“Does Idol mini look similar to its big brother Idol X?” - you ask. I will answer: “Yes, but not in everything.” And here it’s not even a matter of the size of the case. The manufacturer took a radically different look at the “baby”, leaving it with only a similar number and arrangement of functional elements from the flagship “X”. However, some changes were noticed in this regard as well. But more on that later!

When I first looked at the Idol mini, my attention was drawn to the back panel. The manufacturer has so successfully used plastic that imitates metal in it that you can only tactilely feel what material you are dealing with.

The stylish design of the smartphone is given by the front panel with protective glass, as well as the power and volume buttons designed to look like metal, and a slot conversational dynamics and the rim of the main camera eye.

What certainly will not go unnoticed in the appearance of Idol mini is its compact size. Due to them, the device looks very neat. Moreover, with such dimensions (127.1x62x7.9 mm, weight - 96 grams), it will be convenient for absolutely everyone to control it with their fingers, regardless of the size of their palms.

The body is assembled very well, all elements fit tightly - nothing creaks, crunches or plays.

The smartphone is available in three colors - black, silver, and for the fairer sex there is also a pink version.

Ergonomics of functional elements

The right side is given over to slots for micro-SIM and cards, and the left side is for volume rockers.

At the top end there is a 3.5 mm audio jack and a power button, and at the bottom there is a microphone and a micro-connector.

The rear panel is “divided” by a speakerphone speaker in the lower right corner, the inscription “Onetouch” in the center, as well as the peephole of the main 5MP camera at the top.

I note that, like all previously tested Alcatel smartphones, it protrudes slightly above the body. On the right side of it there is a microphone for noise reduction, and on the left there is an LED flash.

On the front panel above the 4.3-inch display there is a slot for the earpiece, a front camera eye, and proximity/light sensors. Under the screen, when you turn on the smartphone and touch it, it lights up touch buttons management.

Brief technical specifications

Communication standard	850/900/1800/1900 MHz; 900/2100 MHz
Dimensions	127.1x62x7.9 mm
Weight	96 g
operating system	Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean

Display

The 4.3-inch IPS screen of Idol mini with a resolution of 480x854 pixels and color rendering of 16 million shades, in my opinion, is the best solution among smartphones in this price segment.
A high-quality IPS matrix provided large viewing angles both vertically and horizontally. Its merit is also in the bright and saturated colors of the picture reproduced on the screen. At the same time, in bright sunny weather, you still cannot do without a certain extinction of the displayed data on the display.

Protects it from scratches and other types of damage protective glass The manufacturer does not specify which product we are talking about. In any case, its presence is already a big plus, and in practice it has confirmed its value. As well as the oleophobic coating applied to it, which significantly reduced the number of fingerprints that could be left every time you interact with a smartphone.

The display brightness can be adjusted either manually or automatically. The sensor recognizes up to 5 simultaneous clicks, it is sensitive and reacts quickly to touches.

Equipment performance

"Driving force" Idol mini - 2-core MediaTek processor MT6572 with clock frequency 1.3 GHz and Mali 400 graphics. Volume random access memory- 512 MB.

The smartphone runs Android 4.2.2 operating system out of the box.

According to the benchmark results, it turned out to be quite a worthy “average” in terms of performance.

In practice, it had no problems with video playback and not very demanding games. But in the case of the first one, you will need to acquire
microSD card, since 4 GB of the declared internal memory, of which only about 2 GB is available to the user, will clearly not be enough to download videos. The maximum external storage capacity is 32 GB.

But the dual-SIM version of the smartphone has twice as much user memory - 8 GB. But there is no way to expand it. The amount of RAM is the same as in the single-SIM model.

Wireless modules

Idol mini “has” such wireless communications as 802.11 b/g/n with access point function, Wi-Fi technology Direct, as well as 4.0, with the VPN function.

Autonomy

The battery capacity of the smartphone is 1700 mAh. This is what the statistics on 100% battery charge show: playing video - 2 hours, listening to audio - 3.5 hours, plus 3 hours of surfing the Internet.

And this is taking into account the fact that during the test I received, although a well-modified, sample, and not a commercial version of the tube.

You can reduce energy consumption using the provided energy saving mode.

Camera

Idol mini has two cameras. The main module has a resolution of 5MP, and the front one has a resolution of 0.3MP.

Despite the absence of a special quick launch button for the camera on the smartphone, you can activate it quickly enough from the lock screen.

The quality of the picture displayed on the front was quite sufficient for comfortable communication.

The quality of photos taken by the main camera, supplemented with autofocus and LED flash, frankly speaking, did not cause delight. Although, in good lighting conditions and using the settings provided for photography, although there were few of them, I was able to take fairly good shots.

Test photos

The video is recorded in a maximum resolution of 720p. Apart from selecting the shooting quality and turning on/off the flash in recording mode, the camera settings do not provide anything. With such a poor arsenal, the video, shot even in the dark, in my opinion, came out worthy for a 5MP module. Of course, there was some noise, and you can clearly see how the picture twitches in the case of autofocus.

Test video

Speakers

There are two speakers - conversational and speakerphone.
Communication, even in a noisy street near the road, provided me with quite comfortable communication with the interlocutor at the other end of the tube.

Although the smartphone is “mini”, in terms of the power of the speakerphone, it, as they say, can “give heat” to many larger devices. It is especially pleasant that even at maximum volume levels it does not produce any extraneous noise that is unpleasant to the ear.

But its location can hardly be called too successful, but getting used to it so as not to cover it with your hand is quite possible.

The sound reproduced through headphones is good.

Software

Out of the box, Idol mini runs Android 4.2.2 operating system. The software is similar to that previously discussed in. Therefore, what follows are only visual illustrations.

The unlock screen provides quick access to the camera app and phone app.

You can control some smartphone functions using gestures. So, for example, to switch the music track, just shake the device and turn off the sound incoming call, you can turn the device over.

conclusions

As a result, I will say that a smartphone Alcatel One touch Idol mini as a mini version of the flagship Idol X turned out to be very interesting. In addition to its compact size, it is attractive due to its attractive design, bright IPS display with good viewing angles, high-quality speakers and camera capabilities that are good for its price of 1,399 UAH.

I remember the device for its good autonomy indicators, and as for its performance, it is not indicative, but at the same time the price tag of the device is completely justified.

pros

Compact dimensions
- IPS display with good viewing angles
- Good speakers
- Good performance for its price segment
- Android 4.2.2 out of the box
- Ability to control movements
- Good autonomy indicators
- Adequate price

Minuses

Not very convenient location of the loudspeaker

Estimated cost: 1399 UAH
Product provided by TCT Mobile Europe S.A.S.
Alena Lazauskas

Battery capacity: 1700 mAh Battery: non-removable Talk time: 20 h Standby time: 540 h Operating time while listening to music: 30 h

Additional Information

Contents: phone, power adapter, USB cable, headset

General characteristics

Type: smartphone Weight: 96 g Control: touch buttons Case material: plastic Operating system: Android 4.2 Case type: classic Number of SIM cards: 1 Dimensions (WxHxT): 62x127.1x7.9 mm SAR level: 0.566

Screen

Screen type: color IPS, 16.78 million colors, touch type touch screen: multi-touch, capacitive Diagonal: 4.3 inches. Image size: 854x480 Pixels per inch (PPI): 228

Multimedia capabilities

Camera: 5 million pixels, built-in flash Camera functions: autofocus Video recording: yes Max. video resolution: 1280x720 Front-camera: yes, 0.3 million pixels. Audio: MP3, FM radio Max. Video frame rate: 30 fps Recognition: faces

Connection

Interfaces: Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, USB Standard: GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G Satellite navigation: GPS A-GPS system: yes

Memory and processor

Processor: 1300 MHz Number of processor cores: 2 Built-in memory volume: 4 GB RAM capacity: 512 MB Memory card support: microSD (TransFlash), up to 32 GB Amount of memory available to the user: 2 GB Memory card slot: yes, up to 32 GB

Other features

Control: voice dialing, voice control Sensors: light, proximity, compass Flight mode: yes A2DP profile: yes

TFT IPS- High quality liquid crystal matrix. It has wide viewing angles, one of the best indicators of color rendering quality and contrast among all those used in the production of displays for portable equipment.
Super AMOLED- if a regular AMOLED screen uses several layers, between which there is an air gap, then in Super AMOLED there is only one such touch layer without air gaps. This allows you to achieve greater screen brightness with the same power consumption.
Super AMOLED HD- differs from Super AMOLED in its higher resolution, thanks to which you can achieve 1280x720 pixels on a mobile phone screen.
Super AMOLED plus- this is a new generation of Super AMOLED displays, differs from the previous one by using a larger number of subpixels in a conventional RGB matrix. The new displays are 18% thinner and brighter than displays made using the old PenTile technology.
AMOLED- an improved version of OLED technology. The main advantages of the technology are significantly reduced power consumption, the ability to display a larger color gamut, reduced thickness and the ability of the display to bend slightly without the risk of breaking.
Retina-display with high density pixels, designed specifically for Apple technology. Pixel density per Retina displays such that individual pixels are indistinguishable to the eye at a normal distance from the screen. This ensures the highest image detail and significantly improves the overall viewing experience.
Super Retina HD- the display is made using OLED technology. The pixel density is 458 PPI, the contrast reaches 1,000,000:1. The display has a wide color gamut and unsurpassed color accuracy. Pixels in the corners of the display are smoothed at the sub-pixel level, so edges are not distorted and appear smooth. The Super Retina HD reinforcing layer is 50% thicker. It will be harder to break the screen.
Super LCD- This is the next generation of LCD technology, it is characterized by improved characteristics compared to earlier LCD displays. The screens not only have wide viewing angles and better color reproduction, but also lower power consumption.
TFT- A common type of liquid crystal display. Using an active matrix controlled by thin-film transistors, it is possible to significantly increase the performance of the display, as well as the contrast and clarity of the image.
OLED- organic electroluminescent display. It consists of a special thin-film polymer that emits light when exposed to an electric field. This type of display has a large reserve of brightness and consumes very little energy.

Contents of delivery:

• Telephone
• Charger with USB cable
• Wired stereo headset
• Instructions

Positioning

Alcatel has always tried to present models for those who choose a phone wisely - that is, they are not ready to overpay for a big name, but require good body materials, performance and standard features. Not the cheapest devices, but optimal in terms of price/quality ratio. Therefore, having presented the Idol line, the company gradually expanded it from Idol Ultra to the very sophisticated Idol X (in fact, an analogue of the S4 in terms of characteristics, but not at all in cost), and also presented a simplified version of the device - Idol Mini. It’s generally quite common for manufacturers to copy names and techniques learned from each other, so the Mini prefix has found its way into many devices on the market from different vendors.

In my opinion, the Idol Mini has an undoubted advantage in its price segment - the quality of the body materials; it looks much more expensive than it actually is. It can be safely compared with models that cost twice as much. And this is the most important point that will sell this phone.

For those who are looking for a small smartphone for calls, games and applications that fits well in the hand and costs quite a bit, this device offers everything you can think of. A balanced solution that fits in the hand and is captivating because of this. You need to touch the model in real life to understand its charm.

It is perfect for girls, as well as young people - those who, in fact, are frugal with their spending. The model will also be good for schoolchildren, but we can say for sure that its capabilities may even be excessive. Although today you can often find first-graders with an iPhone, here each school has its own fashion and choice of parents for their children. In a word, when talking about Idol Mini, we must mean that this is basically a youth device - bright, balanced, and reasonable in cost.

Design, dimensions, control elements

First, you need to understand the versions of the device, since there are several of them. The 6012X version is a single-SIM device with a microSD slot and a built-in memory of 4 GB. The 6012D already has two SIM cards, 8 GB of internal memory and no microSD slot. It is possible that the presence of two SIM cards is seen as an advantage for many, but with one radio module this is not so important. For me, having memory cards is more important.

Phone size – 127x62x8 mm, weight – 96 grams. Slim body, fits well in the hand. The back of the device is made of soft plastic, and three colors are available – black with a silver back, black with a pink back, black with a dark blue back.

The case is monolithic, and as a result, the battery cannot be replaced. On the right side there is a slot for SIM card number one; it has a microSIM form factor, just like the second one. Unlike older models, the caps are not made of alloy, they are plastic and attached to the body.

Comparison with Alcatel Idol S

Comparison with Alcatel Idol X

Comparison with Samsung Galaxy Ace 3

On the left side there is a paired volume key. The bottom end is occupied by a microUSB connector, but at the top we see a 3.5 headset jack, as well as an on/off button.

On the front surface above the screen there is a light sensor and a proximity indicator. There are no mechanical buttons, as on previous devices, these are three touch keys. For those who have used Samsung devices in recent years, it will be unusual that the return key is moved to the left, that is, the location is mirrored.

On the back surface there is a 5-megapixel camera lens, and there is also an LED flash that can be used as a flashlight. You can also see the speaker hole at the bottom.

Separately, I would like to point out that the materials that the engineers used for this device deserve a separate reminder. This is plastic with high level wear resistance, Alcatel loves it - phones retain their appearance for quite a long time.

Display

The phone has a 4.3-inch IPS matrix with a resolution of 480x854 pixels, which is typical for many models of this price range. But, as a rule, the quality of such screens is much worse; they are inferior in brightness and color rendition.

There is a light sensor that can adjust the backlight automatically.

The screen fades in the sun, but not much, and remains readable. The screen type is capacitive, supports up to 5 simultaneous presses.

In general, the screen quality is excellent for its price segment, there are no complaints.

Battery

The battery is non-removable, lithium polymer (Li-Pol), capacity – 1700 mAh. According to the manufacturer, the device operates on average 12 hours in talk mode in 3G and 20 hours in 2G, and in standby mode - up to 540 hours, respectively (2G). Music playback time is 36 hours.

With normal use of the device (an hour of talk, two hours of music, about an hour social networks, a few photos) it is quite enough for daylight hours. With less load - for a day. In the most difficult scenario, it will work with two SIM cards until 5-6 pm. The time to fully charge the battery is 2 hours (up to 90 percent - 1 hour 30 minutes).

Memory and memory card

The smartphone is equipped with 512 MB of RAM, with an average of about 300 MB free after booting the device. For data storage in the single-SIM version, 4 GB are allocated, but about 2 GB are available (in the dual-SIM version, 8 GB in total, 5.6 GB available). The single-SIM model has a card slot microSD memory. The maximum volume is 32 GB.

Performance

It uses the MediaTek MT6572 chipset, dual-core processor, 1.3 GHz. The graphics accelerator is Mali MP400.

You can run almost any complex toys or applications on your smartphone.

Information from various applications and performance tests:

Camera

The camera interface has been redesigned to simplify it; you can turn on HDR mode, get a panorama, turn off the flash, but that’s all. You can take pictures by pressing the screen, focusing occurs at the point of pressing, then the device takes a picture. The maximum image resolution is 5 megapixels.

Video recording is supported in 720p resolution, up to 30 frames per second.

The final conclusion about the camera is that it is typical for budget devices; there are not enough stars in the sky. Many second-tier manufacturers offer high-quality 8-megapixel modules that shoot very well; everything here is quite simple and ordinary.

Communication capabilities

The phones operate in 2G (GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and 3G (900/2100 MHz) cellular networks. Available Bluetooth version 4.0 for file and voice transfer. There is a wireless connection Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n. The devices, of course, can be used as an access point ( Wi-Fi Hotspot) or modem. USB 2.0 (High-Speed) is used for file transfer and data synchronization. There is a not very popular WiFi Display function, when you can transfer a signal from your phone to another device via Wi-Fi. Traditionally, there is a Wi-Fi Direct function.

Software features – Android 4.2.2

In Idol X, Alcatel presents its software shell for the first time, which may be perceived ambiguously by many, since people often prefer “bare” Android and are quite satisfied with its capabilities. This device is completely similar to Idol X in terms of software and add-ons for Android.

Without unlocking the device, you can view the weather forecast for the current day; by pulling down, you will see the forecast for three days. The icons are quite nice. Let's scroll the screen to the right, there will be a calendar and a to-do list for the current day (entering to-dos or viewing another day will not work). You can also view the status bar; it is also available when the screen is locked, if there is no security key or digital code.

The fundamental difference between Alcatel's approach and other shells is that they decided to abandon a separate menu for all applications. On the main screen there is a weather widget and several icons. This is the starting point. We flip the screens to the left, and there will be widgets that you install. Let's go to the right, and these will be program icons, also some programs have already been put into folders, this was done by the manufacturer. You get used to such an organization instantly; it is somewhat logical and definitely has a right to life.

The settings menu now has its own settings, for example, a super saving mode for the battery. The menu itself has also been redesigned in white colors, which is quite nice. In our video, I talk about most of the applications that are in the device, and I don’t want to repeat what has changed compared to previous models.

Next, I could dwell on each program and describe it, but I don’t see much point in this, this is a smartphone, and this software is usually known or I touched on it in the video. So see the screenshots below.

Another part that I want to describe separately is the multimedia capabilities. The device has support for unconverted video, but the chipset does not handle 1080p well, and the sound is often out of sync or absent at all. In terms of music formats, there is support for FLAC in addition to the usual MP3 and a number of others.

A good screen, but the shortcomings of the chipset make it impossible to watch any files; in this aspect, the Galaxy S4 Mini is more omnivorous and can digest a larger number of formats and files. On the other hand, these are still models of different price ranges.

Impression

In terms of call quality, there are no complaints about the device, the call volume is excellent, you can hear it even from your bag. Due to the thickness of the case, the vibration alert feels unusual and you often don’t notice it. There are no complaints about the quality of voice transmission.

The price for the version with one SIM card is about 6,000 rubles, with two - about 7,000 rubles. This looks like a fairly reasonable proposal, since in this price segment there are similar models, but their appearance, the case materials look much worse, inferior to the Idol Mini.

I really liked this device for many reasons - it is fast for its class, despite the small amount of memory, it is quite well thought out, and it is convenient to use. This is a solution for those who want to take a smartphone out of the box and start using it without thinking about additional options that are there, but which you usually don’t get to.

Alcatel One Touch 6012X Idol Mini - Review... More precisely, a story about why the Little Idol should be single-SIM

17.12.2013

Lyrical introduction

While spaceships continue to ply the expanses of the Bolshoi, Middle and Small Avenues of theatres, smartphone marketers are quietly carrying out their work, invisible to the general public. And as a result of this work, very strange devices appear from time to time.

Alcatel One Touch Idol Mini comes in two varieties. Single-SIM and dual-SIM. The usual thing. But, unfortunately, the difference between the models is not limited to the number of SIM cards.

A fun little feature. When you take a photo with your smartphone, a small icon usually appears somewhere in the corner of the screen. You click on it and look at the last frame. And here - alas - this icon is not there! At first I cursed for a long time, then I realized that to see the last frame, you just need to swipe from right to left.

We can shoot video with resolutions up to HD (1280x720). Examples in front of you:

The front camera is modest, VGA (640x480). The quality of the pictures is frankly not good.

Alcatel One Touch 6012D Idol Mini as a GPS navigator

In full accordance with the declared performance characteristics. Satellites are caught in a very reasonable time. There is no GLONASS support. It will do well as a pedestrian navigator. Just remember to keep an eye on the battery charge level.

Alcatel One Touch 6012D Idol Mini as a video player

The pre-installed player is no different. He can play a lot. But there are regular problems with audio tracks.

Traditionally installed MX Player. There are no problems when watching videos up to HD size inclusive. The main problem is the small amount of memory where video could be recorded.

Alcatel One Touch 6012D Idol Mini as an audio player

And you know, it’s very nice.

Alcatel One Touch 6012D Idol Mini and Internet

If only you knew how hard it is to switch from a five-inch screen to a 4.3! But, in general, the device copes with tasks such as watching news and reading Twitter/VKontakte. Just don’t open too many tabs in your browsers.

Alcatel One Touch 6012D Idol Mini as a toy

In general, everything is not bad. Except Pitfall! Traditionally, this chipset is capricious. Well, a few little things. There wasn't enough room for Nova 3 at all.

A game	Problems?
Angry Birds Star Wars	Everything is fine
Angry Birds Go!	Everything is fine
Pitfall!	It slows down too much and is uncomfortable to play.