Alcatel OneTouch Idol X+ Review: Power Of 8

Alcatel OneTouch has announced the Idol X last year with slim body and high-end specifications but with mid-range pricing. After a year later, the successor of the Idol X has officially announced alongside with BoomBand.


Alcatel OneTouch Idol X+ official photo

Specifications
- Dimensions: 140.4 x 69.1 x 7.9 mm
- Weight: 125 g
- Display: 5" Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) IPS
- Processor: 2 GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592
- RAM: 2 GB
- Memory: 16 GB (32 GB EMMC option)
- Camera: 13 MP, 1080p video recording, 2 MP front
- Battery: 2,500 mAh
- OS: Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean


Video Review




Unboxing
The retail package of the Alcatel OneTouch Idol X+ is quite simple, inside the box there's an Idol X+, quick user guide, BoomBand, microUSB cable, AC adapter and JBL earphone.

  

Alcatel OneTouch Idol X+ retail package

Design
The Idol X+ is the successor of the Idol X, it has a slim profile at 7.9 mm, which is slightly thicker. Unlike its predecessor, the Idol X+ is now using plastic construction instead of rubberize material. Meanwhile, the front and the back of the device are quite fingerprint magnet.

 

Although it is a 5-incher device, but the handling is quite good and single-handed operation is not an issue thanks to the thin bezels.

 

Sitting on top of the 5" display, it has a notification light, ear piece, front-facing camera and the sensors. While below the display there are three capacitive buttons - back, home and menu.

 

At the right side there's a SIM slot and volume rocker while at the right side there's another SIM slot.

 

Nothing much on the top blade of the device, there's a power button and 3.5 mm jack. Below the device there's a microUSB port which is located at the center of speaker (left) and microphone (right).

At the back there's a 13 MP camera with LED flash.

Display
The Idol X+ has a 5" IPS display with Full HD resolution. The display uses Black Cystal touch panel and it is covered by Corning Gorilla Glass 2 with Oleophobic coating.

It has a bright display and viewing text from internet is sharp enough. The viewing angle is wide and the display has an average contrast.

Performance
One main selling point of the Idol X+ is the true octa-core processor. The Idol X+ is powered by 2 GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor with 2 GB of RAM. The device is able to handle high graphic games but it will heat up faster.



The device scores 16,967 on Quadrant Standard and 30,740 on AnTuTu benchmark. It is even faster than the Galaxy S4 which is powered by Samsung Exynos 5 Octa processor. Note that the benchmark results are just some sort of guide but not represent everything about the smartphone.

 

Other than that, the Idol X+ has a good speaker. The speaker is able to produce loud and clear sound. If you are a music lover, listening the music with JBL earphone is a better options.

Software
The Idol X+ is running on Andoid 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with Alcatel's UI. Alcatel OneTouch has confirmed that the device is upgradable to Android 4.4 KitKat in the future.

 

While flat UI is current trending look, the Idol X+ is also using on it. It is nice and simple but overall we feel that it looks like iOS 7.



For a limited time, the Idol X+ is also bundled with a Bluetooth-enabled wristband fitness tracker called BoomBand. BoomBand uses an LED system to pass on notifications to the Idol X+ via a companion app. The tracker monitors movement and sleep, plus it will warn user if it loses contact with the phone.

Camera
The Idol X+ has a 13 MP camera at the back with LED flash. The device doesn't have much camera feature and it lacks of customization.



Focusing on an object takes around 2 seconds but the capture speed is quick.

  

The outdoor image quality has high amount of noise and it is oversharpening. Colour turns out a good result but the image looks like oil-painting. Overall the Idol X+ is good in controlling the noise level, but some details have lost in our indoor sample. The device is good in low-light scene as it has enough light to keep the details of the object.

The Idol X+ is able to record 1080p videos at 30 frames per second with video stabilization. The video runs smoothly and it is stable. However the video lacks of details and the exposure is slow.

Battery
The Idol X+ packs a 2,500 mAh battery and it also comes with normal battery saving mode.



The device is good in standby and we are able to use the phone for around 12 hours in heavy usage. As for the moderate usage it should be last for at least one day or even longer.

Pricing
With all the high-end configuration, the Alcatel OneTouch Idol X+ is only priced at RM 1,299 and BoomBand will be free for limited time.

Conclusion
If you are finding a device with slim profile and big display but fit for one-handed operation, then the Idol X+ is a good choice.

Pros
- Slim body
- Light weight
- Cheap price tag in its class
- Fit for one-handed operation
- Good battery life
- Good speaker

Cons
- Plastic body easy gets scratched
- Overheated fast
- Outdated Android version