Alcatel Idol 3 6045O (16GB, 2GB RAM) 5.5" Full HD Display, Dual Cameras, 2910 mAh Battery, 4G LTE GSM Unlocked Smartphone (Black)

I’m not going to get into too many explicit specs on the phone because I am trying to review this from a real-world, does-it-work? perspective. I don’t care about benchmarks, I care about how I was able to use this phone in my everyday life. If you want every technical detail, you can go here.Hardware/ScreenThe Idol is a 5.5 inch phone with a 1080p IPS screen. The back of the phone has a plastic back, but not removable (so no battery swapping). There are some faux-chrome accents that go around the device and the speakers (dual-front facing, more on that later) are at the very tippy-top and bottom of the phone. The phone feels pretty nice in the hand and wasn’t hard to hold.The screen is fantastic and one of the best features of the phone. Alcatel uses some buzz-words to describe it (TECHNICOLOR!) but the simplest way to put it is that the screen is vivid, bright and crystal clear. It’s not flagship level for 2015, that would require a QHD screen, but what it lacks in resolution vs. something like the LG G4 or Samsung Galaxy S6, it makes up for by being $300+ cheaper (off contract) than any other flagship device. Simply put, the Idol’s screen is so nice, it doesn’t feel like it should be on a phone so cheap.My other favorite hardware feature is the inclusion of a MircoSD slot next to the sim card slot (which are both in a tray that’s ejected from the left side of the phone). I basically can’t buy a phone without extra storage because I prefer to keep as much music downloaded to my phone as I can, to avoid streaming (either due to data restrictions or having access to it when I am in areas with poor coverage). The storage is up-gradable to 128gb, which goes on top of the 16gb the phone offers out of the gate (almost 10gb usable out of the box).Sound QualityThe quality of sound I get from a smartphone is critical to me. I’d say I place listening to music/podcasts as the number one use I have for a smartphone. My HTC One has audio tuned by Beats, which then morphed into Boomsound, but whatever you want to call it, it sounds great coming from the device or listening via headphones.I’m happy to say that the sound quality is another feature here that seems like it would come from a more expensive phone. Here, Alcatel touts sound tuned by JBL with an option to turn that sound optimization on or off under the settings. I much prefer the sound with the feature on and I’d say it easily rivaled my HTC One for sound quality both when listening from the device or with headphones.There’s a speaker on the top and bottom of the phone, which is, in part, necessary for their upside-down feature. Basically, you can pick up the phone for a call and it will be properly orientated regardless of it being right side up or not. I don’t find the feature to be something that was of great use to me, but I can see the function.Regardless of that feature, having two speakers on the phone is part of what makes it sound great. Some newer phones, like the Asus Zenfone 2 have what looks like dual front speakers, but in reality only one speaker is at the top or the bottom. The Idol gets LOUD when listening from the device. Louder than my One. I love this feature because it makes for listening to music or podcasts in the shower nice and easy to hear. The speakers don’t even seem to become over-burdened when at full volume.Sound quality is on par with the screen, giving the Idol 2 features that feel to be of much better quality that you’d expect from a phone in this price range.UsabilityAndroid Lollipop comes standard (I think I had 5.0 out of the gate) and is near stock. Most of the non-stock features are removable. I’ve grown to love stock Android vs. any skinned version of it, so that was a determining factor for me with the Idol.The general, day-to-day use of the Idol is perfectly adequate, but not overwhelmingly speedy. This was the first part of the phone that felt like “you get what you pay for”. That’s not to say it’s not functional, because it very much so is. Where as I found the lack of speed to be a factor in selling my Moto G, I had no such thoughts with the Idol.There are no issues with multi-tasking, I was easily able to switch between music, maps, a browser and a game. Things like that are just a bit pokey to respond. Not pokey in the sense that it takes 30 seconds of your life from you, but sometimes a program might take 1 or 2 seconds longer to open than you’d see on a phone with a top-of-the-line processor/RAM setup. Those 1 to 2 seconds seem annoying sometimes, but that just speaks to me and my lack of patience. The reality is that this phone works perfectly well and should for the vast majority of users.Call quality is perfectly adequate, but I am probably not someone who should even speak to that. I spend, maybe, 10 minutes a week using my smartphone as an actual phone, but those 10 minutes work very well. I come across clearly as does the person on the other end. The speakerphone has the benefit of the dual speakers, just as a song or podcast does.I feel like the hardware buttons would have been nicer if placed a littler lower. Due to the phone’s size, I had issues with pressing the unlock button with one hand. Not massive issues, since I’ve almost always used two hands with my phone, but for people who like a one hand device, this might not be it (if I’m being honest, I think this is a stupid reason to or not to buy a phone, I tend to just adapt to whatever device I select, but to each their own). The USB port and headphone jack are where you’d expect them, on the bottom and top, respectively.Battery LifeAnother nice feature with the phone is battery life. I don’t consider myself a super heavy user of screen time on a basic day, so I’d easily get home with 50+% after work and make it to bed with 30+% or more. Having the phone on a recent vacation where I was heavy on camera use and GPS I found myself slightly more nervous with battery life, but the phone charges very quickly (60% in 40 minutes, I think) so driving 10 minutes from one place to another, I could give a quick boost and take that nervousness away. Overall, very solid battery life for my (and I think most people’s) usage.CameraHere we get a 13MP rear-facing camera with a 8MP front-facing camera for selfies. All in all, I was very happy with the camera performance. In well lit situations, shots where clear and crisp. Some low-light situations mad for poorer quality pictures, but that’s every camera phone, ever. The biggest struggle for the camera was actually on a cloudy day. I used the camera’s time-lapse video function to film a boat trip I took on Lake Superior and you can see that the phone struggles with it’s focus and makes the land look rather dark against the cloudy sky. This could be user error, however, I’m not sure.Like every other smartphone out there, there’s an HDR function in the menu to give a little more definition to your shots. I think it worked as well as one would expect, but I stuck with the camera’s auto mode for the most part. Check out this gallery here, here and here to see some shots in all sorts of lighting conditions.Other than having the sun blare straight into the camera lens or overly dark shots, I really liked what the camera gave me. Anything I see as a negative with the camera is just the reality of using a smartphone for your main camera due to convenience. They are never going to perform like the best point-and-shoot units, but to have decent performance is nice and the Idol is a step or two above decent.Final VerdictI don’t think you can get this much phone for the money you pay, anywhere else. The Idol is, very easily, worth the extra $70 you’d be spending over a Moto G. The other phone that was hot in the running for me was the Asus Zenfone 2 (4GB Ram Version) but I picked the Idol for its superior sound quality and screen, both of which I think are better than the Asus. I know that OnePlus has their 1’s at a lower cost right now, but the lack of a Mirco SD card took them out of the running for me, I keep a lot of music on my phone.Overall, there is a trade-off between these less expensive, off-contract phones. OnePlus and Asus focused on making a very responsive, powerful phone and Alcatel focused on a better media experience. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of those three options, but the Idol Onetouch 3 was easily the phone for me….…and I miss it. As I alluded to earlier, I am back to my HTC One. I got a little to into my desire to become Ansel Adams that I may or may not have dropped the Idol in a river in Northern Wisconsin. I’d love to get another Idol, but it’s not currently in the budget and I DO have a phone that works, even if I can’t update it. I plan to wait out until next year to see what the Onetouch 4 will bring. Alcatel made a statement with this device and I hope to see them continue making phones at a budget price with specs and usability that outweigh the budget price point.

Hello! After around 6 full months of owning this phone, I'd like to share my 2 cents.I bought this back in October and I am an AT&T costumer. It was a simple process of transferring my SIM card form my previous (much older smartphone) to this new Alcatel Idol 3. I had bought a 64gb memory card to go along with it and again, the installation was super simple and really easy. Both the SIM and memory card sit side-by-side like buddies in a tray that pops in and out of the phone using a thin wire -- such as a paperclip.Anyway, down to the phone itself. I love it. It has met and exceeded my needs and I've used it A LOT in these six months. Like a lot a lot. Everyday for a few hours at least. I do everything from playing games on it, surfing the web, playing videos (lots of youtube!), playing music, reading articles, and of course, calling and texting -- because it's a phone.Here is what I absolutely LOVE about this phone:- The screen. Oh boy the screen. This thing has a beautiful, incredibly BRIGHT screen. I actually have it on the lowest brightness setting, because anything higher than that it is too bright haha. It's really a gorgeous screen. Full HD, 401ppi. Looks great. Again, can get VERY bright.- The RAM and processor. The combination of these two have met my needs with hardly any problems. I've had multiple, high-demanding apps running in the background (games, YouTube, Torrent clients) and the phone does well to keep up with what I throw at it. It does slow down eventually and can appear like it's struggling, but I can imagine that'd be the case with any device after meeting its threshold.- The speakers! I don't use them much, but man oh man when I do, they're a joy. This phone has excellent front facing speakers that really do fill a room. I use this phone for my alarm and every morning hearing this thing blast away some beautiful sounding tunes is a real treat to wake up to.- Build quality. This is not only a nice-looking phone, but if feels well built and constructed. Quite a bit nicer than the price-tag would hint at. I was, and am, thoroughly impressed with it. I've managed to take good care of it, so there's no noticeable scratches on both the backside and the screen. And none have randomly appeared.- The battery! Oh jeez. So when I say that I use this phone A LOT. I sure mean it, and this battery holds up REALLY well. On the way to work, at work, and upon arriving back at home I am usually left with a good chunk of battery life -- 30-40%. It very rarely dips below 20% on a given day, which is freakin' awesome.Things I like about it, but could be better:- It's thin and lightweight. I was super surprised by how thin and light it was and actually very nervous about handling it. However, upon buying and putting on a decent size case which added a little bulk to it, the phone size is just about perfect. But I wouldn't mind it being a bit heavier and maybe a touch thicker, just so if I did end up dropping it I wouldn't feel like it would explode.- The Camera. This takes a bit of trial and error, such as finding an appropriate app that will utilize the camera to it's fullest. The camera is not "oh wow! Look at that!" great when I first used it. I had to get accustomed to where and how it worked best. For example, it's not great in low-light environments. Taking a picture at night? Uh, forget about it. It's rough times. But in daytime, with lots going on and lots of things to focus on, the camera does surprisingly well and can -- on occasion -- take some truly spectacular pictures. But those times are few and far between. So I'd recommend finding a different phone if you really want a nice camera on a phone, BUT for the most part this guy does the trick -- just be a bit prepared for figuring out its limitations. Also, the front-facing "selfie" camera is surprisingly nice! The few selfies I've taken have turned out better than I'd like to admit!- The pre-installed launcher. Eh, it's not great, but it's not terrible. It can get sluggish and doesn't look the best. There are other options out there that are far better. Also, many of the pre-installed apps sort of fall into the same boat. They're not great, but they're not terrible. I really wish the file managed was better though, because it seems to be the only app that you can voluntarily copy and move files between the internal storage and the micro sd card. Ugh, I think that might be an android issue though...- Sound quality, internal audio amp/driver. Now, I ain't no audiophile or anything like that, but I do appreciate a nice sounding device paired with a nice set of earphones. This phone, similar to its camera, gets the job done, but again there isn't that "wow! Listen to this!" feeling. I wasn't buying the phone for its audio capabilities -- internal audio driver -- but with it's awesome external speakers and its partnership (somewhat) with JBL I have to say that I was expecting more. I've used a number of apps with different audio files, but I've owned past devices that have sounded significantly better. Anyway, it's no deal-breaker, but it is a thing and if you're looking for a device with great sound quality, I'd look elsewhere.Overall, I am super happy with this phone. I bought it back when it was $250, and I am shocked it has dropped down to $200. It's a steal at that price. It really is. It's no flagship, IPhone destroyer, but it gets the job done with battery to spare! I really do like it and I think if you're an AT&T costumer looking for a new smartphone for a smart price, then this is it. Everything I've asked it to do -- both usual and ugh...unusual hahah -- it has executed well.If you do end up getting it, here are a few parting recommendations:- purchase a 64gb micro sd card. They're cheap, awesome, and easy to install- Get a case! It makes the phone a bit bigger and easier to handle. I don't like screen protectors, so I can't speak about those.- Look into finding a camera app for the phone. I bought one on Google PlayStore called Cameringo+Effects and I really like it. Just make sure to set it to HD pictures. It'll seem like it has a smaller viewing screen, but the quality of the photos are a TON better than the default picture quality on the app.- Look into finding a different launcher for the phone. I got Nova Launcher Prime and it makes the phone's interface speedier and more user-friendly, and you can customize it off the wazoo.Alright, well that's my 2 cents on this phone. Overall, I think it's great and at $200, it's quite the stealio.

Great phone , my second, best phone around for under 200. great video, sound, fast processor. Glass is scratch resistant ,have dropped my last many times without cracking the screen. I have tried it with chatr , virgin, pc mobile and bell

My technophobe wife tolerates hers, I think it works great and certainly is an upgrade from her crappy old phone.

very impressive phone. top tier.

The phone is very nice and looks good too but unfortunately, it didn't come with the headphones it was supposed to come with, in fact, it didn't come with any headphones at all.

I love it, that is why I ordered my second cell.