Introduction
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The Alcatel OneTouch Idol Alpha (also known as the Idol α) is a phone that you won’t mistake for any other - it features an outstanding design with a sleek body outfitted with translucent strips of plastic on the top and bottom. It’s something for those who value singularity in style and at the same time don’t want to spend a fortune on a device.
If - for a moment, though - we forget about the stylish looks of the Idol Alpha, you’d see that in it’s essence, this is nothing but a fairly typical mid-range phone: it features a 4.7” 720 x 1280-pixel display, a quad-core MediaTek system chip, and a 13-megapixel camera. It lacks 4G LTE connectivity and expandable storage, but those are trade-offs that might be acceptable if Alcatel has priced this right, and if it delivers for all else. So does it? Let’s take a look.
In the box:
- User Manual
- microUSB Cable
- Wall Charger
- In-ear headphones
Design
The exquisite design with a set of two translucent strips of plastic make it look like no other phone out there.
The Alcatel OneTouch Idol Alpha is an exquisite phone with diamond-cut edges, aluminum mainframe and sides (it’s got a plastic back, though), as well as a stylish and unique translucent plastic strips on the top and bottom. The plastic strip on the top even lights up to show you missed notifications, a way more impressive way to draw your attention to the phone than a single LED light.
All of this shows meticulous attention to detail, and the whole phone feels solidly put together as well - it’s one of thinnest phones out there (measuring 0.29”, or 7.5mm), and it’s pleasingly lightweight. The OneTouch Idol Alpha is sized to fit well in most pockets and, while it’s not perfectly well suited for single-handed use, it feels compact enough. Altogether, this is clearly a device for those who value a phone that is stylish and unlike any other, but without being over-the-top kitsch.
The Idol Alpha uses capacitive navigation keys, but weirdly, the buttons are not marked – instead, you can see the button labels on the translucent plastic strip below the actual buttons. You get used to it quickly, but it's just a weird decision that is hard to justify in any meaningful way.
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