14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft might give up on the Lumia brand sometime very soon, according to people with knowledge of the matter, but as per the company’s statements, Redmond is planning to work with partners on building Windows phones to expand the Windows 10 Mobile ecosystem.
One of the companies that embraced Microsoft’s mobile vision is Alcatel, which earlier this year released the IDOL 4S with Windows 10, also becoming the first company to launch a Windows phone with a VR headset.
This article details our first encounter with the IDOL 4S with Windows 10, and things could change before we publish the final review, but it should help readers get a glimpse into what this new phone is all about.
First and foremost, at first glance the Alcatel IDOL 4S seems to be the most beautiful Windows phone to date. The device is sleek and super attractive, and is made of glass on both the front and the back, giving it a very exquisite look that you won’t find anywhere else in the Windows lineup. When we reviewed the Lumia 950 XL, I complained about the build quality and the plasticky feeling that it provided, so hats off to Alcatel for building such a high-quality device.
The premium dual glass and the metal framed design more or less reminds of Samsung’s models and several of my colleagues here at Softpedia thought I was testing a Samsung Galaxy S6. Although this isn’t a Samsung, it does share some design cues with the S6, and it’s worth mentioning that Alcatel is also offering an Android version of the phone in the US.
Brilliant display, phone could be faster
The display of the phone is brilliant, and the AMOLED screen certainly pays off. The 5.5-inch panel has a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels and has vivid colors and balanced contrast, with above-average sunlight readability. Brightness is generally good, although Windows 10 Mobile sometimes needs too much time to adjust the level, so you can literally see the system lowering or increasing the brightness of the screen.
The Alcatel IDOL 4S is powered by a Snapdragon 820 processor and features 4 GB RAM, but you’d expect it to be a little bit snappier. It’s usually very responsive, but I’ve found it to be particularly slow when unlocking it with the fingerprint reader. Because yes, there’s a fingerprint reader placed on the back, which for me isn’t the most convenient position, but it’s just a matter of time to get used to it.
And speaking of convenient features, the Alcatel IDOL 4S comes with a dedicated camera button that’s placed just where you’d expect the lock button to be. This certainly takes a while to get used to, and it’s super frustrating at first, especially because there are no options in the OS to change this.
The camera is good but not the best, and battery life seems to exceed the 1-day threshold that most smartphone buyers are looking for these days.
The phone is a pleasure to use and feels great in hand, but due to the glass body, it’s kind of slippery, especially when used with gloves - it’s cold outside, so most people use it outdoors with gloves. On the other hand, there’s a glove mode in Windows 10 Mobile that makes it more responsive with gloves.
All in all, the Alcatel IDOL 4S is without a doubt worth a try, at least at first glance. We’re now working on our in-depth review, so check back soon to see what changed after using the phone for more than a day.
