Alcatel, the French smartphone company, has finally launched the One Touch Idol X+ in India. Announced way back in December, we first saw the phone at CES. While the company took its own sweet time in bringing the device to India, it still remains relevant due to the presence of competitive specifications and above average build quality. The company has partnered with Flipkart to handle distribution much like Motorola. We got to spend some time with this octa core handset that enters an already crowded market, here’s our first impressions of the Alcatel One Touch Idol X+.
Video Hands On
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9v1OMGRNkI
Alcatel One Touch Idol X+ specifications
- 5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD IPS display
- 2 GHz MediaTek MT6592 Octa-Core processor with Mali 450 GPU
- Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
- Dual SIM with dual standby
- 13MP autofocus camera with LED Flash, 1080p Full HD video recording
- 2MP front-facing camera, 1080p video
- 8.1mm thin
- 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi direct Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
- 3.5mm audio jack, Hi-Fi Sound, FM Radio
- 2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory
- 2500 mAh battery
First impressions matter a lot and the Alcatel One Touch Idol X+ definitely gets that right. The phone looks attractive from the front with a minimalist design and slim bezels. We didn’t really like the glossy plastics used all around but it does make for a light handset. The front is mostly dominated by the large 5 inch Full HD IPS display. We found the display to be very impressive indeed with excellent viewing angles, color reproduction and great outdoor visibility despite the glossy coating.
Port selection on the phone is fairly robust and includes what you’d expect from a device in this class.
At the bottom you get the micro USB port flanked by speakers. The Idol X+ has dual SIM slots located on either side of the phone. The right side of the phone also has the volume rocker. In terms of ergonomics, the phone fits quite well in the hand. Despite the glossy build, the phone isn’t particularly slippery. Unfortunately the device lacks microSD expansion capabilities which is a bit disappointing given the limited 16GB of storage onboard.
The camera over at the back of the Alcatel One Touch Idol X+ is a 13.1MP unit with a 2MP snapper doing front facing duties. We’ll have more on the camera in our full review but it seemed to be able to cope well in less than ideal conditions.
The Alcatel One Touch Idol X+ has been priced at Rs. 16,999 and will be available via Flipkart. We’re quite impressed by the phone in our first impressions and think it should be able to hold its own against the competition. Expect more on this phone once we put it through its paces in our full review.