In Barcelona last February, Alcatel OneTouch presented four new Idol, all numbered "2", but declining in both "S", "mini" and "mini S". It is the latter that we now offer flash test. And surprises, not all good, are waiting for you.
Presented in February at Mobile World Congress, the second generation of Alcatel OneTouch Idol has just arrived in stores. They are now 4: Idol 2, Idol 2S, Idol 2 Mini and Idol 2 Mini S. In short, all possible variations. Among these four models, three terminals replace released last year, the fourth is new this year. This is Idol 2 Mini S, a long name for a far from uninteresting smartphone. First, because it takes a common datasheet four smartphones without going through the usual "mini" versions, even if one or two concessions are inevitable. And despite a little too much for a smartphone prices even not 4G 720p HD effort in design and interface are clearly laudable.
A data sheet at the crossroads of all Idol 2
The technical detail of this smartphone is fairly common. It includes elements of the other three Idol 2 chipset of Idol 2S (and S and Pop Idol ... C9). The screen of the Mini Idol 2. The battery of the Idol 2 short, a real melting pot which are as follows:
Screen QHD IPS (960 x 540 pixels) of 4.5 inches (resolution 245 pixels per inch)
Protective glass Dragontrail from Asahi Glass
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core 1.2 GHz
1 GB of RAM
8 GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD)
Battery 2000 mAh non amovlble
Compatible LTE Category 4, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, NFC, DLNA
1080p at 30 frames per second main camera supports 8-megapixel sensor
2MP Webcam
Android Jelly Bean 4.3 (upgrade to KitKat announced) overlay with Alcatel
Weight: 116 grams
Thickness: 8.5 grams
Five colors: white, anthracite gray / white, black / chocolate, gray / white, white / pink
As you can see, the Idol 2 Mini S offers a datasheet extremely agreed. We always pleasantly surprised to see the Chinese manufacturer integrating slabs reinforced glass, even in its smaller models. We are however a little disappointed not to receive a 720p panel. It lacks a little something who successfully differentiate itself from all other 4G Snapdragon with 400 proposals and justify a slightly raised vis-à-vis the most direct competition price.
A family design
Visually, the smartphone is very nice, although it does not play in exuberance, as Idol Alpha, for example. Its unibody chassis is pretty well finished. Although the hull is made entirely of plastic, imitation brushed metal is nice. Note that this design is common to all the Idol 2. The front of the mobile does not have the Alcatel brand. The borders are not particularly fine. Under the slab is a space for the navigation keys.
At the rear, always simplicity. The metallic logo, half matt, shiny half. Above image sensor and flash. Downstairs, the large opening of the mono speaker. The latter is not as good a position as that, but its width makes up for that choice. On the left edge, no buttons, but two flaps for the SIM card and optional memory card. On the right, the hardware buttons (volume and Wake). Bottom, microUSB connector and micro. Above, secondary 3.5 mm jack port and mic for ambient noise reduction. In the box, nice surprise: an in-ear handsfree. It's better than conventional headphones.
A screen that spoils the good first impression
The grip is good smartphone. This format of smartphone stands firmly and is easy to use with a finger. No need to risk an extension to access the notification area. The responsiveness of the panel is almost always good. We experienced some slowdowns and stuttering in the interface (including zooms on the Internet), but nothing major. Under the fingers Dragontrail glass from Asahi Glass slides less than a glass Corning. But, again, this is commendable.
Compared to the screen of Moto G (4G or not) or Motorola One mini (first name), HTC, both 720p screen Idol 2 Mini S does not offer the perfect definition, even for a proposed around EUR 200 smartphone. Grain pixels seen with the naked eye. The colors sizzle and slab lacks contrast. Which is a shame, because the viewing angles are wide open and the brightness is good (a bit too ...). This does not affect to watch or play a video. But it has when you surf the Internet. With such a resolution, you have to zoom in to read text on the screen. It's a shame.
A pastel reworked interface
The Idol 2 Mini S is powered by Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, but an update to KitKat was promised by the manufacturer in Barcelona. So this should not be an argument against the mobile. Especially that Android is here dressed in overcoat Alcatel, which transforms all system icons and menu setting. Some small changes to the interface are also expected, as panel (second from left) of the main screen that provides a vertical navigation to add to leisure widgets. A panel bottomless in a manner that prevents repeated displays on the desktop
Among the pre-installed applications, we find the AVG antivirus, a currency converter, Evernote, Kingsoft Office, the OfficeSuite Viewer MobiSystems, PicSay (sort of Snapchat), Viber, Twitter, and games through a partnership with Gameloft. This compilation is completed by three software Alcatel OneTouch backup (backup tool house on the Cloud), SmartLive (an alternative to the Play Store) and Smart Suite (for synchronization with the PC).
Performance in the average
We have seen, the smartphone features a qHD screen and a Snapdragon 400 A fairly typical configuration, but technically finally balanced. On AnTuTu, the smartphone has a score of 16,961 points, a score good enough for a smartphone with this quad-core (17 753 points for Moto 4G G, 17,243 points for One mini 2 16 336 points for the Soshphone 4G). According to the detailed report, the Idol 2 Mini S differs in its RAM and 3D graphics, which ensures a smooth flow in games.
And this is true in Dead Trigger 2 Madfinger, which was recently updated. The game is fast and fun to use. The HD graphics the slow slightly, but a qHD display, it has no interest (in addition to test the platform). We experienced some minor skirmishes handling side. Several possible explanations: Dragontrail glass is less prone to gaming applications, the game is less optimized since its update, or the platform has problems that have not been seen by AnTuTu. But the game is largely playable. Attention mobile sometimes tends to heat up when your game drags on.
Such as games, movies have always favored the low resolution screens because their grain is less visible with moving images. The Idol 2 Mini S is a rather nice media player. Based on the Android video player "stock", no surprise, neither good nor bad. The smartphone decodes many movies in 1080p in MP4 format. MKV is still not systematically decoded. As always, alternatives exist on the Play Store: do not hesitate to try several and maybe even invest a few euros.
Still no good cameraphone Alcatel OneTouch
Pictured smartphones Alcatel have never been known to make beautiful pictures. And despite an update late last year of the photo application home, it was not necessarily fixed. However, efforts have been made by Alcatel to provide options shooting slightly more "expert." Choice of ISO, exposure compensation, HDR mode, etc. The one-finger zoom (generalized to the entire system, including web browser) is also a good idea. But this does not replace a more sensitive sensor, a brighter optical and advanced image processor.
The offered with Idol 2 Mini S (and the entire Idol 2 range) photo 8 megapixel sensor turns means. Today it is cloudy on Paris. So the conditions are straightforward. Yet the result is not entirely satisfactory. The colors are dull and take to the red. The texture is coarse. Accordingly, there is no dive, no contrast. Can not zoom in without losing significant detail.
A little too expensive for what it offers
In conclusion, the Idol 2 Mini S is a pretty good proposal on the smartphone segment of medium size, without reaching differentiate. Worse, its price is slightly above the reference of its kind, Wiko Wax, Soshphone 4G and 4G Motorola Moto G without any real justification in the characteristics. Clearly, it must be as expensive as Soshphone. There is no interest to pay more today.
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