The Alcatel brand is considered European as it was registered in France. However, it is no longer a secret for anyone that the devices of the Chinese company TCL Communication are produced under this brand, but this does not mean that these devices are of low quality. Today, Chinese factories produce products that can compete on equal terms with devices of large Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese companies. In 2013, TCL launched a whole line of slim stylish smartphones under the Alcatel brand. One of these is the Alcatel One Touch Idol X 6040D, a compact flagship model.
Equipment
Alcatel One Touch Idol X 6040D comes in a small white cardboard box. The box has a laconic design, while it shows the purchased device and all the necessary information is applied. The smartphone is completed with a warranty, manual, advertising brochure, in-ear headphones, charger (1000 milliamperes) and interface cable. The earbuds are equipped with a regular, non-noodle cord, so they can easily get tangled in your pocket or bag.
Design and ergonomics
Alcatel One Touch Idol X has a completely monolithic body made of matte plastic. The front panel of the device is black, while the back can be black, red or yellow.
The communicator is well assembled. There is no squeak when the body is compressed. There are no gaps between structural elements. The developer tried to ensure that his device was not inferior in quality to the flagships of other manufacturers.
The smartphone has compact dimensions (140.4x67.5x6.9 mm) and light weight (130 grams). Its main competitors are Sony Xperia ZL, Huawei Ascend D2 and Lenovo S960 Vibe X. All devices are in the same price range and have screens with a diagonal of 5 inches. The Japanese competitor has dimensions of 131.6x69.3x9.8 millimeters and weighs 151 grams. The dimensions of the Huawei Ascend D2 are 140x71x9.4 millimeters and weighs 170 grams, while the Lenovo S960 Vibe X measures 144x71x6.9 millimeters and weighs 120 grams. The Alcatel One Touch Idol X is thinner and lighter than most competitors. The compact device fits comfortably in the hand. The matte material of the case does not allow the device to slip out of the palms.
The smartphone has very narrow bezels located on the right and left of the display. Their thickness is only 1.75 millimeters.
The front panel of the device is covered with Asahi Glass Dragontrail tempered glass with an oleophobic coating that prevents the surface from being quickly dirty with greasy fingerprints. Tempered glass protects the display from scratches. In terms of its properties, Dragontrail can compete on an equal footing with Corning's Gorilla glass.
Arrangement of functional elements
On the front panel of the Alcatel One Touch Idol X 6040D there are a 5-inch display, a mesh earpiece, light and proximity sensors, an alert indicator, a front camera and three touch buttons (Menu, Back and Home). The buttons have a bright white but uneven backlighting.
On the top of the smartphone, you can see the power button and audio output. At the bottom there is a microphone hole and an interface port.
Slots for microSIM-cards are symmetrically located on the sides of the case. They are covered with magnetic caps. In addition to the microSIM card compartment, there is a paired volume rocker on the right side panel of the device. It protrudes above the surface of the case, so it can be easily found by touch, which is useful when adjusting the volume during a telephone conversation.
The power button on the top is hard to reach. That is why the developers prudently assigned the function of waking the device from sleep mode to the volume control key.
At the top of the rear panel of the device, you can see the main camera lens protruding from the body with a silver edging, the FHD 13.1 MP inscription informing about the camera's capabilities, a noise-canceling microphone hole and a single-section LED flash. Below is the name of the line in black paint. At the bottom of the "back" of the device, you can see the company's logo, and below it - brief technical characteristics of the smartphone.In the lower right corner of the rear panel there are numerous holes for the multimedia speaker.
The body of the smartphone is monolithic, it has no removable parts, so the battery of the device cannot be removed.
Screen
The 5-inch display of the Alcatel One Touch Idol X is manufactured by Sharp. Its resolution is 1080x1920 pixels (Full HD) with a density of 441 ppi. The screen is 110 millimeters long, 62 millimeters wide, and the diagonal is 127 millimeters.
The brightness of the display is adjusted both manually and automatically based on the light sensor. The device also has a proximity sensor that blocks the sensor when the device is brought to the ear.
The device screen is built on the basis of an IPS-type matrix. It exhibits wide viewing angles without significant reduction in brightness and color shift when looking away from the perpendicular of the screen.
There is no air filter between the tempered glass and the matrix, which is manifested in the absence of ghosting of the reflected objects. The display surface has an effective anti-reflective coating.
The maximum display brightness is 470 cd / m2. With this brightness level, you can easily distinguish information on the smartphone display outdoors on a bright sunny day. At the minimum brightness level (80 cd / m2), you can work with your smartphone in complete darkness, although for some, such a minimum brightness value may seem too high. The contrast ratio is 935: 1. The color gamut of the Alcatel One Touch Idol X display complies with the sRGB standard.
The touch display, of course, supports multitouch technology. The screen accepts up to 10 simultaneous clicks.
Camera
The front camera of the Alcatel One Touch Idol X 6040D has a resolution of 2 megapixels. It can take photos with a maximum resolution of 1792x1008 pixels and record 720p video.
The main camera resolution is 13 megapixels. The maximum image resolution is 4224x3168 pixels. By default, the camera shoots in widescreen mode. To shoot at maximum resolution, you need to "dig" in the camera settings. Photos are sharp, clear and detailed. With the right focus, you can get good shots in the "macro" mode.
The rear camera is equipped with the Exmor RS sensor found in the Xperia Z and Samsung Galaxy S4. It has fast optics (f / 2.0), autofocus system and flash.
The main camera of the device can record videos at a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels at a rate of 30 frames per second. The video is saved in a 3GP container. You cannot take photos while recording a video.
Most of the camera interface is taken up by the viewfinder. On the right side of the screen there are icons for switching from photo shooting to video shooting, shutter release and viewing footage. On the left there are virtual buttons for switching from the main camera to the front one, going into the settings and selecting the flash mode.
There are few settings in the camera. The user can activate the HDR mode or panoramic shooting mode, select the frame format. When recording video, you can only turn on the flash. There are no other camcorder settings. Focusing can be done by touching the screen. Video recording can be paused. The shutter can be released either by means of a virtual button or by means of a hardware volume control key.
Sound
The speaker and multimedia speakers deliver clear sound, but the sound definitely lacks bass. During a telephone conversation, the interlocutor is heard clearly and loudly. At the same time, subtle metallic notes are added to the sound.
The device is capable of recording telephone conversations by standard means. You can find a recorded conversation in the call log. To listen to it, you need to click on the icon with the image of a magnetic tape, located opposite the desired call.
The device has a radio and a dictaphone, which is used to record voice notes.
To play music, an audio player is installed in the smartphone, which does not differ in particularly wide functionality, but has an equalizer with ready-made presets and individual settings.
Performance
The Alcatel One Touch Idol X 6040D works on the basis of the budgetary MediaTek MTK6589T platform, consisting of four Cortex-A7 cores, each of which operates at a clock frequency of 1.5 GHz. The PowerVR SGX 544MP video processor is responsible for graphics processing. The volume of the communicator's RAM is 2 gigabytes, and the internal memory is 16 gigabytes, of which only about 12.7 gigabytes are available to the user. It is impossible to expand the capacity of the inner space of the device. There is no slot for a memory card on the body of the device.
The smartphone interface works smoothly. All widgets and most applications open quickly, there are no hiccups during their work. Problems can arise only with the launch of the most energy-intensive programs and games.
In the performance test AnTuTu 4.X the device is gaining 12340 points, and in GeekBench 3 - 1324 points. Fly Luminor IQ453, operating on the same hardware platform, demonstrates similar performance. In performance tests, the Alcatel One Touch Idol X 6040D outperformed the Oppo Mirror R819 (MediaTek MT6589), but was slightly inferior to the Google Nexus 4, which is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro.
In the 3DMark benchmark in Ice Storm Unlimited mode, the smartphone scored 2831 points, and in the Epic Citadel gaming test in Ultra High Quality mode, it showed a result of 14.7 frames per second. The same performance can be seen when testing the Fly Luminor IQ453. But Oppo Mirror R819 showed a higher result in Epic Citadel (23.0 frames per second). In graphics performance tests, the Alcatel One Touch Idol X is noticeably inferior to devices based on Qualcomm Snapdragon S4. The same Google Nexus 4 scored 10389 points in 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited, and its result in Epic Citadel, Ultra High Quality was 42.4 frames per second.
Battery
The built-in lithium-ion battery of the Alcatel One Touch Idol X 6040D has a capacity of 2000 milliampere-hours. According to the manufacturer, the device can operate on a single battery charge in the talk mode for about 20 hours in the 2G network and about 12 hours in the 3G mode. The unit can play music tracks continuously for 36 hours.
In terms of performance, the MediaTek hardware platform loses to Qualcomm, but at the same time it is significantly more energy efficient. That is why the smartphone demonstrates better battery life than its competitors based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform with batteries of the same capacity. In the AnTuTu autonomy test, the device scored 550 points, which is a fairly high result for a device with such a small battery capacity.
In the mode of continuous playback of Full HD video, the smartphone can work on a single battery charge for about 6 hours. For comparison, Sony Xperia Z in the same conditions can work without recharging for about 4 hours. In reading mode, Alcatel One Touch Idol can work autonomously for about 10 hours, and in game mode - about 4 hours.
The device has a special energy-saving mode that allows you to increase the duration of battery life. In this mode, you can configure automatic activation / deactivation of some functions on a schedule. In the super economy mode, most of the functions of the smartphone are blocked, the user can only use the dialer, telephone directory, messages, alarm clock and calendar.
Communications and interfaces
Alcatel One Touch Idol X works in 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks. The communicator does not work in fourth generation networks.
The device has support for two SIM-cards. Working with them is implemented in the same way as in most other smartphones. You can only talk using one of the cards. During a conversation on one SIM-card, the second is inactive. Both cards can work in both 2G and 3G networks. In the settings of the communicator there is a point for managing SIM-cards. In it, you can assign default conditions for each card, so that, for example, data transfer is carried out through the first SIM card, and messages are sent through the second.
Thanks to the Bluetooth 3.0 module, you can transfer files from the unit in question to compatible devices. Built-in Wi-Fi-module (802.11a / b / g / n) allows wireless connection to the Internet.The smartphone can be used as an access point via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
The smartphone's support for the USB OTG interface allows you to connect external flash drives to it for viewing and transferring data. Support for this standard slightly compensates for the small amount of internal space of the device and the lack of the ability to connect a memory card.
There are no LTE and NFC modules in the smartphone, since the MediaTek platform does not support them.
Operating system
Alcatel One Touch Idol X is running Android 4.2.2 with its own shell, which makes significant changes to the interface and functionality of the operating system. The main change is the complete absence of the main menu, which is implemented in most Chinese skins, for example, the popular MIUI. Shortcuts for all programs and games on your smartphone are located right on the desktops.
At the top of the lock screen are widgets (weather forecast, calendar, and others). In total, they can hold up to nine pieces. A wide range of bright and functional widgets is preinstalled in the internal memory of the smartphone. At the bottom of the lock screen there is a circle, on the right side of which is the camera quick launch icon, on the left is the dialer icon, at the top is the message icon, and at the bottom is the image of the lock. To quickly go to one of the applications or to unlock the screen, you need to swipe from the center of the circle to the desired icon.
Directly from the lock screen, you can access the notification panel, which consists of two tabs. The first tab displays all events (missed calls, application updates, etc.), and the second - icons for activating / deactivating some functions (airplane mode, data transfer, Bluetooth, GPS, energy saving mode, auto-rotate screen and others). You cannot customize a tab with shortcut icons. That is, the user cannot remove / add icons and sort them.
Initially, the Alcatel One Touch Idol X user has five desktops. Their number can be changed depending on the number of installed applications. The desktops contain folders, widgets, and application icons. Widgets can be located on the desktop in tiles, imitating the interface of Windows Phone 8. To create a folder, drag one shortcut of the game (program) to another. If you touch a free part of the screen and hold your finger for a few seconds, the menu for editing desktop elements will open. If you touch the application and pull it to the upper right corner, then it will be completely deleted from the smartphone's memory, and if to the left, it will fall into a group of hidden applications that other users cannot see.
The smartphone settings menu consists of five sections. In the first section, you can configure the data transmission and wireless modules. The second section contains the basic settings of the device. The third section allows you to change the interface language, configure the virtual keyboard, security and location, restore and collect all settings. The fourth section contains accounts. The fifth section contains various legal information about the smartphone, time and date settings, off and on timer. In the last paragraph of the settings, you can update the software of the device "over the air".
The menu item "Gesture control" allows you to configure the smartphone so that the user can reduce the ringer volume and turn off the alarm by simply turning the smartphone face down, switch music while listening to the audio player by shaking the device.
If you press and hold the hardware power key for a while, a menu will appear on the screen of the device, allowing you to turn off the smartphone, reboot the system or activate the "in flight" mode.
The standard video player plays AVI video normally. Videos in MKV format are played without sound.You can fix this problem after installing a third-party video player.
The smartphone is preinstalled with a wide software package. However, the developer decided not to impose software on users, so most of the installed programs and games can be removed without getting root rights.
The captured photos and all the pictures stored in the device's memory can be viewed in the gallery, which has a built-in photo editor. The user can take a picture, process it directly in the smartphone and immediately send it to the social network.
The popular Shazam app helps you find the artist and name of the music that is playing nearby.
Your smartphone is protected from malicious applications by the AVG antivirus. To work with office documents, two applications Office Suite and Kingsoft Office are installed and. Thanks to the built-in file manager, perform various actions (copy, move, rename, delete) with all types of files. PicSay allows you to create funny comics from ordinary photos. To purchase and download audio files, the Deezer application is provided, which provides access to the service of the same name. Any files from the device memory can be placed in the 4Sync cloud storage.
One Touch Live contains a collection of applications that many users may find useful. This package includes Opera Mini browser, One Touch Backup, LinkedIn client, several games, Skype video chat and other applications.
In addition to the above applications, the smartphone is preinstalled: flashlight, currency converter (Oanda), compass, stopwatch, timer.
Output
Chinese developers have created another high-quality device. Alcatel One Touch Idol X 6040D has compact dimensions. It fits comfortably in your hand. The smartphone is equipped with a clear, bright and rich screen on which you can conveniently watch movies and photos. The device has an interesting interface and a wide range of pre-installed software.
The device has not very high performance due to the presence of a budget hardware platform. Weak graphic subsystem does not allow to recommend this device to gamers. But the main disadvantage of the smartphone is the lack of a memory card slot. This drawback is somewhat compensated by the support for the OTG interface, which allows you to connect external flash drives.
