Alcatel OneTouch announced the Idol 3 a few months back, but only the 5.5-inch version has been available. Those of you waiting for the more affordable 4.7-inch version will finally have a chance to purchase it starting Friday, August 14 for $180. That’s $70 less than the 5.5-inch version, and crucially, the same price as the new Motorola Moto G 2015.
Other than its size, the 4.7-inch version is slightly less powerful than the 5.5-inch bigger brother. The phone sports a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 along with 1.5GB of RAM, while the big-screen version makes use of the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 along with 2GB of RAM.
The display resolution has been cut to 720p, down from 1080p on the larger model. That might sound like a lot, but it won’t be that noticeable due to the smaller display size. The Idol 3 has a 2000mAh battery, which is much smaller than the 2900mAh battery found in the 5.5-inch phone, but the drop in display resolution should keep the battery life at a similar level.
The rest of the specs are mostly the same. You will get a 13-megapixel shooter on the rear along with 5 megapixels at the front. The front-facing stereo speakers, featuring JBL Audio, promise to sound good too. A total of 16GB internal storage is included, which is higher than many of its competitors, plus you can add another 32GB of additional storage using the microSD slot.
Android 5.0.2 is installed as standard, and it features an unusual rotating user interface, meaning you can use it whatever way round you’re holding the phone, upside down or right side up. More importantly, Alcatel OneTouch says the Idol 3 will receive an update shortly after turning on the phone that will fix the scary Stagefright security flaw.
Lastly, the new Idol 3 has 4G LTE connectivity and is compatible with all GSM carriers in North America, a list that includes both AT&T and T-Mobile. At $180 unlocked and contract free, the Idol 3 4.7 is competing directly with the Moto G 2015. Spec-wise, both phones are very similar, but the Moto G can be customized through Moto Maker and has water resistance, all for the same price.
You can grab the Idol 3 4.7 from alcatelonetouch.us or alcatelonetouch.ca, in addition to Amazon starting this Friday, August 14.
