Review and testing of the ALCATEL ONETOUCH IDOL MINI smartphone. Alcatel OneTouch Idol Mini - Specifications Why choose one touch idol mini
Additional Information
Contents: phone, power adapter, USB cable, headsetGeneral 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: 0.566Screen
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): 228Multimedia 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: facesConnection
Interfaces: Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, USB Standard: GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G Satellite navigation: GPS A-GPS system: yesMemory 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 GBOther features
Controls: voice dialing, voice control Sensors: light, proximity, compass Flight mode: yes A2DP profile: yesInformation about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.
Design
Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.
| Width Width information - refers to the horizontal side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 62 mm (millimeters) 6.2 cm (centimeters) 0.2 ft (feet) 2.44 in (inches) |
| Height Height information - refers to the vertical side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 127.1 mm (millimeters) 12.71 cm (centimeters) 0.42 ft (feet) 5 in (inches) |
| Thickness Information about the thickness of the device in different units of measurement. | 7.9 mm (millimeters) 0.79 cm (centimeters) 0.03 ft (feet) 0.31 in (inches) |
| Weight Information about the weight of the device in different units of measurement. | 96 g (grams) 0.21 lbs 3.39 oz (ounces) |
| Volume The approximate volume of the device, calculated based on the dimensions provided by the manufacturer. Refers to devices with the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. | 62.25 cm³ (cubic centimeters) 3.78 in³ (cubic inches) |
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 communication technologies and data transfer speeds
Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.
Operating system
An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.
SoC (System on Chip)
A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on one chip.
| SoC (System on Chip) A system on a chip (SoC) integrates various hardware components, such as a processor, graphics processor, memory, peripherals, interfaces, etc., as well as the software necessary for their operation. | MediaTek MT6572 |
| Technological process Information about the technological process by which the chip is manufactured. Nanometers measure half the distance between elements in the processor. | 28 nm (nanometers) |
| Processor (CPU) The primary function of a mobile device's processor (CPU) is to interpret and execute instructions contained in software applications. | ARM Cortex-A7 |
| Processor size The size (in bits) of a processor is determined by the size (in bits) of the registers, address buses, and data buses. 64-bit processors have higher performance compared to 32-bit processors, which in turn are more powerful than 16-bit processors. | 32 bit |
| Instruction Set Architecture Instructions are commands with which the software sets/controls the operation of the processor. Information about the instruction set (ISA) that the processor can execute. | ARMv7 |
| Level 1 cache (L1) Cache memory is used by the processor to reduce access time to more frequently used data and instructions. L1 (level 1) cache is small in size and works much faster than both system memory and other cache levels. If the processor does not find the requested data in L1, it continues to look for it in the L2 cache. On some processors, this search is performed simultaneously in L1 and L2. | 32 kB + 32 kB (kilobytes) |
| Level 2 cache (L2) L2 (level 2) cache is slower than L1 cache, but in return it has a higher capacity, allowing it to cache more data. It, like L1, is much faster than system memory (RAM). If the processor does not find the requested data in L2, it continues to look for it in the L3 cache (if available) or in RAM memory. | 256 kB (kilobytes) 0.25 MB (megabytes) |
| Number of processor cores The processor core executes software instructions. There are processors with one, two or more cores. Having more cores increases performance by allowing multiple instructions to be executed in parallel. | 2 |
| CPU clock speed The clock speed of a processor describes its speed in terms of cycles per second. It is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). | 1300 MHz (megahertz) |
| Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) handles calculations for various 2D/3D graphics applications. In mobile devices, it is most often used by games, consumer interfaces, video applications, etc. | ARM Mali-400 MP1 |
| Number of GPU cores Like a CPU, a GPU is made up of several working parts called cores. They handle graphics calculations for various applications. | 1 |
| GPU clock speed Running speed is the clock speed of the GPU, measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). | 500 MHz (megahertz) |
| Amount of random access memory (RAM) Random access memory (RAM) is used by the operating system and all installed applications. Data stored in RAM is lost after the device is turned off or restarted. | 512 MB (megabytes) |
| Type of random access memory (RAM) Information about the type of random access memory (RAM) used by the device. | LPDDR2 |
| RAM frequency The frequency of RAM determines its operating speed, more specifically, the speed of reading/writing data. | 266 MHz (megahertz) |
Built-in memory
Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.
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.
| Type/technology One of the main characteristics of the screen is the technology by which it is made and on which the quality of the information image directly depends. | IPS |
| Diagonal For mobile devices, screen size is expressed by the length of its diagonal, measured in inches. | 4.3 in (inches) 109.22 mm (millimeters) 10.92 cm (centimeters) |
| Width Approximate screen width | 2.11 in (inches) 53.51 mm (millimeters) 5.35 cm (centimeters) |
| Height Approximate screen height | 3.75 in (inches) 95.21 mm (millimeters) 9.52 cm (centimeters) |
| Aspect Ratio The ratio of the dimensions of the long side of the screen to its short side | 1.779:1 |
| Permission Screen resolution shows the number of pixels vertically and horizontally on the screen. Higher resolution means clearer image detail. | 480 x 854 pixels |
| Pixel Density Information about the number of pixels per centimeter or inch of the screen. Higher density allows information to be displayed on the screen with clearer detail. | 228 ppi (pixels per inch) 89 ppcm (pixels per centimeter) |
| Color depth Screen color depth reflects the total number of bits used for color components in one pixel. Information about the maximum number of colors that the screen can display. | 24 bit 16777216 flowers |
| Screen area Approximate percentage of screen area occupied by the screen on the front of the device. | 64.87% (percent) |
| Other characteristics Information about other screen features and characteristics. | Capacitive Multi-touch Scratch resistance |
| Oleophobic (lipophobic) coating |
Sensors
Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.
Rear camera
The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on its back panel and may be combined with one or more secondary cameras.
| Flash type The rear (rear) cameras of mobile devices mainly use LED flashes. They can be configured with one, two or more light sources and vary in shape. | LED |
| Image Resolution One of the main characteristics of cameras is resolution. It represents the number of horizontal and vertical pixels in an image. For convenience, smartphone manufacturers often list resolution in megapixels, indicating the approximate number of pixels in millions. | 2592 x 1944 pixels 5.04 MP (megapixels) |
| Video resolution Information about the maximum video resolution that the camera can record. | 1280 x 720 pixels 0.92 MP (megapixels) |
| Video recording speed (frame rate) Information about the maximum recording speed (frames per second, fps) supported by the camera at maximum resolution. Some of the most basic video recording speeds are 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps. | 30fps (frames per second) |
| Characteristics Information about additional software and hardware features of the rear (rear) camera. | Autofocus Geographical tags Panoramic photography HDR shooting Touch Focus Face recognition |
Front-camera
Smartphones have one or more front cameras of various designs - a pop-up camera, a rotating camera, a cutout or hole in the display, an under-display camera.
Radio
The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.
Location determination
Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device.
WiFi
Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between various devices of different types over short distances.
USB
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.
Headphone jack
This is an audio connector, 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 your device.
Browser
A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.
Video file formats/codecs
Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.
Battery
Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.
| Capacity A battery's capacity indicates the maximum charge it can hold, measured in milliamp-hours. | 1700 mAh (milliamp-hours) |
| Type The type of battery is determined by its structure and, more precisely, the chemicals used. There are different types of batteries, with lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries being the most commonly used batteries in mobile devices. | Li-Ion (Lithium-ion) |
| 2G talk time 2G talk time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 2G network. | 20 h (hours) 1200 min (minutes) 0.8 days |
| 2G latency 2G standby time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 2G network. | 540 h (hours) 32400 min (minutes) 22.5 days |
| 3G talk time 3G talk time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 3G network. | 9 h (hours) 540 min (minutes) 0.4 days |
| 3G latency 3G standby time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 3G network. | 450 h (hours) 27000 min (minutes) 18.8 days |
| Characteristics Information about some additional characteristics of the device's battery. | Removable |
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, the Idol Mini has an undoubted advantage in its price segment - the quality of the body 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. There are no mechanical buttons, as 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 calls, two hours of music, about an hour of social networks, several 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 slot for a microSD memory card. The maximum volume is 32 GB.
Performance
It uses the MediaTek MT6572 chipset, 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. Available Bluetooth version 4.0 for file and voice transfer. There is a 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.
A good screen, but the shortcomings of the chipset make it impossible to watch any files; in this aspect, the Galaxy S4 Mini is more omnivorous and can digest 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.
The quality of a smartphone is determined primarily by its parameters. Based on them, you can talk about how long the device will last you and whether it is worth purchasing such a smartphone at all. But what do they say about idol 2 mini specifications?
Visual component
In Alcatel one touch idol 2 mini, the characteristics depend on visual data. Based on them, the developers assembled all the other components of the device. Its weight is only 110 grams, taking into account the thickness of less than 8 mm. Impressive, isn't it?
Before you is a standard candy bar with three touch-sensitive keys on the bottom. Its unique feature is the metallic silver frame, which adds elegance to the phone. The case is made quite well. It is simply unrealistic to find fault with any backlash or other problems. The device gives the impression of a premium class although, in fact, it is a budget device.
There is a power button on the right, and a volume rocker above. It is also used to block the device’s sensor. On the left is the SIM card slot, covered with a plug. At the bottom there is a USB connector and a microphone. The charger and headset connectors are very well separated. Many users noted this as one of the bright advantages of this device.
On the back plastic cover there is the main camera, LED flash and an additional microphone for high-quality sound in video recordings. The front part of the device, in addition to touch keys and a screen with an oleophobic coating, has a speaker grille and a front camera.
Camera
If we talk about cameras, then the characteristics of idol 2 mini are more than acceptable. The main camera takes pictures at a resolution of 5 megapixels, and videos at 1280x720. All this is complemented by fairly high-quality autofocus and an elegantly integrated flash. At the same time, the quality of the pictures is noticeably higher than that of smartphones from other brands, the cameras of which, according to statements, reach eight and even 13 megapixels.
The front camera in such a smartphone is a disadvantage for a modern person, since it is not intended for selfies, but only for communication, and by modern standards it has a very modest resolution - only 0.3 megapixels. If you are not a fan of taking pictures of yourself, then this device is just right.
Battery
The battery in the smartphone is lithium-ion and non-removable. Its capacity is 1700 mAh. The manufacturer promises that the battery is capable of autonomously spending at least 400 hours in standby and 5 in active use. An excellent result for a budget smartphone. Considering one SIM card and a minimal set of applications, battery consumption is really low. And not very productive hardware contributes to even greater savings.
Memory and performance
We can safely say that the memory characteristics of idol 2 mini are not encouraging, but they are not disappointing either. These are standard 1 gigabyte of RAM and 4 gigabytes of non-volatile or random access memory. Based on the latest technical innovations, these are not the best indicators. Although if you remember that the device was released in 2014, there is nothing to be surprised about.
Regarding the “iron” component, one should also not expect any special miracles. The device has a processor capable of overclocking each of its four cores to a frequency of 1.2 GHz. These indicators are enough to work with simple programs, like instant messengers, but nothing more. Do not forget that the device is primarily positioned as a fashion device and at the same time a budget one. And in the case of an attractive appearance at a low price, it is rare to find more or less productive hardware.
To improve performance, you can root the device and remove some built-in applications. This will allow, in addition to reducing the load on the processor, to unload a certain amount of non-volatile memory, of which there is not too much here anyway.
conclusions
The Alcatel one touch idol 2 mini smartphone is a 4.5-inch reliable touch phone with an IPS matrix. This smartphone with a low price, a 4-core processor and Android 4.4 has made thousands of people fall in love with it. It will be a suitable option for those who value light weight and the disadvantages include a slot for only one SIM card, which may not be enough in today’s conditions of fierce competition among operators, and not the most productive hardware, which reduces the comfort of use. It will ideally fit into the role of an additional gadget for use in rare cases; as a main smartphone, it will not be able to provide the full range of capabilities provided by the modern electronic world.
“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, is the best solution 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 a 2-core MediaTek MT6572 processor with a clock frequency of 1.3 GHz and Mali 400 graphics. The amount of RAM is 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. The maximum external storage capacity is 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 provides quick access to the camera app and phone app.
You can control some smartphone functions using gestures. So, for example, to switch the music track, just shake the device, mute the sound of an incoming call, or 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