Reviews

Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra Review

There are a lot of Android smartphones currently in the market it’s getting harder for brands to be recognized.  With the OneTouch Idol Ultra, Alcatel wants nothing but your attention.  Alcatel is admittedly not up there yet in terms of brand recognition for high end phones but with the OneTouch Idol Ultra it should be.  The Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra is priced at P14,990 but its specs are actually quite solid.  Read the rest of the review to learn more about the Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra.

Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra – Design

Design is definitely one of the best features of the Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra.  It has a super slim 6.45mm profile, it’s much thinner than the iPhone 5 or the Samsung Galaxy S4 or the HTC One. It becomes thicker on the camera area but it’s only a small part of the phone.  Its thickness is impressive it’s comparable to about three credit cards stacked together.

Alcatel did not only make sure the phone is slim, it also made sure it has a premium feel and constructions.  The overall feel of the Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra is superb.  It has a solid construction and the materials are really nice on the hand. I reviewed the black model and it’s nothing but premium all over.  It’s an all black affair, with minimal silver accents.  The back cover has a premium rubbery finish, the same finish we saw in a few HTC phones like the Sensation XE.

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The front panel reminds me of the Samsung Galaxy S II, except for the absence of a physical home button.  But in terms of thickness, the Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra is much thinner than the Galaxy S II.  The similarity does not end there, since the Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra also sports an AMOLED display.

Alcatel seems to have sacrificed a lot in order to get the 6.45mm thickness.  The slots and terminals are limited, for instance.  There is only the micro SIM slot and the micro-USB slot and no other slots.  There is a 3.5mm jack but it comes through a cable extension that connects through the micro USB slot.  There is no microSD card expansion slot, and the battery is also non-removable.

Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra – Display

The display has got to be one of the good things about the Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra.  If you’ve seen an AMOLED display before, it’s the same in terms of features.  The display on the Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra is sharp and has deep blacks and the colors just pop. The 4.65-inch display on the Idol Ultra is HD quality, with a specific resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels.

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Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra – Hardware

The Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra has a solid set of specs.  It’s not a quad-core phone but its 1.2GHz dual-core processor is capable of churning out decent speeds. The processor is paired with 1GB of RAM and a non-expandable 16GB storage.  The absence of storage expansion is a key limitation since a lot of users now need more storage.

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Here are the main specs of the Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra.

Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra Specs

  • 4.65-inch HD AMOLED display, 1280 x 720 pixels
  • 1.2 GHz dual-core CPU, MT6577+ chipset
  • 1GB RAM
  • 16GB storage
  • 8-MP rear camera with LED flash
  • 1.3MP front camera
  • Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
  • HSPA, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Hot Spot, Wi-Fi Direct
  • Bluetooth 4.0, micro USB
  • A-GPS, G-sensor
  • FM Radio with RDS
  • 1820 mAh Lithium battery
  • Dimensions: 134.4 x 68.5 x 6.45 mm
  • Weight: 115g

As you can see, it’s a solid set of hardware specs and the only thing that could discourage buyers is the lack of microSD card expansion but the 16GB internal storage should already be enough for most users. The phone lacks NFC and LTE but that should be expected since the retail price is already quite cheap.

Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra – Performance

The Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra is capable of producing a fast performance.  For general types of use, the Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra is quite speedy.  It’s not the fastest phone around and that distinction is given by most to the Samsung Galaxy S4.  For gaming and multi-tasking, the Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra delivers.

Putting the Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra under a Quadrant test gives it a 2761 score, which is just a little better than the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.  Antutu Benchmark test, on the other hand, gives it a 6442 score, which is lower than the 9682 score of the Samsung Galaxy S II, the 16301 score of the Samsung Galaxy S II and especially the 27810 score of the Samsung Galaxy S4.  Just for comparison the HTC One has a 23717 score and the Sony Xperia Z has a 19798 score.

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The Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra has very few OS modifications.  It is basically stock but there are a few enhancements like the lock screen.

For battery life, the 1820mAh battery of the Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra can get you through an entire day under normal use but be ready to bring your charger nonetheless.  Heavy users will definitely get a shorter battery life on the Idol Ultra.

Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra – Camera

The 8-megapixel camera on the Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra is capable of taking good shots, but only in bright settings.  For low light shots, noise becomes obvious but there’s an LED flash that can assist you in taking shots in dark settings.  I like how close the range of the camera is though, since it can take macro-quality shots with ease.  The Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra ‘s rear camera can also capture 720p videos @30fps in case you’re interested in taking videos.  The 1.3MP front camera can also take 720p videos.

Here are sample photos taken with the Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra.

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Wrap Up

The Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra is one of the few ultraslim Android handsets in the market.  Its 6.45mm thickness is really impressive especially when you hold it in your hand.  It has a premium feel, thanks to good materials and good overall design.  However, in terms of performance, it cannot compete with the best Android phones out there.  But Alcatel is not really aiming to compete against the best, it’s just aiming to be the best in its price range.  Considering the other phones in the P14,990 price range, the Alcatel OneTouch Idol Ultra has one of the best offerings, especially in terms of hardware and design.  If you’re considering this phone, though, bear in mind the limitations like the lack of storage expansion.

Rating: 8.7/10

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4 Comments

  1. Mon de Chavez Reply

    its a good brand, sikat nung araw ….i still have one touch soleil

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