Alcatel onetouch idol mini phones. Alcatel OneTouch Idol Mini - Specifications

TFT IPS- High quality liquid crystal matrix. It has wide viewing angles, one of the best indicators of color rendering quality and contrast among all those used in the production of displays for portable equipment.
Super AMOLED - if a regular AMOLED screen uses several layers, between which there is an air gap, then in Super AMOLED there is only one such touch layer without air gaps. This allows you to achieve greater screen brightness with the same power consumption.
Super AMOLED HD- differs from Super AMOLED in its higher resolution, thanks to which you can achieve 1280x720 pixels on a mobile phone screen.
Super AMOLED plus- this is a new generation of Super AMOLED displays, differs from the previous one by using a larger number of subpixels in a conventional RGB matrix. The new displays are 18% thinner and brighter than displays made using the old PenTile technology.
AMOLED- an improved version of OLED technology. The main advantages of the technology are significantly reduced power consumption, the ability to display a larger color gamut, reduced thickness and the ability of the display to bend slightly without the risk of breaking.
Retina-high pixel density display designed specifically for Apple technology. The pixel density of Retina displays is such that individual pixels are indistinguishable to the eye at a normal distance from the screen. This ensures the highest image detail and significantly improves the overall viewing experience.
Super Retina HD- the display is made using OLED technology. The pixel density is 458 PPI, the contrast reaches 1,000,000:1. The display has a wide color gamut and unsurpassed color accuracy. Pixels in the corners of the display are smoothed at the sub-pixel level, so edges are not distorted and appear smooth. The Super Retina HD reinforcing layer is 50% thicker. It will be harder to break the screen.
Super LCD is the next generation of LCD technology, it is characterized by improved characteristics compared to earlier LCD displays. The screens not only have wide viewing angles and better color reproduction, but also lower power consumption.
TFT- A common type of liquid crystal display. Using an active matrix controlled by thin-film transistors, it is possible to significantly increase the performance of the display, as well as the contrast and clarity of the image.
OLED- organic electroluminescent display. It consists of a special thin-film polymer that emits light when exposed to an electric field. This type of display has a large reserve of brightness and consumes very little energy.

“Does Idol mini look similar to its big brother Idol X?” - you ask. I will answer: “Yes, but not in everything.” And here it’s not even a matter of the size of the case. The manufacturer took a radically different look at the “baby”, leaving it with only a similar number and arrangement of functional elements from the flagship “X”. However, some changes were noticed in this regard as well. But more on that later!

When I first looked at the Idol mini, my attention was drawn to the back panel. The manufacturer has so successfully used plastic that imitates metal in it that you can only tactilely feel what material you are dealing with.

The stylish design of the smartphone is given by the front panel with protective glass, as well as the metal power and volume buttons, the earpiece slot and the rim of the main camera eye.

What certainly will not go unnoticed in the appearance of Idol mini is its compact size. Due to them, the device looks very neat. Moreover, with such dimensions (127.1x62x7.9 mm, weight - 96 grams), it will be convenient for absolutely everyone to control it with their fingers, regardless of the size of their palms.

The body is assembled very well, all elements fit tightly - nothing creaks, crunches or plays.

The smartphone is available in three colors - black, silver, and for the fairer sex there is also a pink version.

Ergonomics of functional elements

The right side is given over to slots for micro-SIM and cards, and the left side is for volume rockers.

At the top end there is a 3.5 mm audio jack and a power button, and at the bottom there is a microphone and a micro-connector.

The rear panel is “divided” by a speakerphone speaker in the lower right corner, the inscription “Onetouch” in the center, as well as the peephole of the main 5MP camera at the top.

I note that, like all previously tested Alcatel smartphones, it protrudes slightly above the body. On the right side of it there is a microphone for noise reduction, and on the left there is an LED flash.

On the front panel above the 4.3-inch display there is a slot for the earpiece, a front camera eye, and proximity/light sensors. Under the screen, when you turn on the smartphone and touch it, the touch control buttons are illuminated.

Brief technical specifications

Communication standard	850/900/1800/1900 MHz; 900/2100 MHz
Dimensions	127.1x62x7.9 mm
Weight	96 g
operating system	Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean

Display

The 4.3-inch IPS screen of Idol mini with a resolution of 480x854 pixels and color rendering of 16 million shades, in my opinion, best solutions among smartphones in this price segment.
A high-quality IPS matrix provided large viewing angles both vertically and horizontally. Its merit is also in the bright and saturated colors of the picture reproduced on the screen. At the same time, in bright sunny weather, you still cannot do without a certain extinction of the displayed data on the display.

It is protected from scratches and other types of damage by protective glass; the manufacturer does not specify which product we are talking about. In any case, its presence is already a big plus, and in practice it has confirmed its value. As well as the oleophobic coating applied to it, which significantly reduced the number of fingerprints that could be left every time you interact with a smartphone.

The display brightness can be adjusted either manually or automatically. The sensor recognizes up to 5 simultaneous clicks, it is sensitive and reacts quickly to touches.

Equipment performance

The “driving force” of Idol mini is the 2-core MediaTek MT6572 processor with clock frequency 1.3 GHz and Mali 400 graphics. Volume random access memory- 512 MB.

The smartphone runs Android 4.2.2 operating system out of the box.

According to the benchmark results, it turned out to be quite a worthy “average” in terms of performance.

In practice, it had no problems with video playback and not very demanding games. But in the case of the first one, you will need to acquire
microSD card, since 4 GB of the declared internal memory, of which only about 2 GB is available to the user, will clearly not be enough to download videos. Maximum volume external storage 32 GB.

But the dual-SIM version of the smartphone has twice as much user memory - 8 GB. But there is no way to expand it. The amount of RAM is the same as in the single-SIM model.

Wireless modules

Idol mini “has” such wireless communications as 802.11 b/g/n with an access point function, Wi-Fi Direct technology, as well as 4.0 with a VPN function.

Autonomy

The battery capacity of the smartphone is 1700 mAh. This is what the statistics on 100% battery charge show: playing video - 2 hours, listening to audio - 3.5 hours, plus 3 hours of surfing the Internet.

And this is taking into account the fact that during the test I received, although a well-modified, sample, and not a commercial version of the tube.

You can reduce energy consumption using the provided energy saving mode.

Camera

Idol mini has two cameras. The main module has a resolution of 5MP, and the front one has a resolution of 0.3MP.

Despite the absence of a special quick launch button for the camera on the smartphone, you can activate it quickly enough from the lock screen.

The quality of the picture displayed on the front was quite sufficient for comfortable communication.

The quality of photos taken by the main camera, supplemented with autofocus and LED flash, frankly speaking, did not cause delight. Although, in good lighting conditions and using the settings provided for photography, although there were few of them, I was able to take fairly good shots.

Test photos

The video is recorded in a maximum resolution of 720p. Apart from selecting the shooting quality and turning the flash on/off in recording mode, the camera settings do not provide anything. With such a poor arsenal, the video, shot even in the dark, in my opinion, came out worthy for a 5MP module. Of course, there was some noise, and you can clearly see how the picture twitches in the case of autofocus.

Test video

Speakers

There are two speakers - conversational and speakerphone.
Communication, even in a noisy street near the road, provided me with quite comfortable communication with the interlocutor at the other end of the tube.

Although the smartphone is “mini”, in terms of the power of the speakerphone, it, as they say, can “give heat” to many larger devices. It is especially pleasant that even at maximum volume levels it does not produce any extraneous noise that is unpleasant to the ear.

But its location can hardly be called too successful, but getting used to it so as not to cover it with your hand is quite possible.

The sound reproduced through headphones is good.

Software

Out of the box, Idol mini runs Android 4.2.2 operating system. The software is similar to that previously discussed in. Therefore, what follows are only visual illustrations.

The unlock screen opens fast access to the camera app, and the phone app.

You can control some smartphone functions using gestures. So, for example, to switch music track, just shake the device, turn off the sound incoming call, you can turn the device over.

conclusions

As a result, I will say that the Alcatel Onetouch Idol mini smartphone, as a mini version of the flagship Idol X, turned out to be very interesting. In addition to its compact size, it is attractive due to its attractive design, bright IPS display with good viewing angles, high-quality speakers and camera capabilities that are good for its price of 1,399 UAH.

I remember the device for its good autonomy indicators, and as for its performance, it is not indicative, but at the same time the price tag of the device is completely justified.

pros

Compact dimensions
- IPS display with good viewing angles
- Good speakers
- Good performance for its price segment
- Android 4.2.2 out of the box
- Ability to control movements
- Good autonomy indicators
- Adequate price

Minuses

Not very convenient location of the loudspeaker

Estimated cost: 1399 UAH
Product provided by TCT Mobile Europe S.A.S.
Alena Lazauskas

Contents of delivery:

• Telephone
• Charger with USB cable
• Wired stereo headset
• Instructions

Positioning

Alcatel has always tried to present models for those who choose a phone wisely - that is, they are not ready to overpay for a big name, but require good body materials, performance and standard features. Not the cheapest devices, but optimal in terms of price/quality ratio. Therefore, having presented the Idol line, the company gradually expanded it from Idol Ultra to the very sophisticated Idol X (in fact, an analogue of the S4 in terms of characteristics, but not at all in cost), and also presented a simplified version of the device - Idol Mini. It’s generally quite common for manufacturers to copy names and techniques learned from each other, so the Mini prefix has found its way into many devices on the market from different vendors.

In my opinion, Idol Mini has its price segment there is an undoubted advantage - the quality of the case materials; it looks much more expensive than it actually is. It can be safely compared with models that cost twice as much. And this is the most important point that will sell this phone.

For those who are looking for a small smartphone for calls, games and applications that fits well in the hand and costs quite a bit, this device offers everything you can think of. A balanced solution that fits in the hand and is captivating because of this. You need to touch the model in real life to understand its charm.

It is perfect for girls, as well as young people - those who, in fact, are frugal with their spending. The model will also be good for schoolchildren, but we can say for sure that its capabilities may even be excessive. Although today you can often find first-graders with an iPhone, here each school has its own fashion and choice of parents for their children. In a word, when talking about Idol Mini, we must mean that this is basically a youth device - bright, balanced, and reasonable in cost.

Design, dimensions, control elements

First, you need to understand the versions of the device, since there are several of them. The 6012X version is a single-SIM device with a microSD slot and a built-in memory of 4 GB. The 6012D already has two SIM cards, 8 GB of internal memory and no microSD slot. It is possible that the presence of two SIM cards is seen as an advantage for many, but with one radio module this is not so important. For me, having memory cards is more important.

Phone size - 127x62x8 mm, weight - 96 grams. Slim body, fits well in the hand. The back of the device is made of soft plastic, and three colors are available – black with a silver back, black with a pink back, black with a dark blue back.

The case is monolithic, and as a result, the battery cannot be replaced. On the right side there is a slot for SIM card number one; it has a microSIM form factor, just like the second one. Unlike older models, the caps are not made of alloy, they are plastic and attached to the body.

Comparison with Alcatel Idol S

Comparison with Alcatel Idol X

Comparison with Samsung Galaxy Ace 3

On the left side there is a paired volume key. The bottom end is occupied by a microUSB connector, but at the top we see a 3.5 headset jack, as well as an on/off button.

On the front surface above the screen there is a light sensor and a proximity indicator. Mechanical buttons no, like on previous devices, these are three touch keys. For those who have used Samsung devices in recent years, it will be unusual that the return key is moved to the left, that is, the location is mirrored.

On the back surface there is a 5-megapixel camera lens, and there is also an LED flash that can be used as a flashlight. You can also see the speaker hole at the bottom.

Separately, I would like to point out that the materials that the engineers used for this device deserve a separate reminder. This is plastic with a high level of wear resistance, Alcatel loves it - phones retain their appearance for quite a long time.

Display

The phone has a 4.3-inch IPS matrix with a resolution of 480x854 pixels, which is typical for many models in this price range. But, as a rule, the quality of such screens is much worse; they are inferior in brightness and color rendition.

There is a light sensor that can adjust the backlight automatically.

The screen fades in the sun, but not much, and remains readable. The screen type is capacitive, supports up to 5 simultaneous presses.

In general, the screen quality is excellent for its price segment, there are no complaints.

Battery

The battery is non-removable, lithium polymer (Li-Pol), capacity – 1700 mAh. According to the manufacturer, the device operates on average 12 hours in talk mode in 3G and 20 hours in 2G, and in standby mode - up to 540 hours, respectively (2G). Music playback time is 36 hours.

With normal use of the device (an hour of talk, two hours of music, about an hour social networks, a few photos) it is quite enough for daylight hours. With less load - for a day. In the most difficult scenario, it will work with two SIM cards until 5-6 pm. The time to fully charge the battery is 2 hours (up to 90 percent - 1 hour 30 minutes).

Memory and memory card

The smartphone is equipped with 512 MB of RAM, with an average of about 300 MB free after booting the device. For data storage in the single-SIM version, 4 GB are allocated, but about 2 GB are available (in the dual-SIM version, 8 GB in total, 5.6 GB available). The single-SIM model has a card slot microSD memory. The maximum volume is 32 GB.

Performance

Here it is used MediaTek chipset MT6572, dual-core processor, 1.3 GHz. The graphics accelerator is Mali MP400.

You can run almost any complex toys or applications on your smartphone.

Information from various applications and performance tests:

Camera

The camera interface has been redesigned to simplify it; you can turn on HDR mode, get a panorama, turn off the flash, but that’s all. You can take pictures by pressing the screen, focusing occurs at the point of pressing, then the device takes a picture. The maximum image resolution is 5 megapixels.

Video recording is supported in 720p resolution, up to 30 frames per second.

The final conclusion about the camera is that it is typical for budget devices; there are not enough stars in the sky. Many second-tier manufacturers offer high-quality 8-megapixel modules that shoot very well; everything here is quite simple and ordinary.

Communication capabilities

The phones operate in 2G (GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and 3G (900/2100 MHz) cellular networks. In stock Bluetooth version 4.0 for file and voice transfer. Present wireless connection Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n. The devices, of course, can be used as an access point (Wi-Fi Hotspot) or modem. USB 2.0 (High-Speed) is used for file transfer and data synchronization. There is a not very popular WiFi Display function, when you can transfer a signal from your phone to another device via Wi-Fi. Traditionally, there is a Wi-Fi Direct function.

Software features – Android 4.2.2

In Idol X, Alcatel presents its software shell for the first time, which may be perceived ambiguously by many, since people often prefer “bare” Android and are quite satisfied with its capabilities. This device is completely similar to Idol X in terms of software and add-ons for Android.

Without unlocking the device, you can view the weather forecast for the current day; by pulling down, you will see the forecast for three days. The icons are quite nice. Let's scroll the screen to the right, there will be a calendar and a to-do list for the current day (entering to-dos or viewing another day will not work). You can also view the status bar; it is also available when the screen is locked, if there is no security key or digital code.

The fundamental difference between Alcatel's approach and other shells is that they decided to abandon a separate menu for all applications. On the main screen there is a weather widget and several icons. This is the starting point. We flip the screens to the left, and there will be widgets that you install. Let's go to the right, and these will be program icons, also some programs have already been put into folders, this was done by the manufacturer. You get used to such an organization instantly; it is somewhat logical and definitely has a right to life.

The settings menu now has its own settings, for example, a super saving mode for the battery. The menu itself has also been redesigned in white colors, which is quite nice. In our video, I talk about most of the applications that are in the device, and I don’t want to repeat what has changed compared to previous models.

Next, I could dwell on each program and describe it, but I don’t see much point in this, this is a smartphone, and this software is usually known or I touched on it in the video. So see the screenshots below.

Another part that I want to describe separately is the multimedia capabilities. The device has support for unconverted video, but the chipset does not handle 1080p well, and the sound is often out of sync or absent at all. In terms of music formats, there is support for FLAC in addition to the usual MP3 and a number of others.

Good screen, but the shortcomings of the chipset do not make it possible to watch any files; in this aspect, the Galaxy S4 Mini is more omnivorous and digests a larger number of formats and files. On the other hand, these are still models of different price ranges.

Impression

In terms of call quality, there are no complaints about the device, the call volume is excellent, you can hear it even from your bag. Due to the thickness of the case, the vibration alert feels unusual and you often don’t notice it. There are no complaints about the quality of voice transmission.

The price for the version with one SIM card is about 6,000 rubles, with two - about 7,000 rubles. This looks like a fairly reasonable proposal, since even though there are similar models in this price segment, their appearance and body materials look much worse and are inferior to the Idol Mini.

I really liked this device for many reasons - it is fast for its class, despite the small amount of memory, it is quite well thought out, and it is convenient to use. This is a solution for those who want to take a smartphone out of the box and start using it without thinking about additional options that are there, but which you usually don’t get to.

Inexpensive model with support for 4G networks

When we mentioned the Chinese company TCL and its Alcatel brand, this year we first of all remembered the very noticeable top model of the TCL Idol X+ smartphone, which is based on the newest platform Mediatek with a maximum frequency of eight processor cores. However, with the release of one flagship model The company, of course, did not limit itself in the new season: at the beginning of the year, during the MWC 2014 exhibition in Barcelona, ​​TCL presented a whole line of new mid-level smartphones, including Alcatel One Touch Idol 2 and OneTouch Idol 2S and their various modifications. In accordance with the tradition that has emerged in the mobile market, the company could not help but release a version of the smartphone with the word “mini” in the name.

Such a device for the company was a reduced-size smartphone from the line mentioned above, which received a rather long and inconvenient name to pronounce: Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 mini S. This small-sized smartphone is not a top-end device in terms of characteristics - it also belongs to the middle price level, like its “full-size” brothers in the line mentioned above. The domestic operator Beeline, for example, a few days ago introduced the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 mini S to the market as an exclusive offer: the smartphone itself is offered in the operator’s showrooms at a “tasty” price of 7,990 rubles, and in addition it comes with three months of free mobile internet. True, in this case, the buyer will have to sacrifice something: the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 mini S model purchased in Beeline stores is “locked” to work only with SIM cards of this operator and will not fully function with any other cards. In addition, the phone is stuffed to the brim with additional proprietary Beeline applications, as is usually the case, but this issue can be completely resolved using standard methods. But to make such a device work with SIM cards from other operators, you will have to find unconventional means - if anyone is even interested in such an option. Be that as it may, it is the modification of the smartphone offered by Beeline (6036Y) that is the maximum and best configuration of this model - it even has support for LTE networks, which at such a low price makes Idol 2 mini S one of the most inexpensive devices with 4G to our market. In any case, the described smartphone seemed to us a device quite interesting and worthy of making a full review of it.

Main characteristics of Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 mini S (model 6036Y)

	Alcatel Idol 2 mini S	Huawei Ascend G6	Asus Padfone E	LG G2 mini
Screen	4.5″, IPS	4.5″, IPS	4.7″, IPS	4.7″, IPS
Permission	960×540, 245 ppi	960×540, 245 ppi	1280×720, 312 ppi	960×540, 234 ppi
SoC		Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 (4 ARM Cortex-A7 cores) @1.2 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (4 cores ARM Cortex-A7) @1.4 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (4 cores ARM Cortex-A7) @1.2 GHz
GPU	Adreno 305	Adreno 305	Adreno 305	Adreno 305
RAM	1 GB	1 GB	1 GB	1 GB
Flash memory	8 GB	4 GB	16 GB	8 GB
Memory card support	microSD	microSD	microSD	microSD
operating system	Google Android 4.3	Google Android 4.3	Google Android 4.3	Google Android 4.4
Battery	non-removable, 2000 mAh	non-removable, 2000 mAh	non-removable, 1820 mAh	removable, 2440 mAh
Cameras	rear (8 MP; video - 1080p), front (2 MP)	rear (8 MP; video - 720p), front (5 MP)	rear (13 MP; video - 1080p), front (1.2 MP)	rear (8 MP; video - 1080p), front (1.3 MP)
Dimensions	130×64×8.5 mm, 116 g	130×65×7.5 mm, 115 g	140×70×9.1 mm, 126 g	130×66×9.9 mm, 121 g
average price	T-10724720	T-10724716	T-10686990	T-10833941
Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 mini S offers	L-10724720-10

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (MSM8226), 1.2 GHz, 4 ARM Cortex-A7 cores
• GPU Adreno 305
• operating room Android system 4.3
• Touchscreen IPS, 4.5″, 960×540, 245 ppi
• Random access memory (RAM) 1 GB, inner memory 8 GB
• Supports microSD memory cards up to 32 GB
• Communication GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
• Communication 3G 850, 900, 2100 MHz
• Data transfer speed max 4G LTE up to 150 Mbps
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Display, hotspot Wi-Fi access
• GPS/A-GPS, Glonass
• Camera 8 MP, autofocus, LED flash
• Camera 2 MP (front)
• Battery 2000 mAh
• Dimensions 129.5×63.5×8.5 ​​mm
• Weight 116 g

Contents of delivery

In our case, we received a test copy of the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 mini S without packaging and, accordingly, a set of accessories, so we can judge the richness of the smartphone’s equipment only by the description on the company’s website. It states that in the box with a smartphone you can find a universal compact Charger, Micro-USB connecting cable, in-ear headphones and user manual.

Among the additional accessories purchased separately, we can note a book case with a unique built-in event indicator, made in the form of perforated illuminated icons - it looks nice and is probably not too energy-consuming. Without opening the lid, the user can receive information about incoming SMS messages, mail, incoming calls, etc.

Appearance and ease of use

In design and shape, the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 mini S smartphone resembles previous products in the Idol series; most of all, it is similar to the first flagship Idol X, which users liked so much at one time. To a lesser extent, it is similar to the updated Idol X+, although common design features can be traced here.

The smartphone has a rather small-sized, elegant and thin body that fits perfectly into the average hand. The device has rather slippery glossy side edges, but due to the matte non-slip back surface, as well as its small dimensions and weight, the smartphone is comfortably held in the palm of your hand. The size of the device is slightly larger than Apple iPhone- more similar to another compact modern model, Sony Xperia Z1 Compact.

The entire body of the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 mini S is made entirely of plastic, there is no metal here. The body has a monoblock structure, back cover has a slight bend and a matte, non-marking surface, which has a beneficial effect on both ergonomics and neatness general view devices. The side edges are made to look like chromed metal, but this is not real metal, but just a coating on the same plastic. The edges of the case have practically no bevels; they are quite wide and slippery to the touch.

From this structure of the case comes the corresponding method of installing a SIM card: the card, in the same way as in previous models of the Idol series, is inserted into the side slot, which is covered on top with an unusual cover. This cover does not need to be removed with a special needle-clip; it opens like a door on hinges. To open it, you need to press one end of the lid and push it inward. In principle, this method of opening was quite convenient for the full-size representatives of the Idol series, but in the smaller model all these elements also turned out to be reduced in size, making it not very convenient to manipulate these miniature lids. In this case, you have to use something sharp to press one end of the lid. You have to do the same with the card itself - the usual length of the nail is not enough to sink the SIM card to the depth required for capture.

The adjacent slot for installing a memory card has exactly the same structure - microSD cards up to 32 GB are supported. Both lids have short leads; they can be pulled out quite a bit so that they do not interfere with the installation of cards. In general, the whole process is quite uncomfortable; the method of installing cards in the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 mini S is far from the most convenient.

On the back of the smartphone, all the elements are familiar and arranged in the traditional order: on top there are the eyes of the camera and LED flash, on the bottom there is a row of holes for sound output from the ringing speaker.

The speaker grille overlaps the surface of the table, which partially muffles the sound of a lying smartphone. The single-section LED flash has pre-installed software to control it as a flashlight.

On the front surface, almost the entire front panel is covered with flat protective glass without edges; a hole is cut out in it for a large shiny chrome-plated hearing speaker grille; the eyes of the front camera and sensors are visible nearby.

Below the screen there is space left for hardware buttons to control the system and applications. These buttons are touch sensitive and have a white backlight of medium brightness, for which there was no item in the menu to adjust it.

There are only two mechanical hardware keys on the sides of the device, and both of them are located on the right side, one next to the other. The volume and lock keys have a fairly short travel, are small in size and protrude quite a bit beyond the body. In general, the implementation of controls is not the best, but you can get used to it.

The Micro-USB connector is placed at the bottom end - next to the microphone hole. The headphone output is implemented at the top end; nearby you can see the hole for the second, auxiliary microphone.

The smartphone connectors are not covered with any plugs or covers, because the device is not protected from water and dust. There was no hook on the case to attach the strap.

The product traditionally goes on sale in several color options: there are options in light gray and dark gray shades, and there are also pink and chocolate options. In different versions, the front panel under the glass of the smartphone also turns out to be of different colors: for example, in the chocolate version it is black, while in the others it is white.

Screen

The Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 mini S smartphone is equipped with an IPS touch matrix. The physical dimensions of the display are 56x99 mm, diagonal - 4.5 inches. The screen resolution in pixels is 960×540, the dots per inch density reaches 245 ppi.

The display brightness has both manual and automatic adjustment, the latter based on the operation of the light sensor. The smartphone also has a proximity sensor that blocks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. Multi-touch technology allows you to process 5 simultaneous touches.

Detailed examination using measuring instruments conducted by Alexey Kudryavtsev, editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Alcatel Idol 2 Mini S, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen of the Alcatel Idol 2 Mini S is even a little darker (brightness according to photographs is 84 versus 92 for the Nexus 7). The ghosting of reflected objects in the Alcatel Idol 2 Mini S screen is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (more specifically, between the outer glass and the surface of the LCD matrix) (OGS - One Glass Solution type screen). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass-air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, much like the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a slower rate than with regular glass.

When manually controlling the brightness and displaying the white field in full screen, the maximum brightness value was about 500 cd/m², the minimum was 42 cd/m². The maximum brightness is very high and, given the excellent anti-glare properties, readability even on a sunny day outdoors will be high level. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (located in the upper left corner on the front panel). IN automatic mode When external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. In complete darkness in automatic mode, the brightness is reduced to 42 cd/m² (acceptable), in an artificially lit office (approximately 400 lux) the brightness is set to approximately 500 cd/m² (this is the maximum and excessively bright), in a brightly lit environment (corresponding to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) - increases to the same 500 cd/m². As a result, the auto-brightness function does not work adequately for external conditions, and the whole point is in the software implementation, since the light sensor itself shows quite plausible results. At any brightness level, there is virtually no backlight modulation, so there is no screen flickering.

This smartphone uses an IPS matrix. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without a significant color shift even with large deviations of the gaze from perpendicular to the screen and without inverting (except for the very darkest when the gaze is deviated to the right) shades. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of Alcatel Idol 2 Mini S and Nexus 7, while the screen brightness is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m² (across the white field in full screen), and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K. White field perpendicular to the screens:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:

Color reproduction is good and colors are rich on both screens. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the image quality at this angle on the Alcatel Idol 2 Mini S screen has noticeably deteriorated. And a white field:

The brightness of the screens at an angle has decreased (by at least 6 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but the Alcatel Idol 2 Mini S has a noticeably darker screen. When deviated diagonally, the black field is lightened to a medium degree and acquires a purple tint. The photographs below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is approximately the same!):

And from another angle:

When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is average, since there are areas with increased black brightness along the edge of the screen:

The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is not the highest - about 680:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 24 ms (13 ms on + 11 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 38.5 ms. The gamma curve, constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal any blockage in either the highlights or the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 1.86, which is lower than the standard value of 2.2. In this case, the real gamma curve strongly deviates from the power-law dependence:

Such a deviation is usually a sign of the presence of dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the output image (since the measurements were carried out with sequential output of shades of gray almost to the entire screen), but we did not receive additional evidence of its existence. But just in case, we carried out a number of tests - determining contrast and response time, comparing black illumination at angles - when displaying special templates with a consistently average brightness, and not monochromatic fields in the entire screen.

Color gamut is close to sRGB:

The spectra show that the matrix filters moderately mix the components with each other:

As a result, visually the colors have a natural saturation. The balance of shades on the gray scale does not cause any particular delight, since the color temperature is noticeably higher than the standard 6500 K, the deviation from the spectrum of an absolutely black body (ΔE) is less than 10, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device, however, ΔE varies significantly from shade to shade - this negatively affects the visual assessment of color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

To summarize: the screen has a high maximum brightness and has good anti-glare properties, so the device special problems You can use it outdoors even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. The mode with automatic brightness adjustment is practically useless, since already in a lit room it increases the brightness to the maximum, which, of course, leads to unnecessary energy consumption. Significant advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating, the absence of air gaps in the layers of the screen and flicker, as well as the sRGB color gamut. The remaining characteristics are not outstanding, but not disastrous either. In general, taking into account the importance of characteristics for this particular class of devices, the screen quality can be considered high.

Sound

In terms of sound, the smartphone is nothing special. Both speakers produce a fairly clean sound, but without noticeable presence. low frequencies The sound is also not loud enough. However, this does not particularly affect the perception of sound during a conversation - the voice of a familiar interlocutor, timbre and intonation remain recognizable. The settings include standard equalizer capabilities with preset values ​​and some additional effects.

The device can use built-in tools to record a conversation from the line, both talking parties are recorded, and the recorded files are automatically stored in the appropriate folder. The smartphone is equipped with a built-in FM radio, which traditionally only works with headphones connected as an external antenna.

The main rear camera here has an 8-megapixel module and shoots with a maximum resolution of 3264 × 1836. The quality of the images is average, most often the photos come out overexposed and slightly blurry. The settings are quite clearly laid out and conveniently arranged, but the capabilities contained here are quite modest.

The camera can shoot video at a maximum resolution of 1080p (30 fps), examples of test videos are presented below.

• Video #1 (35 MB, 1920×1080, daylight)
• Video #2 (33 MB, 1920×1080, indoors)
• Video No. 3 (18 MB, 1920×1080, at night)

Examples of photographs with our comments are presented below.

	The sharpness in distant shots is quite good.
	The camera cannot fully resolve foliage, but overall it does a good job.
	Sharpness across the frame is fairly uniform.
	In the background, the foliage hardly blends together.
	Noise in the shadows is not so strong, and, apparently, well processed.
	The camera performs relatively well indoors.
	Even when shooting at night, the camera does not show such bad results.
	The camera also copes well with macro photography.

What we have in front of us is exactly what can be safely called a balanced camera. Let's start with the fact that the camera simply does not have any significant shortcomings. It copes with its 8 megapixels, perhaps not perfectly, but very well. The camera has a good sensor, good optics and moderate software processing. It is all these three parameters in symbiosis that give the camera that very balance. The sensor copes well in the shadows, so the noise reduction does not need to be reworked. The optics process the image well across the field of the frame and across the plans, so there is virtually no sharpening in the images. Oddly enough, the camera’s merits are not limited to this: it works quite well in low light. The camera resorts to sensitivity values ​​above ISO 100 only when absolutely necessary, but even a night shot (ISO 232, 1/17 second) demonstrates relatively good performance.

As already mentioned, the camera turned out to be good and balanced and is quite suitable for most scenes.

Telephone and communications

The smartphone works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, and also supports networks used in Russia fourth generation(4G). With a SIM card from the domestic operator Megafon, the smartphone in practice confidently finds and works with the LTE network. The data transfer speed, accordingly, in theory can reach up to 150 Mbit/s of incoming traffic. Among additional network capabilities, support is available. Mode for connecting external devices to USB port(USB Host, OTG) is, unfortunately, not supported here, so flash drives connected via an OTG adapter will not be recognized. The navigation module supports both GPS and domestic Glonass and works very clearly and quickly, there are no problems with this.

There were no spontaneous reboots/shutdowns observed during testing, as well as system slowdowns or freezes. The LED notification sensor here modestly shines as a small whitish dot in the upper left corner of the front panel, unobtrusively signaling various incoming events. The light sensor adjusts the brightness level automatically, but does not do it entirely correctly.

The drawing of letters and numbers on virtual keyboards is quite small and not very comfortable to operate. The layout and location of the keys is standard: switching languages ​​here is done by pressing a special button with a globe image; there is no separate row with numbers - you need to switch the layout each time. The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing phone number A search in contacts is also carried out immediately.

OS and software

Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 mini S currently runs on the Google Android software platform, which is not the latest version 4.3. The proprietary shell, stretched over the standard Android interface, here has a fairly heavily redesigned and expanded functionality: sections have been added to the settings menu, there are rudiments of gesture support, and even the ability to unlock the screen by tapping has appeared. In general, everything is very familiar from previous models of the Idol series. The application menu is present in this user interface, most of them are already pre-installed applications carefully arranged into thematic folders by the developers themselves. Creation of folders/groups is supported on desktops.

As mentioned above, our test laboratory included a modification of the smartphone, branded specifically for the Beeline operator, with all the ensuing consequences. The smartphone interface not only has special themes with the familiar black and yellow coloring, but is also crammed with a mass of all kinds of proprietary applications, which in general are not of particular interest. However, it is not difficult to return appearance The interface has an original, more relaxed look. In our case, to test all the capabilities of the device, it was also unlocked, and after that it worked perfectly with SIM cards from other operators, and even registered in LTE networks.

Performance

The Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 mini S hardware platform is based on a single-chip system (SoC) Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (MSM8226). The central processor here has 4 ARM Cortex-A7 cores operating at a frequency of 1.2 GHz, although the maximum possible frequency here is up to 1.6 GHz (SoC production technology is 28 nm). The device has 1 GB of RAM, and the storage available to the user for downloading their own files is about 5 GB of the nominally designated 8 GB - the rest is spent on the system itself and applications. Memory can be expanded using microSD cards up to 32 GB. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to connect a flash drive via an OTG adapter - the device this mode do not support.

To get an idea of ​​the performance of the platform of the smartphone under test, we will conduct a standard set of tests. We have already tested devices based on the MSM8226 SoC: a recent and very recent example is the LG G2 mini, which operates on exactly the same platform. For comparison, let's take the results of the same platform, but with a slightly faster core frequency (1.4 GHz, Asus Padfone E model), and also add the results of another similar platform from Qualcomm - Snapdragon 200, which has exactly the same cores and their number the same, but the SoC itself is made using 45 nm technology. This relatively new budget platform is called Snapdragon 200 (MSM8212), and we tested it using an example Huawei smartphone Ascend G6, which is currently being heavily advertised on television, and a review of which is also being prepared for release.

For convenience, we have compiled all the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks into tables. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions benchmarks, so many worthy and current models- due to the fact that at one time they passed their “obstacle courses” on previous versions test programs.

Based on the test results, it is clear that the Snapdragon 400 MSM8226 SoC, made using a 28 nm process technology, turned out to be slightly faster in all respects than the Snapdragon 200 MSM8212 SoC, manipulating the same cores, but made using a 45 nm process technology (Huawei G6 platform). The results of the LG G2 mini turned out to be identical, which is logical, because they have the same platforms, and the slightly faster cores of the Asus Padfone E showed a slight superiority, which is also quite logical and meets our expectations.

In general, according to the results of all tests, the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 mini S smartphone can be safely classified as a device with average, or even slightly above average performance. At the moment, the hardware performance of this smartphone should be enough to perform most tasks that can be performed by any games or other applications from Google Play Store.

Test results in MobileXPRT, as well as the latest versions of AnTuTu 4.x and GeekBench 3:

When testing the graphics subsystem in the cross-platform 3DMark test for the most powerful smartphones, it is now possible to run 3DMark in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).

Results of testing the graphics subsystem in the Epic Citadel gaming test, as well as Basemark X and Bonsai Benchmark:

	Alcatel Idol 2 mini S	Huawei G6 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 200, 4 cores ARM [email protected] GHz)	Asus Padfone E (Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, 4 cores ARM [email protected] GHz)	LG G2 mini (Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, 4 cores ARM [email protected] GHz)
Epic Citadel, High Quality	57.7 fps	54.4 fps	56.8 fps	57.1 fps
Epic Citadel, Ultra High Quality	47.3 fps	34.8 fps	33.0 fps	48.7 fps
Bonsai Benchmark	30 fps/2139	16 fps/1115	25 fps/1779	31 fps/2197
Basemark X, Medium Quality	4561	3488	4579	4323

Playing video

To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a single table.

According to testing results, Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 mini S was not equipped with all the necessary decoders, in this case audio ones, which are necessary for full playback of most of the most common files on the network. To successfully play them, you will have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, even in it you will have to first change the settings, switching from hardware decoding to software or new mode entitled Hardware+(not supported by all smartphones), only then will sound appear. All results are summarized in a single table.

Format	Container, video, sound	MX Video Player	Standard video player
DVDRip	AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL SD	AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL HD	MKV, H.264 1280×720 3000 Kbps, AC3	Hardware+
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280×720 4000 Kbps, AC3	plays fine with decoder Hardware+	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920×1080 8000 Kbps, AC3	plays fine with decoder Hardware+	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹

¹ MX Video Player only played sound after switching to software decoding or a new mode Hardware+; The standard player does not have this setting

We did not find the MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”). Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p) and 1920 by 1080 (1080p) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 frames/ With). In the tests, we used the MX Player video player in the “Hardware+” mode. The test results are summarized in the table:

Fine No Fine No Fine No Fine No

Note: If in both columns Uniformity And Passes Green ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems related to the playback of the corresponding files.

In general, according to the criterion of frame output, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and, with rare exceptions, without skipping frames. When playing 720p and 1080p video files with an aspect ratio of 16:9, the image of the actual video file is displayed exactly along the edge of the screen. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - all gradations of shades are displayed in shadows and highlights.

Battery life

The capacity of the lithium-ion battery installed in the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 mini S is 2000 mAh, small for a modern smartphone. However, according to the test results, the test subject did not lose face, demonstrating a very respectable time battery life in a variety of standard use cases. The device even outperformed most of its direct competitors in this regard, except for mini-models from Samsung and LG - modern Korean smartphones have recently demonstrated the best optimization performance in terms of energy consumption.

Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted almost 16 hours until the battery was completely discharged. When continuously watching YouTube videos in high quality (HQ) with the same brightness level through your home Wi-Fi network The device lasted about 9 hours, and in 3D gaming mode - about 4 hours. The smartphone charges quite quickly: a full charge takes less than 2 hours.

Bottom line

As for the cost of the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 mini S - or rather, the best configuration of this device (6036Y), with support for LTE and NFC, which we tested, it is offered on the domestic market only as a branded device of the domestic operator Beeline. Such a smartphone costs 7,990 rubles - this is a couple of thousand more than the previous mini-model of the Alcatel Idol series, which was recently advertised on television by actor Konstantin Khabensky. And yet, even this price seems quite acceptable for such a nice, compact, but quite powerful and technically advanced device of a solid mid-level. For small money by the standards of the domestic market, the user receives a very high-quality product with high-quality materials, unquestionable assembly, efficient hardware, and a well-designed screen for its level, which allows the device itself to remain within a comfortable frame for the hand. Finally, we can state that not only among the “shovels”, very high-quality ones that meet the majority of modern technical requirements mobile devices such as the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact or the even more affordable hero of today’s review - the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 mini S smartphone.

Battery capacity: 1700 mAh Battery: non-removable Talk time: 20 h Standby time: 540 h Operating time while listening to music: 30 h

Additional Information

Contents: phone, power adapter, USB cable, headset

General characteristics

Type: smartphone Weight: 96 g Control: touch buttons Case material: plastic Operating system: Android 4.2 Case type: classic Number of SIM cards: 1 Dimensions (WxHxT): 62x127.1x7.9 mm SAR level: 0.566

Screen

Screen type: color IPS, 16.78 million colors, touch Touch screen type: multi-touch, capacitive Diagonal: 4.3 inches. Image size: 854x480 Pixels per inch (PPI): 228

Multimedia capabilities

Camera: 5 million pixels, built-in flash Camera functions: autofocus Video recording: yes Max. video resolution: 1280x720 Front camera: yes, 0.3 million pixels. Audio: MP3, FM radio Max. Video frame rate: 30 fps Recognition: faces

Connection

Interfaces: Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, USB Standard: GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G Satellite navigation: GPS A-GPS system: yes

Memory and processor

Processor: 1300 MHz Number of processor cores: 2 Built-in memory volume: 4 GB RAM capacity: 512 MB Memory card support: microSD (TransFlash), up to 32 GB Amount of memory available to the user: 2 GB Memory card slot: yes, up to 32 GB

Other functions

Controls: voice dialing, voice control Sensors: light, proximity, compass Flight mode: yes A2DP profile: yes