Alcatel – previously known as Alcatel Onetouch – has unveiled two new premium devices to complement its other mid-range smartphones. Dubbed the Idol 4 and Idol 4S, these smartphones are the company’s most premium offerings yet, which mark Alcatel’s entry into the premium range of Android devices – with a price to match as well.
The Idol 4 is the lower-specced device of the two: it features a 5.2-inch 1080p IPS display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 1.7GHz octa-core processor paired with 3GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage (expandable with a microSD card up to 512GB), and a modest 2,610mAh battery. As for its shooting capabilities, the Idol 4 has 13MP and 8MP front-facing cameras.
And then we have the higher-end Idol 4S, which is packed with a much sharper – and vibrant – 5.5-inch 1440p AMOLED display along with a faster Snapdragon 652 octa-core processor clocked at 1.8GHz. In addition to that, it also has 3GB of RAM, a 3,000mAh battery, more internal storage at 32GB – which is also expandable with a microSD card up to 512GB – along with a 16MP rear camera and an 8MP front-facing snapper (complete with flash, just like the Idol 4).
What makes the Idol 4S particular interesting is the fact that its packaging also doubles as a VR headset. Unfortunately, the Idol 4’s packaging does not share this feature. Regardless, both the Idol 4 and Idol 4S have a dedicated button dubbed “Boom Key,” which is a programmable button users can customise. These include the ability to “instantly takes photos on standby mode,” according to Alcatel. Not surprisingly, both of these LTE smartphones also ship with Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box.
Of course, as premium Android devices, the Alcatel Idol 4 and Idol 4S both feature a metal frame and a glass back, which is as premium as it gets. As for price and availability, these information have not been revealed yet, although The Verge mentioned that the Idol 4 could go for 280 euro (about RM1,305) while the Idol 4S may retail at 450 euro (approximately RM2,100).
