Alcatel One Touch Idol S

Although priced for the mid-range market, experts were impressed with the design and features of the Alcatel One Touch Idol S. Influenced heavily by the One Touch Idol X‘s design, the Idol S offers the same thin and light plastic build measuring in at 0.3-inches thick and weighing 110 grams. The matte finish on the back cover made it easier for critics to grip the phone with the added benefit of repelling fingerprints.

One of the standout features of the Idol S is its 4.7-inch LCD display. With a resolution of 720 x 1,280 pixels, the phone boasts a pixel density of 272ppi. Although not in the same class as the iPhone 5, the Alcatel does beat out other competitors in the market like the Nokia Lumia 625. Critics were especially impressed with the display’s almost perfect color reproduction, high contrast ratio and brightness. Digital Versus states, “…this is a practically flawless display.” The only issue reviewers had was slightly delayed screen responsiveness.

In terms of specs, this is no powerhouse. It sports a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. Although not as fast as more high end phones, reviewers were satisfied with the overall performance though noted some occasional lag in the interface. The main selling point, however, is the ability to connect to a 4G network. When tested, the connection was found to be very fast. Unfortunately, reviewers noticed that when using 4G the 2,000mAh battery drained quickly and lasted only around 8.5 hours. The smartphone also features 4GB of internal storage, an expandable microSD slot, an 8MP rear camera and 1.3 megapixel front camera.

While the phone’s performance didn’t wow reviewers, they still recommend it for its price and features. My Mobile says, “So far this is the best budget Android phone I’ve come across…”