are in front of you.