
Get exclusive tech offers and guides
Straight to your inbox
Updated
We’re reader-supported and may be paid when you visit links to partner sites. We don’t compare all products in the market, but we’re working on it!
The Idol 4S is a perfectly acceptable mid-range device given its specifications and overall performance, and worthy of consideration in what is a very crowded market segment.
Alcatel, the brand formerly known as Alcatel OneTouch, has its DNA firmly in the budget phone space. It’s a position that sees the manufacturer claim a third place in Australian smartphone sales, despite not offering a phone in the "premium" price space. Which isn’t to say that it doesn’t have a higher-end device. Last year the best of its phone offerings was the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3, and this year at MWC it unveiled the Idol 4 and Idol 4S. They’re not premium priced devices, keeping with that affordable positioning that Alcatel pursues, but are they any good? Alcatel produces the Idol 4 in two distinct variants; the Idol 4 and Idol 4S. The latter comes with a 5.5 inch display and faster processor, but the key idea behind both is that they’re the best phones Alcatel will produce in 2016, meant to offer a premium-style experience at a distinctly mid-range price point. The Idol 4 will cost $399 while the higher end Idol 4S, which is what we’ve reviewed here, will cost $599 when they go on sale in Australia in September.
Alcatel | Idol 4 | Idol 4S |
---|---|---|
Screen size | 5.2in | 5.5in |
Storage | 16GB | 16GB |
Weight | TBC | TBC |
Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 |
Rear camera | 13MP | 16MP |
Front camera | 8MP | 4MP |
Battery | 2610mAh | 3000mAh |
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560×1440 |
Display density | 423ppi | 534ppi |
Handset | Geekbench 3 Battery Test Duration | Geekbench 3 Battery Score |
---|---|---|
Samsung Galaxy J2 | 10:05:20 | 2689 |
Motorola Moto 4G Plus | 9:44:10 | 3977 |
Alcatel Pop 4 | 9:20:30 | 2490 |
Alcatel Idol 4S | 8:14:20 | 4943 |
LG Stylus DAB+ | 8:11:40 | 3278 |
Alcatel Go Play | 7:21:10 | 2941 |
Google Nexus 5X | 7:14:20 | 4062 |
HTC One X9 | 7:03:10 | 3971 |
Oppo R7s | 7:00:00 | 2800 |
Oppo R9 | 6:41:50 | 4018 |
Telstra Signature Premium | 5:48:50 | 3260 |
Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 | 5:42:00 | 2276 |
Huawei P8 Lite | 4:39:40 | 2768 |
Handset | Geekbench 3 Single Core (higher is better) | Geekbench 3 Multi Core (higher is better) |
---|---|---|
Alcatel Idol 4S | 1536 | 4928 |
HTC One X9 | 892 | 4558 |
Oppo R9 | 867 | 3303 |
Google Nexus 5X | 1188 | 3198 |
Telstra Signature Premium | 745 | 3116 |
Motorola Moto G4 Plus | 715 | 3042 |
Oppo R7s | 696 | 2980 |
LG Stylus DAB+ | 470 | 1418 |
Alcatel Go Play | 453 | 1368 |
Samsung Galaxy J2 | 315 | 1044 |
Alcatel Pop 4 | 289 | 945 |
The same is true for general gaming performance. Here’s how the Idol 4S stacks up against its immediate competition in 3DMark’s Ice Storm Unlimited test:
Handset | 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited Result |
---|---|
Alcatel IDOL 4S | 18186 |
HTC One X9 | 16877 |
Sony Xperia XA | 11173 |
Oppo R9 | 11053 |
Motorola Moto G4 Plus | 9757 |
Telstra Signature Premium | 9559 |
Oppo R7s | 8390 |
LG Stylus DAB+ | 4321 |
Alcatel Pop 4 | 3863 |
Samsung Galaxy J2 | 3469 |
When Alcatel unveiled the Idol 4 and Idol 4S, it was all about the VR hype. To be fair, a lot of technology hype this year has been about VR, so it’s not a bad bandwagon to hitch onto. The issue there is that the Idol 4S’ VR is only passable at best, and even then only really if you’re keen on loading your own VR-ready content onto your phone. Having the VR headset as the case is a cute gimmick, but it’s still just a gimmick. That aside, the Idol 4S is a perfectly acceptable mid-range device given its specifications and overall performance, and worthy of consideration in what is a very crowded market segment. If you’re after a large screen device with decent specifications, you could also consider the LG Stylus DAB+, Oppo R7s or Motorola's Moto G4 Plus.
Alcatel has stated that the Idol 4S will sell for $599 outright when it goes on sale in Australia in September, while the smaller Idol 4 will cost $399. There’s no word as yet as to whether any contract options will be available for the Idol 4S, although previous Alcatel phones have been made available through carriers; the Idol 3 was a Dodo exclusive, whereas the much cheaper Alcatel Pop 4 is sold through Optus as an outright prepaid phone.
Oppo’s latest affordable 5G handset provides an impressive combination of performance, battery life and camera features.
Oppo’s more affordable 5G handset doesn’t just rest on fast network access, providing great battery life and solid all-round performance too.
The mid-range TCL 10L has all the tools for success on paper, but it doesn't seem to know what to do with them to make a pleasing phone.
Motorola delivers yet another quality mid-range phone in the Motorola G8, but it's a phone with few really exciting features.
It's not a fast phone, but the combination of battery life and camera features makes the Alcatel 3L 2020 a real winner in the budget phone battle.
Google's cheaper Pixel phone has a serious update under its simple looking frame, and it leads to what is simply one of the best mid-range phones right now.
TCL’s new flagship phone provides good value in the competitive mid-range phone market.
Motorola's One Macro phone tries something genuinely different with a focus on macro photography.
The Mintt UltraMintt Y3 provides an excellent range of features for its price, and while it's not the fastest or best smartphone, it's hard to argue it's not good value for money.
The Oppo Reno Z retains the premium look and features of other Reno smartphones while clocking in at a more budget-friendly price.