Accelerometer(or G-sensor) - sensor of the device’s position in space. As the main function, the accelerometer is used to automatic change orientation of the image on the display (vertical or horizontal). Also, G-sensor is used as a pedometer, it can be controlled various functions device by turning or shaking.
Gyroscope- a sensor that measures rotation angles relative to a fixed coordinate system. Capable of measuring rotation angles in several planes simultaneously. A gyroscope together with an accelerometer allows you to accurately determine the position of the device in space. Devices that use only accelerometers have lower measurement accuracy, especially when fast movement. Also, the capabilities of the gyroscope can be used in modern games for mobile devices.
Light sensor- a sensor that sets the optimal brightness and contrast values for a given light level. The presence of a sensor allows you to increase the battery life of the device.
Proximity sensor- a sensor that detects when the device is close to your face during a call, turns off the backlight and locks the screen, preventing random clicks. The presence of a sensor allows you to increase the battery life of the device.
Geomagnetic sensor- a sensor for determining the direction of the world in which the device is directed. Tracks the orientation of the device in space relative to the magnetic poles of the Earth. The information received from the sensor is used in mapping programs for terrain orientation.
Atmospheric pressure sensor- sensor for precise measurement atmospheric pressure. It is part of the GPS system, allows you to determine altitude above sea level and speed up location determination.
Touch ID- fingerprint identification sensor.
Accelerometer / Light / Proximity
Satellite navigation:
GPS(Global Positioning System) is a satellite navigation system that provides measurements of distance, time, speed and determines the location of objects anywhere on Earth. The system is developed, implemented and operated by the US Department of Defense. The basic principle of using the system is to determine location by measuring distances to an object from points with known coordinates - satellites. The distance is calculated by the delay time of signal propagation from sending it by the satellite to receiving it by the antenna of the GPS receiver.
GLONASS(Global Navigation Satellite System) - Soviet and Russian satellite navigation system, developed by order of the USSR Ministry of Defense. The measurement principle is similar to the American system GPS navigation. GLONASS is designed for operational navigation and timing support for land, sea, air and space-based users. The main difference from the GPS system is that GLONASS satellites in their orbital motion do not have resonance (synchrony) with the rotation of the Earth, which provides them with greater stability.
Thanks to the release of mid-range smartphones price category with good consumer properties, the share of TCL Communications (Alcatel One Touch trademark) in Russia is growing rapidly. One of the flagships of this growth is the smartphone Alcatel Idol 2. We tested this model with a five-inch screen and pleasant appearance.
Sales of Alcatel smartphones in Russia in the first half of 2014 came very close to the indicators of such brands as Huawei, Fly and LG. This was largely due to the successful launch of the second generation Idol line on the market, which included the Idol 2 (5-inch screen), Idol 2S (with LTE support), Idol 2 mini (4.5-inch screen) and Idol 2 mini S (version with LTE). I had at my disposal the basic model of Alcatel Idol 2. We will talk about it further.
In technical terms, the device is typical average. There is a quad-core processor MTK6582M, 1.3 GHz, 1 GB random access memory, large 5-inch screen with IPS matrix, resolution 540x960 pixels, 8 megapixel camera. The device operates under Android control 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. Well, the price of the issue is 7,990 rubles.
Dimensions. Contents of delivery
id="sub0">The first thing you notice is that the device looks great. Despite big screen, the phone is thin and relatively light. Its dimensions are 136.5 x 70 x 7.3 mm and its weight is 128 grams. The gadget fits in your hand, although you still can’t reach the corners of the screen with a finger of one hand. You have to use your second hand.
The build quality is in no way inferior to flagship models from other manufacturers. During two weeks of testing, I did not notice any creaking or play. The positive aspects include the velvety plastic from which it is made. rear end apparatus.
If we talk about the convenience of carrying a smartphone in the pockets of tight clothes, then there are no problems here. Wear it wherever you want and with whatever you want.
The scope of delivery includes:
- Alcatel 6037Y Idol 2 phone
- Charger adapter USB devices
- Cable for synchronization with computer
- Stereo headset with 3.5 mm mini-jack connector
- Instructions
Design, construction
id="sub1">The smartphone looks great, it’s pleasant to hold in your hands, and a lot of people like it. This is largely due to the thinness of the case, as well as the finishing, which includes velvety plastic on the back and chrome inserts on the sides.
It is worth mentioning that the design of the smartphone is monolithic. The back cover and battery in this model are non-removable. Hence the feeling of reliability: there are no gaps between structural elements and no creaking or play of individual parts of the body. For assembly - five points out of five.
There are several body color options available for sale: brown, pink, gray and white. I had a white device at my disposal.
If we talk about the placement of different elements, then almost the entire front part of the device is occupied by a 5-inch diagonal touch display. Above it is a speaker for voice calls. To the left is the front camera, to the right are all kinds of sensors: motion sensor, light sensor, G-sensor. In the upper transparent part of the case there are LEDs that light up during charging, an incoming SMS or a missed call. They shine with white light. The operation of the diodes can be configured in the menu.
Touch control buttons are located under the screen. There are three of them, like all Android devices of a similar level.
On the right side there is a button to turn on, turn off and lock the phone, as well as a volume key. The microSIM slot can be found on the left side. There is support for hot memory replacement. Nearby is a slot for memory cards. MicroSD cards are used here. On the bottom edge of Idol 2 there is a microUSB connector. It is universal because it connects to Charger and a sync cable. There are also speakers for playing external calls and audio files. The speakers are loud enough to ensure you don't miss an outgoing call. The playback quality of audio files is average. At high volumes the sound begins to creak slightly.
At the top end there is a hole for connecting a standard 3.5 mm headset.
An 8 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash is located on the back of the smartphone. You can also see the manufacturer's logo on the back.
Alcatel Idol 2 is assembled at the TCL Communications plant in China. By the way, I really liked the assembly.
Screen. Graphics capabilities
id="sub2">Alcatel Idol 2 does not use the most modern 5-inch screen. The main disadvantage of the display is its low resolution. Only 540x960. The matrix here is IPS, which boasts good color reproduction, colorful and contrasting images. To protect the display, high-quality carbon fiber glass is used, which reliably protects the screen from damage. During the two-week test, by the way, no scratches appeared on the screen.
The pixel density is low, which is why people with good eyesight can see the pixels clearly. This is why the font and pictures look imperfect. However, it is worth remembering that this is a budget version of the device and, by definition, one cannot expect excellent quality from it.
Among the advantages, I will note the excellent response to clicks and large viewing angles. In the sun, the screen fades a little, but the information remains legible and understandable.
Menu. Interface and navigation
id="sub3">Alcatel Idol 2 runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean operating system. A custom Alcatel shell with redrawn icons and individual menu items is installed on top of the operating system. Looks a little childish.
Otherwise, we have good old Android. In standby mode, the user has access to several desktops. By default, one of them is completely empty, the other displays shortcuts for individual applications and widgets, the rest display a calendar, bookmarks, music player. Each desktop can be customized.
From distinctive features Alcatel Idol 2 I note pre-installed applications, including navigation and reference 2Gis, antivirus package, Evernote, Facebook, Twitter, OfficeSuite, Opera mini, Flipboard, LinkedIn, PicSay, Skype, WatsApp, Viber, Kinoofisha, Yandex.Taxi, barcode scanner and others.
In terms of the number of applications running on the smartphone out of the box, the device can be praised. All you need is already there. The rest can be downloaded from Google Play.
Multimedia capabilities
id="sub4">The application for playing music is called "Music" . Here you can view and listen to audio tracks. The following file formats are supported: MP3, AMR, AAC, AAC+, e-AAC+. There is sorting by artists, albums, genres, composers. The standard headset is included in the package.
The “Video” item displays videos made both by the device’s camera and downloaded from the Internet.
Camera. Photo and video capabilities
id="sub5">Alcatel Idol 2 has an 8-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash. The model offers a very concise menu with settings; a minimum of parameters is offered. Manual settings very little. At the same time, the device offers such popular modes as HDR and panorama shooting, and can also record video in a resolution of 1920x1088. The quality of the images is average, noise is clearly visible in low light, sometimes autofocus behaves strangely, and you have to focus again.
Videos are shot in Full HD format with a resolution of 1920x1088 pixels. The device has support for unconverted video, but the chipset does not handle 1080p well, the sound is often out of sync, or there is no sound at all. In terms of music formats, there is support for FLAC in addition to the usual MP3 and a number of others.
Memory and speed
id="sub6">A version of the smartphone with built-in memory of 8 GB or 16 GB is available in stores. This volume can be expanded using microSD memory cards.
The hardware is typical for most mid-price smartphones. The MediaTek MT6582M chipset with four nuclear processor 1.3 GHz. 1 GB is allocated for RAM.
You can watch HD videos on your smartphone without any glitches. However, if you run several “heavy applications” at the same time, the interfaces will begin to become dull. In general, the speed of the device leaves a very good impression.
Communication capabilities
id="sub7">The device operates in 2G (GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and 3G (900/2100 MHz) networks. IN basic version The smartphone does not support LTE. For these purposes, there is a version of Alcatel Idol 2S, which supports 4G.
In addition, there is Bluetooth version 4.0 for file and voice transfer. There is Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n. The device, of course, can be used as an access point or modem. In the settings, this item is listed as “Modem mode” (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz for 802.11n mode). There is support for Wi-Fi Display. To transfer files, among other things, you can use the NFC module.
The smartphone has GPS navigator, A-GPS. “Cold” start - 5-6 minutes, “hot” - up to 15 seconds. To work with maps, the device has the following programs: “Maps” and “Navigator”. Personally, I had no problems with the navigator.
Duration of work
id="sub8">The smartphone has a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 2000 mAh. Under testing conditions, with a number of calls of 10 - 15 minutes per day, Wi-FI always on, browsing the Internet via 3G for 1.5 hours, listening to an mp3 player through a headset for about 2 hours, the device worked for about a day. If you use the device more intensively, the operating time will decrease. Charging accumulator battery in 1.5 hours. These are standard indicators for an Android smartphone.
The smartphone offers a built-in power saving feature that will help extend battery life, especially when the device is in standby mode for a long time. Activating this mode, according to my own feelings, does not particularly affect the operating time.
Inexpensive model with support for 4G networks
When mentioning the Chinese company TCL and its trademark Alcatel this year we first of all remembered the very noticeable top model of the TCL Idol X+ smartphone, which is based on the latest Mediatek platform with a maximum frequency of eight processor cores. However, the company, naturally, did not limit itself to releasing one flagship model 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 OneTouch Idol 2 and OneTouch Idol 2S and their various modifications. In accordance with the origin of mobile market Traditionally, 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 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 in 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 cores ARM Cortex-A7) @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
- Touch display 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
- GSM communication 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, dot 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 the smartphone you can find a universal compact charger, a Micro-USB connecting cable, in-ear headphones and a 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 It has a slight bend and a matte, non-marking surface, which has a beneficial effect on both ergonomics and the neat overall appearance of the device. 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.
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A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev. 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. In stock automatic adjustment brightness by 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.
IN this smartphone An IPS type matrix is used. 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 special delight, since Colorful temperature noticeably higher than the standard 6500 K, the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is less than 10, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device, however, ΔE varies significantly from hue to hue - 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 can be used outdoors even on a sunny summer day without any problems. 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 an air gap in the layers of the screen and flicker, as well as color gamut sRGB. 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. From settings - standard features equalizer 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.
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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.
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The sharpness in distant shots is quite good. |
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The camera cannot fully resolve foliage, but overall it does a good job. |
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Sharpness across the frame is fairly uniform. |
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In the background, the foliage hardly blends together. |
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Noise in the shadows is not so strong, and, apparently, well processed. |
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The camera performs relatively well indoors. |
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Even when shooting at night, the camera does not show such bad results. |
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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 has support for fourth generation (4G) networks used in Russia. With a SIM card from the domestic operator Megafon, the smartphone in practice confidently finds and works with 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. Connection mode 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.
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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.
Drawing letters and numbers virtual keyboards quite small and not very comfortable to control. 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.
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OS and software
Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 mini S works in this moment on software platform Google Android 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. There is an application menu in this user interface; most of the already pre-installed applications are carefully arranged in thematic folders by the developers themselves. Creation of folders/groups is supported on desktops.
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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 the appearance of the interface to its original, calmer appearance. 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.
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Performance
The Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 mini S hardware platform is based on a single-chip system (SoC) Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (MSM8226). CPU it 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.
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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 model Padfone E), and also add the results of another similar platform from Qualcomm - Snapdragon 200, which has exactly the same cores and their number, 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 relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that at one time they passed their “obstacle courses” on previous versions test programs.
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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 the 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) |
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| 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 |
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Playing video
To test omnivorousness when playing video (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, for example subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. 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 the results Alcatel testing OneTouch Idol 2 mini S was not equipped with all the necessary decoders, in this case audio, 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 first have to change the settings, switching from hardware decoding to software or to a new mode called 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:
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 standard range 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 Samsung and LG - Korean modern 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 mobile devices that meet most modern technical requirements have begun to appear, 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.
Each of the second-tier manufacturers has its own strengths and weak sides. For Alcatel, cooperation with operators has become a winning strategy; they order various models from the company. There are no clear bestsellers, but quite decent volumes are gradually accumulating. As a rule, carrier devices are profitable for Alcatel - they pay a little more for them than for devices that are aimed at the mass market. But this also means that such smartphones are not so optimal for the consumer - exclusivity and sales through one operator mean a high starting price, lack of alternatives and price flexibility. A model can stay at one price level for a very long time - from the first to the last day of its sales, despite the fact that the entire market has already moved in a different direction and similar solutions will cost noticeably less. Such stability arguably has more disadvantages for consumers, and the benefits are unclear.
These considerations are fully applicable to the Idol 2S; this carrier model costs significantly more than its Alcatel counterparts. It should be noted here that the difference is described by the presence of LTE on board, but is this so important for Alcatel’s target audience? In my opinion, it doesn't matter at all - people buying Alcatel don't need LTE. Don't get me wrong, it's not that they don't need LTE at all, it's a nice extra if it's included - but it's not needed due to the 15-20 percent increase in cost; for Alcatel buyers, cost and price/quality ratio are critical .
The audience for Idol 2s is Beeline subscribers in Russia, who also need an LTE smartphone. That is, this is a niche, and an extremely small one. I also want to note that from the point of common sense it may seem that Idol 2 and 2s differ only in LTE support in the second, but this is not so. This device has a higher screen resolution and a number of other differences; there is no need to say that this is the same model. They are similar, but about the same as all Alcatel models over the past few years. This aspect is also important - a good design, which is already beginning to become obsolete. All models look the same, and something fresh is needed, the time has come.
Design, dimensions, control elements
Externally, we see a typical Alcatel - this means a nice plastic case, monoblock design. The manufacturer offers the model in different colors, but, as a rule, you can find a dark silver device in retail.
Phone size – 136.5 x 69.7 x 7.45 mm, weight – 126 grams. Compact, fits well in the hand. The front panel is one-color (depending on the color of the case; for example, in the white version it is also white). The front side of this device is difficult to distinguish from other models; it starts playing if you turn it over - the body has a slight bend, pleasant plastic, which is resistant to abrasion. On the back surface you can see a large speaker, at the top - LED flash, as well as an 8-megapixel camera with autofocus.
On the left side there is a slot for a SIM card, as well as for microSD memory cards, on the right there is a paired volume key and an on/off button. The 3.5 mm connector is placed on the top end, but the microUSB is on the bottom. At the ends you can also see microphone holes, there are two of them.
Above the screen there is a light indicator, a front camera, and also an LED; it can be configured to work when there are missed calls or events. In general, the build quality does not raise any questions, but with strong compression back panel crackles. Some people may not like this - this does not affect the reliability of the device in any way, but the design is such that it creaks. Inaccuracy in the design of the device, which gives such an effect. In real life, you won't pay attention to this and are unlikely to squeeze your phone like that.
Display
The device has an IPS matrix with a diagonal of 5 inches and a resolution of 720x1080 pixels. Multitouch supports up to 5 touches, brightness adjustment in automatic mode works well. The brightness reserve is excellent, and the model turned out to be pleasant in terms of how the screen works - good colors, excellent viewing angles, no complaints. You may find the default fonts a little lacy, but you can always change them to larger ones. The screen fades in the sun, but remains readable.
Battery
The device has a battery with a capacity of 2150 mAh. According to the manufacturer, it is capable of providing up to 400/520 hours of standby time (4G/3G), up to 7/16.5 hours of talk time. In practice, the device, with quiet use - 20 minutes of calls a day, a couple of dozen SMS, an hour of listening to music and a little mobile Internet - lasts about 2 full days. At the same time, we can say that with very active use it can survive until the evening of the first day, but this is an uncharacteristic use of such a device for the target audience. Such smartphones are bought mainly for calls, SMS, mail and the like. That is, this is not a machine for constantly being online; there is not enough screen diagonal for comfort. Full battery charging time is about 2 hours.
Memory, memory card, performance
The phone has 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal memory, of which 5.3 GB is available to the user for programs and their data. Memory cards up to 32 GB are supported.
The chipset in this model is Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8926, 4 cores with a frequency of up to 1.1 GHz. Graphics coprocessor – Adreno 305. In my opinion, the performance is quite excellent, there are no complaints, for lovers of virtual parrots I will provide data from benchmarks.
Communication capabilities
The phone works in cellular networks 2G (GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and 3G (850/900/2100 MHz), as well as LTE (for Idol 2 Mini S). Available 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 Wi-Fi Display function, when you can transmit a signal from your phone to another device via Wi-Fi. Traditionally, there is a Wi-Fi Direct function. There is also a remote Wi-Fi display option.
The device in question also has NFC, it can be used to read tags, there is trial version Triger Pro program, which allows you to configure various events using NFC. The tags themselves are not included in the kit, but they can be purchased from any manufacturer, for example, Samsung.
Camera
An ordinary 8-megapixel camera with autofocus, not enough stars in the sky, gives acceptable image quality in bright light, but in the dark the result is noticeably worse. The photographic part is not strong point Alcatel phones, however, look at the examples below. Video recording is supported in 1080p resolution, up to 30 frames per second.
Software features – Android 4.3
In Idol 2s, as well as in other models, Alcatel uses its own software shell, which can be perceived ambiguously by many, since people often prefer “bare” Android and are quite satisfied with its capabilities.
Many functions have been heavily redesigned; Alcatel has added a number of programs that can be downloaded for free anyway, but the fact that they are pre-installed makes the device more interesting for inexperienced users.
Without unlocking the device, you can view the weather forecast for the current day. 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 multimedia capabilities. The device has support for unconverted video; the chipset plays 1080p perfectly, unlike its predecessor. In terms of music formats, there is support for FLAC in addition to the usual MP3 and a number of others.
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 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 a main camera, a LED flash and an additional microphone for high-quality sound in videos. 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. Excellent result for 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 sufficient 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 attractive appearance You can rarely find more or less productive hardware at a low price.
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
Alcatel smartphone one touch idol 2 mini is a 4.5-inch rugged touchscreen phone with 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.
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