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Kicking off the major announcements for Mobile World Congress 2016, Alcatel took to the stage and introduced their two latest devices. Last year, Alcatel brought us the budget-friendly OneTouch Idol 3 which was one of the best budget Android phones in 2015.
At MWC here in 2016, Alcatel has graced us with the their new flagship devices, the Idol 4S and the Idol 4 while including an awesome treat to anyone to picking up these devices.
One huge addition to these devices from Alcatel is the way that they will be packaged. Both the Idol 4S and the Idol 4 will be packaged in a Virtual Reality headset, making it extremely easy to get your feet wet in the world of VR. This is also the first time that a phone manufacturer has packaged a device within something like a VR headset, which is pretty awesome itself.
Let’s take a look at what each of these devices will bring to the masses when they are officially available:
Alcatel Idol 4
- Display: 5.2″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS Display
- Software: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 617
- RAM: 3GB
- Storage: 16GB built-in (MicroSD support up to 512GB)
- Camera: 13MP rear-facing, 8MP front-facing
- Battery: 2,610mAh
Alcatel Idol 4S
- Display: 5.5″ QHD (1440 x 2560) AMOLED Display
- Software: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 652
- RAM: 3GB
- Storage: 32GB (MicroSD support up to 512GB)
- Camera: 16MP rear-facing, 8MP front-facing
- Battery: 3000mAh
Obviously, the Alcatel Idol 4S is the flagship of these two devices, but the Alcatel Idol 4 is nothing to snub your nose at. Both of these devices look to be pretty awesome, especially considering that Alcatel usually aims towards the budget market.
In addition to the impressive spec-sheets for the devices and the included VR headset, Alcatel has also added some other goodies built in with the “Boom Key”. This button, placed on the side of these devices, will allow you to activate various features within the devices.
- Boom my camera: Instantly takes photos on standby mode pressing and holding the button puts the camera into burst mode to take photos in quick succession.
- Boom my gallery: Artistically shuffles the photos in the gallery for instant sharing as a photo collage or a short slideshow.
- Boom my videos: Generates immediate, surprising effects in existing videos, such as replaying the previous one second of the video three times, or changing the playback speed. When a user is recording a video, pressing the Boom Key will immediately broadcast the video live.
- Boom my music: Conceived by ALCATEL and creatively engineered by Waves, the audio experience is automatically optimized across all media with simply one touch. The bass, loudness and clarity of the sound is enhanced, enriching the whole user experience.
- Boom my game: Asphalt fans will love how the Boom Key amps up their race by releasing the Nitro and boosting the car speed. It also boosts the audio experience by increasing the volume and adding spatial sound reproduction.
- Boom my view: Creates a more intense 3D effect (parallax UI effect) for the launcher and a stunning, live weather display as part of the homescreen.
I, for one, can’t wait to see the Boom button in action and see how it improves the overall experience of the Idol 4 and Idol 4S. Pricing and availability have yet to be announced, but we will wait with baited breath until we find out how much Alcatel’s latest offerings will run.
[via Alcatel]
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